Electronic Drums Sound Bad on PA

whatswrongwithya on 24/03/2022 - 09:34
Last edited 24/03/2022 - 11:07

I have Roland TD-4KP which sounds amazing on headphones (Blue Mo-Fi). The TD-4 has a 1/4 Stereo output as well as an output for headphones (1/4 connector on the side). I have connected both a single (mono) 1/4 plug into the left (mono) jack on my unit to my PA Behringer B212D and another cable which is a 1/4 to XLR cable but sound output to the speaker is not good. I know a speaker will not match the quality of an headphone but it's nowhere near it.

The speaker (B212D) is a 550W + 12 Inch speaker with twitter and it shouldn't sound bad. I am thinking about buying this cable which might solve the issue as this is a stereo to single 1/4 (mono) however, it's a TS cable.

This speaker has 3 knobs each for Volume, High and Low settings and I have tested all variations.

Is there potentially something wrong with the Kit? No, I don't think so as people on forum have asked similar questions but I haven't found an answer.

I also understand the PA is not best in class but I am a beginner and didn't want to invest heaps in Amps made for drummers or Keyboard Amps.

PS: I also have a Behringer MicroAMP to increase the output but of course It didn't help.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 24/03/2022 - 10:09

    Is that 500W Peak, which is different to RMS. Otherwise, having too high an output from the source can be an issue (which you seem to have already addressed. I would have thought at that price, they would be suitable??

    Trying a cable is a cheap option and may be the issue (had an issue with a 3 pin recently) and you will probably use it down the track.

    • whatswrongwithya on 24/03/2022 - 10:18

      Specs from website:

      Power: 550Watts Peak
      Frequency Range: 65Hz-20kHz

      Yes, I suppose. I will try the cable option tonight. Hope it improves the quality I am getting through these speakers. On the side note, they are perfectly fine when kit's built-in tracks are played or directly connected to a phone for playback music.

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 24/03/2022 - 10:36

        550w I thought would be okay though.

        having 2 cables not working would be weird. Did you buy the Roland from a local store? Ask them, or if the y have a better suggestion. Take a pic of the outputs.
        Maybe a setting in the Roland sound module, needs adjusting?

        • BewareOfThe Dog on 24/03/2022 - 10:41

          Also, don't run the Level on the Behringer above 50% by the look of it.

          Make sure the LED on the back isn't going Red, but you probably already know.

  • jonathondriver on 24/03/2022 - 11:21
    +2

    I have worked with PAs for years, the issue is unlikely to be the cable. The trouble is that the drum machine is likely outputting a stereo signal (L and R) while the speaker wants a balanced line for it's input. Both of these signal use the same cables which cause many people confusion. A balanced line is used to send an audio signal over a large distance without signal loss and does this by splitting the signal and inverting the wave. While plugging this into a L/R stereo will have some signal, it is actually only about half of the signal and is not really compatible. You really need a stereo to balanced line converter which can be passive or active. A couple of options might be:
    Passive: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400712300386?epid=1270195935&has…
    Active: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/402892569675?hash=item5dce44bc4b…

    I should point out that I haven't used either of those devices, but they are the sort of thing you need in order to get what you want. Alternatively, you can get a speaker with a simple line in.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 24/03/2022 - 11:31

      This may explain an issue I have had at times. I play keyboards, and use a Macbook for the sound going into a Focusrite Solo (I I don't want to risk damaging the 3.5mm port on my MB Pro). We have only had the Output coming out of Right, and sometimes I cannot hear myself. Our Sound guy says its my levels, but I thought that it might be some patches being panned to the left etc?
      I was going to suggest to our sound Guy, I run into a Behringer Mixer I have, and run in stereo (I also play Electric and acoustic guitar) into his deck?

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 24/03/2022 - 11:35

      Swamp have a few items, however are more Expensive

      OP may prefer this (if it works), if he wants to pick up today locally

    • whatswrongwithya on 24/03/2022 - 11:37

      This guys is using a few options to get the sound good on his PA the difference between his and mine setup is that I am using a singular TS (mono, L jack) to XLR OR TS (mono, L jack) to TS cable to connect my PA to the kit whereas he is using stereo output on his kit to TRS connecter to his speaker. Do you think it could be the reason? He also used a TRS to TRS cable from headphone jack to PA.

      • jonathondriver on 24/03/2022 - 13:52

        No. His PA has a line in, rather than a balanced line in. The actual shape (trs or xlr) of the cable has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the signal being sent by the drum kit, and signal expected by the PA needing to be the same.

        • whatswrongwithya on 24/03/2022 - 14:07

          Thanks for your input. This is what I got from the manual of my PA - Input > 1/4" input jack for balanced TRS and unbalanced TS connections and MIC/Line input jack with internal microphone preamplifier for balanced XLR connection.

          I am assuming the output is unblanaced 1/4" same as Roland TD-20, I couldn't find this information on TD-4's manual or anywhere on the web.

          • whatswrongwithya on 24/03/2022 - 15:31

            @whatswrongwithya: So if Roland's output is Unbalanced signal and Behringer has both unbalanced/balanced input 1/4" so do you think it basically means a Dual 1/4" TS to 1/4" TS/TRS cable will be fine?

            • jonathondriver on 24/03/2022 - 17:25
              +1

              @whatswrongwithya: Definitely not a trs, that is going to make the speaker think there is a balanced line coming in. Hard to say with the images on that site, but having a mono ts cable from the drum machine to the input is the best option. Set the drum module output at a low volume, less than halfway and make the speaker do the work.

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