Distortion when using keyboard with speakers

[timmy153]

Hi,

I own a Roland RD 300 GX, and I have recently purchased Roland's Cakewalk MA-15D monitors to go with it. However, I have noticed that when playing some particular notes or combination of notes, distortion occurs with the speakers.

Playing from headphones gives a much nicer and crispier sound, with no sign of distortion at all. I was wondering whether there is some setting on the speakers/keyboard which annuls this annoying disturbance.

Thanks in advance,
Tim

[athomik]

Hi,

I own a Roland RD 300 GX, and I have recently purchased Roland's Cakewalk MA-15D monitors to go with it. However, I have noticed that when playing some particular notes or combination of notes, distortion occurs with the speakers.

In this type of set-up, distortion is caused either by over-driving the inputs or by over-driving the speakers.

In the first case, the signal coming from the keyboard is too high for the input circuits in the monitor. To remedy this, check the specifications of the monitor (nominal input level). If you can't select a more suitable input, reduce the volume of the keyboard and increase the volume on the monitor.

In the second case, the speakers simply can't handle the full output level of the built-in amplifier. The only way to be louder is to get more powerful monitors.

[timmy153]

Hi, Thanks for your answer. I will check the specs, but I have tried lowering the keyboard volume and increasing the monitor, but the sound does not sound as good as with headphones...Guess they are not the best for the keyboard...

[athomik]

..Guess they are not the best for the keyboard...

Looking at their spec, they seem to designed more as add-on speakers for computers (the 'Cakewalk' label might be a hint). Anyway, 15 watts isn't really that much when it comes to keyboard monitors, even in a domestic environment. It's usually best to get something more powerful than you think you need (if your budget allows), even if you never use all of the power. Using monitors at a maximum of about 75% - 80% of their full capacity gives you a bit of headroom for peaks and transients, meaning that the system is more capable of dealing with whatever you throw at it. This would apply to any monitor/PA system.