Members Gordon Sound Posted August 11, 2012 Members Share Posted August 11, 2012 These festivals are definatly where you need to suggest a decent local sound crew. the other rig sounds like it was hired in if it was that big. We of tons of small festivals ranging from 1 or 2 bands to 20 per day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SteinbergerHack Posted August 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 11, 2012 These festivals are definatly where you need to suggest a decent local sound crew. the other rig sounds like it was hired in if it was that big. We of tons of small festivals ranging from 1 or 2 bands to 20 per day The other rig was definitely hired in, and the space we played had pro sound starting the day after we were there. It was a booking agency issue that put us in the position we were in, with no time to fix it. That said, we have two more similar shows over the next few weeks. Big enough that a couple of mid-highs and a single 18" sub per side ain't gonna get it, but not big enough to pay for rental. In one case, the majority of the acts sharing the stage space are not the type of act that needs big sound - single-mic sort of things - so the promoter sees it as our problem, not his. We're in the in-between place where we're doing well enough to get decent-paying festival gigs, but not a big enough draw to always get it on our terms, or make enough to justify renting the level of gear that would be appropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted August 11, 2012 Members Share Posted August 11, 2012 The other rig was definitely hired in, and the space we played had pro sound starting the day after we were there. It was a booking agency issue that put us in the position we were in, with no time to fix it.That said, we have two more similar shows over the next few weeks. Big enough that a couple of mid-highs and a single 18" sub per side ain't gonna get it, but not big enough to pay for rental. In one case, the majority of the acts sharing the stage space are not the type of act that needs big sound - single-mic sort of things - so the promoter sees it as our problem, not his.We're in the in-between place where we're doing well enough to get decent-paying festival gigs, but not a big enough draw to always get it on our terms, or make enough to justify renting the level of gear that would be appropriate. Perhaps for the remainder of this season, you could just play to the PA provided. If for instance, you're sharing the stage with a bunch of smaller acts, maybe your sheer size might be enough of an impact. At least for this season, maybe you don't need to blow the roof off, especially if the other performers aren't doing so. Then during 2012/2013 you can take your time and make the right move once, instead of the wrong moves many times - but of course you know the drill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SteinbergerHack Posted August 12, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 12, 2012 Perhaps for the remainder of this season, you could just play to the PA provided. I'll take what I have before doing that - when you walk into {censored}-on-a-stick with a powered 8-channel mixer, it just ain't gonna cut it for an 8-piece band doing dance music. This is seriously what I ran into for a show last weekend ("sonic" brand cabinets.....) - I had the house guy pull his stuff down and we used mine. Still not great, but a lot better than the house trash. I'm just trying to get a handle on a plan for the best option(s) to straddle between what I have now and what I can afford. Lots of good input here, guys - thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SteinbergerHack Posted August 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2012 Well, we did it again last night, and the band in the other tent had brought in a substantial JBL VRX rig - which sounded great. No way I can justify a system at that level unless I'm going to be renting it out on the nights we're not playing. I may need to re-think this.....trouble is, I still need to figure out how to cover the smaller gigs where the pay just doesn't leave enough to bring in sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 19, 2012 Members Share Posted August 19, 2012 Well, we did it again last night, and the band in the other tent had brought in a substantial JBL VRX rig - which sounded great. No way I can justify a system at that level unless I'm going to be renting it out on the nights we're not playing. I may need to re-think this.....trouble is, I still need to figure out how to cover the smaller gigs where the pay just doesn't leave enough to bring in sound. Welcome to the real world of compromise and trade off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SteinbergerHack Posted August 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2012 Welcome to the real world of compromise and trade off! Yeah. The upside is that we're moving into a higher level of gigs paying better money, so it's a good thing on balance. I may just upgrade the main cabinets to something like SRX, and move up one notch on the power amps (move the XLS602 to mains and get a better/larger sub amp). Staying at one set per side keeps it reasonable for smaller shows, but better gear gives us a bit more headroom for the mid-size gigs. Big outdoor shows are going to have to be hired - I'm not going to spend enough to keep up with the "other guys". On that note, what amp would you recommend for something like a pair of SRX 718? Currently I'm running stereo, just to keep the wiring simple, so a single two-channel amp would be easiest. I'm assuming that the damping factor on the XLS really isn't up to the task; our bottom end is pretty flubby right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unalaska Posted August 19, 2012 Members Share Posted August 19, 2012 How about MRX? Passive, right now you can get them at gc on close out for $419ea. Same amps, it'd be an upgrade. Sell the MRX to some idiots on Craigslist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 19, 2012 Members Share Posted August 19, 2012 The 718's work great on 600-800 watts per box. Beyond that, power compression is what defines the point of diminishing returns IME. The QSC GX-7 is right in the ballpark. Now one drawback to this is that mixing amps can cause some issues that one wouldn't expect. One issue that is becoming more and more of a real problem is combining an amp that has internal DSP with one that has none. The problem is that combining amps with latency (each DSP based amp will have a different latency factor) causes time domain problems system-wide, expecially when used to power like bands. I don't know for sure, but I don't think your XLS-602 has any hidden DSP BUT some amps that you wouldn't think actually do! This can generate some unexpected results with regard to response expecially around the crossover points where the bands come together. What I would do is move over to the same amp on mains and subs (or at least within the same model line) and sell off whatever doesn't match. This eliminates the potential completely. The 602 is pretty small for subs but about right for your current tops. A GX-5 would be ok as well. If you don't plan on upgrading your tops, then I would use a GX-7 on subs and GX-5 on tops and that part is done, you can run 2 boxes per side on the amps OR, if you were careful. you could use the onboard crossovers and GX-7's and one amp per side would simplify the set-up. The only issue is that you will have more power than you need for the tops and if you lost your common sense, you could be sorry. If you were to upgrade your tops, this would be more viable. Overall though, I think a DriveRack PA and a GX7 and GX5 would make a pretty potent system with the SRX subs and you could still upgrade later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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