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PA Challenge. Spec in a usable system for under $600.00
- Thread starter Big Hoss
- Start date
$600... Sounds like my backyard party rental/501c3 freebie rig...
Used Soundcraft Gigrac 1000 st. 500x500 on board, 8 channels, 2 xgraphic EQ's, lexicon DSP efects. I paid $275 used, mint. Comes in it's own hardware case. Nice little self powered rig. I added a set of Community wedges for $150, about to add a set of used 12+ horn cabs with pole mounts at around $200. A little over the limit, particularly after cables and stands but... as a low end rental rig, it will be paid for in around 6 rentals. I'm at 4 and counting so far... Cheapest rental rig nearby and it sounds better than it's competitors and it is stupid easy to hook up and run...
I'm in process on creating a set of instructions that will be laminated and d-ringed to the head. Then an event in which I invite the local 501c3 organizations in to learn how to set it up and run it. A session on mic technique and placement. If they attend, The rig is available, with 2 sm 58's and stands on a first come, first served basis signed for by the person trained. Gratis. Delivery and setup is for fee... Time is money after all...
I'm interested to see how this plays in my sound company marketing plan... Boards members have money, Board members sometimes have children, Children often get married, sometimes frequently... ;-) I have actually played a divorce party which was rather a blow out... Weddings sometimes need bands or sound. I have an app for that ;-)
It may all be gross waste of time but what the heck, if all that happens is that I provide a little support for some good community orgs. I can live with that.
Used Soundcraft Gigrac 1000 st. 500x500 on board, 8 channels, 2 xgraphic EQ's, lexicon DSP efects. I paid $275 used, mint. Comes in it's own hardware case. Nice little self powered rig. I added a set of Community wedges for $150, about to add a set of used 12+ horn cabs with pole mounts at around $200. A little over the limit, particularly after cables and stands but... as a low end rental rig, it will be paid for in around 6 rentals. I'm at 4 and counting so far... Cheapest rental rig nearby and it sounds better than it's competitors and it is stupid easy to hook up and run...
I'm in process on creating a set of instructions that will be laminated and d-ringed to the head. Then an event in which I invite the local 501c3 organizations in to learn how to set it up and run it. A session on mic technique and placement. If they attend, The rig is available, with 2 sm 58's and stands on a first come, first served basis signed for by the person trained. Gratis. Delivery and setup is for fee... Time is money after all...
I'm interested to see how this plays in my sound company marketing plan... Boards members have money, Board members sometimes have children, Children often get married, sometimes frequently... ;-) I have actually played a divorce party which was rather a blow out... Weddings sometimes need bands or sound. I have an app for that ;-)
It may all be gross waste of time but what the heck, if all that happens is that I provide a little support for some good community orgs. I can live with that.
I just recently bought a Fender Passport Venue system at a local pawn shop for $520 out the door. Plenty of channels. Good quality sound. SUPER EASY transport. Auxilary in lines from the phone or from a USB Drive. The ability to record to said USB Drive as well. If you can find one cheap enough to fit your budget I love the thing.
- Sep 5, 2014
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this is how you win at this game! ("winning"=being able to sell the crap for what you paid for it after you've outgrown it, or retiring it to the practice space with no regrets.)
They really don't get too loud. For coffee houses, it's more than enough. For small bars it gets the acoustic guitar (w/ a HPF from the preamp/DI) and 3 vocals and it holds up just fine. Depending on what kind of music and how loud the band is, you may run into issues. I initially picked it up as a way for us to record songs at practice and see what we thought of them. We throw a condenser above the drums and one on the opposite side of the room to have a usable sound for us to use to listen back, but definitely not for anybody else to hear.
No point in asking how the cabs are if you're hard limited to a budget of $600. After you buy your mixer, any cabs you buy with the remainder won't be all that great. I can recommend the Mackie ProFX 8 ($180 for V1, $230 for V2) which has four mic inputs and a couple stereo inputs for instruments. It also has rudimentary graphic EQ and effects. V2 apparently has upgraded preamps. That'd leave you around $400 to pick up a couple used powered speakers.
