hammondman

What I run FOH 2x Yamaha DXR15 tops 2x QSC KW181 subs MONITORS 2x FBT X-Lite 12a 2x Alto TS110a MIXERS Allen & Heath QU-PAC Allen & Heath ZED 10FX MICS 2x Audio Technica ATM710 vocal condensers 2x Sennheiser E945 1x JZ-Microphones HH1 3x Sennheiser E838 1x MXLA55 kick mic 1x AKG D40 instrument mic 2x Rode NT55 SDC condensers DI's Orchid Classic DI's Application I use this setup for a range of different sized events and venues. The smallest jobs that I do are for speech reinforcement for small conferences/wedding speeches where I just use a pair of the Alto TS110a's. The next step up in size is small acoustic acts (vocals, acoustic guitar, keys etc) which I use the FBT X-Lite 12a's for FOH and the Alto TS110a's as monitors. For band work in small venues I just use the DXR15's (with the Alto TS110as and/or FBT Xlite 12a's as monitors) and have very successfully run bass guitar and kick drum through them. Finally, for the largest work I do I add the QSC KW181 subs to the DXR15's and can easily do bands at venues of 250+ people. Again the FBT X-Lite 12a's and Alto TS110a's get used for monitor duties. Suitability I find the Yamaha DXR15's do a great job for FOH. They have pretty high output and also have decent bass output which copes well with bass guitar and kick drum at moderate volumes. Ideally I would like something that goes a fraction louder as occasionally I have them working practically flat out. However, they've never completely run out yet and they still sound surprisingly good even when being driven hard! The QSC KW181's are fantastic!! They have a serious amount of output and punch and are capable of handling more than I need!! The FBT's handle acoustic gigs with ease and have surprising bass extension. The Alto TS110a's generally work ok but could do with a little more output. What I think The Yamaha DXR15's have been one of the best buys I've made and are fantastic workhorses! I've owned or borrowed various speakers in the past before I settled with the DXR's. These get a serious amount of use and have been pushed pretty hard and haven't vaguely faltered! They go very loud, have great depth of bass and on the whole are have excellent clarity! They do sound a little scooped and have the classic smiley face to their voicing but not as much as some other speakers that I've used. They also lack a little warmth in the tone and separation between parts on pre-recorded material compared to some of the higher end stuff that I've used but that's not a surprise considering they cost at least a quarter of the price!! Saying that, I prefer them to some of the more expensive products that I've tried! At some point in the future I'd like to upgrade to something with a wooden cabinet but am certainly in no hurry as the DXR15's have not disappointed me yet. The QSC KW181's are simply superb!! They go seriously loud, have great punch and have excellent clarity without the wooliness I've experienced with previous subs I've owned. The KW181's are a big step up from anything I've owned in the past and have excellent build quality and feel more professional overall. They are a little heavier than I'd ideally like but don't know of anything within this price bracket that can match their performance at this weight. However, they have castor's so I won't have to carry these very often. The FBT X-Lite 12a's are great value for money. These were my personal favourites from quite a few budget ranges that I a/b'd (Alto TS112a, Yamaha DBR12 and EV ZLX12p). They are loud, clear and have great depth of bass for their size and price! I do find they can get a little harsh and the amp is a little noisier than the others I tried but nothing to worry about. They are also the lightest of the bunch and have three handles for easy handling. The Alto TS110a's are surprisingly good for the money. They mainly get used for monitors and are plenty loud enough for this purpose on the gigs I do. They have good bass response for a 10" at this price range and the cabinet feels very solid and well made. I do find that they can sound a little boxy and naturally lack the openess and clarity of the more expensive speakers I own but at £149 each they are quite remarkable. Alto has now released a new mkII version of the TS110a called the TS210a which look quite interesting which I may try at some point as they supposedly have higher output, deeper bass and a more open sound along with even lighter weight and more professional appearance! The Allen & Heath QU-PAC is possibly the best purchase I've made (along with the DXR15's and KW181's)! I absolutely love this mixer!! The sound, features and build quality are superb! The QU-PAC is very compact and lightweight but a real powerhouse. Allen & Heath have updated the firmware quite a few times since I bought it and have added some new features which are great! The iPad app is a joy to use and is continually growing with each update! The touchscreen interface on the QU-PAC has been extremely well thought out and I would feel confident to mix FOH entirely from this should I need to. I also use the QU-PAC for classical location recordings as it's possible to do multitrack recordings straight to a harddrive and the quality of the preamps and converters have been excellent! My only one critiscism is I wish the QU-PAC had a built in router. For really small intimate acoustic gigs/solo artists at tiny coffee bars I don't really want the clutter of a router along with the CAT5 and power cables. The Allen & Heath ZED10fx is a really solid great sounding little mixer that is built like a tank. It is very simple to use and has cleaner pres than any other mixer I've tried at this price point (including the Behringer X-Air digtial mixers!). I use this mixer mainly for rehearsals or dry hire these days and it works a treat for that. I also use it to record into my iPad with Auria Pro and it sounds great! Ideally I'd like a very small digital mixer with hardware controls/touchscreen and built in router like the QSC Touchmix 8 but I've not found anything I'm completely happy with on the market at the moment so will stick with the ZED until something I like gets released. Regarding the mics I use, I find them all to be very good. The best value mic that I own is the Sennehiser E838. These went for £45 each new which is a complete bargain as they sound very close to the E935 which is 3-4 times the price! They have the same solid build as the Sennheiser 900 series mics and are my general bread and butter vocal mics. I find these work on a wide range of voices and I use them in situations where I would normally use an SM58. However, I've had better results with the E838 in pretty much every situation. I would like to pick up another couple of E838's as they get used a lot and quite often I'll use these when I have multiple singers that I've not worked before on a gig. They also go for around £30 secondhand which is a complete steal! The Sennheiser E945's are great mics and on some sources can sound great but on others they can sound a little harsh. The JZ HH1 is a very clear mic that sounds a little smoother than the E945 and has more low frequencies rolled off which can sound lovely on some voices. However, the HH1 has noticeably higher handling noise than all my other mics. The Audio Technica ATM710 is extremely clear sounding and picks up very subtle details in vocal performances. It also has very low handling noise and surprisingly high feedback rejection (saying that none of my mics have given me any problems with feedback at all). This mic can sound fantastic on some vocalists but can also sound a little harsh/brittle on others. Ideally I'd like to get a couple of condensers that sound a little smoother in the highs like the Shure Beta 87a. The MXL A55 kick mic is by far my favourite that I've heard. It sounds deep, tight with plenty of attack without sounding overly hyped or 'boingy'! Every drummer that I've used it with has commented on how great it sounds and quite a few have wanted to buy one for themselves. I've also used it in various studio situations and both the engineer an drummer preferred it over the Audix D6 and AKG D112. The AKG D40 is a great multipurpose instrument mic that sounds great on snare, toms and horns. I would like to get a few more of the D40's at some point. Finally the Rode NT55's have been great workhorse SDC's. I use the for miking choirs, acoustic guitars and drum overheads. They are very detailed low noise mics and are well built. I use a pair of Fetheads with them which helps to lower the noise even more! My only critiscism is they can sound slightly metallic and I'm considering getting a pair of Michael Joly's custom capsules for them which sound smoother and richer.