looking for ideas on monitors

safeshow · #1 01-28-2011, 05:21 PM

any input would be great. we currently are in the process of getting rid of the sound man. I want to get stage monitors just wondering what to get,,,

I was looking at peavey wedge 12" 2-way monitors,,,just wondering what you guy use,,thanks all

Jimbob Jones · #2 01-28-2011, 06:04 PM

If you're going to be be 'on the road' with floor monitors, I much prefer active; the less racks of amps to lug about the better!

Mackie SRM450s make fantastic foldback if you have the money, if you're on a budget, then I would recommend looking at JBL.

Hope that helps!

safeshow · #3 01-28-2011, 06:24 PM

yea I would say I am on A budget,,,so active is the way to go,,,

prd004 · #4 01-28-2011, 06:34 PM

Carvin Monitors are the best bang for the buck, 1/2 the price of JBL, less than Peavey, way less than Yamaha, etc. They sound great last forever, and for the price your whole band can finally hear!

darkfinger · #5 01-28-2011, 06:42 PM

Can I suggest getting in ear monitors? You can put together a decent little wired rig for $200.

safeshow · #6 01-28-2011, 07:11 PM

I like the sounds of 200 and I also like the idea of less gear to hall around,,,,Any other info. on these,,I just dont like the idea of wearing anything in my ear,,,I was never crazy about plugs either

MuzikMan · #7 01-28-2011, 08:43 PM

I haven't tried them yet but my research has led me to the EV ZXA-1 for use as a portable monitor for bands that do their own sound.

scotts42 · #8 01-28-2011, 08:45 PM

In-Ears

BassMan4Him · #9 01-28-2011, 08:53 PM

In-ears taea little gettig use to, but once you have, youll love them. Just make sure and get a pair tht cover the bottom ranges well. I'd also recommend Shure SCL4's. Very nice IMO.

Good luck

T-Bird · #10 01-28-2011, 10:59 PM

Hi.

Monitors to replace a sound person?

Good luck with that.

We used cheapo active 15"+1" actives that did the job well.

Regards
Sam

TimmyP · #11 01-29-2011, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbob Jones

If you're going to be be 'on the road' with floor monitors, I much prefer active; the less racks of amps to lug about the better!

Mackie SRM450s make fantastic foldback if you have the money, if you're on a budget, then I would recommend looking at JBL.

Hope that helps!

I hate active monitors, unless hybrid cables are used - otherwise the cabling is way too messy.

SRM450s love to thermal when used as monitors - don't do it.

The trouble with wedges is that unless your stage volume is quite low, once you get the wedges as loud as you want them, the spill off the back of them wrecks the sound in the house. IEMs don't have this problem, and if you go wired the cost is no more than the cost of wedges.

MNAirHead · #12 01-30-2011, 02:06 AM

If ditching a sound guy.. consider in ears.

I can walk you through affordable options (PM me)

Buying quality used will cost about as much as traditional monitors.

MNAirHead · #13 01-30-2011, 02:08 AM

Wedges get ugly --- I'd consider quality used... before cheap and new

musicman7722 · #14 01-30-2011, 08:12 AM

I would nver try mixing from stage throught IEM. I use them personally but I know it sounds entirely diff. from the foh. I also agree the Mackies goe thermal all the time on their sides. We use a pair of the new QSC powered 12" tops as monitors onstage. They are amazing and even hande the Yamaha electronic drum kit we use as an amp and vocal monitor.

Chris

mcapote · #15 01-30-2011, 08:33 AM

there is a guy selling 3 Mackie Tapco thump TH-15a $250ea in classifieds. nice monitors if i had $500 i would of bought a pair of them. already using 2 myself @ $350ea

btw if you are doing your own sound i suggest you do what i do. wireless your bass and walk around the venue to get a sound for everything. much better than trying to mix with monitors.

modulusman · #16 01-30-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcapote

there is a guy selling 3 Mackie Tapco thump TH-15a $250ea in classifieds. nice monitors if i had $500 i would of bought a pair of them. already using 2 myself @ $350ea

btw if you are doing your own sound i suggest you do what i do. wireless your bass and walk around the venue to get a sound for everything. much better than trying to mix with monitors.

Sorry Thumps are for chumps.

A single mackie 450 is as loud as a pair of thumps. Mackie Thump TH-15A Active Speaker Specifications:

Acoustic Performance
Frequency Range (-10 dB): 40Hz-20kHz
Frequency Response (-3 dB): 50Hz-18.5kHz
Horizontal Coverage Angle: 90°
Vertical Coverage Angle: 60°
Maximum SPL Long-Term: 113dB SPL @ 1mMaximum SPL Peak: 116dB SPL @ 1m

That is just not going to cut it if you need loud monitors. Those things would suck for FOH speakers IMO also.

darkfinger · #17 01-30-2011, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicman7722

I would nver try mixing from stage throught IEM. I use them personally but I know it sounds entirely diff. from the foh. I also agree the Mackies goe thermal all the time on their sides. We use a pair of the new QSC powered 12" tops as monitors onstage. They are amazing and even hande the Yamaha electronic drum kit we use as an amp and vocal monitor.

Chris

you are right they sound a little different but the difference, I think, is in the fact that they have a bit more clarity due to the nature of the monitors, plus the ability to do a personal mix is huge to me. My cheap-y little setup sounds fantastic and I love that I can dial in exactly what I want.
My old setup was Sure (can't find the model name) single driver SE's into a little bitty Behringer 502 board.
I have since switched to wireless, but the other day my wireless s#%t the bed and I had to switch back. The sound quality was better on the wired system!
$100 for the ears
$50 for the board
$50 in cables.
Seriously a game changer.

Jimbob Jones · #18 01-30-2011, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimmyP

I hate active monitors, unless hybrid cables are used - otherwise the cabling is way too messy.

SRM450s love to thermal when used as monitors - don't do it.

The trouble with wedges is that unless your stage volume is quite low, once you get the wedges as loud as you want them, the spill off the back of them wrecks the sound in the house. IEMs don't have this problem, and if you go wired the cost is no more than the cost of wedges.

Wow...My bro has been gigging 6 450s on the floor for ~10 years and very rarely gets any thermal issues; I've used them as FOH and monitors many times, sometimes at ridiculous volumes and haven't encountered issues such as this...What situation were you in where they kept going thermal?

As for cables, I totally agree. I make up my own (longer) power cables for reaching the monitors, which helps tidy up the stage a bit. For me, it just makes sense to not have to carry an amp rack on the van along with everything else, but of course that's just my own way of doing things!

Also, my church uses IEMs...I really do think they're ace, but aren't the answer to everything; you can't hear the crowd with earphones in, and if they fail then you're stranded with just the FOH to monitor from.

MNAirHead · #19 01-31-2011, 06:48 AM

IEM...

MONITOR = FOH mix + Mike the crowd + band talk back mike (only between members)

TimmyP · #20 02-02-2011, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbob Jones

Wow...My bro has been gigging 6 450s on the floor for ~10 years and very rarely gets any thermal issues; I've used them as FOH and monitors many times, sometimes at ridiculous volumes and haven't encountered issues such as this...What situation were you in where they kept going thermal?

All of them :-) The least taxing was a band in which only the guitarist was on a wedge, and it was carrying only guitar and vocals at a pretty nominal level. He had to move his fan to the wedge on every show (and it was not the same 450 every time).