Nord User Forum

Hi, I'd like to know if you at home play your C2D connected to a keyboard amplifier or PA speakers or something else.
I play mine using my audio interface and my studio monitors or just my headphones, but in the near future I want to upgrade and use PA speakers.
I will probably buy at least an EV ELX 112P, I'm considering also the 115P, but Idk if they will be overkill just for playing at home. What do you think? Any suggestion?

The 15' s probably would be overkill, yes. I looked at the 12's but eventually went for the Yamaha DXR 10's. Even with these, lots of people have told me they're overkill for a home set up, but I love them.

Whatever you buy, you do realise that you're going to have to run them through a mixer?


SSM

Six-string-man wrote: Whatever you buy, you do realise that you're going to have to run them through a mixer?

Why do I need a mixer? In the EV's manual the recommended configuration without subwoofers doesn't show a mixer, but just the keyboard connected to the line in.

A mixer will act as a pre-amp, giving you more control, and better and louder sound. At least, that's my experience.

Tried my P/A with and without a mixer, and it was night and day.


SSM

Six-string-man wrote:A mixer will act as a pre-amp, giving you more control, and better and louder sound. At least, that's my experience.

Tried my P/A with and without a mixer, and it was night and day.


SSM

I see... but I have a Radial Engineering J+4 (http://www.radialeng.com/j4.php) instead of a mixer; do you think that it will do the same job?

Quite possibly, Radial gear is some of the best out there, and this one does have a pre-amp in it.

Suggestion: Connect your P/A to your C2D and try it. Then run it through your Radial box, and try it again. If you are happy, then great.

See if you can borrow a mixer from a friend, or get one on approval, and try that. Use whatever set up is best for you.

You can get a decent mixer for €100-€150 if you need one.


SSM

I don´t know which monitors you are using, but you could simply add a subwoofer. I have active KRK RP6 G2 speakers with the sub.
It´s a powerful setup and with a Neo it´s very close to a Leslie. Of course a mixer will make life easier - depending on your interfaces inputs
you will not have to plug other instruments in and out.

dynanord wrote:I don´t know which monitors you are using, but you could simply add a subwoofer. I have active KRK RP6 G2 speakers with the sub.
It´s a powerful setup and with a Neo it´s very close to a Leslie. Of course a mixer will make life easier - depending on your interfaces inputs
you will not have to plug other instruments in and out.

I got 2 KRK RP5 Rokit G3 connected to my RME Fireface 802 in my sleeping room, but I'd like to move the C2D in a bigger room without moving also my equipment connected to the PC, so I was thiking to buy a PA Speaker.

I wouldn't say a mixer is essential, especially for home use. I normally play my C2D through our Bose hi-fi which sounds fine, if a little under scale. If I want to have a real go at it, I use my sub+satellite PA, which is a pair of db technologies 8" active speakers and their 12" active sub. I have TS to XLR leads to connect the organ to the sub, then it just needs ordinary XLR leads to connect the speakers to the sub's outputs. All the units have volume controls on them and with the master volume of the C2D I haven't run out of steam yet, in our reasonably spacious music room - in fact, more the opposite, with the kids running away screaming that it's too loud. Having this much power in a small (by gig standards) room is the closest you get to a proper Leslie without actually using a real one.

Whether or not you need a mixer or preamp depends on what input level your amplification is designed to receive. Nords have a fairly low output level (it appears to be -10dB) while many powered speakers are designed to accept a higher input level (+4dB). If this is the case, then the Nord can't supply enough level to allow the amplification to produce its maximum volume level. In this case a mixer or preamp that can produce a +4dB output will boost the level of the Nord quite substantially - enough to drive your amplification properly so that you can get the full volume out of it. If your amplification is designed to accept a -10dB input signal, then you won't need a mixer or preamp for this purpose, things will work properly as they are.