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DBX Driverack+...any thoughts?

themacinator

themacinator

Always looking for the perfect gig
Oct 8, 2009
1,511
138
8,385 feet in the Colorado Rockies
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Babicz FCH Hardware
#1
I just bought a PA set up that has two of these in it. One for FOH and one for monitors. I've never used a Driverack and I hear great things about them but I also see many for sale on various sites.

SO...have you used one? Did you like it? Not like it? Keep it? Sell it?

Thanks
 
#3
Best piece of PA equipment I ever bought. Check out the setup procedures for it. I had one of the matching speaker/amp combos that they have in the setup mode....... wow!!! I used that and did the room adjustment with the RTA mic and we have never sounded so good. I still have it in my PA, and I always will!!!!
 
#5
I used one for FOH when I ran sound for some freinds of mine who have a cover band called The Raygun Administration. I liked using the built-in EQ, crossovers, and ability to store settings for each venue. Be careful using the rta feature for tuning the system to the room. It doesn't always give you the best settings. Think of it as a way to give you a starting point, then let your ears tell you what, if any, adjustments need to be made. As an example, it boosted 16khz by 8 dB after running the pink noise. I knew that had to be a mistake, so I lowered that frequency until it sounded more natural. Check out the dbx website. There is some helpful info on how to use the drive rack.




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#8
I don't use any presets in it. I follow the DBX site forums gain staging guidelines to get the proper settings so the mixer, amps all clip at the same point then tweak it back a hair and set the limiters to kick in just a hair earlier. Then can run the master fader till it hits the physical top. (as long as you mixer has good head room too.

I RTA my speakers outside to be flat (no boundary interference) save settings and use mixer channel eq and parametrics to correct for room issues by ear.
 
#9
uhdinator said:
I don't use any presets in it. I follow the DBX site forums gain staging guidelines to get the proper settings so the mixer, amps all clip at the same point then tweak it back a hair and set the limiters to kick in just a hair earlier. Then can run the master fader till it hits the physical top. (as long as you mixer has good head room too.

I RTA my speakers outside to be flat (no boundary interference) save settings and use mixer channel eq and parametrics to correct for room issues by ear.
Click to expand...

The presets are pretty worthless IMO...they set xover points & slopes and that's about it. The gain staging guidelines are priceless and answer just about every question regarding "...I have my attenuators turned all the way up for full volume / power".

The room dynamics have a substantial influence on the auto-EQ process & outcome. That being said, I've found my results to be surprisingly consistent venue-to-venue without huge swings in any freq. band.

Riis
 
#10
sdenney78 said:
Be careful using the rta feature for tuning the system to the room. It doesn't always give you the best settings. Think of it as a way to give you a starting point, then let your ears tell you what, if any, adjustments need to be made.
Click to expand...

Zooberwerx said:
I've used one for the past 3 years or so. Have to agree with the RTA auto-EQ feature: mine likes to attenutate the sub-350 hz content by 3-6 dB.
Click to expand...

I think that’s just good ol’ ISO 226:2003 messing with you, and that’s what a RTA is supposed to do; be a reference tool used to get the area in question truly flat. Sonically “flat” is often synonymous with “perfect”, however in the real world it needs a little seasoning to sound good to the human ear.
Flat is just a reference point; to re-quote sdenney78:

sdenney78 said:
Think of it as a way to give you a starting point, then let your ears tell you what, if any, adjustments need to be made.
Click to expand...
 
#11
Zooberwerx said:
The presets are pretty worthless IMO...

Riis
Click to expand...

I agree in relation to speakers because the auto EQ and levelling will give you a very similar result, but the presets for amps are useful for understanding the actual sensitivity of the amps you are using. The custom setting for amps (always 50% as a starting point) can leave you running your amps over or under the optimal level.

My amps were added to a library update and I found out I could have been running the amps at 70% rather than 50%.
 
#12
Lindsay said:
I agree in relation to speakers because the auto EQ and levelling will give you a very similar result, but the presets for amps are useful for understanding the actual sensitivity of the amps you are using. The custom setting for amps (always 50% as a starting point) can leave you running your amps over or under the optimal level.

My amps were added to a library update and I found out I could have been running the amps at 70% rather than 50%.
Click to expand...

If you really want to do it correctly, follow the tutorial in the manual and hook up a CD for pink noise. When all was said and done, my attenuator settings were pretty close to the 37% suggested by the set-up wizard in the first place.

Riis
 
#14
themacinator said:
My PA with the Driveracks should be here tomorrow. Can't wait to give it a whirl.
Click to expand...

Excellent! Be prepared to dedicate an afternoon to setting up, learning, re-learning, etc. This is not something you want to throw into the equation at the onset of a gig. Also, as suggested in the manual, have a CD player and Steely Dan's "Aja" available for the roadtest. I made up the part about Steely Dan but it's still a good idea. Sidenote: I set up our PA in my living room. Susan absolutely loved that!

Riis
 
#16
themacinator said:
Yes, first gig where we'll use it isn't until October 6th so we have ample time to learn and test. I'm certain that my subs (Sunn SR115) won't be in the presets. Main's might be (Peavey SP2, old style).
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. Go "custom" and set your xover at 100 hz, lows high pass @ 40-45 hz / BW 18, all other slopes at LR 24. It's more important the amps are listed in the set-up menu as the suggested attenuator settings are close to being spot-on.

Riis
 

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