All of the PM3 haters are crazy!!!

[brandonwardell]

I just got the Roland PM3 and I love it. I read so many terrible things about it on here that I almost didn't, but I am glad that I did. I have to give it its propers. I had a neighbor two floors up come knocking on my door the day I got it. I can see where if you are wanting to blast out your eardrums and everyone around you, then OK it is really weak, but come on. I have been using it for midsized clubs as a monitor and it is fine. I do confess that it is not loud enough to be your only amplification at a full gig, but it does not claim to be. It is a PERSONAL MONITOR SYSTEM. It is good for that and for practice unless you practice with everything wide open. Maybe I got lucky and mine is extra great, but I think that many people here have given it a bad rap. Also, I was running two EV cabinets before with a stereo powered mixer and it sounded pretty good, but I still could not get it to sound like I wanted. Maybe I am old fashioned, but I love it when the sounds that I hear are coming from the set that I am playing. The stereo imaging is pretty great I have to say. There is no other monitor system that I have found that mounts right on the kit. Also, if you are trying out a PM3 at a music store, beware. Those sets are usually played to death by the staff and the customers and not wisely. They are on for 12-14 hours a day everyday. Of course they suck. I found that when I tried on at Mars music and it was blown all to hell. The one I tried at Sam Ash was awesome, so I bought it!!!


b

[MPCman]

A personal monitor system which has not enough power for a normal loud gig is useless for lots of people. You can call people crazy if they think it's not a good product while still priced very high.

Happy it works for you though

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http://mpcman.flappie.nl

[Steveo the Devo]

CRAZY!!!! ME??????
Nah..........

[Schmunk]

It must be said, where I am the clubs, however small, always have their own PA which the Vs can go through, so it's OK to have a purely personal monitor system, hence I bought a PM-3 (till I swapped it for a Mackie SRM-450 cause I'm selling my Vs at some point soon).

However, if the band needs to provide the V-drum sound to the audience, then a PM-3 would be inadequate, and the cheapest (but not the best) solution is to have one or two powered speakers (Mackie/JBL) for you, your band and your audience to hear.

Ideally, you would have a PM-3 or a couple of powered speakers for yourself (the latter is slightly overkill), the band and the audience will hear you through their monitors and the main PA respectively

Do you see..?

Schmunk

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TD-8, Pintech pads, Pearl rack, PM-3, Behringer 802 mixer and DSP1400 UltraMizer, Electric Sticks.

[Tom Berry]

Okay, I'm back at it! If you like the PM3, great. Why did you choose to go to edrums?
I would guess that perhaps you appreciated the versatility that they offer. A set of edrums can be many things. A PM3 will never be anything but a personal monitoring system.
Now. If thats all you want? Good. Have fun!
I chose to spend my money on a system that I could use for many different purposes. I can use it to monitor my vdrums. I can use it as a small PA at home for when friends come over to play. I can use it as a PA for the band in which I play hand percussion. I can take it to the school that my wife teaches at and DJ a party for her kids. I can use it to scare the hell out of the pigeons that land on my roof. I can ruin my hearing if I was so inclined. The people who purchase the PM3 may not want to do anything else with it. But they will never have the options or the versatility. Go in peace. Tell the neighbor two floors up that he should be glad he does'nt live next door to me.
Tom

[AkristaK]

Tom you brought up a point I wondering for a while. If my goal is two use th PM-3 for a jam session with a guitar and bass player would it be loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Since the two satelite speakers face towards the drummer how can anybody else in the room hear the drums. I know everyone in the room can hear/feel the bass, but what about the mid and high's?

[brandonwardell]

Hi Tom, I did get the E-drums because of the versatility. I have been disapointed up until this point with my sounds coming from other parts of the room. The PM3 gives me the sounds where I want them. I guess I am just not used to the e-drums. It is the same as playing a keyboard instead of a piano. You can't feel the music in the same way. As for getting sound to the rest of the band, it is quite easy to run out of the PM3 into the PA and also to run out of another monitor into the PM3. I don't see the problem here. I guess I am spoiled because I have a PA to suppliment if I need it. I just like the accuracy of the PM3. It also is great to use the headphone jack from the PM3 instead of the TD-10 for practicing alone. I have had trouble getting enough volume from the headphones before. I know $700 is a lot to spend on a headphone amp, but I use it for so much more. I have not had a problem with my bassist and guitarist hearing me at practice. Like I said, if they want to play wide open with a Hartke and a Marshall stack respectively, then no, it is not enough. Sorry for the crazy remark. I thought you'd take it as a compliment!!!!

[clymore]

I hope to have a Mackie 450 some day. For now I will have to settle for my Fender Bassman 60 (the new one with the horn). Sounds great!

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TD-8, TD-7, Roland rack, Pintech CC and Roland PD-9/7/5 pads, Yamaha and Pintech cymbals, Vertikik & KD-7, FD-7 , DrumKat DK-10

[Tom Berry]

brandonwardell,
I am crazy. It's almost a joke anymore for me to post on this topic. But someone has to step up and make a fool of himself every once in a while. Good luck with your PM3.
Akristak,
Don't know. Maybe brandonwardll can help you there!

