Members Morphic Force Posted March 19, 2007 Members Share Posted March 19, 2007 Hello all. I've been lurking, like so many others around here, for some time now. I find this to be an informative and colorful forum so I have decided to join. I'm neither a technical guru nor very informed on the latest and greatest but I love doing live sound and studio production. I'm considered extremely valuable for my ability to hear how music needs to be produced and I have the ability to turn just the right knobs in pre and final production. I have been accused of having the ability to actually see music and put everything in it's place beyond the capibilities of the componants I am working with. I say it's outhouse luck myself or the fact that I played drums and sang lead vocals professionaly for over 35 years. Enough of that. I have found myself in possession of a rather nice PA system and in the position of doing sound for an up and coming Rock and Roll band. Problem is, I have all this gear and don't have a clue as to how to hook it up properly and use it to it's fullist potential. If there is anyone out here in forum land that would be willing to assist me in my journey, you would have a friend for life, free tickets to all our shows and I would be willing to repay you in kind in any way possible. I am well aware that what I have is not the best but it is what it is. Heres what I have: Mixing board: Mackie SR24-4 Power Amps: Crest CA9 and Crest Vs450 Graphics/Limiter: dbx 2215 Type 111NR 2 channel Compression: Alesis 3630 (2) Effects: Alesis QuadraVerb Power Conditioner: Furman PL8 Snake: 24-4 100' (drawing a blank on brand name) House Speakers (2) Altec Lansing Voice of the Theatre 825 (consisting of) AL 418-8 15" woofer 150 watt RMS AL 808 Drivers AL 809 Crossovers AL 511B Horns in seperate cabinets (2) JBL Cabaret Series 4699b 800W @ 103dB SPL Sensitivity (consisting of) JBL 18" Low Range E155 JBL 10" Mid Range E110 JBL 2370A Flat front Bi-RadiaL Horn JBL 2425H titanium compression driver (2) Klipsch(sp) Tweeter Banks 8 tweeters each @ 600W per bank Moniter System: Behringer Europro PMH 3000 Mixing Board 400W (2) JBL SF 24 Sound Factory 500W RMS (Side throw) Containing (2) JBL M115-8A 15" speakers (1) JBL 2412 Exit Compression Driver (2) Peavey SP5 800W RMS (Side Throw) Containing (1) Peavey Scorpion Plus 15" HO Woofer (1) Peavey RX22 Compression Driver (ferrofluid cooled) If interested, here's the environment I've been working in. That is not me in the photo. http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j101/racencase/Studio http://www.myspace.com/underpassband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted March 19, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 Sell off the Alesis comps, even once you learn how to use them, they won't work. Find a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. It's a wealth of info on every aspect of live sound, and you'll refer to it forever. Really. The basics.... Always turn power amps on last, and turn them off first. Mic to mixer, main out to EQ to crossover, splits HF to amp then HF speakers, LF to amp to LF speakers. Set one channel at a time. All faders down. Depress the solo button on the mixer channel, and with someone making noise into the speaker at the same level as the performance, set gain to peak at 0dB. Release the solo button, set the mains fader to 0dB, and raise the channel fader to the desired gig volume. REpeat for all channels. If the main meters peak up near clipping when the full band is playing, lower all channel faders evenly until the clipping stops. Try to keep all channel EQ flat, and don't add or subtract much more than 3-6dB of really needed. Your speakers are old but good, they should sound fine. Monitors, use the pre-fader aux sends on each channel to route the same basic signal path as for the mains....mixer aux to EQ to amp to monitor speaker. The aux send also has a main level knob in the master section. Get a copy of the Mackie's user manual. It's all loaded with 'cool lingo' but is a good reference. Mackie has them online at their website. Don't use comps or effects at all until you have the basic system running well, and you're to the point of boredom in your confidence in using it. Then read up on the device thoroughly, and use only one thing at a time, noting how it changes the signal. Note that effects and compression will greatly reduce gain before feedback....try not to use them in your monitors at all, as monitors are much more feedback prone than mains. Well, it's not much, but it's a start. You've got a pretty damn good system there, a lot more than many if not most who post here. Welcome to the forums, and ask before you blow up anything. There's a lot of really good info here....decades of pro experience including several manufacturer's folks who kindly share their time and wisdom with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Morphic Force Posted March 19, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 19, 2007 Thank you for the warm welcome Craigv but most especially for the time you took to think out and post your reply. I should have prefaced my post by saying that some years ago, I had one of the nicest PA systems anywhere around my area. A Sunn 16 channel board with 2 Crown power amps, Heil speakers (4 bass bins, 4 horns and 4 tweeter banks) plus side throw and personal monitors. Everything was pretty much built in back then and easy to set-up. What I am uncertan about now is the actual hard wiring of my system. Sounds like the Yamaha Handbook would be a valuable purchase and I already have the owners manuals for pretty much all my equipment. Try as I may, I can not find a diagram that deals with the actual hard wiring with my componants. They have everything diagramed but the basic configuration I have. I would like to make a snake for the business end, i.e. connecting the mixer to the comps. to the eq. to the power amps. and so on. Things have changed so much in the past few years and I have not kept up with the changes. Kinda makes my head hurt. Thanks again for your time and I will ask before I fry anything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted March 19, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 What you've got should be pretty easy. From the SR24.4 main outs, to the dbx EQ, to the power amps, to the speakers. You probably should consider moving to a dbx active crossover instead of the Altec passive units. The effects would use a post-fader aux send for each 'engine', and then return to the mixer via an effects return, or to an unused channel. Compressors would best use an insert cable at each channel. It may be easier to just post a specific "how do I do this" about one area at a time, just to keep everything clearer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Morphic Force Posted March 20, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 20, 2007 Good advice once again Craigv. I'll pester you again tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Morphic Force Posted March 21, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 21, 2007 BTW, why would you sell the Alesis compressors? Several folks I know are really happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.