Your general "live" setup for mixing keys to main board.

Ways to fun multiple keys/modules to a board in a live situation. A board that does not have many inputs.

What are some specifics of your setup relating to connecting to the main mixer?

Do you use direct boxes? Are they needed?

Right now I use a sub mixer for my keyboards and I run two lines out to the main board.

Thanks.

All synths -> submixer.

Submixer -> Whatever strange configuration the bar has (no two bar PAs are alike)

Submixer -> Monitor speaker (because guitarists-cum-sound guys will never turn you up enough. Even during the synth pop songs.)

I run my keys into a Yamaha MG12/4FX board that serves as a submixer. All my sound engines (CP300 Keyboard, RD700SX keyboard and Motif ES Rack unit) run stereo into that board. The board has a "Main" out as well as a "Group 1-2" out ("Group 1-2" is essentially a post fader submix out). I send the "Main" mix out as my send to the FOH (which I isolate from the FOH board with DI's) and the "Group 1-2" mix out to an RMX1450 power amp that drives a pair of floor wedges for my keyboard monitoring on stage.

Besides using the Yamaha for what I send to the FOH board - it hosts a channel that it receives from an Aux output from the FOH baord that contains a vocal monitor mix. By including it in the "Group 1-2" mix - but NOT the "Main" mix out - I'm able to use my key rig to amplify my vocal monitor mix as well. It's nice because I control my vocal monitor volume myself.

The rig is heavy ... but very flexible and sounds great. I sit in the middle of my own little stereo field ... complete with my own private monitor mix. What's not to like about that?

1. How many keys do you use?

2. Is the P.A. in stereo?

3. Do you have a Good Soundman at all jobs?

4.Do you use an amp or powered mixer?

If you have no sound man, use a direct box one-out to board and it will sound like your monitor. All volume levels are up to you.

Many of us can direct you with more info.

Richard

I play small to medium size gigs, and I went through a couple of keyboard amps before getting a QSC K10 which is pretty good. I usually just run my keyboard through the K10 if the house PA is terrible, OR go straight to the PA via direct box. I technically do not need a direct box since my signal is balanced, but most venues provide one anyway.

Im using a MX1604A Mixer for my keys.

I run the Main Outs XRL (left & right) to the PA (two Channels) and the Main Outs 1/4 inch to my monitors/keyboard amps in stereo. The XRL lines are 50ft long.

Right now I'm using 2 synths and one module and one guitar that uses A V-Amp.

I dont believe the PA is in true stereo. Our band is using the Peavey XR 8600.

Our "soundman" as far as I know will be our singer for now.

Should I be using a direct box in this setup?

thanks.

I have 2 basic setups.

1: all keys run into line mixer in stereo, stereo out to my amp/speakers. fx/monitor out to the house via 1/4" line- direct box used when needed. We mostly mix from stage so no need for one.

2: all keys run into small mixer in mono. left out goes to powered monitor, right out goes to house. Again, DI as needed. I don't have a DI, if we are using an outside sound company then they give me one to use.

Synthbot- if you are running XLR to your band's PA head, you don't need a DI. Even if you used a sound company and had to plug into a snake, with the XLR outs you don't need a DI. All the DI basically does is convert a 1/4" unbalanced line to an XLR balanced line. Some are more sophisticated than that but that's the basic function of one.

I run 2 keyboards (WS and piano or something else) otherwise I use only one but I always use a Phonic MM1202 mixer because I run the Main Outs to the PA and aux 1/4 inch to my monitor, then I put a band monitor signal in return in oreder to control the amount of the general sound on my monitr and also I split the mic signal in order to give to the P.A. the main mic signal but I'm able to run the splitted signal on my mixer with indipendent monitoring capabilities! :thu:

Korg SV 1----> Alesis line mixer channel 1

Roland VK --->Motion Sound Pro 3x----> line mixer channel 2

Roland XV 5080------> line mixer channel 3

Moog LP--------> line mixer channel 4

Line mixer mono out to DI to split snake.

One trunk of splitsnake to Mix Wiz 16:2 for monitors, the other trunk to FOH.

Cheers,

Gord

Since you're taking XLR out of your mixer, you don't need a direct box.

I would be concerned about sending a stereo signal to a mono PA. If your PA is really mono, you might do better to use only the LEFT outputs of you synths-- that way the sound is summed to mono in the synths (and hopefully done correctly). I realize that kills your stereo monitoring, but poor stereo-to-mono summing can make your synths sound lame.

Test your PA's stereo capability by muting the L or R channel. Does the PA even have a "pan" knob? If not, you're in mono. If so, pan your channels hard L and R.

Alot of the pros on the Live Sound & Production forum would disagree. My understanding is that a DI also serves to provide some electrical isolation between the two devices.

I use a Mackie 1202VLZ to submix the keys; send the main outputs to the PA, and the control room outputs to my EonG2 15. This gives me the ability to turn up or down my stage volume without affecting the send to the PA.

Why is it that most sound techs won't turn up keyboards? Bugs me; my friends that come to gigs almost always tell me that I was inaudible or mostly so.

Perhaps it's just a cross we must bear.

this is quite true, but often DIs are used because the sound guy has no idea what mixer the performer is using, and does not trust the specs and/or servicability of the mixer. better safe than sorry.

i wrote a treatise on mixing yourself on stage a couple days ago that i think people should read before they go hogwild with line mixers, i'll see if i can find it.

I run several synths into a Yamaha StagePAS 250M to a Radial JDI Duplex to the mixer. The StagePAS acts as my stage monitor as well as my mixer. The JDI Duplex has the capability to accept 2 stereo line ins and send a stereo out if I decided to ditch the StagePAS.

-Mc