What I Run, Why I Run It, and What I Think of It

[Ori0n]

As that I'm new to the PA setup universe, though I've been pushing for better equipment in my band for years, I finally ponied up some dough over this past summer to invest and start a small soundbusiness with my drummer. This is a very budget system but it sounds pretty damned good. Not as good as the majority of what else I've read here, and boy, am I jealous.

I'll start at FOH and work to the speakers as that's how i have it organized in my head.

Mixer:
Mackie 1604VLZ Pro, great deal on ebay, American made, solid as a rock, has never failed me

Processors:
Monster Power PRO 2500 Rack PowerCenter, great even power for the gear
Behringer FBQ3102 Ultragraph PRO EQ
Behringer MULTICOM PRO-XL MDX4600 Processor (handles main L&R, and monitor 1&2. I plan to get a second one to handle kick, snare and monitor 3
BBE 882i Sonic Maximizer
I also plan on getting a rack mounting recording unit so i can provide audio of the performance to my clients

Snake:
16x4x100' ProCo
some dude stepped on it and broke 3 inputs plan on getting a
16x8x100' from an ebay store, dude has good deals
[any suggestions on it being easier to fix the 16x4? though it'd be nice to have the extra returns for 4 monitor mixes]

Crossover:
Behringer CX3400 Super-X Pro Crossover not bad, not bad; but left High has some output issues, so the inputs on the power amp are not even, the left has to be higher to match levels; and i plan on replacing it with a dbx 234xl

Power Amps:
3x Behringer EP 2500
one more coming for the last monitor channels

Subs:
2x Behringer B1800x Professional 800w

Mains:
2x Behringer B1520 Professional 400w

Monitors
2x Behringer B1520 Professional 400wRMS for now, plan to get some
Behringer P1220F wedges @ 80w RMS
[musicians friend messed up our order so we wound up with another pair of B1520s for free]

Mics:
8x SM57 [4 for drums, 4 for instrument]
3x SM58 [all vocals]
1x Beta52 [kick]
2x PG82 [overheads]

Cables:
20x 20' Audio Technica Microphone Cables [good deal i found on ebay]
4x 50' speakon to speakon, generic, good deal on ebay, no issues yet!
4x20' random microphone cables that came with some of the SM57's

Racks:
Power amp Rack: Generic 10 space
FOH: SKB Mini Gig Rig + Gig Roller

I've used it a few times and have gotten some great great sounds out of it, and everyone has always been very pleased with the sound and the setup, very impressed and clear.

Since it's not top quality I don't charge very much for my services, but I do need a trailer severely bad.

Thanks!

[richardmac]

I want the award for having the worst PA system in the entire thread. I'll tell you that right now. I am a solo performing singer/songwriter acoustic guitar/sampled piano guy. No midi background tracks, just me and my acoustic or me and my sampled piano. I didn't buy this stuff all at once, but rather sort of slapped it together.

Mixer - Yamaha MG124 12 Channel. I wanted an inexpensive small mixer for recording and live work and it had to have two aux sends. This guy fit the bill. The sound quality is OK but not great. Live I really only use two channels.

Amp - Mackie FR200. I wanted a rack mount amp that sounded decent and didn't run more than $300. This amp gives me 200 wpc into 8 ohms, which is really all I need for the small clubs and coffee houses I play. It sounds good, to me.

Speakers - Peavey PR 12's (2.) I play coffee houses and very small clubs - I don't need a dedicated monitor. The Peavey's were essentially all I could afford on my tight budget. I like the weight - they're real light. I mount them on poles. They sound sorta bad, but if you yank the midrange a tad, they're passable. So long as you don't try to crank them. Which I don't.

Mic - EV N/D767a. I really really like this vocal mic. A lot.

Outboard Gear - Ha ha ha! I have an Alesis mini-verb or micro-verb or whatever the hell it's called. I also have a rackmount Phonics stereo compressor that I don't use.

Instruments - Larrivee D-03 acoustic, M-Audio keyboard controller into a MacBook Pro running Logic.

For little gigs, this system is passable. You have to understand that other folks who play in these venues use Fender Passport systems, and I promise you that my system sounds a hell of a lot better than those. Once I get more money, I'd really like to replace the Peavey speakers with EV SX100's, and eventually if I ever need to play bigger gigs then add a dedicated monitor, an 18 inch sub, and another power amp.

[SpaceNorman]

I'm a 51 year old IT nerd by day working on the network side of the things - and a weekend warrior keyboard player working with a 6 piece variety act doing corporate/wedding/private party stuff with the occasional small club thrown in for {censored}s and grins.

