Show Off Your Band's PA

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 3:44 am

OK guys, we've all shown off our personal rigs and guitar gear. NOW it's time to show off your band's PA systems.

I'll go ahead and start with mine. Mine is currently a work in progress. I have enough of the system to make it work and sound great, however I will always be adding shit to it just to see what else I can do with it.

Here's the gear list so far:

16 In/4 Out 100' Snake
Mackie 1604VLZ Pro Mixer mounted w/Rotopod kit(16x4x2 mixer)
10x14 Rack(for mixer and all signal processors/EQs)
10 space rack(for power amps/electronic crossover)
Furman PL-8 Series II Power Conditioner
TC Electronics M300 Reverb/Multieffect Processor(used for vocal effects)
dbx 266XL gated compressor(kick/floor tom compression/gating)
Behringer Multicomm MDX4600 gated compressor(compressor bypassed/used strictly for gating toms)
Behringer FBQ3102 dual 31 band EQ(for room compensation)
Behringer FBQ3102 dual 31 band EQ(for monitor 1&2 feedback suppression)
Behringer CX3400 Stereo 2 way crossover
QSC PLX3402 Power Amp (for stereo mains) 700 watts@8 ohms per side
Peavey 8.5C Power Amp(for monitor 1&2) 270 watts@8 ohms per side
QSC PLX1602(for subs) 1600 watts bridged into 4 ohms(800 watts per sub)
(2) Electrovoice Gladiator 2 way mains(15"/Constant Directivity Horn)
(2) Electrovoice Forcei Subs(single 18" each/bass reflex cabs)

Each main/sub is rated at 400 watts continuous power, so my amps have PLENTY of power to push those bad boyz. And since I'm using an electronics crossover(bi-amp setup), I've opened up the cabs and bypassed the internal passive crossovers, since all they do is eat up power from the amps on a bi-amp setup.

I also use a pink noise generator and spectrum analyzer for the mains to compensate for the room. Bar owners really hate that, since I pink noise at about 105dB SPL, but it only lasts about 40 seconds and when they hear us throw down and how well the mix is EQ'ed, plus the fact that all the annoying frequencies have now been eliminated when we start turning up loud, they really love it.

Jon

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 8:32 am

Shoot, man, if you can't sound decent with all that nice stuff you got problems.
When I get a chance I'll post you a nice pic of the pile of Peavey shit that my last band had to work with.......it's over at my parents house still, 'cause I don't think I could GIVE this shit away.

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 10:08 am

You can have all the sweet Marshall's you want. If you don't have a great PA to mix your band's live mix, you might as well be playing a twig with a caterpiller on it.

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 11:35 am

Well...I just remember playing in bands with less than adequate PA systems. Every band I played in it seemed like they all used the standard setup. You know, the underpowered mixer with 2 mains ran mono and nowhere NEAR enough power to push the mains they had.

So then I go to Detroit, and every bar I went to...in Detroit you don't walk into a bar and see "bar bands". You walk into a live concert. LITERALLY! Jedi Mind Trip was DEFINITELY no exception(Hyperman RULES!!!). And I'm like "Now THIS is how it SHOULD be!" This is also where I learned about using subs, and I knew that that was DEFINITELY the missing ingredient, on top of the fact that powered mixers(underpowered mixers as I call them) just don't cut it. You've GOTTA go with a component system if ya want a kick ass PA.

However, I joined the band Cruizin Jupiter, and they had mains and subs(1 18" per side), but they ran the mains mono and for some reason they still didn't have hardly any punch at all with their subs. Well, a quick look at their PA system revealed why. Each sub was rated at 800 watts/8 ohms continuous power and they were ran in parallel, so to the amp they appeared as a 1600 watt/4 ohm load. They were using a Peavey CS1000x for a power amp, with one side powering mains and the other powering subs, a very common setup. However, the CS1000x only kicks out 500 watts per side into 4 ohms...split between 2 subs...that was only 250 watts per sub! HARDLY enough to push those 2 800 watt 18s.

So while I was in Detroit, I hooked up with the band The Catz Ass(George knows Eric, the guitar player, who happens to be one of THE best guitar players I know). As a matter of fact, kind of off the subject, the bass player, Rob, is the guy making all of George's plexi panels, and he also makes the "I Built My Plexi, Who Built Yours?" shirts for him too! Anyway, they have about $100,000.00 worth of a PA, AND a completely separate PA to run just monitors with! And I worked with their sound engineer, who taught me a LOT about how to run the gear, and Eric taught me how to properly match the amps to the speakers(run double the continuous power rating to each cabinet). And that was also where I learned about how to tighten up a drum set using gated compressors.

So I built this system with the knowledge I gained from all the Detroit muthafuckas that know what the fuck they're doing. I know Shane talks about people in a band who don't know how to run the PA that they own(PA owners), much less play the music they play, and compared to here in Fresno CA...there aren't that many bands in Detroit that sound bad. Here in Fresno, it seems that EVERY band half asses their PA system here, so I figured I'd build THE PA of all PA systems here and maybe set the example.

