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Post by fretter on Apr 25, 2019 20:39:12 GMT
Could anyone offer some advice on PA for my four piece band? We are four piece, consisting of acoustic guitars / mandolin / banjo / concertina plus vocals.
We have used an old Peavey powered mixer, but are thinking of getting a mixer and active speaker set up. What would anyone on here recommend? My local music in Guildford carries a wide range of equipment. Speakers that are frequently mentioned are:
Mackie SRM 350 Mackie 12A Thump Alto TS310 Wharfedale Titan 12D
If anyone has experience of any of the above (or any others) I would be interested to hear. We don't play big venues, but sound quality, portability and reliability are paramount.
Likewise mixers. Eight channel would be the minimum required.
Thanks.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Apr 25, 2019 21:33:25 GMT
Silly, I know, but I haven't a clue what our active speakers are - largely because they belong to gear-freak lead electric guitar player in the band! However, he also brings his Soundcraft epm? mixer which does the job well with little fuss.
I have my own mixer for more acousticky purposes though - a smaller Soundcraft epm8, no effects. It is quick and intuitive to set up and to get a good mix of vocals and plugged in acoustic instruments. eq works well. In theory, this would do the job for you, but if you need 8 channels you'd be better off having more, as you implied - eg the epm12, which is still not over expensive for a decent quality no frills mixer.
Good luck with your search.
Would be interested to hear more about (and from) your band!
Keith
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Post by dreadnought28 on Apr 26, 2019 5:43:00 GMT
Have you considered the Bose L systems? Superb sound and very portable.
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Post by PistolPete on Apr 26, 2019 9:01:48 GMT
Could anyone offer some advice on PA for my four piece band? We are four piece, consisting of acoustic guitars / mandolin / banjo / concertina plus vocals. We have used an old Peavey powered mixer, but are thinking of getting a mixer and active speaker set up. What would anyone on here recommend? My local music in Guildford carries a wide range of equipment. Speakers that are frequently mentioned are: Mackie SRM 350 Mackie 12A Thump Alto TS310 Wharfedale Titan 12D If anyone has experience of any of the above (or any others) I would be interested to hear. We don't play big venues, but sound quality, portability and reliability are paramount. Likewise mixers. Eight channel would be the minimum required. Thanks. I've been using the Mackie C200 (passive version of the srm350) with a big desk style yamaha powered mixer for a little over ten years and have generally found them to be a cracking little speaker, although mine are starting to get a bit tired now. You won't go far wrong with Mackie, although there are others around (Bose, EV) that sound a little bit more natural to my ears. From what I understand the Thump range are targeted at DJs, although I've seen loads of bands use them and sound perfectly fine. The big advantage of powered cabs is they are always perfectly matched to the amp, so you never get impedance issues or weird frequency response. The disadvantage is that they weigh a ton and you need power cabling to every speaker, as well as the signal cables. People more familiar with the srms are occasionally amazed my entire set up runs from a single kettle lead. As I mostly play solo these days I'm currently toying with 'downgrading' to something like a Yamaha Stagepas for the sake of portability, so I'll be interested to see what other responses you get here.
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Post by fretter on Apr 26, 2019 15:32:58 GMT
Thanks for the responses to date. Interesting. Funnily enough, there is a Bose system (used) over in Guildford. We do have reservations about secondhand though.
The Stagepas is a good thought, but it doesn't have enough channels for our setup. We are now committed, as the old PA has just been sold. Next gig is in about three weeks, so we'd better get shifting!
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 27, 2019 9:27:14 GMT
For a 4 piece I’m not so sure about the Bose - you may need two and you will still need a mixer. I have used these a lot solo and in a duo and they have their disadvantages as well as advantages.
Being as you have Anderton’s in Guildford I’d go and have a proper chat to them. A great store with very decent staff.
As ever budget is key - make sure you know what it is.
Active speakers are a definite these days. A decent mixing desk need not be too elaborate but something like the Soundcraft Signature 10 or 12 will be all you ever need. The Mackie’s are cheaper and not a bad alternative.
Anderton’s have a clearance sale on at the moment together with some decent PA bundles.
A lot comes down to personal taste. For me, I’d go for 2 active speakers, a decent mixer (Scraft, Allen & Heath or Mackie) and one (possibly two) foldback monitors. Cost out the decent stuff and then go back in price towards your budget. It’s odd how often when you do this special discounts come along !!!!
I’ve used the Bose system a lot. The full system is superb but is not an easier option to carry or set up, well not that much !! In smaller rooms they can be uncomfortable on the ears to play with. On the other hand they would disperse sound very effectively. Scorpio Dog uses them regularly.
For more than a duo I always prefer using floor monitors but that’s just me.
Go and talk to Anderton’s!
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Post by dawkins on Apr 28, 2019 19:12:17 GMT
I’ve nothing but admiration for either RCF or QSC Speakers. On the desk side a Soundcraft Signature series are very good.
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 28, 2019 19:57:11 GMT
I’ve nothing but admiration for either RCF or QSC Speakers. On the desk side a Soundcraft Signature series are very good. I’d go QSC as well. Light, powerful and sound good!
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andrewjw
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Post by andrewjw on Apr 29, 2019 7:18:52 GMT
Another possibility would be the Dynacord Powermate 1600 ( powered mixer with more than enough channels for your needs) plus EV speakers or Dynacords own speakers which are made by EV! I've used a Powermate 1000 plus Dynacord tops and subs for the last ten years or so for a duo ( occasional trio) ...great sound , completely reliable but the speakers take a bit of lugging around particularly when you factor in a couple of floor monitors so you can hear what you are playing!