System was put together to be run from stage - and designed to make setup and tuning as simple as possible. It consists of the following:

Mixer
A&H MixWiz 16:2

FOH Speakers
2 - Yamaha Club S115V mains
2 - Yamaha Club SW118V subs

Monitors
4 - Yamaha SM12V

Power Amps
3 - QSC RM2450s

Signal Processing
2 - DBX DriveRack PA Units (1 for FOH, 1 for Monitors)
1 - Lexicon MX200 Effects unit

Racks
Mixer Rack - RoadReady 14U Vertical / 10u Slant Rack wFurman PL-Plus Series II Power Conditioner
Amp Rack - RoadReady 12u Amp Rack wFurman PL-Plus Series II Power Conditioner

Snakes
2 - Hosa Little Bro' 6x2 x 30ft Snakes (labeled, pre-wired to board and stored in House Rack)
1 - "Poor Man's Signal Snake" (aka 6 25' XLR cables bundled and wrapped with electrians tape) - for the signal feed to the amp rack (labeled, pre-wired to outputs and stored in House Rack)

Mics
Mix of Shure SM57's, SM58's and Beta 58's.
1 Shure WireLess
1 DBX RTA Mic

Miscellaneous
1 - Shure PSM200 "In Ear" Monitor Transmitter/Receiver System

Set Up Procedure (Typically completed in less than 30 minutes)
1. Place Racks and Speakers
2. Pop the rack covers
3. Extend and place the Front Line and Back Line Snake boxes.
4. Extend and connect the Signal Snake to the Amps
5. Run Speaker Cables.
6. Connect each rack to AC power - and fire it up!
7. Run DriveRack "Wizard" to perform RTA EQ of House Speakers
8. Run DriveRack "Wizard" to perform RTA EQ of Monitors
9. Run DriveRack "Wizard" to activate automated feedback suppression system

[boomerweps]

SpaceNorman,

AMAZING. You have the "starter" but usable for many years PA package I would recommend to everyone ;>) Only thing I wouldn't recommend to somebody starting out is the DRPA, at least until you have an idea of most all the functions it can do. Geez, bang for the buck, mixer, speakers, power amps and organization are truely right on the money. I was stunned when I read your list. Seriously.

Boomerweps

[servojohn]

Hmmm, I'm not sure where I'd categorize my system, "State of the niche" seems to pop up though. ;>)

Here goes:

FOH Speakers:

Two Sound Physics LabsTrikTraps.
Two Servodrive Contrabass subwoofers.

Monitor Speakers:
Four-12" Coaxial wedges using B&C drivers, also one pair of my original 12x1 wedges, in custom home built cabinets, all bi-amped.

FOH drive rack:
Yorkville A4.4 amplifier for the subs-stereo mode out from a split input.
QSC PLX 3602 for the TrikTraps-stereo mode.
6u R&R 22" deep rack case.

FOH processing:
Two White 4660 EQs-high pass filter engaged at 100hz for the TrikTraps.
Ashly XR1001 crossover and Klark Teknik DN405 parametric EQ on an Aux Fed Sub set up to the amp.

Outboard gear sits in two R&R rack cases, a 10u 18" deep, and a 5u 22" deep.
There are Furman units in both for lighting and AC.

Monitor drive rack:
QSC PLX 3602 on low pass duty.
Urei 6150 on high pass duty.
6u R&R 22" deep rack case.

Monitor processing:
Two White 4660 EQ's-I run two monitor mixes on four wedges typically
Ashly XR1001 crossover.

FX:
SPX90. Original version, bought it the first year they came out. Works like a champ, and has the now rider accepted missing power button. ;>)
Aphex four channel comp.
Crown D75 amp for headphones.
Fostex phones.

Mixer:
A&H GL2200-24-has Calzone case on casters, no dog house.
A&H GL2400-16-came with Grundorf black carpeted case.

My mic case/toolkit
SKB 12 mic case. I do a lot of instrumental acoustic work, so I've got:
Three Crown CM700 condensers
Two EV 468 N-Dym mics.
AKG D112 kick mic
EV868 kick mic
Two Audix OM7 mics.
Crown CM200 condenser w/switch.
Senn 604
Four Shure SM58
Four ATM35 clip on lav condensers
Two Audix Audix ADX10-FL-P mini clip on condensers for flute
Two EV PL80 mics.
Bag o'clips.
Bag o'adapters, jumpers, genderbenders.
Bag o'testers, Sharpies, band aids, vicodin, and misc.
Board tape.
iPod w/custom cable for patching into stereo channel on mixer.
CD walkman player.

Ten K&M mic stands w/booms.

Whirlwind Medusa 24x6x100' snake, all XLR
2-3 dozen mic cables, various lengths, made from Gepco cable and Neutrik connectors.

300' total Coleman SOOEW 12/3 cable, broken down into:

100'
25'
25'
25'
50'
75'

All with Hubbell connectors.

Two handtrucks, four dollies, rolls of gaff tape.

Coming soon:

Two JTR Growler subwoofers, to switch with the Contrabasses as desired.
Two Xilica 4x8 processors, to replace the Ashlys.

Best regards,

John

PS, to Orion: I've fixed Proco snakes before, the company was very supportive in sending me replacement parts.

