Korg Forums

undrpsi · Joined: 24 Jan 2011 Posts: 4 Location: Gastonia, NC

Greetings!

My Wavedrum will be here Thursday (01/27) and needed some input for some speakers.

No gigs involved. Just some small yet clean speakers to jam out with my kids (Guitars and Keyboards).

Would quality 'powered' speakers such as the Bose Companion 2 series work? These are 'computer' speakers but some friends used them for portable CD players and they aren't bad...not cheap either. Does the Wavedrum need a pre-amp to get sound like in the demo videos? Or...do I need 'studio' monitors? Best Buy has the Rockit brand in several flavors...M-Audio makes some..so does Behringer...or are these overkill?

Not looking to spend a bundle...but do want small but clear output...

Anyone have some (constructive) input?

Jay
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X-Trade · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:20 pm Post subject:

Studio monitors, powered speakers, hi-fi system (with amp). For keyboards I would use any of these and I think they are more or less the same from a functional point of view.

The main difference is purpose and quality.

If you are running from the main output then you will need some kind of amp (as you said, powered speakers and active/powered studio monitors have an amplifier built in).

Headphone socket (if present) would be able to power a small set of portable or unpowered speakers but it isn't really advisable.

Not sure what kind of sounds you intend on playing, but something which has a good bass response or a PC/home theatre/studio monitor setup that involves a sub may be something you want to look in to.

I don't have any experience with the wavedrum specifically but these are my thoughts for keyboards and electronic instruments in general. I do have an electronic drum kit here which I run through a combination of HiFi system (with sub) AND studio monitors, all carefully placed. That is more of a full listening/recording/studio setup than single instrument though.
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undrpsi · Joined: 24 Jan 2011 Posts: 4 Location: Gastonia, NC

Thanks X-Trade...

You have answered most of my questions...so basically anything I can plug my iPad into (headphone) and get good tonal range and a decent volume...I am golden. Should have the same fidelity for any headphone output device..right?

Anyone have any suggestions? Not looking to spend $300 on a set of monitors (dont' care how good they are). Mostly playing in a large (converted 2 car garage) family room with my kids. They'll be playing on some 15 watt Marshall amps...So i'll need something to keep up with them.

Thanks

Jay
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WaveDrummer · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:30 pm Post subject:

I have had the opportunity to hear the Wavedrum through many, many different sound systems in the various stores I have done training in.

There are two ways to look at this:
In a more controlled studio/recording environment, I would definitely recommend a pair of designated "Studio Monitors." The brands you mention, along with others, all offer fairly affordable options for powered monitors (which is an easy and convenient way to go). The bigger the better (that is, choose an 8" speaker over a 6" etc.) In this situation, I would definitely suggest adding a powered sub-woofer as well. The Wavedrum has some extraordinary low-end capabilities. It would be a shame not to hear all that is going on with some of the programs. From low drum sounds to explosive atmospheric sounds, there is a whole other dimension taking place in the low-end!

But then you mentioned Marshall amps...
In a live setting, even if it's just jamming with friends (or kids!) and they're only using 15 watt amps, you'll probably need something a bit different to compete with that volume. I have played the Wavedrum through several different systems that were designed specifically for electronic drums. In all honesty, the all sounded great--Yamaha, Roland, Simmons, etc. I found the Wavedrum sounded very convincing through all of them.

The biggest difference between these and the "studio monitor" setup is probably the fact that the electronic drum systems are designed to have a bit more "punch" and to respond well to aggressive playing. Some will offer a sub-woofer/satellite combo, whereas other will be one, standalone, self-contained unit. It really comes down to personal preference and your own specific requirements.

Remember, the Wavedrum has a tremendous dynamic range! From high-frequency to low-end; from soft and subtle to devastatingly powerful! What works for an iPad/iPod may not be able to really keep up with the variance in live dynamics when performing on the Wavedrum

As I said, there are some very affordable options out there. But don't compromise too much. The home-theater, computer-speaker route is not going to be the ideal way to go; far from it. Nor is using the headphone output for your live sound. A little research at your local dealer will be worth the time. You don't even have to test speakers with a Wavedrum specifically. If any decent electronic drumkit sounds good through whatever systems you try out, the Wavedrum will be just fine through that same system.

Now crank it up!

cuidate · Joined: 01 Feb 2011 Posts: 8 Location: Near San Francisco

I'm relatively new to Electronic Drums but have had the Handonic-10 for awhile but am selling it and have purchased the Wavedrum. The Handsonic is a wonderful apparatus but it bears little in common with traditional drumming.

