Recommended speaker setup for home studio+incl. Kronos 2 88

[jamiecramb]

Hi all,

New to the forums and looking for a bit of advice.

I'm about to purchase a Korg Kronos 2 88 and an Avid Eleven Rack with pro tools (http://www.avid.com/US/products/eleven-rack) to setup a small home recording studio to play around with... not had a new system since I bought my Pa1X so out of touch and out of my depth!

I'm looking for some guidance on a suitable speaker setup (pa, studio monitors, or something else) that will let me use the Kronos, eleven rack, electro acoustic guitar, and mic together for general playing as well as home recording. The Kronos is the star of the show here so want to make sure I get a setup that does it justice.

Any feedback / thoughts on what's worked and not worked for you is appreciated... and feel free to educate this newb on the differences between when you would use a PA setup vs. studio monitors vs. amps, etc!

[GregC]

I am not sure since you have a guitar. If it was not for that, I would easily recommend quality studio monitors for your Kronos/recording.

a guitar would sound very clean/sort of sonically flat thru my studio monitors. Maybe its not a big deal and you can add FX to your guitar.

[jeremykeys]

For live I'm using a very inexpensive system. 2 small Yorkville cabinets on stands and an old powered mixer. Cost was a big issue with me at the time as my wife was laid off from her job. I also play guitar through it and I use a Zoom GN1nExt pedal.
In my studio is small studio monitors but the same pedal for guitars.

[Joe Gerardi]

If sound comes before budget (But staying sub-2 grand) that I'd take the ADAM Audio A7X; if budget comes before sound (but still want damn good sound) I'd take the KRK VXT 8.

..Joe

[jeremykeys]

I'd recommend first determining your budget first. That makes it a lot easier to decide exactly what will work best for you.

[Bachus]

I am using KRK RP10 studio monitors, they work very well with both the Kronos as well as my Tyros ... And they are not to expensive

[Bertotti]

I have the krkrp5 first gen and they are ok but would need a sub. I use the QSC K10 with my Kronos and 000-18GE with pure western mini pups, direct no DI for either, sounds great. Mixing I like the Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO semi open. I have even used my electrics with the QSC using an old Zoom multi pedal.

For monitors I would love the Adams or if I had the cash some Focals. I don't know if there are better but I would sure love to have them!

[psionic311]

+1 for the QSC K10s if you're wanting to have a studio quality sound when playing out. They have 3 inputs -- 2 combo XLR/1/4" inputs (one of which is selectable between mic/line input) and third stereo RCA input. The combo inputs have their own volume control.

Because it also has DEEP button, I can use one K10 as a portable bass amp. Its small enough that it fits in the wheel well of my car. There's also a Vocal Boost button when you're using the K10s as PA tops (1000w Class D amps with 129 dB SPL).

[jamiecramb]

Thanks to all for the replies so far.

I've been doing a bit of thinking based on the feedback so far, and some of my own reading, and I'm leaning towards getting a set of decent studio monitors as the eleven rack should provide the warmth of sound with it's amp modelling and these are really going to be used in doors where I would trade quality of sound over filling a hall during a gig.

Plan would be to connect as follows

Kronos -(L/R line inputs)-> Eleven Rack -->Studio Monitors
Eleven Rack --> PC

Based on what I've seen from the responses it looks like my options are:
* Adam A7X's
* KRK *

I've seen a few people leaning towards the Adam's which could be in my budget if they are worth it (can get a pair for around £800 GBP). I'm curious to know if anyone has experience of the Adams and others and if they would recommend against them.

Also, for the Adams, I see that I can get them with a sub... would this be required for the Kronos or not worth the extra? (e.g. http://sxpro.co.uk/adam-a7x-sub-8-bundl ... GwodMRELHg).

Sorry for all of the newb questions, appreciate the input!

[SDDP]

Keep in mind, but cheap..buy twice...
I always go for something a bit above my budget so I won't feel regret later down the line (thinking years later..oh I should have gotten that higher brand/model).

I am running KRK VXT8 with a JBL 310 Sub.

[jazlover]

KRK 10 are awesome I use them to play live (most venues) as well.

[SanderXpander]

If you're considering a sub you need to consider room treatment. What size is your room to begin with? Is it roughly square or rectangular, and where will you position the speakers?

[Ottawa58]

The unfortunate thing about listening to speakers in the store is that they will never sound the same in your music room. However, you can change your room sound with acoustic treatment. It's not hard to do, and not that expensive if you shop around.

What speakers you get depends on what you play most. I play about 80% piano - and I'm very happy with medium sized dynaudio studio monitors and a fairly tame yamaha sub. This would work for guitar - the kronos has a great EQ and effects if you run the guitar into it. However if you are into thumping club sounds, you may want a stronger rokit sub.

You also want to pay attention to cables. The Kronos supports balanced cables, so get monitors that do too.

[jamiecramb]

@SanderExpander, it's a rectangular room, see the following for an approximate layout / sizing: http://picpaste.com/Music_room_-_New_Pa ... Sxepfi.png

@Ottawa58, I'll be playing a lot of piano as well but possibly quite a bit of rock / metal as well (not so much on the thumping club sounds side! ) With regards to balanced inputs/outputs, can you clarify what the distinction is (just for me own education).

@jazlover / @SDDP, thanks I'll take a look at the KRK's in a bit more detail.

[Ottawa58]

Unbalanced cables are your normal guitar patch cables with one little black line on the connector. They can pick up background noise - especially longer lengths.

Balanced cables have two black lines - separating the tip, ring, and slip. If your source (Kronos) has a balanced output (it does), and your destination (speakers) have balanced inputs, then use balanced cables. They eliminate a lot of the noise.

here's a fairly good youtube that explains better than I can:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQtMFsw_3Hg