[dtmo1356]

Marko, if u r using backing tracks on the cds, where r u getting the sounds, i dont feel like doing every song myself, i just need a bass and drum track . thanks, dtmo.

[Special J]

Cool thread, I'll bite.

I'm 31, and have been working for a good sized regional sound reinforcement company for 13 years. I've been playing in bands for 17 years. I've been through a lot of PA gear. I've been spoiled by using state of the art stuff since I started in the business. My company uses L'acoustics and Adamson Acoustics speakers, Midas, Yamaha digital and Soundcraft consoles, and Lab Gruppen and QSC PL series amps. I also pride myself on taking any pile of crap and making it sound at least halfway decent. So, when I designed my band's PA system I was going for mainly for quality, portability and ease of set up. The core of it doubles as our rehearsal monitoring system as well.

Board: Yamaha 01V
Easy to use, pretty good built in effects and dynamics, can save settings for different situations (rehearsal, live outdoor, live indoor) - this is nice to give you a starting place for your mix. It has L+R xlr outputs, which I plug right into the mains, an alt L+R out which I use if we're recording the show, and 4"omni" 1/4" outs that I use for the 4 monitor sends. I plan on upgrading to the 01V96 soonish.

Mains: FBT Maxx
Powered speakers, so no amp rack to lug around to gigs! These are big enough to handle any smaller club gig. We'll usually only put vocals, keys and a little kick through them. Most of the larger clubs we play have PA's. If I need something bigger, I borrow it from work. These have treated me really well, and IMO, sound better than the JBL eons or the powered Mackies.

Monitors: 3 Shure PSM400 + 1 PSM600 w/E3 buds
What a difference in-ears make! Clean up your stage sound, save your hearing, no monitors or amps to lug around. Just count on buying lots of 9 volts!

Mics: AKG414, Shure SM58, SM57, Beta 52, Sennheiser 409, Beyer M69, Radial DI boxes

So that's pretty much it. The board, splitters (Horizon 3 way), in-ear transmitters, and a power conditioner all live in a 20 space pull over rack. I use the splitters when we are multi-tracking in the rehearsal space or to interface with a house sound system when we are playing out. Obviously this set up wouldn't work for everyone, but it does work great for us!

[Bob O'Brian]

Very interesting thread, in part because it lets me see the wide variety of people using this board... and that I am probably in the minority, since I don't run a sound company (or even work in IT ) but am in fact a piano teacher who also plays bass and sings in a bar band.
Anyway, my band has used two PA systems since we formed, and, just to give you pros a good laugh, here we go:

System One: (owned by the drummer)
Peavey XR800D powered mixer. It was in very bad condition with the onboard FX dead and almost all the faders missing, hence every channel was set to max and we could only use gain to control levels. Ouch! I eventually stumped up the cash to get it repaired but at 2x200w max output it would clip away merrily though all but the smallest gigs.
Carlsbro Marlin 150 mixer amp; used to power monitors. Virtually useless at this because it was underpowered and had only a 'high' and 'low' EQ section so no dialling out of feedback for me...
Peavey Hisys mains hard to say what these were like cos the rest of the system was so poor. But they weren't very good.
Skytec monitor wedge. Hmmm.

That was the system, to start with. The drummer also used a guitar practise amp as a monitor and we had feedback aplenty. He also insisted on running unbalanced leads tot he mics which I think contributed to the problem. Thank god we weren't gigging at this stage. Before we got to first gig, I had upgraded the system by adding:

Peavey Hisys subs 15" subs matching the tops; mainly bought cos it let us drop the system to 4-ohms a side and get more than 200w out of the powered mixer. They're bad, but were a big improvement... because now people could actually hear us...
Laney monitor Fairly solid piece of kit, it's not all that good but about good enough for what I spent on it.

This first PA was, basically, terrible. But in retrospect I think I did my best with it; I added XLR cables, proper speaker leads, and the subs, and got rid of that bloody guitar-amp-cum-monitor. It was a poor system but it got us gigging through most of last summer, and it was comparable to what a lot of other bands here gig with.

System Two: (owned by the new guitarist)
Behringer PMH1000 powered mixer with dead power amps. Onboard FX, but other than that not much functionality.
Peavey CS900 power amp. I guess it did the job OK, but we had clipping problems whenever we tried putting more than just vocals through this system.
Peavey Pro speakers 12" tops, 15" subs. No worse than the Hisys ones had been, but I found them a bit harsh and cheap sounding. Not surprising, since they are very cheap speakers.
Monitor system as before. Despite having played in bands for several years, the guitarist hadn't used monitors before... even when he used to sing lead.... ouch....

Anyway, I'm cheesed off with having crappy sound all the time, and am building my own system. The only thing I have so far is the Yamaha S112IV tops which I have yet to try out, but hopefully they will be good. These will be matched up to a small rack of gear with a mixer, power amp, FX unit, and a stereo EQ, so that I can finally get louder monitors without feedback.

