Keyboard Gigging Amplification

Hi Everyone,

I know we've discussed keyboard amplification before, but this topic is on the loud/medium sized venue end of the spectrum.

I need some advise. I currently play with a Triton pro and a Tyros. I use a Fender kbx-200 Stereo Keyboard amp. It has 1 12" speaker, a 10", and a piezo tweeter. It is 80 watts per side stereo. When my other 4 band mates get it going, I find it hard to cut through the music with my Brass patches for songs like "We got the Funk" and "Play that funky music".

I need a loud, easy to transport, great sound range, and STEREO setup for gigging.

Any suggestions as to the best approach?

1. Roland KC-1000
2. 2 JBL EON G2's with a Behringer mixer
3. Powered Mixer with good 3 way speakers.
4. Two stereo keyboard amps linked together?

We have 6 vocalists in the band and I don't want to Mic my amp into the PA since I'll get drowned out.


Thanks
Al

This has been discussed a lot here in recent months. As many here already know, I use the Motion Sound KP-200s which would more than fit all of the requirements you have. It has lots of raw power and it has stereo direct outputs that can run to your band's mixer, plus you can take a monitor feed from the band and feed it into the "click input" of the KP-200s so it'll function as both your keyboard and vocal monitor amp at the same time. You can search through this forum for more comments but this seems to be one of the top compact stereo keyboard amps going today.
http://www.motion-sound.com/keypro_amplifiers.htm


[This message has been edited by The Pro (edited 05-06-2003).]

Pro,

I know it's been beaten to death, but I don't think the KP200 will cut through at 200 watts. Plus, the 10" speakers restrict my bottom end presence in some venues. Thus my confusion.

Al

Drowned out ? Even in the main PA? Someone is not doing your mix justice. You should never be louder than the acoustic drums on stage.... if you need more - you NEED to be in the house PA.

That Roland amp is a monster, but it sounds good. I'd go with two powered cabs and a mixer, if it was me. Send a line to the house from the mixer too.

You definitely should have a serious talk with the person doing the mixing if you're being drowned out. I used to play with a four-piece country band, which included two guitars, a fiddle player and a drummer. The fiddle player was great, and he could play a bluegrass fiddle that just rained all over you. The drummer was pretty good also, but the lead guitarist was constantly cranking up the guitar's volume until it overpowered everything on stage. The problem was solved by getting rid of the lead guitar player. Once the individual instrument levals are set, there's usually no reason to change anything other than the main.

As for what to use, I'm going to South Jersey in two weeks to hear Barbetta's Sona-32, which I believe will cover all the bases by providing a wide frequency response, 450 watts of power and only weighs 36-1/2 pounds.

If you have a good back, I may have a pair of Peavey 600XF PA amp heads and a couple of SP5-G speakers to go with them. The amp head weighs 39 pounds, and the speakers tip the scales at 90 pounds each--but they sound great.

If there's one thing I've discovered over the years, when it comes to amps and speakers, you can always turn down a larger system and still retain outstanding quality. I have yet to hear an undersized, underpowered system turned up that still produces quality sounds.

Good luck,

Gary

Al:

Honestly I'd be quite surprised if the KP-200s was not sufficient for your needs. The amp is extremely loud and has more bottom end than the specs might lead you to believe. I am certain that this amp can produce damaging amounts of volume - in other words, if this isn't loud enough then you are risking your hearing anyway. I keep a pair of powered EON subwoofers handy in case I need them - so far from outdoor gigs to auditoriums, with the KP-200s they haven't been needed.

I'm getting interested with the KP-200 or 100 because of it's lightweigth, portability feature. I'm just worried if it can handle pulsating synth sounds, synth drums, and synth basses. I sometimes play some retro music like Pink Floyd and some electronic music which involved heavy synth adlibs.

I use two Barbetta sona 32 powered speakers. they only weigh 36 lbs each and they can blow the walls down.I don,t know how Barbetta does it ,but the first night I used them my wife and the club owner ( ALSO A MUSICIAN) told me they were as clear at the back of the room as at the stage.If you are drowned out using these babies then the only thing you can do is shoot the other band members and the sound man.

So now the difference is between using two speakers/amps such as two Barbetta's or two JBL EON G2's as opposed to a single MS KP200. The one piece of information I can't find on the Motion Sound KP200 is how much wattage is sent to the tweeters. On the JBL's, there is 300 watts to the 15" woofer and 100 watts to the horn/tweeter. That's heavy duty wattage for a horn and would give me great headroom for some of those patches that are tough to cut through the guitars.

Thoughts?
Al

Terry C,

Glad to hear your enjoying your Barbetta Sona 32's, I still love mine after 2 yrs of gigging, great sound Tight bass, Crisp Highs and Robust overall, lightweight, easy to stack and transport, awesome mixer and EQ features. I'm so glad I decided on them.

Jam On

------------------
www.donnypesce.com

Al:

There is a big difference between the EONs and the KP-200s: the EONs are biamped and the KP-200s is not. FYI: biamped means that seperate amps are powering the tweeter and the woofer. In the KP-200s, all of the wattage goes into a simple crossover then to both the tweeter and woofer at the same time... with EONs the signal goes through a crossover before going to the amp. Biamped systems sound better than non-biamped for the most part.

I own both EONs and the KP-200s... hands down, (2) EONs (for stereo) plus a mixer (for a preamp) will give you more sheer power than the KP-200s will. I think they sound better than the KP-200s too overall. But you are carting a full PA at that point, if that's your wish. The idea with the KP-200s is that it is a one-piece keyboard amp system. It is powerful and convenient - that's why I own it along with my EONs. Also, as a person who performs both with bands and solo I needed versatility - so I use the KP-200s in small to medium gigs and/or band gigs, then in large gigs I can just add my EONs to the KP-200s via the amp's direct outputs. I'm still waiting for a gig to come along that requires both the KP-200s and the EONs at the same time though - which is a statement to the KP's power.