I took the Handsonic into several music stores and listened to it on 15-20 amps. I would recommend that process to anyone looking for an amp. Besides price I had an additional key consideration. Because I fequently travel to Cuba, I needed something that I could pack into a suitcase.

The difference between amplifiers was astonishing. Forget about buying anything but a Keyboard or Bass Amp, preferably the former. The others just don't have the ability to faithfully reproduce the dynamic range of sounds an electronic drum can put out. Without a doubt, the best sounding amp I listened to, imho, was the Roland KC-60. I'm still poking around and will be trying the Roland Cube CM-30 monitor and the Pignose 30W soon. I think anything less than 30W will also not meet expectations.

Bertotti · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:24 am Post subject:

I'm thinking about a powered PA speaker like the peavey 15d or 12d. Self powered 12 or 15 and tweeter. I wonder how it will sound.

cuidate · Joined: 01 Feb 2011 Posts: 8 Location: Near San Francisco

One of the nice things about the Wavedrum is how portable it is. Music stores everywhere are floor to ceiling stacked with amplifiers you can plug into and try out.

My experience definitely suggested that less than 30W woosed out pretty badly compared to 30W and aboce. The KC-60 is 40W

I think it's so completely subjective that any discussion of it is kinda mental masturbation as against listening to a variety of amps with your own two ears.

All women are beautiful - to someone - but I know which ones work for me. There is nothing anyone can say to change the way you're wired and what floats your boat.

I always start with the cheapest possible candidate and work my way up. Mind you, I'm talking about amplifiers when I say that....hahaha

Bertotti · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:47 pm Post subject:

I use some KRK Rokit5 at home so last night I tried the WD though them. Sounded decent but quite. I can see where a nice set of pa or keyboard or drum speakers will make a huge difference. My experiment just left me wanting some powered PA speakers! The Mackie or the Peavey. I need to go try them. Now to go lament the lack of funds!

Charlie · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:14 pm Post subject:

HK Audio Lucas Smart - nice! Twisted Evil

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Bertotti · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:53 pm Post subject:

Nice but I haven't seen a seller here in the states of that product and if they did judging by the euro price it is way over my head!

rrricky rrrecordo · Senior Member Joined: 26 Jan 2011 Posts: 448

I recently picked up some small Roland amps - AC-60 for acoustic guitar and KC-110 for keys.

The KC-110 is amazing for its tiny size. It's cab is sealed pretty tight, and it moves a LOT of air out the tuned port. It gets a lot louder and goes a lot lower than it has any physical right too! The WD sounds great through it, although the wind noise coming out the port is vexing on sounds containing super low freqs.

I thought the AC-60 would be a good match for the WD as well, but it has little bottom end, and the highs simply are not there - it's optimized for acoustic guitar of course so anyway it's good at that. Both keepers for sure.

Bertotti · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:40 pm Post subject:

I saw a guy that would open up small amps like that and put a bit of something around the edges of the ports to break up the wind noise. I have never tired it but it seemed to work for him.

rrricky rrrecordo · Senior Member Joined: 26 Jan 2011 Posts: 448

Yeah, I don't know how much dif it would make though and I'm pretty good at ripping stuff apart, not so good at putting it back together. Every tuned port speaker I've ever used has the same issue at low freqs/loud volume levels. Seal off the hole in the design and you're down 3db right off the bat so the perceived signal level is lower - trade-offs, it's all about balance in the universe Very Happy

Bertotti · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 9:34 pm Post subject:

True there is always a trade off. I don't think he sealed off the port though. I think he used some insulation or foam to direct air away from the edges and soften the sound of the blow by a bit..

Tom Attix · Joined: 21 Mar 2011 Posts: 1

I just got got an WD Oriental, I also play a Zendrum with a Roland TD-12. I used to play through a Roland keyboard amp and while it had the range (more or less) it was mono and I could get the low end to distort if I was really pounding on a bass drum. I moved over to the PM-30 when I needed more volume to keep up with a larger band. The PM-30 is meant for drums, it does not have the delicate sound you would expect from a keyboard amp, but it will keep up with the bass. The biggest selling point for me is that it has stereo speakers for the highs and mids and then a central sub. Stereo makes a huge difference in the "naturalness" of a sound. It is much easier to forget that there are no real drums in the room when playing through a stereo setup.