Well I hope my description raised a few eyebrows, because sometimes I feel llike the people that use this board occupy different universes, but we're all trying to do the same thing- sound as good as we can.

[boomerweps]

Bob,

Depending on the condition of the Peavey Hisys speakers, they aren't that bad to start with provided they are powered at their program rating (or a little more). These are the UK built version of the SP series in the USA. Even the earliest models marked "150 watts RMS MAX" really like 300 watts or so for live sound. I had some of those earliest version/series marked like that and with 235 watts (samson S700) per speaker they were alright, but with 450 watts (RMX2450) they were GREAT! The amps got switched for "no-subs" gigs and were very small venues so we did NOT push the SPL but just having the extra power in reserve made everything sound so much clearer.

I HOPE you got those Yammies in the M Monitor version, MUCH more flexibility of use. Even still, for now I'd get a decent power amp with enough power to consider using those Yammies as monitors off one side (propped by a wood wedge, if needed) and the hisys off the other. Good power to decent speakers cleans up the system a lot. Then onto the new(er) mixer ;>)

Everybody starts out small & cheap unless they have the priviledge to work with others already owning better level gear and can afford ($$$) to not cheap out at first.

Boomerweps

[Bob O'Brian]

Alas the Hisys cabs belonged to our ex-drummer so are no longer an option. Interesting to hear that they might have sounded better had our amp not been so crappy! We literally had no headroom at all and it showed.

If buying new I would have got the wedge Yammies, but since I went 2nd hand couldn't be that fussy; and yes, I did have eventual monitor use in mind- although for now they'll be my FOH rig. Chocks of wood for me, then.

I suppose I've been lucky that I didn't have to spend much on these crappy systems I've been using; now that I'm building my own, though, I'm trying hard ot do the best I can with a very small budget. Well, isn't everybody?

[Imwithpepe]

Did some updating on my original post. Nothing to write home about. Just some thoughts about my gear and some background info.

[ronnie_stoops@y]

I'm putting together a new pa and was wondering if there is one rack effects I could buy that would benefit me as far as not having to buy 4to5 different items.I'm speaking in terms of vocal effects,compressors and gates for drums ect.I've heard the dbx driverack is good but not that user friendly,and keep in mind I'm no expert by any means! I'm just trying to cut my cost and still have the right effects for all the instruments ,vocals,drums,guitars,bass,and will be miced.It's hard rock with alot of energy coming from stage.I already a crossover & eq's in mind for mains and monitors.I'm going to be so straped on $ buying just the pa I just need some advice for the minimum as far as effects goes? I'm open minded for all advice. Ronnie_stoops@y

[Deke08]

 

Originally Posted by ronnie_stoops@y

I'm putting together a new pa and was wondering if there is one rack effects I could buy that would benefit me as far as not having to buy 4to5 different items.I'm speaking in terms of vocal effects,compressors and gates for drums ect.I've heard the dbx driverack is good but not that user friendly,and keep in mind I'm no expert by any means! I'm just trying to cut my cost and still have the right effects for all the instruments ,vocals,drums,guitars,bass,and will be miced.It's hard rock with alot of energy coming from stage.I already a crossover & eq's in mind for mains and monitors.I'm going to be so straped on $ buying just the pa I just need some advice for the minimum as far as effects goes? I'm open minded for all advice. Ronnie_stoops@y

 

I would stay away from the DriveRack. It is more of a Loudspeaker management system. The only combo unit I would recommend is the Presonus ACP88. 8 channels of gate/compressor. You normally do not want to compress the drums(except for the kick maybe) so you can just use the gates for drums and the other channels for vocals.

[rfdias]

Drummer on a budget here. I recently put together a small PA for the following applications: 1) having rehursals at my place so I don't always have to be loading and unloading drums, 2) so I have a stand-alone mixer to mix my drums prior to sending one signal off to a main board (when I play with folks that do not have enough channels in their main mixer), 3) to have better control over my own monitor, and 4) to start doing some accoustic gigs (I also play guitar).

I put together the following:

Mixer: SoundCraft E8. 8 XLR + 2 stereo ins, three sets of sends (mains, monitors, aux1+2) It is simple, well laid out, quiet. However, no effects.

The "PA" = ART power supply, ART 341 EQ, Carvin DCM1000 power amp. Again, very utilitarian, simple controls, plenty of power for what I need.

Speakers: The dreaded Madison M2 15's. Yes I know (and have read). However, they are built like a tank (an weigh just as much), have nice tone and response, make great practice mains and fine monitors. The Carvin amp drives them nicely, and I am pretty sure I am not even driving them fully (I have not been able to get them to break up before my wife complains about the volume)

Mics: 3 Audix OM2 dynamic vocal mics. Clear, nice signal-to-noise, great off axis rejection.
2 MXL 2003 large diaphragm condesers. Sensitive as all get out, very clear, very flat response.
Drum mics: Audix D6 (bass), D1 (snare), F10's and F12 (toms) Great drum mics regardless of your budget.