[Oz DrumR]

Originally posted by brandonwardell:
I just got the Roland PM3 and I love it. b

Climb aboard brandon! I think I now count three of us who can see the PM-3 as a PERSONAL monitor system - and really like it!

This reply was originally huge - but I've said all I need to say about PM-3 & PM-3 doubters in other posts. So I deleted about 20 mins worth of text!

Glad it works for you brandon. But remember, the 'Whole Band' won't be able to use the PM-3 as their monitors too (for that you need the WBM-8!!). And you cant use it when you're doing part time DJing or as a PA system !!!!

Each to their own (& literally from a PM-3 monitor sense!)

Andy

[drmoze]

PERSONALly, I don't think being rack-mounted is a plus. My rack is pretty busy as-is, and yet easy to set up and dismantle. I wouldn't want the hassle of having to carry around 2 extra speaker boxes. Having my monitor/amp in one easy-to-carry package suits me better than the 3-piece approach. For the same $$$ (OK, my G2 was actually $150 less!), I prefer the extra volume and added versatility (like plugging in a mike and keyboard). I don't miss the stereo that much, and when I do, I'll pick up another G2 and be able to handle most any v-drum scenario.

[Drumsonly2002]

I really like the Pm-3 and the only reason I do not have them is I got a 100 watt 15" powered older style Yamaha KS-100 keyboard amp cheap. I'm still thinking of getting the PM-3 down the road. Because of space restrictions in certain gigs, and I can plug into the band's PA , the PM-3 IS the perfect monitoring solution. The PM 3 has plenty of juice to fry one's ears and send one to the doctor if the need be. My gigs are smaller halls, legion size, boat clubs, etc.so I do not need a small PA for a monitor, thus the PM-3 is a great solution for monitoring. For the larger bars it should work good also, especially if the rest of the band has a drum mix in their monitors. I guess it depends how loud you want your stage volume to be. A set of Mackies and sub would provide good sound saturation for large stages if the boys do not want a drum mix in their monitors. In that way I understand the passion for a small drum PA on stage. The PM-3 rocks and is getting a bit of a bad rap. I think it depends on 1. Does the band have their own monitors in which a drum mix can be attained, 2. how big is the stage and how much "spill" off the kit does the sound man care about, 3. what rooms are you playing in. For example, I'd be strung up doing a wedding gig with loud drums on stage. To get a good out front mix, a lower stage volume is better. Thus the front speakers are doing more work with the drums mixed in with the rest of the stuff. the rest of the band can still hear the "spill" from the PM-3's since they are not as weak as some are leading to believe. And before I forget, 4. if the band doesn't have a PA and you have to supply your own system, the Mackies or JBL's would suffice. To say the PM-3 are not powerfull enough is false. What curcumstance will the drummer be playing with. If the band cannot supply a PA, or the place is big, small, concert gig, soundman, no soundman, stage volume a concern or not, band has monitors or not, all these factors make the difference between a rip roaring small PA that kicks out big time, or a personal monitor that supplys the drummer with a surround sound envoirnment.

[Steve Gardner]

Well...let me toss in my .02 first, you have to run the drums through the P.S...thats a given Well, you have to have amplification on stage for your band mates to hear you....right? Well, then you can get a personal system for you. the PM3 is good for the 3rd piece. I prefer to have the amplification for my band mates and me come from the same source. The PM3 will not do that for my band...and we are not that loud. If I am going to spend $500-$600 on amplification, it will be more than personal. It will suit the band as an onstage monitor. I do not think the PM3 is intended for anyones ears but the drummers....

[animal]

Personally, I cannot see paying that much money for a personal monitor. I have a set of $39 DR-HX100 headphones that I bought with my vclub set. I only paid $1300 including the td-6k, porkpie throne, pearl p-70 kick pedal, and the headphones. I cannot justify paying what I did for the set just for amplification.

Plus nobody comes pounding on my door

[Drumsonly2002]

Steive I think you hit the nail on the head with regards to this controversy. The PM-3 is a great personal monitor. The neysayers of the PM-3 are probably coming from the direction of louder stage volume requirements due to preference and circumstance. I was trying the PM-3 and a drummer walked in and loved the unit. He was using a 15" wedge style monitor. His take on it was the wedge monitor was mono, coming from one side. He wants the PM-3 since he feels the drums sound is wrapped around him. My take is to lower the stage volume since the band has their own monitors, and the out front system can do more work. Also the PM-3 puts the drums in your face while doing so. I'm sure sound men would prefer the PM-3. On the other hand, not everyone has a PA, sound men etc. Some prefer the long throw type of system like a Mackie to fill the stage regardless of who says what. I think the PM-3 is getting a bit of a bad rap and new people reading posts about monitors may not get the full picture, thus be led in a direction that they may not necessarily need to take. I personally flipped and flopped about the monitor desion as both camps have good points about their preference. In a nutshell, low stage volume with a loud personal monitor, the PM-3 will do it. For longer throw applications where band mates rely on your system to pump out since they are loud, a larger unit. A lot of guys play venues where volume and mix is a huge consideration, so the pm-3 would more than suffice. The PM-3 may be small but it is mighty for a PM.