• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Gear bet with my drummer! ...a little help?

K

Kid-A

Nov 26, 2009
56
1
56
Indianapolis, IN
#1
My drummer and I are debating the nuances of our sound and we are ready to invest money into our gear, but we disagree on where to spend the cash...

He thinks we should invest in a new board. I think speakers or power.

The question is: which way would give us more bang for our buck to improve sound quality?

I'm not looking for brand advice, just a general idea of which would be better if all things were equal.

Thanks!
 
#2
Can't say for sure without knowing your setup, but speakers are generally the weak point in a PA. Crappy mixer and power amp into great speakers= pretty good sound. Greatest mixer and power amp in the world will sound like crap through crap speakers.
 
#3
brendanbassist said:
Can't say for sure without knowing your setup, but speakers are generally the weak point in a PA. Crappy mixer and power amp into great speakers= pretty good sound. Greatest mixer and power amp in the world will sound like crap through crap speakers.
Click to expand...

This^ That being said it would help to know what you are using right now to help figure out what is the weak link.
 
#6
Kid-A said:
How much does a mixer affect the sound? I always figured that, if its not a powered mixer, it was little more than a volume control with an effects feed. Am I way off here?
Click to expand...

It's the entire EQ, so it affects the sound a lot. Most rooms are going to sound different than each other, so you will need a way to tweak the sound to fit the room.

As others have said, it's impossible to tell you what will be a better investment in your sound without knowing what you have already.
 
#7
bassgod0dmw said:
It's the entire EQ, so it affects the sound a lot. Most rooms are going to sound different than each other, so you will need a way to tweak the sound to fit the room.

As others have said, it's impossible to tell you what will be a better investment in your sound without knowing what you have already.
Click to expand...

We use an external EQ, does that statement still apply?

As I said before, its more of a hypothetical question and doesn't relate to specific gear...consider all things equal
 
#8
brendanbassist said:
Can't say for sure without knowing your setup, but speakers are generally the weak point in a PA. Crappy mixer and power amp into great speakers= pretty good sound. Greatest mixer and power amp in the world will sound like crap through crap speakers.
Click to expand...

Agree, first the speakers
Board : cheap board can some time be fixed with a EQ and comp, but it's a good start to have a great value board that doesn't peak like a cow, Mic is always an issue with cheap board
Power amp: need to have enough to reach the band level, but be careful if you have too much, some gear can't sound well when use at low level.
 
#11
Kid-A said:
We use an external EQ, does that statement still apply?

As I said before, its more of a hypothetical question and doesn't relate to specific gear...consider all things equal
Click to expand...

If all things are equal it doesn't matter.

Because they are equal.

Unless we are using a definition of 'equal' I am unfamiliar with.

If you want to know what the most effective upgrade to your system will be we need to know what you are using now.

It is very possible that the single best thing you can do is neither of those things. What are you using for speaker management? Anything at all? Give me half an hour with a Driverack unit and you'd be amazed how much better I can get a set of speakers sounding. Louder too, and better protected from mechanical or thermal failure.
 
#12
Each component interacts with the others so there's no "correct" answer. For example, take a stellar mixer / powered speaker combination and add cheap Chinese knock-off mics...you're bound to be disappointed.

List your gear and we'll go from there.

Riis
 
#13
Kid-A said:
My drummer and I are debating the nuances of our sound and we are ready to invest money into our gear, but we disagree on where to spend the cash...

He thinks we should invest in a new board. I think speakers or power.

The question is: which way would give us more bang for our buck to improve sound quality?

I'm not looking for brand advice, just a general idea of which would be better if all things were equal.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The obvious answer is that in any upgrade you spend your money on your weakest link. Determining what your weakest link is can be a nontrivial task because everything in the signal chain from mics to speakers can only perform at the level of that weak link.

I remember hearing that common advice for home stereo purchasers was to spend half your total system money on speakers. The numbers won't be the same for pro/prosumer audio, but it's still important to have good speakers, so sight unseen, I'd buy better speakers.
 
#15
Kid-A said:
We use an external EQ, does that statement still apply?

As I said before, its more of a hypothetical question and doesn't relate to specific gear...consider all things equal
Click to expand...

Good speakers are always a good investment, but if you already have decent speakers and everything else is garbage, I'd upgrade the garbage first.

Why use an external EQ and not the board? Seems a little redundant, like plugging a bass amp into a bass amp.
 
#20
walterw said:
you're not going to get anything useful until you tell us what the entire rig is currently.
Click to expand...

To the contrary, this has actually been very helpful. My question only relates to a hypothetical because Im not interested in suggestions, only a general idea of how sound is affected through the rig. When it comes to the individual pieces, I have a good idea what they are for, but when it comes to how they interact together, my knowledge is limited...I just wanted to hear some general info about a rig. I'll let my ears tell me what brand to buy. I hope that made sense...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back