Hi.

I'm looking into investing into a PA.

I wouldn't want to spend more than £300 ($500?), and i'd like it to have about 6 inputs. It wouldn't only need enough power for playing pubs and clubs.

I really don't know too much about PA's.

[QUOTE=Echleon]Hi.

I'm looking into investing into a PA.

I wouldn't want to spend more than £300 ($500?), and i'd like it to have about 6 inputs. It wouldn't only need enough power for playing pubs and clubs.

I really don't know too much about PA's.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.music123.com/Kustom-KPA7212-7-Channel-PA-System-i106475.music[/url]

I might've said this if the guy above's hadn't just broke :D


For that much, you'd probably be looking at around 250w, and you'd probably want to get a powered mixer and then a seperate mixer to plug into it.

There's a bit of a black hole in the market for that kinda thing, most people after cheap PAs don't need many watts.

Many pubs/clubs have their own PAs, as to many larger bands, so i'd do a little homework, and unless you're headlining the gigs you're playing it may not be the best inventment at this time to try and buy one large enough.

[QUOTE=Aes820]That's what I'm kind of confused about. Usually if a fuse has blown then the amp shouldn't even turn on at all. The main power light won't switch on.

Have you tried plugging your mic into a different input on the PA. Or are all chanels not working?

If you turn up the volume of the PA can you hear a slight buzz noise out of the speakers, or are they completely silent?

Sorry, but you may need to have a talk to a tech.[/QUOTE]


Actually I do get the buzzing noise out of the speakers. And yes none of the channels work at all. I'm contacting the website I purchased it from to see If I should send it back or what.

AES can you run only one channel of a power amp or does it have to be 2
oh and bridging is not accepted

There's a lot of amps that can be bridged, but you have to remember the wattage will be increased. If it can't be bridged I'd imagine you'd have to run through both channels

[QUOTE=Horenulas]Actually I do get the buzzing noise out of the speakers. And yes none of the channels work at all. I'm contacting the website I purchased it from to see If I should send it back or what.[/QUOTE]
If you are 100% sure you've got all the controls set how they should be (like you haven't got a mute button pushed in or something) then it sounds like something has broken inside the amp.
It'll be a good idea to talk to the manufactures about if you can get a replacement or a repair under warranty.

[QUOTE=hantge30]AES can you run only one channel of a power amp or does it have to be 2
oh and bridging is not accepted[/QUOTE]
It's considered bad practise to only run one side of a stereo poweramp.
What you could do is buy a load resisitor for the unused channel.

or build!

/stingey DIY ++

If i ever had to do that, just sticking a load of 64R resistors in parallel would be fine, wouldn't it?

[QUOTE=moaner]If i ever had to do that, just sticking a load of 64R resistors in parallel would be fine, wouldn't it?[/QUOTE]
Yeah. But you'd want to use those fat high-wattage resistors. And they'll need to have a decent heat sink on them. Because they will get bloody hot.

ah, fair enough.

First time I ordered resistors i didn't think 1w would be enough so i got osme 10w ones...

They're huge (4x1cm?), and have cement insulation on them. :lol: I've still got them somewhere

ill just come out straight, i know next to NOTHING about PA's
but my bands is going to need a bunch of audio equipment, and in 2 paychecks we all plan on getting a bunch of audio stuff. lets just exclude mics and cables here: im going to need a mixer, speakers and i've read im going to need a power amp, am i correct?

i've also read you need a certain amount of watts in a power amp compared to the speakers, i dont know the ratio however, could i get some help here?
btw we plan on getting a 12 channel mixer if that means anything.

btw we arnt looking for THEE BEST stuff, yet we arnt willing to cheap out on our equipment, so if you could list intermediate stuff, that would be awesome.

If you know nothing about pa systems, look into a powered mixer. Unless you have specific needs, it's easier. What do you need it for(big shows, practices, small gigs, etc)? Why are you set on a 12 channel mixer?

well we already have a combination of basement shows and outdoor shows planned for friends and parties etc starting in october. we could use it for practices as well i 'spose. anyways we're set on a 12 channel mixer becasue we have 2 guitarists' a bassist and myself (the drummer). im going to need 4 mic's for my kit, both guitarist's will need 2 channels each, as will the bassist. now thats only 10 channels, but i'd like to have a 2 channel cushion, just incase we need somthing unexpected.

If you are planning to mic up everything, including drums and DIing the bass:
For this to be worthwhile then you'll need a BIG PA system. Like I'm talking at least a couple thousand watts all up.
A setup like this would not only be complicated (not good for someone who knows next to nothin about PAs), but also very expensive.


