When I listen to my M3 on headphones the sound quality is fabulous. Really hard to tell from a piano. When I use an amp I get a tinny sound. This seems to be the case with the sound system at my church and also with my Roland KC 150.
When I use a direct box and use headphones I get the tinny sound. I have even tried running the amp from the headphone outlet but the problem persists. This is also the case if I use no direct box but plug directly in to the amp.
Does anyone have any ideas or fixes.
Poor quality sound with amps and sound systems on M3
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dadabujontomasteel
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billbaker
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First thing to know is that headphones have a particular coloration or EQ signature. "Fabulous" being somewhat subjective, unless the full system that you run through is exactly the same as the headphone's frequency response curves you'll perceive a difference in the sound of your M3 -- also listening from behind the speakers is not a true indication to you of the sound actually going to the congregation.
The theoretical ideal for a sound system is a flat response. In real-world use though many (many!) tweaks are made to accommodate the liveliness of the room, the inherent coloration of the speaker/amp/space, and the sound absorbtive properties of spatially variable non-reflective objects like people in front of the speakers.
Ironically, keyboard amps are some of worst at reproducing the actual sound of the keyboard. Most seem to be concerned with the low end (12-15" speaker) and all the rest is handled by a (usually) harsh tweeter. Your Roland amp used as a monitor will itself give you a completely different sound than both your headphones and the house PA.
Many keyboardists, myself included, opt for a small powered PA speaker as an onstage monitor rather than a combo amp because they are designed for a flatter response across a wider spectrum and may give you an open-air sound closer to your headphone experience.
In a band setting you may still want to use in-ear monitors, and let the sound guy (if you trust him) make you sound as good as he can over the system you're playing through. It will cut down on stage volume, make the overall sound cleaner, and possibly save your hearing.
BB
The theoretical ideal for a sound system is a flat response. In real-world use though many (many!) tweaks are made to accommodate the liveliness of the room, the inherent coloration of the speaker/amp/space, and the sound absorbtive properties of spatially variable non-reflective objects like people in front of the speakers.
Ironically, keyboard amps are some of worst at reproducing the actual sound of the keyboard. Most seem to be concerned with the low end (12-15" speaker) and all the rest is handled by a (usually) harsh tweeter. Your Roland amp used as a monitor will itself give you a completely different sound than both your headphones and the house PA.
Many keyboardists, myself included, opt for a small powered PA speaker as an onstage monitor rather than a combo amp because they are designed for a flatter response across a wider spectrum and may give you an open-air sound closer to your headphone experience.
In a band setting you may still want to use in-ear monitors, and let the sound guy (if you trust him) make you sound as good as he can over the system you're playing through. It will cut down on stage volume, make the overall sound cleaner, and possibly save your hearing.
BB
billbaker
Triton Extreme 88, Triton Classic Pro, Trinity V3 Pro
+E-mu, Alesis, Korg, Kawai, Yamaha, Line-6, TC Elecronics, Behringer, Lexicon...
Triton Extreme 88, Triton Classic Pro, Trinity V3 Pro
+E-mu, Alesis, Korg, Kawai, Yamaha, Line-6, TC Elecronics, Behringer, Lexicon...
M3 fidelity through a keyboard amp
I totally agree with Bill, in that every Keyboard amp that I have ever tried in the last 30+ years does NOT do any keyboard any justice sonically.
Just purchased a pair of Electro Voice ZLX12p speakers to play through, and they are great at reproducing piano in particular......which I have always had some trouble with.
I replaced a pair of EV SXa250, which have a 15" woofer and I definitely like a 12" better for piano and synth. Nice, but way too heavy!
Was using non-power EVs with a 12" and horn for years before that and they sounded great too. Yes I like stereo. And always used them as my mains/monitors. For the very few times that I play out now, I still bring both of the ZLX12p out and to me anyway, it's like having giant headphones on....really clean, powerful, well rounded sound. Also inexpensive and light!
My 2 cents
Paul
Just purchased a pair of Electro Voice ZLX12p speakers to play through, and they are great at reproducing piano in particular......which I have always had some trouble with.
I replaced a pair of EV SXa250, which have a 15" woofer and I definitely like a 12" better for piano and synth. Nice, but way too heavy!
Was using non-power EVs with a 12" and horn for years before that and they sounded great too. Yes I like stereo. And always used them as my mains/monitors. For the very few times that I play out now, I still bring both of the ZLX12p out and to me anyway, it's like having giant headphones on....really clean, powerful, well rounded sound. Also inexpensive and light!
My 2 cents
Paul