Whether you play alone or with a band, in the rehearsal room, or on stage, a live performance calls for proper stage piano monitors. With so many monitor speakers to choose from, how do you know which ones are right for you? And how much power do you need to make your digital piano sound good on stage?
When it comes to external speakers, there are a lot of choices: Are active or passive speakers better? Do you need big full-range speakers and a mini PA, or will a keyboard amplifier do? Whatever you choose, your focus should be on how much power you need for your application.
Stacking a bunch of heavy speakers may look impressive and promise brilliant sound, but would be overkill for background piano music. When it comes to live sound, you need to be able to tailor it to the event. If you need additional equipment, you can always rent a suitable PA from an event outfitter.
Most of the time, you want a stage piano monitor so that you can hear the piano sound when you play with a band on stage and in the rehearsal room. Not only do you want to hear yourself, but you also want to be heard by your fellow musicians.
There are few examples of monitor speakers with this designation, but the Nord Piano Monitor is certainly one of them. The red design makes this nearfield monitor easy to place – it is a perfect color match for the Nord Piano, Nord Grand, and Nord Stage 4.
Not only that, but you can also mount it directly to the back of these instruments using the included Nord Piano brackets. Developed in collaboration with Clavia and Audio Pro, this active monitor is optimized for the piano and keyboard sounds of the Nord library.
However, since monitor speakers for stage pianos can vary widely, the term “piano monitors” rather describes the practical use of monitor speakers. In this case, we are talking about a stage set up with a stage piano. Here we will show you how to customize a monitor system using different components.
Either concept will get you there, hence it is rather a conceptual choice than a qualitative one. Even a mix of active and passive components may be a sensible choice in some cases.
Active monitors or PA speakers are recommended for those who don’t care about terms like ohms and watts. The amplifiers are already built in and tuned to match the speakers. To connect active monitors, you will need two types of cables – a power cable and a line cable. You can connect the latter directly to the stage piano or one of the outputs of a mixing console.
Passive monitors do not have a built-in amplifier. They are driven by a power amplifier or power mixer and require only a speaker cable for connection. Passive monitors are more flexible than active monitors when it comes to combining different components. However, you should be familiar with the output of the power amplifier/mixer and the impedances of the speakers.
A nearfield monitor is a good solution, but as the name suggests, it focuses on near-field use. While this means that you can hear your own sounds perfectly from your playing position, unfortunately, the rest of the band can hardly enjoy this great sound in the same way. Hence, a stage setup with nearfield monitors makes sense if there is also a PA, monitor, or vocal system over which the stage piano and keyboards can be heard.
Tip: Nearfield monitors also enhance the sound of entry-level digital pianos, making them an ideal addition to the home.
With 2 x 80 watts, the Nord piano monitors produce a clear and full sound – and you sit right in the middle of that when you play. If you don’t own a Nord keyboard, there are universal alternatives. Nearfield monitors with very similar performance characteristics are even available at much lower prices, such as the Presonus Eris E5 for around 200 euros per pair. All you have to worry about is where to place the monitors.
As a small near-field monitor, the iLoud MTM from IK Multimedia also impressed us in our test – in terms of sound and not least because of its flexibility. A special feature of this monitor is the DSP-controlled acoustic optimization, with which the iLoud MTM can be calibrated to its location. For live use, calibrating the speakers is a bit awkward, but you can also use the monitor in a completely neutral way and reserve the DSP settings for the home studio.
The mounting brackets supplied with the Nord Piano Monitor are not a universal solution since other stage pianos do not have threads on the back. Therefore you need stands, which means additional work. For live use, special brackets are available as accessories for keyboard stands.
A good example is the Blackpanther Babacu (about 200 Euros) or the Cedro S if you need additional support. Optionally, the Quassia Altavoz monitor holder is available for an additional 280 euros, including the screw connection (Iberoxo Braco) and the height-adjustable bar (Iberoxo Tubo).
By the way, the Blackpanther System is a recommendation for anyone looking for a professional keyboard stand solution – a solid and flexible base for the stage piano as well. And compared to the Stage Piano Monitor from Nord, you get a universal solution including n excellent keyboard stand (Blackpanther System Babacu) for almost the same money.
While studio monitors are a great thing, they are not necessarily the first choice for live use. If you’re looking for something a little more robust, take a look at PA speakers. Whether small monitors or large full-range speakers, PA speakers are built for live use and can handle a lot of action.
In most cases, controls such as volume and EQ are available and more accessible than on studio monitors. In addition, you can also use a speaker as part of a PA system to amplify sound for the audience, or as a sidefill or floor monitor for the stage area. Conveniently, PA speakers usually have a screw thread. This allows you to mount them on a microphone stand or large speaker stand using a flange connection.
Small monitors such as the MA5 from Thomann’s own brand “the box” are well suited for near-field applications. With two mic/line inputs and one AUX input (RCA/mini), a 3-channel mixer, and 150 watts of power, it is an extremely flexible monitor. Thanks to its compact dimensions, it also fits just about anywhere.
If you want to spend a little more, check out the Bose S1 system. It offers similar flexibility, plus reverb, Bluetooth, and battery operation. You can also use it as a floor monitor.
In many cases, high volume is the trump card. Of course, if you expect this from the smallest speaker, audiophile pleasure should be less of a priority. The box pro CX5 from Thomann is a small powerhouse in this category. It’s inexpensive, extremely robust, flexible, and surprisingly loud. However, it should be clear that the 5.25″ coaxial driver is not going to work miracles in the bass range.
While they take you into a higher price range, you can naturally expect more power and SPL from these monitors. After all, full-range speakers offer more features – for instance, full-range means that they can cover the entire frequency range. Accordingly, these speakers consist of at least one bass driver and one midrange/treble driver.
Do you want to provide sound for the stage area in addition to your stage setup so that all band members can hear you clearly? In this case, full-range loudspeakers are a good solution as stage piano monitors. Keep in mind that large cabinets with 15″ speakers are more difficult to handle than smaller ones. Full-range cabinets with 12″ or 10″ bass speakers are perfectly adequate for transmitting keyboard sounds. Combined with a subwoofer, you can also use these speakers to create a PA system for an event.
An affordable option is the 1,200-watt Alto TS 412, which offers a built-in 2-channel mixer, Bluetooth audio, app control (iOS/Android), and a subwoofer setting for versatility.
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