For smaller setups for playing at backyard parties or community halls, you can get away with just running vocals thrugh the PA. Then for this, a powered mixer would be the way to go.
At least 2x300 watts. You'd have to rely on your own amps and the loudness of the drums alone for the rest.

Yeah, and you'd be surprised how loud even some solid state combos go when you push them. Be careful to not overdo it, otherwise you will muddy up and distort the sound. But the point is you don't necessarily need a tube 4 x 12 for a gig

Yeah you don't need to mic the drums really. Usually the bass drum needs it the most, maybe the snare. I couldn't imagine mic'ing the cymbals for anything other than a stadium-sized gig.

What you might want to look into is triggers and a module. You can change the sound in the module, and you only have one line going to the pa system. It's up to you.

My band just bought a 10 channel mixer, with 5 inputs. We figured it'd be good for us because we have 2 singers, then the drummer's module, possible the bassist's amp, and if ever needed, my guitar amp.

If you plan on mic'ing drums so that they can be heard, AES is right, you'd need upwards of a thousand watts. Our drummer mostly just needs to mic his bassdrum, and we're using it for small gigs only.

I still don't see why 12 is your set number, but look into some powered mixers, they're much easier to deal with. Then look at speakers. It's not that difficult really.

how big of gigs could we get by with 500 watts for our mains
oh and its not 250x2 its 500x2
thanks

With a 1,000 watt pa system you could definitely have some decent sized shows. Not huge shows, but pretty big. AES would know better.

[QUOTE=hantge30]how big of gigs could we get by with 500 watts for our mains
oh and its not 250x2 its 500x2
thanks[/QUOTE]

500w a side would go really quite a long way

by some flawed* logic some will tell you 100 people, but common sense prevails and a large hall with 2-300 people could be just about managed.






















*IMO!

[QUOTE=hantge30]how big of gigs could we get by with 500 watts for our mains
oh and its not 250x2 its 500x2
thanks[/QUOTE]
It would really depend what you run through it.
If you just run vocals through it it'll handle quite alot.

But if you run Bass guitar, drums, guitar + vocals through it then it wont go as far as it would otherwise.
As it would take up more watts to handle the wider range of frequencies, especially with the lower frequencies associated with the bass guitar and the kick drum. They gobble up headroom like nothing else.

well right now we are running 2 guitars,vocals,bass
but we are adding a trumpet and a trombone...(to play ska)
so it prolly wont be as loud as it should
with all that factored in how big...? could you give me an estimate
also would we need to mic the drums right now.... i dont think so im just making sure

Speakers
 

Hey guys

I currently have a Behringer Europower PMH5000 (800 watter)

I would like to know what kinda speakers would be best to buy that would go with my poweredmixer??

I want them to be as loud as possible, as some of the places our band plays at are quite big (shame there isnt many people in the places :( )

So any suggestions on what size speakers (either in wattage or size) or any specific examples :)

thanks in advance

[QUOTE=Ozduck]Hey guys

I currently have a Behringer Europower PMH5000 (800 watter)

I would like to know what kinda speakers would be best to buy that would go with my poweredmixer??

I want them to be as loud as possible, as some of the places our band plays at are quite big (shame there isnt many people in the places :( )

So any suggestions on what size speakers (either in wattage or size) or any specific examples :)

thanks in advance[/QUOTE]
Hi.

That mixer you've got would be rated to pump out 2 x 400 watts while through 4 ohms.

So to get the most out of it you'd want to run it through 2 x 4 ohm speakers.

The majority of speakers you can get on the market are 8 ohm speakers, but if you just run 8 ohm speakers off it then the power output may only be 2 x 200 watts or so.

So, you could get 2x 4 ohm speakers (of suitable power rating - around 400 watts).

Or alternatively, you could get 4x 8 ohm speakers. And pair the four of them them up into twos.
Because two 8 ohm speakers in parrallel = 4 ohms total.

That choice is up to you, so see what's around.


But, one other [B]big[/B] thing that you'll have to take notice of is speaker efficiency.
This is a rating that is given to speakers to indicate how good they are at converting the amps power into actual sound.
This is given in a dB reading. Something like as follows:
96dB @ 1 Watt / 1 Meter.

The more efficent the speakers the better. For the best possible performance out of your amp you'd want to buy speakers that have got the higest efficiency. Unfortuanely, the more efficent the speaker is the more expensive it will be.
But anything around the 97 - 98 dB mark would be pretty good, I reckon.

Hey

Big help thanks :D... actually understand a bit more now!

if i went the 4x8ohm speaker way.... would each of those speakers have to be 200watts?

[QUOTE=Aes820]Hi.

That mixer you've got would be rated to pump out 2 x 400 watts while through 4 ohms.

