Our PA has no sub, should I bother...

[Benny the Finger]

sending a feed to the board...
Our 4 piece is playing a larger hall using our own PA (2 towers, 2 monitors), and I typically use a 15" combo that has no prob getting loud...it just starts to sound mucky especially in this particular venue...
Would running a signal to board and using PA for mainly highs and high mids work at punching through a bit more (no sub)?
I use a SansAmp DI so I could send wet signal (all high and sparkly w/no lows) to board and send unaffected to my amp and eq the low end from there...
Anyone have any insight?
Thanks for reading...

 

[modulusman]

Depending on the PA speakers it may be fine. What are they?

 

[Benny the Finger]

They're yorkville powered speakers...not sure of specs but I can say they're prolly not bargain basement or top end...middle of the road...
I believe they have 12" speakers in them
They certainly have lotsa volume..but I don't wanna fart out a speaker by accident

 

[GuiTuber]

How big is the venue you're talking about? Is it wide open, i.e. high ceiling or is it large but cramped?

I have a Rumble 200 (15" combo) and when we play at this one particular venue, which is wide open and has a high ceiling, I have to apply some EQ to get a decent sound. Typically, I'm adding low and high mids on the amp. If I don't get it right, there will be at least one note, e.g. an A, that sounds all muddy, regardless of what octave it is.

Another venue we've played at has their own sound system. It's a relatively small space with a low ceiling. I set my EQ flat and don't have any issues.

My point is, if you have the volume from your amp, try playing with the EQ first, to eliminate the "muck".

If you use the PA for the high mids and highs and then tweak your amp for the lows and low mids, you may get more muck than if you just used your amp.

 

[Benny the Finger]

The room is a community hall w/ concrete floors and sparsely decorated walls, low ceiling, and at one end is cathedral ceiling...it's not only us that struggles w/ sound at that venue...
I have played w/ eq quite a bit last time we played there, but feel like in that particular venue a 15" speaker mightn't be the right choice for gig...
I may just try whole new setup this go around...I usually play on a p style with flats, a switch to jazz w/ rounds might clean up some 'muck'...
And perhaps a smaller speaker mic'd could be helpful I guess...(but still no sub on PA)

 

[nutdog]

What kind of music?

 

[nutdog]

I wouldn't bother with a sub. Running through the tops may help but may also mess with the vocals. I get to play in several rooms like you describe (lucky me). In general, more volume and lows don't help. I usually cut the bass on my rig, boost upper mids and don't play notes below A.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Go to L&M and spend the $25 to rent a sub for the night. You can at least try to blend one FOH sound instead of trying to match your bass to the FOH.

 

[4Mal]

1. Wireless - get out front, sound check and see what it really needs. Rarely upper mids and highs need a boost, though like all things in sound... Never say never...

2. Subs never hurt... Unless they are not well balanced with the rest of the system

3 cavernous hall... Spread the pa wider that usual, turn the speaks in, tip them down get the crowd forward to soak up somw of the sound... Tipping down is built into some recent speaks. K&m make an adaptor for speaks that don't...