I ran my mic through the keyboard for more years than I can remember - never had a problem. And, usually, once I had everything balanced between mic and styles I never had to touch the volume at all.

Now, I used the Bose L1 Compact, and there was never a nursing home or retirement community that I could not cover. additionally, I didn't need a monitor with the L1 Compact - I heard exactly what the audience heard and at the same volume. Every piece of gear was lightweight and setup took 7 minutes if I took my time.

Gary