PA Help and Suggestions

I might move this over the the Misc Forum. I think you'll get more hits over there.

 

You're going to be investing a fair amount of money; you need a system that will be very reliable over years of abuse. The Behringer mixers and amps don't have a reputation for reliability--they have lots of features, and may be fine for a home studio, but frankly I don't think they'll handle a lot of gigs. Furthermore, I suspect they are not made to be repairable when they do break.

I'd scale back if necessary, but buy a higher quality mixer, amps, and monitors. A Yamaha or Mackie mixer wouldn't be a lot more money, but would hold up much better IMHO. (Even Peavey and Carvin mixers, while not necessarily considered high-end, will hold up to years of abuse and be there when you need them) Likewise, QSC power amps aren't that much more expensive than the Behringers, but they're pretty much bulletproof.

Monitors are pretty important. Instead of 4 cheap monitors, I'd buy 2 medium-priced JBL's, or a pair of the higher-end Yamaha's. Trust me,vocalists sing much better when they can hear themselves clearly. And you can always add another pair of monitors later if need be.

If money's tight now, skip the EQ to pay for an upgrade to a better mixer and amps.

You don't need a fortune in PA equipment, or lots of bells and whistles, to play moderate-size venues. Just get reasonably good quality.

 

Nashvillebill is right on.

Check out the powered mixers by Yamaha. Specifically the EMX5000-12 and -24. They pack 1000 watts at 4 ohms. I use Yamaha Club series monitors and mains also. All of it performs very well. I use one power amp section for the two mains and the other power amp section for the monitors. If you ever need more power you can scale up with an additional power amp, powered speakers, or more. It also has a sub out, on board effects, multiple aux outs, etc.

Alone it should be plenty of power for the size shows you describe. This powered mixer, 2 of the mains, and 2 monitors will cost about $1300. That leaves you with alot of $$$ for mikes, stands, cables, etc.

 

I would recommend miking the kick and snare if you are playing loud and/or rock. Just a suggestion.

 

Is this to be an installed system?

I am not allowed by work rules to express opinions on installed systems as that is one of the technologies that we design and are consultants for.

All that having been said and kinda undertood, in my personnal experience, a bang for the buck system of reasonable cost can probably be dialed in to sound pretty dog gone good.

Please ditch the Berhinger power amps. Opt out for something else of better repute. Step up your mixer also. Both items could probably be accomplished at little or possibly no change in cash outlay. Used stuff can be a great deal, buy smart.

Best of Luck,
Wesley R.

 

What are you guys using for a PA now?

If you have absolutely nothing now, and don't have much PA experience, then I would NOT advise going out and dropping $5000 on a PA. Why not? You'll probably wind up with a lot of stuff you don't need, and won't have the stuff you really need.

Ease into this slow!!! For 100 to 300 seat venues, a powered mixer will indeed work fine, and at first you won't need to mic drums. It strikes me as unrealistic to think that you're suddenly going to be playing in front of 400 people if you guys don't even have a basic PA now.

The earlier advice about a Yamaha powered mixer is absolutely a great idea. For less than $1000, that gets you a very good mixer. Another $800 for the JBL Eons for mains (non-powered) and $600 for a pair of JBL monitors. Four Shure SM58's,stands, and mic cables: $600 or less. For less than $3k, you would have a setup that would handle vocals plus acoustic guitar for most any club gig. And it's expandable if necessary for more power and more speakers. Plus, since it's a self-contained powered mixer, it's easy to operate, which is important to learn on, and also important if you don't have a separate sound guy.

While I have bought used mixers, I would NOT recommend buying a used mixer off Ebay. You need a dependable rig, and mixers can be temperamental (and on the 'bay, they may not work quite as well as claimed....) Bite the bullet, get a new Yamaha (or Peavey or Carvin) powered mixer....