2. speakers
  3. 1262985040

Speakers for live piano performance

Does anyone know about speakers for live music?

I'm an amateur jazz pianist, and I want to be able to perform high-quality acoustic jazz using a portable keyboard. For example, I'd like to be able to play at local coffee houses and restaurants, most of which don't own a piano but would love to have live music. The keyboard I'm using is a Kawai MP8, which I think has an excellent "acoustic grand piano" sound (when I listen to it through headphones).

My question is, what speakers should I use for performing?

I've tried the typical keyboard amps that rock bands use (Hartke KM series, Roland KC series), but they don't come close to achieving the warm, realistic piano sound I'm looking for.

I'm sure I could get more accurate sound reproduction using home/studio monitors, but I'm worried that those will be (1) too near-field (not intended to be heard more than ~20 feet away) and (2) too fragile (not intended for being bumped into and tripped over and transported around).

So I think that leaves PA speakers. I just bought a pair of QSC K8 speakers, and they sound excellent above middle C but rather thin and muddled below middle C.

How can I do better?
wolfbear
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Wolf,

If your issue really extends up into the octave below middle c (when you said below middle c, you didn't specify how far below), then I doubt that the sub is the answer.

In my case, the issues were more centralized in/below the lowest full octave on the keyboard. One idea:

Make sure you've tried your existing set-up in several different environments before concluding that you've nailed the specific characteristics of the problem. In this frequency range, the room is (almost) everything.

Good Luck,

Marty
sharpnine
14 posts
 
I do piano gigs with my roland rd-700, and get great sound with a pair of Mackie SRM-450's. These have loads of very clean power, and simulate, in a large room, the sound you can get on your headphones. Their weakness is probably the low bass--they have quite a bit of bass but it doesn't extend quite as low as an acoustic grand piano. Still I find them sufficient. They are easy to carry around, can be positioned in multiple ways depending on your setup. With two, it is easy to use one as a monitor and the other facing out into the room. If you want to go smaller for a gig, you can get by with one. You probably need quarter-inch to XLR adapter cables. If you also want to use a mic or another keyboard, you need to add a small mixer as the Mackie's only have one input. At that point you basically have a PA system.
I have a very good hi-fi stereo setup at home, and when I play recorded music through the Mackie's the sound quality compares well to the stereo (and they were much less expensive). Most dedicated keyboard amps, in my opinion, are not worth considering. They just don't sound that good, are heavy and clunky, and not as flexible.
macrojack
1,303 posts
 
Yorkville Sound in Toronto. The Unity speakers would probably give you what you're looking for. Size and price might be an issue but they are pro sound gear and there may be a powered version. Your keyboard carries the potential to spike any driver so a limiter of some sort would be a good call.
More to discover