Help needed in picking a PA for a newbie

[zoe]

Hi there!,

Ive been singing all my life, but im new to live performances and need some help understanding what I need from a PA.

Ive recently joined a band, but my puny little amp doesnt get the neccessary volume.

Ive got about £350 or so to spend, so I thought id be best getting something 2nd hand, but Im really confused by all the options!

Can you tell me whether I need a mixer or a poweramp?
Should the wattage of the Poweramp/mixer be more, the same as or less than the speakers?

Id really appreciate any help as Im waaaay out of my depth here.

Thanks in advance, Zoe

x

[woemoejack]

Re: Help needed in picking a PA for a newbie

A powered mixer and 2 PA speakers is a good start. A PA speaker with a 12" woofer and a horn should do you just fine, especially if you put them on stands. Make sure the power output of the powered mixer is less than or equal to the combined power rating of the speakers and you will be fine.

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Help needed in picking a PA for a newbie

There are 3 simple components that any PA needs:

1) Mixer

2) Power Amp

3) Speakers

The mixer receives the inputs - whether they are microphones, instruments, whatever, the first stop on the journey is the mixer. At the mixer, each input source can be equalized, panned, muted, soloed, and have their relative levels adjusted.

The power amp takes the signal from the mixer and pushes it through the speakers. If the mixer was hooked directly to the speakers, there would be no "engine" to push the speakers, just the signal. So you need a power amp. It takes the mixed signal from the mixer and pushes that through the speakers.

The speakers, also frequently referred to as "mains," actually put out the sound. I'm pretty sure most folks are familiar with what speakers do . The reason they are called mains is that sometimes other speakers are hooked to a power amp, called monitors. Monitors are smaller speakers that are directed at the musicians, not the audience, so the musicians can hear what is going on.

Some mixers have a power amp built in. These are called powered mixers (imagine that!). DO NOT assume that a power amp is built in to a mixer - it is an exception, not a rule. If you have a powered mixer, your first two bases are covered, and all you need to complete the triangle of PA success is speakers.

Some speakers have power amps built in - these are called powered speakers (!). Again, do not assume that speakers are powered.

TL;DR: Mixer, power amp, speakers

[gilaltom3]

Re: Help needed in picking a PA for a newbie

My band uses this set up for practice as most places already have a PA for bands-

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/behringer-europower-pmp2000-powered-mixer

and three of these- http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-a...inet-with-horn

Not the best speakers but I got them for 60 bucks a piece so I was fine with it. I think we've used them at one or two live shows and it was OK but we really needed some monitors.

[mwalluk]

Re: Help needed in picking a PA for a newbie

If you can powered speakers are always a good choice.

[mwalluk]

Re: Help needed in picking a PA for a newbie

I'm not sure how much it translates into but to get a decent sounding PA, you'll need atleast $700