why do software instruments suck live?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sach160
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sach160

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Hi guys - that's not a general statement, just my experience... I use a few software instruments, mainly synthogy ivory (piano plugin) - they sound awesome at home through good monitors, but at rehearsal rooms they suck.

I used to think that was just because rehearsal room PAs are crap, but my bandmate has this korg keyboard with a valve in it, and that thing sounds awesome even through rehearsal PAs...

Is this because of his sweet valve power? If so, should I consider sticking a valve power amp in my rack?

I have no experience of live keys, so any advice on how to get it to sound as good live as through my monitors at home would be much appreciated... my setup is laptop (running nuendo) into an RME fireface AI, into the PA... I know you can get keyboard amps - is this a solution? I'd like to avoid lugging around more heavy gear, and need to stay in stereo... so if a rack unit can solve my problem. that would be great...

Thanks!

Sache
 
You should run your software instrument through a keyboard amp, just as you would any other hardware synth. Running it through the PA is the only reason I can think of why it would sound so much worse in your rehearsal room as compared to your home speakers.

I use software instruments live and they sound great in my experience. But I do use a keyboard amp, and send a feed to the house system.
 
could be alot of things really.

First thing I would do is borrow his Korg and set it up next to your laptop running Ivory in a studio envioroment to really listen. My bet is that you'd have to eq the korg to sound as good as Ivory in that setting.

That said, the next step would be to eq Ivory to sound like the Korg live.

As for the valve, its probably just using more compression on the Korg making it cut through the mix better. You could try squashing your piano some with a compressor through the board.
 
sach160 said:
but my bandmate has this korg keyboard with a valve in it,
Click to expand...
The valve in the Triton is just a gimmic. It's one of those starved plate designs that does pretty much nothing for audio. Nothing from "warmth" point of view anyway... god I hate that word!

I second Sonic Albert's suggestion of running your soundcard through a keyboard amp. That by itself would do wonders if it's a good amp (gotta love those Motion Sound jobbies).
 
Thanks for the advice guys... first I'll AB my laptop and korg more carefully next time I'm in rehearsal...

Then I guess I should check out a keyboard amp... how about a rack preamp, then fed into the PA - would this improve the sound much, or does it have to be a whole keyboard amp? .. i carry enough amps/gear to rehearsals so a rack solution would be much preferred...

thanks again guys,

sache
 
If that korg player is playing through the same pa the same way as you are, then its not the keyboard amp.
 
It could be simply because you're playing it so much louder, competing with a band and all.

What's actually wrong with the sound through the PA? What sounds worse about it?
 
well it sounds... hard, brittle, unrounded... i guess just unreal... it could be playing at band levels, those budget PAs can't cut it... is a keyboard amp likely to fare much better at band levels?
 
The difference is probably a matter of how well the patches sound when mixed with the band vs how they sound by themself. Maybe you need to tweak the sounds or your performance to match the band mix better?
 
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