Members mparsons Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 Ok.. I put together a PA from the Carvin website. I was focussing on upgradeability and hopefully having plenty of power for add ons ( such as subs for micing drums ) Tell me what you think: Mixer: http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=sm162 Power amp: http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=HD1800&CID=PWA 2 Speakers: http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=PM15&CID=CLB And stands and cables to finish it out. Total cost of the PA would end up around $1120+ shipping. Is there any better buys I can make? should I watch out for bad quality here? Will this PA system be upgradeable for drums, keys, and guitar? Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ctardi Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 ...keep doing you're homework. Look for other threads like this, and find out what other information we need. Give up? Okay,GenreVenue size/typeaudiencewhat's in your band?What's getting mic's?Do you have seperate soundman? Or mixing from on stage? What about mics, cables, and stands?Do you have any PA gear already?What would you like to upgrade to, in the long run?How about hauling it? What do you have?Will you have help setting up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mparsons Posted July 5, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 I knew I forgot something My bands a 6 peice metal band. Vocalist, two guitars, bass, keys, and drums. Venues we'll be using this for are house parties, make shift venues ( like a garage, barn, etc. ). Audience from anywhere 50-150. We're planning on using this for vocals first, and if it works out, keys as well. Eventually we'll hook up the rest of the band, drummer first, as funds allow. Our bands around here are all very helpful about setting up and hauling stuff for gigs, so we're fine there. As for soundman, we don't have a 'real' one lined up but someone from one of the bands usually knows enough about sound to be able to do it. This is the first PA gear we have. Our vocalist has a Shure SM58 and a mic cable for it. The cost I've calculated includes speaker stands and all cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PJR Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 IMO the Carvin system you linked to might be barely acceptable. 6pc Metal band - 2 guitars each w/ half stack ....keys , bass , vox , drums...... The Vox would be dry.I don't think the PA would keep up with the backline.No monitors ?? I went to your Myspace page....in the pics there's a band shot with you playing on a PA which included a set of Mackie Powered subs ( 15's looked like ) Tops on poles..... plus a larger 18" sub out front.....plus monitors. How was that system to play on ? The one you outlined is far less than that..... Sorry.....I think you'd be very disappointed. PJR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 Sounds like you just went shopping on the Carvin website for their lowest price gear. You're basically "flirting with the bottom". - The mixer - I had one. Used it to submix the drums back in our 8 channel powered mixer days. It worked, but nothing at all special about it. Poor choice for upgrading as it's pretty much "featureless". - The amps - Spend a few more $$ and get a QSC RMX series amp. nuff said. - The speakers - nothing special here either. Before buying a new $200 cabinet, take a look at what is available used. If you can get something that retails for $400 new for your same $200 you'll be much better off. Brand not important. Just see what's available in your price range and research it or come back here and ask questions. The same could be said for the amp and mixer too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 The mixer appears to have NO monitoring capability. It's called a "studio" mixer. It would be useless live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 Originally posted by GCDEF The mixer appears to have NO monitoring capability. It's called a "studio" mixer. It would be useless live. Not useless, but not great. It does have 2 monitor sends. I'm guessing they are post fade though (don't remember) When we were playing live on a float for St Patty's we broke it out and it worked fine. Nothing I'd WANT to use though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mparsons Posted July 5, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 For the system we played in the pictures, it was great. Very loud and clear, but also way too much money for our band. I would invest in monitors but we wouldn't use them until we hooked everyone up to the PA, which we wouldn't be doing yet. We can all play all our songs through without any one ( maybe two ) key members though, and we can all hear eachother pretty clearly on stage as it is Is there any advantage to the QSC RMX over the Carvin? What noticeable differences are there? I'll definitely do more research on ebay and related places before making the purchase, I'm just trying to see what 'the pros' think before I spend all my money. I know I wasted a lot of money with guitar equipment when I was still noobly and I want to avoid making the same mistake with PA gear. What should I be looking out for? What size power amp, what size