This set up gets it done for me. It was relatively inexpensive, and I can expand /upgrade as required. Pics below.
Cheers, Bob

[miles to go]

Me: 36 year old weekend warrior bass player. I cobbled together an old, heavy PA in college and ran sound for a few bands on the cheap (including my own.) I sold the last bit's of the system a few years ago, swearing I'd never be stuck being the guy with the PA again. So, here I am...

Currently, I'm in the process of upgrading/replacing pieces of my singers system. She owns:
Yamaha EMX312 Powered Mixer
Cheap 2 way Yamaha cabs (15" + piezo)
Yamaha Club 3 series monitors (12" + horn)

I added a pair of Yorkville NX55P's that we use for mains, relegating all of the Yamahas to monitor duty. I am currently shopping for a sub (probably either Yorkville LS720 or JBL PRX) and then a better mixer.

Oh, and I'm an IT guy, too.

[clayface74]

Me? I work in the finance industry. I reposess cars. I sang for a metal/hard rock band for 10 years(most recently 6 years ago). I started a DJ business 2 1/2 years ago with a friend (still best friends) with a peavey 4 channel powered mixer and 2 peavey 15" wedges. Since then I have invested all my take back into building a SMALL FESTIVAL RIG. So thats me...here is the system in current form:

SOUND RIG

FOH:
4 JBL SR4732x
4 EV MTL 1 Subs
4 EV MTH 1
2 JBL SR4735x

MIXERs
Yamaha MC2408m
Yamaha MC2404
Behringer sx3242fx (spare)

Monitors:
2 Yamaha 12" wedge
2 EV 1502er wedge
4 yamaha 15" club wedge

Amps:
1 CS800x Peavey
1 1.5 Carver
12 Crown Maco Tech 3612

Rack:
2 Ross 31 band eq
2 Sound tech 31 band eq
1 DBX 231
1 Yamaha 31 Band
1 Alesis QuadraVerb GT
1 digitech s100 processor
1 Behringer compressor limiter
1 DBX 266
American Dj power strip

Horizon snake 16/4 and 16/10 ....mic cables...

Mics:
5 sennheiser 835
1 Audix I5
1 Audix D6
1 Audix D1
2 Audix D2
1 Audix D4
2 Audix MX Condensors
1 Sennheiser 609
1 SM57
2 whirlwind DI box
2 country man active DI

Lights:
4 Par 56
4 Par 46
2 Adj LED 64
4 Chauvet 1.0
2 adj 250 spot
4 Chauvet Colorstrips
My DMX control

DJ RIG

1 Peavey Kosmos
1 ADJ rack mount Power Strip
1 Carver 1.5
1 Gemini Dual Wireless
1 Peavey 4 chan mixer
1 Chauvet analog light control
2 Peavey SP2
2 Peavey SP5
2 ADJ Vertigo lights
1 Laptop

The dj rig is in an 8 space slant top. I made a homemade box to store lights and cableing in that the slant top fits on. I have also made some cutom storage boxes for the sound rig from some old home made sub boxes that stack.
I love the SR tops and EV dual 18's!!. I am in constant build, and hope to have a lot of fun with it. I usually have a spring and fall party at my house with friends and family just to see what it will do(last year I had half of this setup)...you all are invited to both!

Thats it for now. Any suggestion, comments, recomendations are definately welcome.

Thanks
Scott

[BigMac5]

FOH:

Mixer- Allen & Heath GL2400-24
Mains- (2) RCF Art 722-A
Subs- (2) Yorkville LS800p
Crossover- DBX 223XL
EQ- dbx 231 Dual Channel 31-Band Graphic Equalizer
Effects- TC Electronic M-One XL
Gate- dbx 1074 QuadGate
Compressor- dbx 1046 Quad Compressor
Snake- EWI 24 Channel Send x 8 Channel Return XLR Reel Snake

Monitors-
(3) Mackie SRM450
(1)MAckie SRM450v2
DBX AFS-224 Feedback Suppression Processor

Microphones-
Vocal- (2) Shure Beta 57A, (1) Shure Beta 54, (1) Shure Beta 87A
Guitar-(2) Shure SM57
Drum- (6) Shure SM57, Beta 52A, Beta 91, (3) SM81
Bass Mic- Sennheiser MD421
DI- Radial J48

[pikappant82]

Originally Posted by boomerweps

Currently 52yo retired from the US Navy at 39 and finally got to do the bar band thing.


Boomerweps

Thanks for your service. I'm currently active duty Navy, stationed at NAS Whidbey Island.

[congaron]

50 years old, playing multiple instruments in a Christian rock band.