For the kind of gig venues you're talking about, guitar and bass really have no need to be in the PA, so I would stick to backline for them. That will also mean that you don't have to worry about speaker cabs that can take bass, so I would just concentrate on getting the best system for vocals. I would get the smallest possible mixer, something like a Behringer 1002fx...that should give you about $500 to spend on a pair of active speakers, and I would look for the best possible quality at that price which would mean trawling the secondhand market to see if you could get some decent quality cabs from a decent manufacturer. If you go shopping with just vocals in mind, you'll be able to sidestep the 15" cabs and go for something like 10" cabs...which are cheaper when new than larger sizes, that way you should be able to get better quality cabs for the money.
Using one speaker for FOH and one on it's side for a monitor is quite doable in small places. Get a better mixer when you can afford it, add subs and monitors when you can afford it.
For that budget I'd get the fewest pieces of kit that I could get away with and concentrate on quality, rather than quantity of stuff...and I'd concentrate on speakers because a decent set of speakers will flatter your sound, whereas a cheap set will always make you sound like carboard regardless of the other gear.
Using one speaker for FOH and one on it's side for a monitor is quite doable in small places. Get a better mixer when you can afford it, add subs and monitors when you can afford it.
For that budget I'd get the fewest pieces of kit that I could get away with and concentrate on quality, rather than quantity of stuff...and I'd concentrate on speakers because a decent set of speakers will flatter your sound, whereas a cheap set will always make you sound like carboard regardless of the other gear.
this mixer
Phonic Powerpod 1062 Plus Powered Mixer | Musician's Friend
these local speakers
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Phonic Powerpod 1062 Plus Powered Mixer | Musician's Friend
these local speakers
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
- Sep 5, 2014
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For the time being, we might have found a solution. I came across a pair of Alto TS112A powered speakers, 50' cables, and stands for $300.00 locally. A friend that does DJ work is upgrading his gear and needs the $$ to put a dent in the cost of the Yamahas. I can put the Altos to use for a while as we build up. I am pretty sure I can offload them for what I would pay for them...
Sounds like a good deal. you can always use them as monitors when you decide to upgrade.
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So far so good. They sound far better than I figured they would have. Right now we have no means of vocal monitoring, so the setup has been to more or less put the TS115As on the poles at full extension, and parallel to the stage as best possible. It's far from ideal, but it works more or less.
Given the limits of the mixer in use, I am thinking even if we went out and bought say a couple of TS110As for monitors, I am not sure how to hook them up. I THINK, but I am not sure, I can use the CTRL ROOM OUT ports for connecting monitors. Is that right? (I keep looking at the owners manual and I just don't quite get it...)
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Then what Bufalo said. You could also daisy chain them off your mains and control the volume with the gain knob on the mixer. Not ideal but it would work.
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Yeah, with this mixer not much at all is ideal, but considering the folks I am jamming / building a band with, I am the one with the $$, and that is a truly sad statement...
The rig so far isn't much to brag on, but it is getting to where it should be effective for our needs for a while.
Mixer Behringer Xenyx 1202FX
3@ Boom type Mic Stands. (Samson MK-1)
6@ 20' MusiciansFriend tweed XLR cables.
6@ Nady SP-5 Dynamic Mics
Nady mic bag.
25' TRS to TRS cable
The following recently came to us (me) at bottom dollar due to buying used.
2 @ Alto Professional TS115A 15" Powered Loudspeakers
Not sure brand, 6 - 8' adjustable speaker stands.
1/4" speaker cables, 50' x2. No clue what brand. Less care. They work.
The rig so far isn't much to brag on, but it is getting to where it should be effective for our needs for a while.
Mixer Behringer Xenyx 1202FX
3@ Boom type Mic Stands. (Samson MK-1)
6@ 20' MusiciansFriend tweed XLR cables.
6@ Nady SP-5 Dynamic Mics
Nady mic bag.
25' TRS to TRS cable
The following recently came to us (me) at bottom dollar due to buying used.
2 @ Alto Professional TS115A 15" Powered Loudspeakers
Not sure brand, 6 - 8' adjustable speaker stands.
1/4" speaker cables, 50' x2. No clue what brand. Less care. They work.
I like the Altos and have 6 of the TS112As. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother's QSC KW153s but his don't sound 6 times better than mine do in a bar whose walls and ceilings rattle and buzz. For the money and the venues we play these are just fine.
