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Cut down PA at an outdoor gig... fun


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I'm psyching myself up for a gig this saturday. Outdoors on the back of a truck playing classic rock. 4 bands including my own.

 

Until this weekend I hadn't known whether I was providing the PA, apparently another band had put their hand up and I spent a week trying to get in contact with them to know what they were providing. On finding out it was two 15" cabs and a powered 8 channel mixer (no monitors) I said forget it I would bring mine.

 

The problem however is that my PA is currently slightly lacking. I got my van stolen with a few bits and pieces in it a month or so ago so I'm a power amp, a wedge, 3 beta58's and a lot of mic cables and things down. I'm right for mixer, eq's etc. I was using one half of a power amp for my bass rig - but I've managed to get my actual bass amp running.

 

The amp that is gone had a built in crossover, I'm going to be using a wharfdale crossover that doesn't actually have the frequency written on the knob - I've set it to where it seems to sound best.

 

I've also managed to borrow two SM58's and an SM57 which, while not as good, should cover me.

 

How does this sound to you guys:

Yamaha P3200 power amp. 1 side to two folded horn 15" subs, other side to two 12" mains.

ZPE (very old, very heavy) 2 x 300watt amp. 1 side to two foldbacks, other side to one foldback (single foldback lead vocal).

Old DB powered 12" speaker for drum fill.

 

This will be the first time that I will be gigging without adequate backup, as it was I could always repatch an amp channel etc. and my backup mixer is gone too. It should be ok but a little freaky.

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Would the other band be willing to bring their powered head as a back-up? Might make you feel less stressed.

 

 

It wasn't even theirs, they were borrowing it for the gig.

 

PS. This is for charity, unpaid etc. I'm running sound because I personally don't want to be playing without monitors etc.

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Ok, gig worked out well enough. Ran pretty much as I described. Good sound on stage, good balanced sound out the front at a decent but not stupidly loud volume (could hear it well for about 25 meters). Miced kick and one overhead, electric guitars, di'ed bass, di'ed acoustic. This is really my first gig when I have run sound for other bands - I got thanked for it and no complaints and it sounded good out the front.

 

When we turned up the promised trailor based diesel generator didn't show. We were given first a tiny (and I mean tiny) petrol generator that I could pick up with one hand, then an almost as small petrol generator that could be lifted by one person but more easily by two. We refused to play with either of those options. All the extension cords available enabled us to get electricity from the park we were in (which I had suggested some weeks ago).

 

Only problem was my new second hand powered speaker which at some point in the proceedings stopped working (was used for a drum wedge). But worked when I got it home. Made the mistake of opening it up and checking it out at home before testing it - so I don't know if something I did fixed it or if it had a thermal problem of some kind.

 

Anyway, all good until the next gig, hopefully I'll have more amplification going by then so I'm not so stretched with it. The yamaha amp did a decent job amplifying subs with maybe half the power available than what the stolen peavey had. It was barely tickling the clip lights on some of the hits so it was at the point when I wouldn't have turned it up any further but it was enough - and I can't imagine running a louder gig with what I have.

 

Question... I am using a pair of very cheap yamaha S12E 12 inch main speakers and have been for about 3 years now. They continue to be stupidly light, have plenty of volume and sound good to me and everyone I've spoken to. According to everything I can figure out they should be the weak point of my system but I can't find a thing wrong with them. Is there something wrong with me that I don't want to replace them.

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PS, lead singer of my band bought a beta 58 last week, which was nice. Didn't help the first two bands which I had to ring out lead vocal mics on, beta 58's tend to just be plug and play in comparison.

 

Also, through borrowing a friends mics I've rediscovered my love of sm57's as a vocal mic - it's what I used when I was first in bands and I have always liked how they sound.

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