My audio pile is mostly old, all cheap, some used, and works very well together:

Amps: QSC rmx850 bridged for 600 watts available to
one sub
Soundcraftsmen s860 bridged for 600 watts available to another sub
Crown xls402 (three rack unit model) with 400 watts available to each 4 ohm main
SHS 300 for monitors, behringer pmh2000 same

Subs: Peavey 118 hc with pyle pro drivers (yes, they sound good...not boomy)

mains: Kustom kpc215h (yes,they sound good, not muddy)

monitors: All peavey; 112cx coaxial (2), tlm5, pv12m

Mics: Shure beta 57a, shure headset mic, samson r21(3), samson c1, a few homemade electret mics for a vriety of duties.

mixer(s): behringer ub1202fx, behringer rx1202fx...both not noisy.


Processing: Only a behringer 31 band eq also used to
cross the subs at 75 hz...also not noisy.



I have used this equipment live indoors, and half of it outdoors in my one acre picnic area with cd music. It generates lots of clean loud sound in a basketball court sized room, and was MORE than adequate at our bon-fire send off for my son to the Air force with screaming kids, dogs and 50 friends 150 feet from the system. Before the folks arrived, we had 100 dbc at 150 feet with crystal- clear sound and no clipping or any signs of distress (we ran it lower for the party). Gain structure and sensible power levels make the difference IMHO.

Maybe someday my "junk" will fail, but in the meantime it's working great for us in every way with minimal cash out...pawn shops, donations and some blems from musician's friend basically, with a couple of new mics. The deals are out there.

God bless!

-Ron

[JugularJack]

41 years old (rest of the band is 31-35), 5 piece rock covers - weekend warrior-average sized-bars (~150 people max). I run the board from the stage.

FOH:
(2) JBL JRX125 (I know, I know)
QSC RMX 2450
DBX 2231 EQ/Limiter

Monitors:
(2) Peavey 1545m
(1) Peavey PV 12m
QSC PLX1602

Board:
Mackie CFX20

Mix of Shure SM/PG 58's for vocals, PG57's for guitars
Behringer Ultra DI for bass
Samson 5kit drum mics

Got a great deal on the board, dbx, amps and monitors. After lots of tweaking the eq, I have gotten a decent sound out of the JRX's, although I would like to replace them ASAP with real 2-ways and subs. The system is plenty loud for the venues we play.

I'm fairly happy with the system. I'd like to move to somekind of outboard effects unit for vocals. Currently use the reverb from the board on vocals and the kick. I also plan on upgrading all the mics soon.

[boomerweps]

Originally Posted by JugularJack

FOH:
(2) JBL JRX125 (I know, I know)

Behringer Ultra DI for bass

After lots of tweaking the eq, I have gotten a decent sound out of the JRX's, although I would like to replace them ASAP with real 2-ways and subs. The system is plenty loud for the venues we play.

The JRXs can be significantly upgraded by replacing the horn driver. About $30 each from www.partsexpress.com for a selenium driver. Check out:

Watch out for the behringer DIs when placed near or on a guitar amp power amp section. NASTY hum gets picked up.

Other than a LITTLE reinforcement, running the kick (or bass guitar) through those speakers (and MOST 2 way tops) without subs robs the power from the other frequency bands and dominates the speaker cone movement. Go real easy with that. Actually, I wouldn't bother with the rest of the drums for now, not enough system to support them.

I'd only upgrade vocal mics for now and look into getting a sub, crossover and amp for that next to support the low end and free up the tops to concentrate on the mids and HF. With subs, put the 2450 there and you can use RMX1450 for the tops and they will appear LOUDER. Once subs are sorted out, THEN get a decent kick mic.

Nice starter system. I hope you have speaker stands for those tops for now.

You don't mention "infrastructure". Starting out, get some medium duty flight case EWI racks from www.audiopile.net and don't fall down the plastic case hole like I did. Get quality 12 awg speaker and POWER cables. Sort out your electrical early. Don't depend on handy power outlets or 16awg orange cords to supply what's needed.

Boomerweps

[knobturner]

This is the system purchased by the clubs owner for his band to use while they were on tour.

F.O.H.
1 - Crossover Brooks Siren Systems Model FDS 336
1 - Crown MA 5000 VZ
2 - Crown MA 2400
2 - Crown MA 1200 MacroTechs. Keep them cool and clean and they'll pump everything really nicely before distortion

6 - Meyers MSL 3- awesome but are long throws in a short throw room
4 - Meyers Subs 2 x 18"- kicks me in the chest really hard from elevated FOH

1 - Midas Verona 64 Channel Console- This is one of my favorite boards. Extremely intuitive, very warm and reliable aside from the occasional dirty pot

2 - 8 Channel Prosonus Gates-Comps- overpriced. they sound great but can fall apart on you even before they're shipped

1 - Ashly SC66 Stereo Parametric EQ
1 - BSS Model FCS 960 Dual Channel EQ
1 - Pioneer DVD/CD/MP3 player
1 - Yamaha SPX90- noisy yes, but a PCM 70 is way out of my price range for a plate reverb

1 - TC Electronics M-One XL Multi-Effect Unit- love it, use it all the time especially for hardcore bands

1 - Roland DEP-5
1 - TC Electronics D-Two Delay- ideal for vocal delays

Monitors
5 - Ashly GQX Series Model 3102- very loud, very clear

1 - Soundtracks MCX Series 32 Channel x 10 Console-I WANT ONE FOR MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!!

