Help on understanding and choosing the right sound setup

[RainyWoods]

Hello, I have recently blown practically every penny I have on a Nord Stage 2 HA88 Keyboard. I'm incredibly technophobic, terrified by anything.. well technical but for the past few weeks I have been trying to educate myself about stuff online and I have strangely found myself quite enjoying it all. Theres nothing better though than asking questions so i'm absolutely delighted to have found this place!

The main help I need currently is actually getting some sound out of my keyboard as at the moment i'm only using my headphones. I have been looking up what would be best now for the past two weeks but i'm still quite confused. I have my eye on a 'KRK R6 passive monitor' but I still have doubts and am unsure on things and would love some help, opinions.

Things to bare in mind

- It will be for home use only.

- I eventually plan to record what I play onto my laptop.

- The music I play is quite mellow, dark, ambient and deep. I want every little detail to be picked up. I really love things that sound quite old and lofi yet I still like a real warmth and richness.


Some points im confused about..

- If the monitors are passive, does that mean I require an amp?

- Is it best to go with a pair of monitors rather than one? If so will there be enough slots for them on the keyboard (or amp) or will I have to buy some kind of extension?

- As I plan to record what I play eventually onto my laptop, will the quality of the speakers/amp have an effect on what is sent to the laptop?

- I have read that monitors are good for recording but then I have also read that as a result, the quality of the sound is more to the point and less enjoyable to listen to as opposed to speakers. For recording and for my own personal enjoyment, will monitors be ok or would speakers be better?



Sorry if these questions are abit silly but I really just want to make sure i'm buying the right things I need. Thank you for any help

 

[mjbphotos]

The Nord has 4 assignable outputs. I assume you will have 2 of these set up for a stereo output - to get the full effect of chorus/rotary/etc. In this case you will want to hook up 2 active speakers to these 2 channels. As you suspected, passive speakers mean they have no amplifier, active speakers have built-in amps. If you have a stereo hifi at home with a set of auxiliary inputs, you could hook up to it for the time being.
If you buy some decent active monitors now, like the KRKs, then you will have a good tool to use for mixing when you start recording.
Hifi speakers, or non-quality monitors, will 'color' the sound, i.e. not give you the true sound the instrument is producing - this is most noticeable when mixing a recording then playing it back on a different system - think of playing a CD on your home hifi and then in a cheap portable boombox and how it sounds different.

 

[JimmyS1969]

When you get to the point where you want to record to your laptop, you will want to purchase in interface with at least two 'Line' inputs for your keyboard. And if you wish to record something else with a microphone at some point, an interface that includes a mic (XLR) preamp input as well. Then the interface would be your like to computer, then back out to your monitors.