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Post by MartinS on Apr 29, 2019 8:27:23 GMT
If sound quality is paramount, don't rule out RCF. I bought a second hand pair of 312a's a few years ago (about £400), and they've never put a foot wrong.
I run a Behringer XR18 which I'd recommend, but depends if you want to carry a tablet/PC around with you to drive it. Before that I had an Allen and Heath analogue desk, but the weight of it with it's flight case was a back killer. A QSC Touchmix 16 might be better for you as it has the interface and saves the extra devices, but you do lose a bit of flexibility.
You haven't mentioned monitors, be aware that you need to hear yourselves playing, so I'd suggest thinking about adding at least a couple to your requirements, depending how you sit/line up.
m.
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Post by scorpiodog on Apr 29, 2019 10:27:50 GMT
I’ve used the Bose system a lot. The full system is superb but is not an easier option to carry or set up, well not that much !! In smaller rooms they can be uncomfortable on the ears to play with. On the other hand they would disperse sound very effectively. Scorpio Dog uses them regularly. Only just spotted this. Indeed we (a duo) do use the Bose L1 Model 2 with 2 added bass bins, usually with the Tonematch, which has 4 inputs and is OK for us. We sometimes have a guest musician or singer and for this we use a Mackie DL806 mixer. It works well, but, of course, the mixer control panel is on a tablet. We use an iPad. We have put a band through it. 3 mics, 4 instruments and it is fine, though I agree with Andy that a second Bose system would be better for a band. The band we have run through the system has a bass player but no drummer, and with 2 bass bins even the bass sounds good through the one system. We have never found the need for floor monitors. You stand in front of the speaker array, and with the alchemy that is Bose, we have not had feedback problems. We've only ever had one gig in a large hall where the Bose couldn't cut it alone, and we used a conventional pa in addition to the Bose. Pub gigs and medium size halls are no problem. You do have to bear in mind that the sound pattern is (I think) 130 degrees. This means that you can have a dead spot alongside you on each side. There seem to be no appreciable fall off from in front of the speaker up to (about) 100 feet away. We haven't played anywhere bigger than that, but I guess the reach is further. I'd recommend you try one out. If you can make it to Absolute Music in Poole, they have (or used to have) a demo model that you could try with different mixers. The Bose works well for us, and we have never had reliability problems. I can recommend it.
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Post by fretter on May 14, 2019 8:15:03 GMT
Thanks so much for all the replies and suggestions. We did a lot of listening through different setups. Andertons were very helpful and we had some great advice from them. The speakers we really liked were the Yamaha DBR 10s. We don't play large venues, and the volume we could get from them was perfectly adequate. The sound is very crisp and clear. In addition, they are light and therefore easy to cart around , and store! For the first time in years, I have a pair of speakers that I can easily mount on the tripod without help, as well as carry to and from the car with ease. The mixer we chose was the Studiomaster 12 channel. During listening tests, we couldn't really differentiate between it, and more expensive options, so it was a good choice, as it also helped the budget. It is simple and intuitive to use and we have been perfectly happy eith it, both during practices, and during our only gig with it so far. We already had a pair of Studiomaster wedges, which do the job, so we have retained them. While we were at it, we upgraded two of the three mikes - in for a penny, in for a pound! After testing, I opted for the Sennheiser 845, and our female singer chose the Shure 58. To help protect the speakers during transport, we also picked up a pair of suitable covers for £20 from Ebay. All in all we are really happy. In comparison, the new set up is a massive improvement over the old system. It always had background hum, whereas the new system is very quiet. The sound - and portability - is a great step up. Thanks again for the help and advice. There is only one thing needed to complete the setup -a flight case for the mixer. I will put a post on classifieds if anyone knows of one for sale.
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Post by andyhowell on May 14, 2019 9:21:24 GMT
Sounds like you made some good moves there. I've played through those Yamahas and I like them for smaller venues — they've always sounded fine to me. I've also used the Studiomaster desks and have not found them lacking at all in these ind of situations.
Pairing dynamic mics to voices is always a good idea. Most of the time I'm singing through SM58s although personally I always prefer my own Sennheiser!
you shouldn't have any problems finding a flight case–don't forget Amazon!
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skipellis
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Post by skipellis on May 16, 2019 19:25:00 GMT
We use a pair of Mackie Thump 12A's and a small 6 channel Yamaha board for our oldies duo using backing tracks and it works great!
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Post by andyhowell on May 17, 2019 8:08:47 GMT
We use a pair of Mackie Thump 12A's and a small 6 channel Yamaha board for our oldies duo using backing tracks and it works great! Yep you don't need to go mad. I'm currently running a monthly gig and for the most part we use a small Alesis mixer and some passive speakers (mom which I'n not sure about the brand). Normal I'd avoid the mixer as it only has a high and low eq and no mids. However, the bands are well calibrated and it is pretty easy to get a nice sound although from time to time I wish we had a little more power. By far the biggest problem with this gear is with the humans operate it. My fellow organisers — who likes doing the sound — has ears that are shot to pieces through years of abuse! he can't hear high frequencies at all and this combined with his sometimes love of weird reverb can lead to some interesting effects. Whenever we have somebody who needs decent sound I give him a break to go to the bar :-) We've got easy use of a bigger mixer with more FX and sends but rarely use it.
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