2 - Meyers UPA with Meyers Sub?
1 - Crest Audio Model 3000 (Bridged Mono)
8 - Macro-Tech 24x6 (Mids & Highs)
2 - Meyers Processors (M3 + B1)
2 - Meyers MSL 3 x 2?
1 - Crest Audio 4001 (Lows) for drum box
2 - Meyers M1?
4 - Crown Model MA 24 x 6 (P1P Crossover)
1 - Ashly XR22E Stereo 2way Crossover?
1 - Crown PSA-2 (Lows)
1 - Crown DC 300A (Highs)
1 - Ashly XR1000 Stereo 2way Crossover
1 - Carver PM900 (Highs)
1 - JBL Model 4691-B (Cue Wedge)
? - ? " Horn Wedges

Mics
2- AKG D112
2- Sennheiser e609
2 - Shure SM-57
4 - Shure SM-58
3 - Shure Beta 52
4 - Shure SM-81 Condenser
7 - Sennheiser 604 Clip-on Drum Mics
5 - Whirlwind IMP Passive DI Boxes
2 - Whirlwind Director Passive DI Boxes



I'm purchasing some Shure Beta 98s and 91s, AT4040's just to add some new voicing to the drums and guitars. Behringer 4 channel gates for $99 are incredible considering they're replaced with less than one nights pay. Some DBX 266XLs and some distressors would be nice but are not essential.

[Axisplayer]

EDIT: This replaces my prior system description since almost everything was replaced except for snake and mics.


ABOUT ME: I am a 55 year old computer geek for NASA. I started playing in bands in 1961 as a guitarist and vocalist. I value good equipment and always buy the best I can almost afford....

GEAR: I started with a small PA I had bought for the band previously. I added gear and wound up with a nice system. But it was too large. I hadn't built the system with a goal in mind. It just grew until I wasn't physically able to move the gear by myself anymore. I sold almost everything and started over with a very specific goal - the smallest system I could assemble that would handle 90% of my work, and could be moved by one person.

COMMENTS:

Board: I bought a Yamaha 01v96 with 2x external Behringer ADA8000 preamps. I also carry a Langevin dual channel preamp for the money channels. I sold my old FOH. I replaced 24 rack spaces of compressors, gates, GEQ's, and effects with one console that had everything I needed. Weight savings between the analog and digital systems was substantial - I reduced my load almost 300 pounds. I did acquire a Mac laptop for FOH which runs the 01v96 and replaces my CD players. I have a Silex USB server to run FOH wireless for sound check.

AMPS: My RMX amps were reliable but heavy. I carried two racks of 3 each. Total weight of RMX racks was 350 lbs. I bought three new Crown amps. FOH runs off one Itech 6000 and 4 monitor channels from 2 XTI-4000's. Current amp rack (one instead of two as before) weighs 120 lbs.

CABLING: Most of my interconnects are EWI bought from Audipile. They are "bang for buck" investments. The main one is a 150' 32/8 reel snake. I will not change brand anytime soon. I have two smaller EWI cables used as stage runs.

PROCESSING: One VSX26 for FOH. One Alesis DEQ830 (8 channels of GEQ) for FOH and 4 monitor channels.

SPEAKERS:

Mid/Hi cabs:
EV QRX212 - These replaced by beloved SR4733X cabs. They are capable of making just as much noise, but at half the weight and half the wattage. Went from 300 lbs of mains to 160 lbs of mains.

Subs:
Yorkie 1208's - These replaced four LS808's. They are easier to roll around, require slightly less power, and the pair handles the same SPL as the 4 prior subs together. Weight savings of about 50 lbs.

Monitors:
EV FM1202ER (4)
JBL SR4706A (2)

I put 650 watts into each EV and 1200 into each JBL. All are fuzzy and collect crap from the floor, but sound fine.

MICS:

SM86 - 3
SM87 - 2
SM57 - 5
SM7 - 1
B57 - 2
B56 - 1
B52 - 2
OM-5 - 4
D4 - 2
D2 - 4
D1 - 2
ADX50 - 2
AT250 - 1
AT250DE - 1
AT2021 - 1
ATM25 - 1
AT4033a - 1
AT 1400 wireless system
AT 3000 wireless system
Langevin CR3A (1)

SUMMARY: The transition to this system has saved a lot of weight and space. I reduced the trailer weight by over 700 lbs. and have room to move around in it now. I also reduced the footprint required in a club significantly. I can move every piece of equipment alone. As a bonus, the reduction in AC draw has been significant due to less power requirements for mains, and the move to the efficient amps. I can run the system at a strong SPL on one 20 amp circuit, and full tilt on 2x20 circuits.

