Mackie PA system setup!

[modulusman]

Originally Posted by jacobrownoly

Could someone help me link up my dbx comprssor, i know how to use the compressor i just need to know thw best plce to put it so that the whole mix is getting a little compressed

Does your mixer have main inserts? If so use them. You will need special cables.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by jacobrownoly

Hello, my covers/wedding band has just bought 2 Mackie SRM450 and 1 Mackie 1801 subwoofer (all are powered). So far we have been running the system the way Mackie states by running the high pass to the mains and the inputs of the sub to the mixer. Mackie states that this setup has a build in crossover that sends the lower frequencies to the sub. This sounded OK but I felt that we didnt have much control over what was send to subs and mains. For example we dont really want the bass and bass kick coming out the mains, we just want them in the subs.

SO....Is this really the best way to run this setup or should we be connecting the sub to a to a separate sub output on the desk so that we have more control over what EXACTLY is send to the subs and mains.

I hope this is clear we r all a bit confused on the best way to run the setup.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated

Your thinking is incorrect. You do want the kick drum and bass to go to the mains, but only the higher-frequency content. The crossover does that for you. My band leader likes to run the subs off an aux output, and send the kick drum, toms and bass guitar to the subs only. I've had a real tough time getting him to understand that it removes the upper harmonics that are critical to the tone of the bass and the snap of the kick drum and toms. The correct thing to do is as Mackie recommends. Run the full-range signal to the sub, then take the higher frequencies off the built-in crossover to the mains. The subs will automatically get everything below about 100 hz, and the higher harmonics and treble instruments will go to the mains.

You will get tons of mud if you amplify only the lower frequencies of the bass instruments. The sub is not designed to handle the higher frequencies, so you need that part of the signal to go to the mains.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by modulusman

If you have extra aux sends on your board then you could use one of them. What this does is keep vocals and guitars out of the subs which can clean up the mix.

For the most part, the vocals and guitars are not going to be in the subs. The subs are only going to get frequencies below the crossover frequency.

[nicoli]

Originally Posted by jacobrownoly

Could someone help me link up my dbx comprssor, i know how to use the compressor i just need to know thw best plce to put it so that the whole mix is getting a little compressed

To put a comp on the whole mix I'd probably just do board main out -> comp -> sub/x-over. Although I think it'd be more effective to compress individual channels. Personally I'd start with vocals.

Compressing the whole mix is more something I'd do in a recording situation than a live situation, unless you are doing it because you're concerned about speaker protection.

[Auguste]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

Your thinking is incorrect. You do want the kick drum and bass to go to the mains, but only the higher-frequency content. The crossover does that for you. My band leader likes to run the subs off an aux output, and send the kick drum, toms and bass guitar to the subs only. I've had a real tough time getting him to understand that it removes the upper harmonics that are critical to the tone of the bass and the snap of the kick drum and toms. The correct thing to do is as Mackie recommends. Run the full-range signal to the sub, then take the higher frequencies off the built-in crossover to the mains. The subs will automatically get everything below about 100 hz, and the higher harmonics and treble instruments will go to the mains.

You will get tons of mud if you amplify only the lower frequencies of the bass instruments. The sub is not designed to handle the higher frequencies, so you need that part of the signal to go to the mains.

Thanks for the understandable description

[jacobrownoly]

I just ran the compressor into one of the channel inserts at the back of the mixer and it seemed to compress everything, am I better doing this OR should I run it XLR from the mains, compressor then the mains and sub?


Many thanks!

[modulusman]

You are better not doing it at all. Something is wrong if you are compressing everything while using just a channel insert. If using a channel insert then only that channel should be affected.

[Marko5657]

Originally Posted by jacobrownoly

Could someone help me link up my dbx comprssor, i know how to use the compressor i just need to know thw best plce to put it so that the whole mix is getting a little compressed

What benefit do you feel you’d be getting by doing this?