Re: PA for BAnd - serious discussion
I hate these threads, simply because this is such complex issue. I have a lot of experience, but it is hard to know where to start.
The first thing to get is....the knowledge, and I can't stress this enough. Read every book, website, article, white paper you can find. Peavey, Carvin, Yamaha and Mackie all have information on what to buy and how to use it. An idiot won't have a problem making $50,000 worth of gear sound like crap; the guy with decent gear and some knowledge can sound awesome.
I know many of these companies have user forums. Better yet, CALL!!!! I know the Mackie guys have charts to tell you how big a system you need. I've gotten tremendous help from Peavey and Carvin over the years.
But...don't believe everything people tell you. There is about as much mis-information on running a sound system, as what a seven year-old knows about making love. There are some real opinionated nitwits out there who are more than willing to give bad advice. Go to the sources.
You can buy cheaply, but don't buy cheap crap. Don't forget to budget for cables, connectors, stands, cases, and a myriad of other junk you'll need. Used can be a good way to go, if you know what you're doing.
Think modular.
You'll need something to haul it in. My Town and Country minivan isn't big enough to haul my big system, or all of my medium PA with my guitar gear. Budget for a U-Haul van or truck if you need to move it.
Yes, I have small, medium and large systems.
Two camps, power speakers vs. separate amps. Time to decide.
How important is weight? Who is going to own it? Who is going to run it? Who's going to pay for repairs when the dumbass singer drops the mic while trying to be cool and blows out a woofer?
Always buy more inputs for your mixer than what you think you'll need. Get a mixer with as many monitor sends as you can get, two is the minimum.
If you are planning to run bass and kick drum into the mains, you need subwoofers. And your top boxes need 15" woofers and horns.
You need to match your power amps to your speakers' PROGRAM POWER RATING.
PA is all about clean, non-distorted power and HEADROOM.
How big are the rooms you'll be playing in? How many people? What Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) do you need hit? You need to realistically assess these answers. You need to have enough, without over-buying. I hardly ever use my big system any more. It is QSC power, 4,000 watts; two Peavey SP-2Xs and two JBL M-Pro 215 subs. Last time I used it was in a grand hotel ballroom, 500+ people rocking out and crystal clear.
My mixer is a first-generation analog Peavey FX-16, with built-in digital effects. I like it a lot.
For a club band on a budget, I like Peavey, Yamaha, Carvin. Prices start making big jumps when you get into JBL, Mackie, QSC, EV, EAW.
My medium system uses the Peavey mixer and Carvin LM-15A plastic power speakers. These have neodymium magnet speakers and are very lightweight. Then, two LS-18A powered subs. Half the weight of the large system; 1600 watts. I like it, I can add to it if I need to. It was relatively inexpensive and it is easy to pack and set up. Plastic cabs are much lighter; most prefer the tighter sound wood boxes. This is a trade-off I can live with.
Many bands playing in small clubs and taverns can get by with a top-box mixer like the Mackie 800S, Peavey 8600, et.al. A pair of good speakers with 15" woofers or 12"s with a sub or two, and monitors, might be enough to handle vocals and some kick, but not much else. There's no real need to mic everything in a small club.
Long post. And this is just the tip of a Titanic-size iceberg. Lots to consider, so start getting SOLID information and plan accordingly.
Bill
