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PA suggestions for an acoustic show


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Im looking to possibly replace my speakers, with something more portable but still have great sound quality. Im currently using mackie SR1530's for front of house, but one of them has died and Im in the process of getting it fixed(parts are scarce apparently) We are getting away with one foh speaker at the moment. These mackies have been nothing but crystal clear for 7 years although bulky to transport. I want a set up that will sound as good or better.

http://www.mackie.com/pdf/sr1530_ss.pdf

 

Im looking at getting 2 jbl prx512m and a powered sub. From reading here they seem to be popular and also available and servicable in australia. Also looking at some db tecnology opera series but I dont know if they will be a drop in quality. The mackies have really been great.

 

The context is - 2 acoustic guitars, 2 vocals, a stompbox and a mic'd djembe (drum). We are acoustic but have a lively show. Playing to rooms of about 100 ppl I geuss.

 

So my questions are

- Should I just repair the mackie and stick with them(or buy a new 1 if its f###ed) or look to get a new system ?

- If I did get the jbl's is 1 sub enough(just for the stomp and a bit of guitar)?

- I want a mixer that is able to control the amount of an instrument that is fed to the sub(rather than just the hi pass filter switch) eg- all of the stompbox , some of the guitar, none of the vox. Whats out there for that? Does the mixwiz do that?

 

all suggestions advice welcome

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I'd not buy another Mackie. The company is holding on by a thread. That said, if it's a relatively cheap repair and you've been happy with the results, I'd just fix the broken one.

 

You don't want ANY guitar in the subs and no vocals either. For your genre I would think you'd be fine with one sub. If not you just get another.

 

As for mixing subs, what you are describing is "aux fed subs". While having a spare aux is nice for this application, you really don't even need that. If you're current mixer has both LEFT and RIGHT outs, just run the PA outs into a stereo crossover (you have to have a STEREO crossover to do what you want). Take the LEFT into the crossover and out to the subs and RIGHT into the crossover and out to the mains. Now you just use the balance knob on each channel to determine how much sub goes to what. Pan hard RIGHT for no subs. At center you have equal sub and mains. If you move left you'll start to lose the mains.

 

So you likely don't need another mixer, but will need to purchase a stereo crossover.

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Should we really be that worried about mackie? If they're having trouble, I'm available for hire :idea: Seems like there are a bunch of great companies out there that need a little help getting back on their feet these days...

 

As for the PA situation, when I was doing more acoustic gigs, I was looking into a system by yorkville, designed for portability with a single 15" sub, and two 8" mains. All the amps and inputs built right in to the sub cabinate. Bi-amped of course, and crossed over so all the bass frequencies go to the sub, and the rest hit the mains. The mains are much more efficient if they are not trying to push all those low frequencies. I know it sounds skimpy, but you don't need the 12's or 15's in the mains for small rooms if all your bass is handled by the subs. I never got a chance to hear one, but its always been on my list of things to look into. I"m sure there are other manufacturers out there with similar products.

 

What I've found using smaller PA setups, is that if its properly crossed over, it beats aux fed subs by a long shot. You need to get the crossover frequency adjusted to the right spot, and watch the channel volume on the Djembe, 'cause they can overpower a room easily! I used aux fed subs for a while, because I didn't have a crossover. But now that I've heard the difference, I don't go there unless forced to by limitations.

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I wouldn't worry about aux fed subs,the sub level will not be disproportional and you can (should) use the HPF on channels where yo do not need the low frequency extension of the sub.

 

The PRX is ideal for your application and weighs about 1/2 the Mackies too. Bonus!!!

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Should we really be that worried about mackie?

 

 

If you are considering a sizable purchase from them, heck yes you should. They were delisted from NASDAQ a year ago and are a OTC stock sitting at $0.13 per share. Will the brand survive? Maybe, maybe not, but why bet on a horse with a bum leg?

 

Like I said before, if the parts are available and the repair is relatively inexpensive, by all means get the speaker repaired. In fact, if the parts are scarce now, I doubt they'll be more plentiful or the repair cheaper in the future. I just wouldn't drop a few thousand dollars and anything new with the Mackie name right now.

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