I love this system. If I had a few Microwedges instead of my current monitors, I could almost bring myself to stop buying gear.....NAH!

[itsvegas]

FOH:
2 - Peavey SP5's (Older Style)
2 - JBL MRX-525
2 - JBL MP418S

Monitors:
2 - JBL JRX112M

Power Amps:
QSC PLX 3102 [Mains]
QSC PLX 1804 [subs]
Crown XLS 602D [Monitors]


Mixer:
Mackie 1402 VLZ3

Crossover
DBX 223XL

EQ
DBX 231 EQ

Mics:

Vocal:
3 - Shure SM-58
1 - Beringer XM8500

Drums:
1 - Audix D6 (Kick)
2 - Audix F15 (Overheads)
1 - Shure 57A Beta (Snare)

[Bugzie]

First of all I'd like to thank various members of this forum in helping me choose what pieces to help me get the best bang for the buck in my system. Aged for helping me get the most out of it withot blowing things up. Boomer for his insight on use of various aspects, and everyone else for their real life experiences in seeing the different uses of a particular piece.
I'm a rookie weekend warrior that doesn't play an instrument, but rather saw a need for a midpriced system in the area. The local bands have cobbed together PA's to suit their needs and can't really afford to spend as the local bar scene doesn't pay squat. This system has taken me about 3 years to put together and I still have a list of items that I want to add. Most purchased new, but some opportunities have arisen that I have jumped on.

Board: Peavey 24 FX
This replaced an old Peavey unity series that served me well for 5 years. The thing never ceases to amaze me in its ability. I'm still learning all th bells and whistles and the challenge may be part of the reason that I like it. The built in effects are more than I could have asked for and stacking 3 effects per engine has been an eye opener.

FOH boxes
4- JBL MRX 515's and 2 MRX 528's
Started with 2 tops and a single sub and have added as I could afford. All purchases made with bucks earned with gigs.
I'm very happy with boxes. They've served me well and I can usually get them to sound great compared to most PA's in the area. If I could do it all over again I might go with the 12" versions but thats a dead horse. I realy like that JBL put 2 different angles into the pole mounts. The 10 degree down angle has been handy.

Amps
QSC RMX 2450 (3)
qsc pl236
I run all amps stereo.
QSC all the way! Very happy with their performance and the only issue I've had was a dirty pot which took all of 20 minutes to clean. RMX series amps are HEAVY, especially when you have 2 in a box.

DSP
DBX Driverack PA
Works for me. 260 soon.

Monitors
QSC HPR122i (4)
started out with 4 old Peavey beat to sh*t boxes and purchased these through a local distributor after renting his for a show. These things get great comments from the bands that I do and would buy them again in a heartbeat. Built like a tank weigh 60 lbs. Great for throwing on sticks for parties.

Compressors,Limiters,Gates
DBX 166xl (4)

Bought these off a friend that was going through a nasty divorce. Paid $500 for them in a SKB rotomolded box. They work fine. rarely used more than 3 of the 8 channels availabe for the compressor, but have used the gates to get the drums sounding much better. Helps with the nonexistant mic technique I run into around here.

Snake
ProCo Roadmaster 24/8 125 foot
Bought this of Ebay and couldn't be happier. Paid $350 for it and have rented it to bands at $40 a night (same as local shops get for a 16/4) and have rented it out more than 2 dozen times. Wish all my equiptment would do that!
The thing is a monster but tougher than nails with all neutric connectors. I'd buy another. More than I needed when purchased but I've found multiple uses for the non used sends and returns.

Power conditioners
Monster 3500'2 (2)
Bought these cheap at a blowout $150 each. Basically rack mountable extension cords. The reason I like them is that the local bars elec.systems are iffy at best and I can monitor the voltage and draw on the digital meters. Bassically bought for some sort of piece of mind. I like em.

EQ's
Peavey PV231 (2)
Used for monitors. Good enough for what I use as the QSC's are pretty decent and really don't require much unless the venue is a nightmare. For FOH I use the driveracks which I've learned to be good with.

Road cases
SKB "R" series
I have 2 6-space, an 8-space, and a 10 space. They have served me well and all but one purchased used off Ebay used. I reccomend rear rack rail adapters on amps.

Cables
And all the cabling has been purchased locally (I get cost from a local shop) is from CBI. Haven't had one fail me since purchased.

Help
A good friend and a son thats 20 with a strong back and ill work cheap(lol).

Overall
I'm happy with the decisions that I've made. This system more than meets its uses. Its a bear to haul around but that may be due to the fact that at 50 I'm beginning to realize that I'm not young anymore. As for performace, I never run it at anywhere near its capabilities and still get it to perform as well if not better than anything around here. This was purchased more as a labor of love than as a means of income. God I love a decent sound! Also I Dj on the side and can configure it for the venue easily. (Dj'ing has paid for the lions share of it)