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Small portable PA busking etc


heath_eld

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Hey,

 

I busk every now and then with my wife. We need a decent, battery powered small PA.

 

Currently we use a little Behringer MPA40. It works ok and sounds decent for what it is, but has no reverb and very basic controls.

 

The options seem to be the Roland BA330 or the Mackie Freeplay. With accessories they are about the same price.

 

The Roland having 4 usable channels vs the Mackie 2 is a selling point.

 

We are mostly one guitar one voice but who knows when an extra channel or two would be helpful.

 

Which one of these will perform better for volume, sound quality and battery life?

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Hi Heath!

 

I was looking for something similar for beach weddings....

 

Funny, I was just looking at some of the Carvin stuff. Seems pretty cool, I was about to come on here and ask if anyone had used them? I was looking at the S600 series.. anyone use it?

 

I have used a Fender Passport mini, for very small groups (like about 8) and it did ok, though I pushed every bit of the 15 watts I could out of it. Not really the best for a loud environment, but fun none the less.

 

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There are other options, although wha tyou can find inthe land of Oz I can't say. Also, how many watts you need to busk is relative.

 

I saw a guy demo-ing a Peavey 'Solo', which is a 2 channel battery powered amp, but only 15W. It would certainly be louder than an acoustic guitar, and sounded okay for vocals...much like the Fender 'Pisspot' mini...IMHO, barely adequate volume and underwhelming tonally.

 

Roland also has the BA55, which comes with its own wireless mic and has built in reverb. There is also the Roland Cube 'Street EX', which I have not seen.

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I second the recomendation for Roland. I still use my Roland Ac60 for small venues and it's clarity and power is a thing to behold. I believe that they do an Ac30 that is battery powered which I am confidant would be just the job for you.

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I have an ac 33 that I have hit the streets with. It's not super loud but works.

 

I looked at the BA 330 at one time online, but never bought. Since it's was only me. The BA 330 can go on a stand which is nice. It's not exactly louder, both are 15 watts x 2. The BA 330 is 15 watts over 2 speakers.

 

The ac 33 has an extra inputs that are in the back, so you can plug in a cd player for backing track, and I think you can plug in a stereo keyboard too in the back. I have not tried it.

 

 

The looper is ok, but short on time. Fine for creating some on the fly back beats. If you plan on using the looper you want the FS-6 foot switch too and a stereo 1/4 in cable that splits into 2 mono plugs into the foot switch.

 

 

It is kinda what it is, and if you added up the price difference between the AC 33 with the foot switch for the lopper, and the BA 330 you might be looking at 100 bucks difference.

 

It might be too loud to play places like in San Francisco that limit the wattage.

 

I tossed my AC 33 in a Coleman soft side cooler bag, that fits it perfectly, plus there's room for the footswitch and cables . With guitar in hand, plus a mic and stand, I'm ready to roll and have some fun.

 

Both units are light on the bass side, but are fine.

 

 

[video=youtube;aDYxfplBe-A]

[video=youtube;WWWw1BD2464]

 

 

Peter Luha, I actually emailed and he got back in touch with me.

[video=youtube;1AhTIUDVyOc]

[video=youtube;GrJRfYOsuCs]

[video=youtube;gHU7a-usI38]

[video=youtube;6QqBM9nEqns]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QqBM9nEqns

[video=youtube;esfi-wWVGks]

 

ac 33 verses the Street Cube

[video=youtube;Dah_vQMw_VQ]

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the number of vids, but I want you to be informed about the bennies and limitation of the Roland stuff.

 

 

Look up a guy named Guy Thackham, on youtube. He's my fav at what I kind a do with my AC 33.

 

[video=youtube;7nhDMEdNcuU]

[video=youtube;EKpvXyXYNuI]

[video=youtube;xmkMWjThDW8]

 

I have never had and issues with a Roland product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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more info on the Freeplay

[video=youtube;z274UPmM3rQ]

 

 

 

My fav is the AER Compact Mobile

 

At a price tag of 1800 bucks, it not cheap

 

It has a rechargeable battery

 

[video=youtube;ScV9-Ch6dms]

 

 

I'll stick with the Roland AC 33

 

 

This might be worth checking out too. Research it out and see if it will hold up. Could be and option.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mobile-Power-Instant-Boost-400-6-in-1-12-Volt-Battery-Jumpstart-System-with-Built-in-110-Vac-Inverter-and-Air-Compressor-2001/203751005

 

 

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the problem with videos is that camera mics are all limited' date=' so you can't really get a feel for live comparisons.[/quote']

 

 

 

correct.

 

So what do you recommend for a buskin rig?

 

 

 

 

 

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I've got to say on the videos the Mackie sounds better.

 

Interesting. The Roland certainly looks more "legit" to my eyes.

 

 

 

At lower volume the vids I have watched, the Mackie sounded better, but as you pushed the volume a bit, I thought the Roland sounded better. However, that was with the keyboard vid demo.

 

You'll need to use your smart phone with the Mackie.

 

 

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