Need some amp/mix help

[MyronJ906]

Hey guys, first off I want to apologize for the blatant copy and paste from v-drums.  I posted there first because I figured a larger number of people would have had experience with my particular amp, nut I figured it would also be appropriate here since both of the (though I only have one with me) I own are Alesis so I anticipate better feedback from here.

Hey guys, I finally got my first legit amp and so I intend on using it practicing with some friends, and hopefully for a small gig some day.  Here's the issue I am having.  I am running a fairly custom set, mostly comprised of Roland PD8's, Pintech Cymbals (PC and TC), and the module is a Alesis DMPro.

The Peavey Amp sounds great in my opinion, it is the old KB300 I got it used and it shows its age (just some rust on the plates around the handle) I am satisfied with the low end.  Bass sounds are great, toms (Even higher ones sound great) and I have no complaints with the ride cymbal. My crashes are fine as well.

Here is where my problem lies:

The hi-hat.  Now, I have only had the amp a couple days and thus have not been able to completely sit down and try to make adjustments, and admittedly I am inexperienced but I simply have not been able to get the hi-hat to cut through the mix.

Everything else is fine, especially volume wise (I suppose there is a possibility I have *too much* low end going on) to me. In my headphones, the hi-hat cuts through appropriately as well.

I suppose some sounds cut through a little better than others (tried to flip through a couple kits) but I don't think any are great.

Any suggestions that can be given are great.

One thing I'm really curious about is how would you recommend even hooking it up for a start?  The amp has 3 channels and my module sends both a left and right channel.  I have tried using a stereo Y cable to merge the 2 channels into 1 on the amp and separating the left and right to separate inputs on the KB300.

Also, should I be using a low master volume on the amp and then raise the volumes of each individual channel? Also, around where should the volume on the drum module be?  I was thinking of keeping it around half/just under half so that I could still monitor myself via headphones.

Any help in solving this situation would be greatly appreciated, especially as I read on the forums that this particular amp should work pretty well with e-drums.

By the way, it is indeed an early model KB300, it does not have an XLR input and is also not a KB300/A or whatever the more recent thing is.

Also, does anyone have any additional feedback, even if it is not a solution for my problem?  I got the amp for what I considered a pretty good deal.  If you guys need specs and what not, I can go on and grab a link

[Guinness]

This is a one driver speaker, yes?  my guess is that it can't reproduce the hi's efficiently.
 
Another thought is that your headphones don't produce lows good enough and you've overcompensated by leveling up your kick.  Now that you're using a different driver, the amp is playing the kick too high and it's hiding your hh.
 
All of this is a guess on my part.  I'm sure others have better questions/comments/answers.
 
You could check to see if your hi pass filter is on/off for the kit your using.

[vaikl]

If you mean this model:
http://www.mark-1music.com.hk/studio/rehearsal/equipment/peavy_kb300.JPG

then perhaps this user impressions might be a possible answer:
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar+Amp/product/Peavey/KB-300/100/1

The KB300 seems to be *really* loud and that could lead to a mismatch between the low/high frequencies and the middle frequencies a hihat normally is placed in.

[drumslinger50]

Hi Myron, I am very familiar with the equipment you have and it should work great for you.
everyone can have a different idea, here is mine. On your module pan the kick and toms to far left (all the way) and the the HH and cymbals far right (all the way). Pan the snare drum a few clicks to the right (adjust this to your taste later depending on how crisp you want your snare). Run the left side into a channel on the amp and set the channel in the middle. Run the right side into a different channel and set to the middle.

Now the playing field is level and you can adjust at the amp first. The bass channel (Left from module) adjust to the sound you want from the kick as in more or less bass and treble. Set the volume of the channel to the kick.
The Treble channel (Right from the module) do the same with the crash cymbal you play the most. Set the volume on that channel to that cymbal (the one you wish to be the loudest).

Okay now you have the tools to get good sound. for your snare drum you can adjust the tone by panning left or right on the module for more bottom end or more crispness. Most drummers like a little low end on the HH to give it that solid feel. I would pan the HH one number at a time until you like the sound. Same with the toms and any accessories you are running.. You still have lots of control at the module, but I would balance the kit through the amp in this fashion.

I believe that the dm5 and dm-pro modules should be run at near full volume to get all the tone. This may be a wives tale, but that is what I was taught years ago. (I use a DM10m now). After making these settings, if the snare or HH is not loud enough, go to the module and turn the other instruments down a bit.  A DM-pro though a KB 300 should blow the guitar player off the stage. Use the master volume on the amp for your overall kit volume. If you are in a bar with lots of bodies and stuff you can turn up the volume on the cymbal channel or if you are in a "ringy" hall you can turn down the highs and add a bit of treble to the bass channel to compensate. Enjoy-Peace-dave

[audiopat]

I just want to confirm what Drumslinger50 - Dave said. This is the best way to set up your amp, with the most control. Just please always start with your amps volume all the way down, and bring it up slowly... for everyones sake! let us know if this works out for you.
Pat

[Burning Tires]

drumslinger50 -

That is great advice - very creative and versatile way to use a multi-channel keyboard amp!

Thanks.

[MyronJ906]

First off, wanted to say thanks.  Once again, I found you guys to be admittedly more helpful than vdrums, especially drumslinger50.  While I have not *yet* tried that approach, I believe I am going to get on it today, I like that idea quite a bit, definitely gives the absolute most perfection. I also apologize for taking so long to come back around to this thread, I've been GASing for a DM10 and know I don't actually have money for it and have tried to keep away from this neck of the woods because of such.

What I have done/tried is outputting from the headphone jack and it worked wonders. The hi-hat cut through immediately and all of the lows were present (though over-powering, didn't think to simply try EQing that....my bad, guess I'll give that a try later too) the approached worked well, but I ended up down mixing all of my kicks, toms, and snares so they weren't so colossal. The end result is barely audible in headphones.

What I like about Dave(drumslinger50)'s method is that I should mostly be able to preserve volume in the headphones (and maintain the ability to use them while playing) I would only have to adjust to the panning of such which admittedly shouldn't be too big of a deal.  I like the amount of control that method sounds like it will get me.

I am certain this KB300 coupled with the DMPro is quite a deadly beast, I discovered the potential immediately upon trying my headphone jack method yesterday, the amp volume was quite low and yet I was already kicking tail.

I will also comment that I tried my DM5 and had the exact same results, low hats, killer everything else by default.

EDIT: Just wanted to comment and let everyone know that I have tried Dave's method and it has worked well for me.  I am actually almost afraid of what the low end of this amp is capable of (and that's a good thing) and I can easily get the high-end at appropriate relative volumes using this method, it really does have far more control over any other solution and frees up my headphone jack, I will just have to live with the panning or use a different module for playing/practice.

Thanks a lot for the help, I can finally play along with others without a feeling of inadequacy, there is pretty much no way my drums can be ignored.