Miking & Speaker Choices For My Electric Keyboard: Any Advice?? I Want Audio Tracks

M

Mike Freze

New member
Miking & Speaker Choices For My Electric Keyboard: Any Advice?? I Want Audio Tracks

I have a Yamaha PSR-90 electric keyboard. I can (and have) recorded performances from my keyboard to my computer direct via my MIDI cables. Not bad. But sometimes the various instrument choices I use (trumpet, sax, banjo, drums, bass, etc.) sound lifeless or thin.

Is it ever a good idea to mic my Yamaha's speakers (right and left, built in) to get a bigger, livelier sound? I know I would need to record it as an audio track when I do this, but that's OK.

Or should I send the keyboard sound out to my bigger amps or PA and mic them instead because they are way better quality speakers?? Maybe doing this won't work because they aren't "keyboard" designed speakers. I have a Fender tube amp (twin reverb) and a Peavey PA.

Mike Freze
 
Oh, boy, another one of Mike's very basic questions...:rolleyes:

Really, Mike, just having a little fun, you know I don't mind.:)

But I am not sure I understand your question, this time. If you mean to mix the sound that comes from the Yammie's built-in speakers in with what you record via USB, the results will probably be disappointing. My Yammie PF-500 probably has much better speakers and on-board amps than your PSR-90, and even it is not as nice sounding as when I run it thru either a small PA or the Yamaha hi-fi audio amp I have in my music room. You may also only have a head-phone out, and that will make it a bit worse.

For organ sounds, you can get some nice, even passable leslie sounds from guitar amps with tremolo, like Twin Reverb. I made a patch for my Digitech RP-7 which I called "B-3," which simulates the swell you get when you have "pulled out all the stops" on a tone wheel organ (well, at least for the first chord) and the leslie sound, pretty well. But, for piano tones, you will probably do better with the Peavey PA. One word of caution- smaller PA's are designed to reproduce the human voice, not the very-wide frequency response needed for, say, an 88-key piano. You may find the highest and lowest keys to be a bit thin, and you could blow out speakers if you ask too much from a small PA.

I would think you will have better results going direct, instead of mic'ing the Yammie's speakers, even if you gotta use the headphone out.

If you are recording MIDI signals, you will need to go back thru the Yammie to reproduce any sound, but if you are recording digitalized sounds to your computer, you could go from the computer's sound card or your interface directly to a channel of your PA. Only way to find out which sounds better would be to try both. Maybe a blend of both would be the ticket.

Hope this helps. I am not expert on keys, synths, or MIDI, btw, just sharing my experiences.
 
stevieb said:
If you are recording MIDI signals, you will need to go back thru the Yammie to reproduce any sound, but if you are recording digitalized sounds to your computer....
Click to expand...

This is what I'm wondering about. Does your Yamaha send its own sound over USB, or are you sending MIDI data to a VST or the synth on your sound card?
 
You might want to send your keys to an amp in a larger type room and utilize a room microphone.
I kinda like the same set up in a long hall way with a close mic and a mic down the other end of the hall.
 
diggy_dude said:
This is what I'm wondering about. Does your Yamaha send its own sound over USB, or are you sending MIDI data to a VST or the synth on your sound card?
Click to expand...

I am not familiar with that particular keyboard, so the best I can tell you is, "It depends."

If the outlet on the 'board is a MIDI to USB, it probably sends a MIDI signal to the computer- what is saved would then be a series of MIDI signals that will only produce sound when played back thru a MIDI device like the original board.

If it's a more generic USB port, chances are the signals sent are sounds converted to digital signals, and would go to a recorder of some sort in your computer. You could probably play them back via the computer's sound card and speakers, and actually HEAR them, with your ears- the original-source music keyboard not needed.

Probably...:p
 
Mike, My advice is don't mic anything. Just take the headphone output of your PSR and go straight into your sound card... probably a 1/4" TRS jack to a 1/8" / 3.5mm TRS jack on the sound card. Keep the volume slider of the keyboard no more than halfway up. Record low enough to not get any distortion, then "normalize" the audio after it's recorded. Use some plug-ins and EQ. You could also look into getting a software-based synth with better sounds which you can control from your PSR.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top