So to get the most out of it you'd want to run it through 2 x 4 ohm speakers.

The majority of speakers you can get on the market are 8 ohm speakers, but if you just run 8 ohm speakers off it then the power output may only be 2 x 200 watts or so.

So, you could get 2x 4 ohm speakers (of suitable power rating - around 400 watts).

Or alternatively, you could get 4x 8 ohm speakers. And pair the four of them them up into twos.
Because two 8 ohm speakers in parrallel = 4 ohms total.

That choice is up to you, so see what's around.


But, one other [B]big[/B] thing that you'll have to take notice of is speaker efficiency.
This is a rating that is given to speakers to indicate how good they are at converting the amps power into actual sound.
This is given in a dB reading. Something like as follows:
96dB @ 1 Watt / 1 Meter.

The more efficent the speakers the better. For the best possible performance out of your amp you'd want to buy speakers that have got the higest efficiency. Unfortuanely, the more efficent the speaker is the more expensive it will be.
But anything around the 97 - 98 dB mark would be pretty good, I reckon.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Ozduck]if i went the 4x8ohm speaker way.... would each of those speakers have to be 200watts?[/QUOTE]
Yeah. 200 watts each.
Or round abouts.

I posted a topic but I didn't know that this topic existed, so Ill ask questions here from now on.

So...

Well, I'm finally getting a band together, and I want to get 2 microphones and a speaker to set them up on, but I dont know what I need, so any help would be appreciated...

I want to get two Shure SM58's... and hook them up together through a Peavey PV8 Mixer (just for the 2 mics and maybe a bass) with Shure C50J Mic Cables, into a Peavy PV215 Speaker Cabinet. ALTHOUGH I wont be getting the PV8 Mixer if I get a Powered Mixer, obviously.

Also I'm not sure what I should look into, either a Power Amp or a Powered Mixer? I am just planning on powering 1 speaker, the peavey PV215, so what would be the better choice? Also, which model/power should I get? On the site, for the speaker it says "Power: 700 watts program, 1400 watts peak" So should I look for a power amp or powered mixer that puts out at least 700 watts but less than 1400? I was thinking a powered mixer since its combined into one so I dont have to have a power amp and a mixer, but I dont know.

[QUOTE]Hi.

That mixer you've got would be rated to pump out 2 x 400 watts while through 4 ohms.

So to get the most out of it you'd want to run it through 2 x 4 ohm speakers.

The majority of speakers you can get on the market are 8 ohm speakers, but if you just run 8 ohm speakers off it then the power output may only be 2 x 200 watts or so.

So, you could get 2x 4 ohm speakers (of suitable power rating - around 400 watts).

Or alternatively, you could get 4x 8 ohm speakers. And pair the four of them them up into twos.
Because two 8 ohm speakers in parrallel = 4 ohms total.

That choice is up to you, so see what's around.


But, one other big thing that you'll have to take notice of is speaker efficiency.
This is a rating that is given to speakers to indicate how good they are at converting the amps power into actual sound.
This is given in a dB reading. Something like as follows:
96dB @ 1 Watt / 1 Meter.

The more efficent the speakers the better. For the best possible performance out of your amp you'd want to buy speakers that have got the higest efficiency. Unfortuanely, the more efficent the speaker is the more expensive it will be.
But anything around the 97 - 98 dB mark would be pretty good, I reckon[/QUOTE]

Can you recommend some 400 watt 4ohm speakers?

Bump

[QUOTE=Ozduck]Can you recommend some 400 watt 4ohm speakers?[/QUOTE]
I think peavey make some 2x12 with a HF horn cabients which are 4 ohms and decent cabinets.
But 2x12 top boxes can be kind of bulky and a pain to transport.

I'm sure there are other cabinets around tho. Just google or ask at a local music store.

Going for big name brands like Peavey, Yamaha or JBL is easy enough tho. But there should be plenty of options open to you if you do a bit of research.

Hey,
looking for a good PA and speaker package for use in practicing and maybe small gigs current setup is 2 guitarists and bassist each with 100w amps and drums,looking for a PA package for around $1300 AU.
Iv'e been looking at an Alesis 6 channel 300w,2x4 ohms with 2 x 200w speakers with mic and cables for $1299 AU on a ebay store,would this be good for what i'm after or does anyone have any other reccommandations?

Got a few questions for you guys. I'm new here, looks like you guys have got some good guys to answer questions here. :)

I'm more of a recording buff, and need some help with getting myself a PA system for my band.

Could someone configure a really good system for me. Top quality, money is no object. Just give me what would be the best in each category, and I'll worry about the price. :) I know Mackie is on my top list of recording equipment, not sure what the professional standard is for live sound.

