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Keyboardist Ed Roth Joins The QSC K For Musicians Family

QSC Audio Products LLC is pleased to welcome keyboardist Ed Roth to their K for Musicians family, coinciding with the release of his self-titled debut album this week. Roth's first single on the album, “Summertime,” spent 8 weeks in the Smooth Jazz Billboard Top 40 charts.

QSC Audio Products, LLC is pleased to welcome keyboardist Ed Roth to their K for Musicians family, coinciding with the release of his self-titled debut album this week. Roth’s first single on the album, “Summertime,” spent 8 weeks in the Smooth Jazz Billboard Top 40 charts.

“I really set out to make a strong, musical record and I am proud of the album. With the help and encouragement of Warrior Records, and a lot of great musician friends playing on it for me and two top engineers, Ryan Hewitt and Joel Numa, recording and mixing it, I feel like we made something that will still sound great in 10 years,” says Roth.

“We picked out some interesting and unusual covers to add to my original songs on the album. In the old school tradition of rearranging covers, I really tried to flip these classic tunes with reharmonizations and new grooves.”

Whether recording or playing live, Roth’s attention to how his music sounds influenced his decision to go with the K Series.

“First, the K Series speakers are warm and smooth, very musical to play through, yet they are able to cut through a mix. It’s great to be heard without the usual harshness of most powered speakers,” says Roth. “Second, as a keyboard player, you need headroom and power to be able to play with dynamics. You have to have that power to play tastefully, whether you are playing piano or Rhodes under a vocalist, or soloing on a fusion gig.”

Roth has recorded with artists ranging from Coolio to Rob Halford to Tom Morello. He is a member of both the Bombastic Meatbats (with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith) and CTA (with former Chicago founder/drummer Danny Seraphine). Roth co-produced Kristine W’s #1 iTunes jazz single, “What I Like About You.”

This past year, Roth was a session keyboard player on records with artists including the Avett Brothers, Sophie B Hawkins, Maia Sharp, and Nathan Maxwell (of Flogging Molly).

And according to Roth, the K Series has helped him keep connected to his sound.

“As a keyboard player, you need to have warm, rich tone with headroom, but you also need to feel connected to your sound through your speakers. I play a lot of piano and Rhodes, and picked the Roland RD 700 as my main keyboard not only for the way it sounds with those instruments, but because it feels like I am connected to those instruments,” says Roth. “Your speakers are as big a part of your sound—and they also must do that in order for you to play musically – the K Series achieves that for me.”

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