Wanting to get the best piano sound for playing at home, I'm considering two options: A good set of computer speakers with a sub-bass and the conventional powered monitors. One side of me says that the powered monitors are the obviously better choice, since they are created by companies that know sound better. The other side says that good powered computer speakers, with a subwoofer with a bigger cone, will be better for creating a piano sound at home. (Some of these computer speaker sets now come with sub-woofers with 6-8" cones, and let you control the cross over frequency. Wish they were bigger, but that's better than the cones on many studio monitors.) Which side seems right? Or is there another option--does anyone now make a good set of powered monitors with a sub-bass? (I'm wanting to use powered monitors just to reduce the time and effort it takes to sit down to play.)
(I'm ignoring the keyboard amp option, because I sense that, for playing at home, I can get a better sound from either studio monitors or a serious set of computer speakers, since I can have a stereo sound and more easily put the cones at ear level.)
For a piano sound at home, which speaker setup is best?
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- KVRian
- 859 posts since 14 Sep, 2004
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- KVRist
- 256 posts since 1 Jun, 2003 from USA
what kind of piano style are you using this for
In the midst of life
what shall I compare it to
Daybreak, emptiness left behind a rowing boat.
"Sami Mansei"
what shall I compare it to
Daybreak, emptiness left behind a rowing boat.
"Sami Mansei"
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- KVRist
- 256 posts since 1 Jun, 2003 from USA
ahh hell I'll just answer this.
Get some Near field Monitors PRO!
Make sure that the distance apart of the monitors is the same distance you are from them, make sure the tweaters are pointing towards your ears so your in the middle of the stereo image.
When doing piano music it's going to depend on your style , is this solo, is this for a mix? what kind of mix, house, pop, whatever?
Generally solo you'll need or want to add a nice Baxandall Curve and make sure you have the proper space created for the piano to sit in with reverb. You want those keys to ring but be colorful and lush, you don't want to muddy up the bass so becarful how you use your pedaling in that space you create with reverb. The pedal is another instrument let it breath wiht the music a lot!
Don't compress the piano you want the dynamics all of them to come through if you have to use Volume envelopes to tame peaks etc.
good luck!
Get some Near field Monitors PRO!
Make sure that the distance apart of the monitors is the same distance you are from them, make sure the tweaters are pointing towards your ears so your in the middle of the stereo image.
When doing piano music it's going to depend on your style , is this solo, is this for a mix? what kind of mix, house, pop, whatever?
Generally solo you'll need or want to add a nice Baxandall Curve and make sure you have the proper space created for the piano to sit in with reverb. You want those keys to ring but be colorful and lush, you don't want to muddy up the bass so becarful how you use your pedaling in that space you create with reverb. The pedal is another instrument let it breath wiht the music a lot!
Don't compress the piano you want the dynamics all of them to come through if you have to use Volume envelopes to tame peaks etc.
good luck!
In the midst of life
what shall I compare it to
Daybreak, emptiness left behind a rowing boat.
"Sami Mansei"
what shall I compare it to
Daybreak, emptiness left behind a rowing boat.
"Sami Mansei"
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- KVRian
- 540 posts since 30 Mar, 2006 from Sardinia Italy
Depend how much you can spend for them. Piano doesn't need any subwoofer. Computer speakers with satellite and subwoofer are not made for playing piano but for playing games!
The question is: how can achive a good piano sound from very small speakers? The answer is you can't get any good piano sound from speakers very small.
If you can spend $$$ ok buy ribbon or planar stereo speakers like Magnaplanar if you can't spend much $$$ buy monitors such as: Genelec, KRK, or less expensive speakers.
The question is: how can achive a good piano sound from very small speakers? The answer is you can't get any good piano sound from speakers very small.
If you can spend $$$ ok buy ribbon or planar stereo speakers like Magnaplanar if you can't spend much $$$ buy monitors such as: Genelec, KRK, or less expensive speakers.
Guitar, Drum and Bass sample libraries for Kontakt
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www.pettinhouse.com
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- KVRist
- 284 posts since 9 Mar, 2004 from Richmond, VA
here's my two cents on this, having played Bosendorfer pianos, Yamaha pianos, Steinway pianos, and my own cheap upright 
.
Real pianos are, generally speaking, very loud, and it takes a light touch to make them normal volume, or quiet... this might be an obvious point, but I find that if I practice too long with my Alesis QS 8.1 piano keyboard, and then move to a real piano, I invariably realize that I've been playing too hard on the Alesis...
I monitor with a pair of Event TR8XLs, which I would NOT recommend. I've had amp troubles with both powered monitors.
Anyway, so to finish my firs thought: if you need to be able to translate you're playing to a real piano, make sure you get speakers that can play loudly, and keep them turned up, so that you can keep your touch similar between the artificial and real piano.
Of course, this could just be my problem.
Next, I would say that unlike recording purposes, for which you need to be able to hear the full spectrum of sounds, if your only purpose is for this piano sound, I completely agree with the poster who suggested that a high quality pair of home audio speakers would be your best bet.
A real piano's sound is muffled by its wood and the surrounding room. With the above mentioned Event speakers, I find I can hear, well, a lot of, for lack of a better term, 'sample noise' in the variety of piano samples I play... meaning I'm hearing the noise floor where the sample was recorded, then the amp noise in my Event speakers, and then of course the noise floor of the various electronic components in my set-up, Mackie mixer, etc.
These are, of course, quiet quiet sounds, but ones that are 'masked' by home audio speakers, and a good set of Ribbon speakers or any high quality home speakers will have less high end and less bass than a monitor speaker, which mates well with the 'warm' sound of a real piano...
A long post just to agree with the basic notion: Audiophile speakers rather than pro musician speakers.
.Real pianos are, generally speaking, very loud, and it takes a light touch to make them normal volume, or quiet... this might be an obvious point, but I find that if I practice too long with my Alesis QS 8.1 piano keyboard, and then move to a real piano, I invariably realize that I've been playing too hard on the Alesis...
I monitor with a pair of Event TR8XLs, which I would NOT recommend. I've had amp troubles with both powered monitors.
Anyway, so to finish my firs thought: if you need to be able to translate you're playing to a real piano, make sure you get speakers that can play loudly, and keep them turned up, so that you can keep your touch similar between the artificial and real piano.
Of course, this could just be my problem.
Next, I would say that unlike recording purposes, for which you need to be able to hear the full spectrum of sounds, if your only purpose is for this piano sound, I completely agree with the poster who suggested that a high quality pair of home audio speakers would be your best bet.
A real piano's sound is muffled by its wood and the surrounding room. With the above mentioned Event speakers, I find I can hear, well, a lot of, for lack of a better term, 'sample noise' in the variety of piano samples I play... meaning I'm hearing the noise floor where the sample was recorded, then the amp noise in my Event speakers, and then of course the noise floor of the various electronic components in my set-up, Mackie mixer, etc.
These are, of course, quiet quiet sounds, but ones that are 'masked' by home audio speakers, and a good set of Ribbon speakers or any high quality home speakers will have less high end and less bass than a monitor speaker, which mates well with the 'warm' sound of a real piano...
A long post just to agree with the basic notion: Audiophile speakers rather than pro musician speakers.
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