Signal vs. Volume

[tuerkisgold]

Hi everyone

I‘m new to this forum and I hope that this question is at the correct place.

I have a problem wirh my nord stage 3. I‘m using a layered and split sound (Piano and synth). This sound is producing a lot of signal, but the actual volume is quite low. Is there a way to fix this? Thank you for any help!

[cphollis]

Hi everyone

I‘m new to this forum and I hope that this question is at the correct place.

I have a problem wirh my nord stage 3. I‘m using a layered and split sound (Piano and synth). This sound is producing a lot of signal, but the actual volume is quite low. Is there a way to fix this? Thank you for any help!

Weclome! You're in the right place.

What are you listening through? Headphones? Mixer and PA speakers? Something else?

Nords (like many pro keyboards) produce a signal at -4dB. Many consumer amps/mixers expect +10dB, so it's not as loud as you would like it to be. The solution is usually using a small mixer or similar to make up the 14dB.

Pro tip: when you think you're having a problem, disconnect everything and listen through headphones. Usually it's something else.

[FZiegler]

Is it only that sound that has issues? Do you listen in mono or stereo? Before being able to fix your problem, we need to understand what's happening exactly.

And by 'disconnect everything', you, cphollis, probably mean pedals and adapters on the jack plugs in the first place.

[tuerkisgold]

Thanks for your help!

If I'm listening directly with headphones I don't have any problem. It's just when I'm playing with my band. I have the problem with all sounds that contain split sounds and layers. For example I have on A a piano sound and a synth pad, on B I have another synthsound but just in one octave. I don't have any problems with simple sounds like piano.
I'm using stereo cables connected to a DI box (Palmer Pan 04) than xlr to the mixer. We are using In-Ears.

If it's important for the solution I can give you the exact sound and gear details tomorrow. Thanks!

[FZiegler]

In my eyes, it's not so much the gear that matters but the signal path. And I don't see how a split sound could affect your output experience.

But: If ever you are adding different sounds together, there might be something called phase cancellation: You probably know that sound is a signal that oscillates (regularly) between a positive and a negative value. Adding sounds together is the same as a mathematical addition - in the first place, it should get louder, but there may be additions of a positive and a negative value as well - which would reduce volume. Things can happen like comb filter effects (cancellation of specific frequencies - if the added frequencies are close to each other or just shifted in time) or partial phase cancellation (if part of the two added signals is absolutely in parallel, just inverted in phase). This can happen with layered sounds, but it can also happen if you sum up your stereo signal into a mono signal: Inside your mixer, the stereo piano signal might get a smaller stereo panorama or left and right channel aren't panned at all.

So, you might want to check the stereo panning of your signal and the phase (often can be inverted inside a mixer etc.), or you might want to forward only one of the two signals: What happens?

[maxpiano]

As Fziegler said + check also that you are actually connecting OUT 1/2 to the DI and not Headphones/OUT1 (it can happen...) and also do a test by connecting only the OUT1 (with and without setting the keyboard to Mono mode)