Hi, we're interested in getting something that will suitably amplify vocals in our practice space, but I'm not ver good with the whole PA system dealio. It doesn't have to be able to amplify big concert halls or anything, this is just for our practice space, but I guess it wouldn't hurt if it could be used in an emergency gig...not that important to us though, every place nearby has a PA for sho.

Ideally something not so expensive. Just looking for a mixer and 2 monitors, ideally with stands.

Like I said, this is territory I know very little about

You tend to use what you have...
One band I'm in uses an SWR Blonde, with a small mixer feeding it.
The other just has the PA set up in the rehearsal space.

We use this:
http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/116541/XR(R)%208600.cfm

I mostly use a PA. The minimum is a small Behringer mixer with some built-in effects and an active monitor. Very easy setup. You might even skip the mixer (although the sound will suffer a little from dryness), but if you also need to amplify a keyboard, a mixer is needed.

My old band had one, rather big, PA, and we used that for rehearsals as well. That was a bit overkill though..

We use a little Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro mixer into a single Mackie SA 1530 powered 3-way. For effects, we use a TC Electronic M300 (now M350), less than $100 used.

I'd get powered speakers to keep it simple.

My band currently uses a cheap yamaha PA with kustom speakers.

If you truly will only ever use it for practice space, go ultra cheap with a powered Behringer mixer with the least amount of channels possible and on board effects. Then grab a couple 12" monitors. You can get this stuff used on Craigslist or elsewhere for very cheap.

If you plan on possibly growing into a PA you would use for shows, or upgrading, go at least mid level quality. Also make sure it's features/channels/power/etc is scalable for growth. In this instance, Munji's suggested gear is good. You could even knock the effects down $50 with a used Quadraverb.

Shure Beta 58 straight into a JBL Eon 15 G2 (the powered one with the built-in mixer). We put it up on a tripod stand so we can all hear it. It works great and we've used it in dive gigs in a pinch, too.

Quite a few of the singers I jam with are used to playing solo. So they have guitar amps with a mic input.

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/3351299.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=0629904139C22E58472C3EA84278DAC1A55A1E4F32AD3138

Thanks for the informative post, bongo! :smug:

lead vocal>Beta58>Mackie powered monitor (up on a tripod stand)

We use the same system we gig with, except...

We only hook up the monitor amp and the monitor speakers. We place the monitors on the floor just like a gig. The 2 lead singers use Shure Beta 58s, the rest of us use PV-2s. Obviously we don't mic any of the instruments or drums.

The monitor speakers are JBL somethings, the amp is a Crown pushing 200 a side, and the mixer is a Yamaha 16 channel.

Well, you can't use these for live (unless you are going acoustic...maybe, but) we just started using three of these for practice : http://www.mackie.com/products/srm150/ and I have to say, it helps keep the volume down AND you can hear your vocals/instrument much better. We link them thru a Mackie VLZ Pro (16 channel) and the three of use who use them can control whatever we need to hear, lead vocal, your own vocal, keys, main guitar, 2nd electric, acoustic...it is pretty cool and I was VERY skeptical about it at first, as I didn't think they could handle anything more than say, a vocal mix. I was wrong, and the fact that you hear YOUR vocal better AND whatever else YOU need, is golden, and I think they now go for as little as around $225.

Again, not for live mains, but VERY useful, in my opinion/surprise !

My bass rig uses 1-15 and 2 single 10 cabs run by a pre and power amp. We just used a little Behringer mixer into the 10's at practice powered by 1 channel of my amp, the other half going for the bass.

oyo

The band I'm in now I sing most of the leads. I use a Fender Bassman live and in rehearsals for my mic. It's awesome.

we use a thrown together small PA from stuff thats just sitting around (some 16-channel rack board, power amp, and 2-small JBL cabs).

I have a mixer in my studio and we just haul one of our live rig SRM 450's in and run it. Today, though, I happen to have have our hotspots set up, and that's what we'll use.