I'm gonna be using a total of 4 mains/4 subs once the whole system is done. Reason being is because guitars and vocals...they fight each other when going through the same speaker so u end up having to compromise the tone of one or the other, which is always the guitar since vocals are more important. So using the subgroup outs, 1&2 will be the vocal mix and 3&4 will be the instrument mix...left and right respectively. All of the subs and one of the pairs of mains will be for instruments while the 2nd pair of mains will be for vocals only. This will seperate the vocals from the instruments for better clarity and vocal intelligibility, while still being able to keep the mix guitar heavy.

Jon

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 10:22 pm

All-righty then,

This is a posthumous post (band broke up a few months back) but this is what we had:

Peavey RQ4324C mixing console (upgrade from Mackie SR2402)
Rane Mojo 31 Graphic stereo eq
Behrenger 231 Graphic eq (monitors)
ART line delay (vocal/guitar lead doubling)
Yamaha SPX II FX unit
BBE Sonic Maximixer
Alesis fx unit (drum kit)
Behrenger Composer (pre-China manufacture)
Peavey XD234 X-over (always wished it was a DBX DriveRack)
Peavey Quad gate (never used)
Peavey Compressor (also never used)
Shure Betas (3) for vocals
EV ND468 mixed with Red Box II direct (guitar cab)
Shure kick drum mic (can't remember it's make either)
Crown Microtech 1200 (monitors)
Carver 1.5 (2) bridged
Peavey CS1000X bridged
Peavey 1.3K bridged
a couple of cheap Yammie (yamaha) monitors (12" w/HF horn)
Peavey SP218s (2)
Peavey SP-7s (2)
Light trees (2) with 8 par 34 cans each

Then there was always the snake/mic cables/power conditioners/racks/etc.

Damn......that was a full van!!!!!! (always had to haul lights in another vehicle)

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 10:37 pm

flemingmras wrote:

I'm gonna be using a total of 4 mains/4 subs once the whole system is done. Reason being is because guitars and vocals...they fight each other when going through the same speaker so u end up having to compromise the tone of one or the other, which is always the guitar since vocals are more important. So using the subgroup outs, 1&2 will be the vocal mix and 3&4 will be the instrument mix...left and right respectively. All of the subs and one of the pairs of mains will be for instruments while the 2nd pair of mains will be for vocals only. This will seperate the vocals from the instruments for better clarity and vocal intelligibility, while still being able to keep the mix guitar heavy.

Man something sounds wrong if guitar is fighting the vox that much in the mix IMHO. I know the mid emphasis is there in both, but I've played plenty-a-show and have heard many shows where both shared the same cabs and they co-existed very nicely.

If you haven't already aquired subs, check out the LABSUB over at prosoundweb.com....they kick major ass!!!! Folded horns with 2 12" custom made Eminence drivers ea. (designed by Ton Danley of Servo-Drive) rated at 1800WRMS program ea. It talkes a minimum of 2 tops just to keep up with one of these bad boys, and they will do 30Hz and smile.

You will need to use a parametric on these for a flat signal response though, as they're initially designed to work in clusters of 4 (they provide the PEQ settings for you over at the website though).

johniss0001 · Post by **johniss0001** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 4:47 am

WOW!!!! super gear guys!!!
I've got pretty much an all 70's PA anyone who chats to me will know how much i go on about H/H even though they are Solid State they were the ultimate pa amp of the 70's T. Rex used them. I have no shitty digital effects or delays in them apart fae an old spring reverb. If you see my rig u will laugh.

I got 2 five channel H/H Ma100's 100 watts non working at the moment but i am gonna try and fix em 2moro.
1 pair of 2x12 rola celestion G12M 55Hz fae the 70's
1 pair of 4x8 200 watt full range cabs
1 H/H IC100L PA amp which i use 4 ma guitar
1 pair of FAL 1x12s i am using 1 as i need a new 12" for the other 1, they are loaded with fanes
ART reverb unit which is my dad's but i can have it
Roland PA 200 which is my dads and i can use it ny time

as you guys can see from the list my pas are a joke but i love them it might not be a 1000 watts but it is good enough for me and they are good enough for the places here but i can't complain i got my gear for free and a lot of it is worth a lot e.g Rola celestions

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Mon May 02, 2005 5:39 am

Well...we all know about outside gigs right? No matter what you do you can't seem to get a good sound because of lack of low end outdoors due to sound just going everywhere. Well, I just tested my PA at 2 outdoor gigs this weekend.

I AM FUCKING AMAZED!!! Even outside, my system not only got the drums heavy enough for the kick drum to slam me in the chest...but at about 10-15 ft away from the band doing a front of house mix outdoors, my real time analyzer measured them at 105 dB SPL! How badass is THAT!?

Jon