If you could, give me everything I would need. Mixers, Wireless and Wired Microphones, Speakers, Amps, Cables, Stands, Clips, Receivers, CD Players, Tape Decks, everything! I would really appreciate if anyone could do this.

If someone really spends time at getting me this info, I'd really appreciate it. I don't have much to give, but if you need web space, I'll set you up with a killer web hosting account! :)

Quick question here. Im trying to find a PA sytem that my band can practice with. Im not sure if we'll need it for any small shows yet, but maybe... Would this be a good package for at least practicing.

[url]http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/630170/[/url]

I see that the mixer is 200w at 4 ohms, but i can find the ohms rating for the speakers. I would guess they are 4 ohms also because its in a package, right? Anyways, 200 watts should be loud enough for practice right?

[QUOTE=UsefulIdi0t]Quick question here. Im trying to find a PA sytem that my band can practice with. Im not sure if we'll need it for any small shows yet, but maybe... Would this be a good package for at least practicing.

[url]http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/630170/[/url]

I see that the mixer is 200w at 4 ohms, but i can find the ohms rating for the speakers. I would guess they are 4 ohms also because its in a package, right? Anyways, 200 watts should be loud enough for practice right?[/QUOTE]
Chances are those speakers are 8 ohm speakers.
There's a link to a pdf document on that page which may give you further info tho.

But regardless, that setup would be pretty good for practising.

[QUOTE=JohnRM]Got a few questions for you guys. I'm new here, looks like you guys have got some good guys to answer questions here. :)

I'm more of a recording buff, and need some help with getting myself a PA system for my band.

Could someone configure a really good system for me. Top quality, money is no object. Just give me what would be the best in each category, and I'll worry about the price. :) I know Mackie is on my top list of recording equipment, not sure what the professional standard is for live sound.

If you could, give me everything I would need. Mixers, Wireless and Wired Microphones, Speakers, Amps, Cables, Stands, Clips, Receivers, CD Players, Tape Decks, everything! I would really appreciate if anyone could do this.

If someone really spends time at getting me this info, I'd really appreciate it. I don't have much to give, but if you need web space, I'll set you up with a killer web hosting account! :)[/QUOTE]
What intended use do you have with this equipment.
Are you wanting to mic up an entire band, including monitors.
How big are the shows you are planning to play?. Approx how many people? And at what venues?
Will you have a dedicated 'sound guy' to run your PA for you?

[QUOTE=Aes820]Chances are those speakers are 8 ohm speakers.
There's a link to a pdf document on that page which may give you further info tho.

But regardless, that setup would be pretty good for practising.[/QUOTE]

Hmm, even though they would only be around 100 watts? If we used those on that mixer, would we not be able to turn the volume more than halfway? how do you know how many watts you're using up. Should I just save up a little more money and try and getting a little better speakers? If so, what ones would be better than those, but 300 or less for a pair?

[QUOTE=JohnRM]
Could someone configure a really good system for me. Top quality, money is no object. Just give me what would be the best in each category, and I'll worry about the price. :) I know Mackie is on my top list of recording equipment, not sure what the professional standard is for live sound.[/QUOTE]

If money really is not an object this will do the trick for anyone. All gear is from [URL=http://www.carvin.com]Carvin[/URL], read the testimonials and find out for yourself just how good Carvin gear is.

2x $0599.99 TRX153 600w 8 ohm main
2x $0499.99 TRX118 800w 8 ohm subwoofer
4x $0329.99 TRX122 300w 8 ohm monitor

1x $0569.99 DCM2500 power amp (mains)
1x $0669.99 DCM2570 power amp (subs)
1x $1099.99 DCM4000 power amp (monitors)

1x $0599.99 C1644 16 channel concert mixer

---$6459.88-------------------------------

If you want to biamp you'd also need an active crossover.
A seperate graphic EQ for both the FOH and the monitors.
And you'd want maybe three Compressor/limiter/gate units.
FX units may also come in handy.
Plus then the mulitcore, all the mics + mic stands. Cabeling.

I'll be able to write up a proper list once I get an idea on what you are actually planning and what types of venues you are going to be playing.

^^ Yeah, you probably would need that but I really didn't feel like writing it all down. I really hope money is no object.

Right now our band pa is crap, mainly cause we blew it out (its one of those 200 dollar kustom ones). Anyway, I was just wondering what I could get as far as powered mixers go, in the 300-400 dollar price range. Also, how about speakers in the 200-250 range.

Please excuse me if I seem like a Carvin salesman today, I can't help it.

Don't know much about powered mixers.
Speakers: Carvin 1540, PM15. Both 400w at 8 ohms and $199.99.