speakers, etc.? again, thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 Originally posted by mparsons I would invest in monitors but we wouldn't use them until we hooked everyone up to the PA, which we wouldn't be doing yet. We can all play all our songs through without any one ( maybe two ) key members though, and we can all hear eachother pretty clearly on stage as it is The point of monitors is to allow singers to hear themselves over the racket from the other instruments on stage. When you're on stage you don't hear much at all coming from the FOH speaker. How anybody could sing without monitors, I haven't a clue. Good monitors are essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaBender Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 People sing without monitors in bands where the PA is only used for vocals by careful positioning of the FOH speakers. There is a small zone where the front line can hear them without them feeding back. Of course, if you're on the back of the stage you're not going to hear much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 Originally posted by mparsons What should I be looking out for? What size power amp, what size speakers, etc.? 1 - First rule of thumb is avoid any brand's "lowest line". Kind of ironic, but it's cheap so you can afford to buy a lot of it. 2 - Avoid the temptation to "buy it all now". If you really want the most bang for you're buck you have to look for the deals. You truly can double your dollars by purchasing second hand gear. The downside is it can take a while if you are looking for specific pieces. Examples of some of my purchases (saved over $2100 versus new): NEW/USED A&H Mixwizard mixer = $1000 / $625Pair of Yorkville LS700P subs = $1680 / $1000Pair of Yorkville NX550P's = $1400 / $800Peavey 31 band EQ w/ FLS = $200 / $47100' -16 ch snake = $200 / $50Furman 31 band EQ = $159 / $59 (bought 2 of these new at MF, they were blowing them out. Very well built, great features) 3 - Look at "scratch and dent" and clearance sections of online box stores. Just a few weeks ago PSSL was blowing out Cerwin Vega stuff. In some cases it was about 50% of what it should be selling for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 I'd even recommend Carvin's C1644P powered mixer. It's on sale for $999. If you can really get by without monitors, throw in a pair of PM15s and you'd have an okay starter system. The mixer gives you room to grow and way more functionality than the other one. You can add external power amps and more speakers as you grow, and use the internal amps for monitors. You'll probably outgrow a powered mixer eventually, but you'd be off to a better start that way. Perhaps a C1644 and a pair of PM15As would be another option for about the same price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 Here's a good example of "ones to watch". Will likely go higher than you're willing to spend, but worth monitoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted July 5, 2006 Members Share Posted July 5, 2006 Originally posted by mparsons Ok.. I put together a PA from the Carvin website. I was focussing on upgradeability and hopefully having plenty of power for add ons ( such as subs for micing drums )Tell me what you think:Mixer: http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=sm162Power amp: http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=HD1800&CID=PWA2 Speakers: http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=PM15&CID=CLBAnd stands and cables to finish it out. Total cost of the PA would end up around $1120+ shipping.Is there any better buys I can make? should I watch out for bad quality here? Will this PA system be upgradeable for drums, keys, and guitar?Thanks for the help! What else did you consider when doing your homework? Looks like all you did was open the CLAVIN catalog or go to the website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mparsons Posted July 6, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 6, 2006 I talked to other people that I knew of in similar situations as mine, and I looked at their PA gear and what they liked and didn't like about it. I've heard that Carvin stuff is the best 'bang for the buck' new with guitars and amps and assumed the same for their PA equipment. I did reference MusiciansFriend for better deals for the money but I couldn't find any, and I wanted to avoid getting Behringer, Kustom, Nady, etc. gear. GCDEF- Thanks for the suggestion on the C1644P powered mixer. That looks like it would be better than the set up I did. Thanks again for the help, and sorry for being noobish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted July 6, 2006 Members Share Posted July 6, 2006 Originally posted by mparsons I talked to other people that I knew of in similar situations as mine, and I looked at their PA gear and what they liked and didn't like about it. I've heard that Carvin stuff is the best 'bang for the buck' new with guitars and amps and assumed the same for their PA equipment. I did reference MusiciansFriend for better deals for the money but I couldn't find any, and I wanted to avoid getting Behringer, Kustom, Nady, etc. gear.GCDEF- Thanks for the suggestion on the C1644P powered mixer. That looks like it would be better than the set up I did.Thanks again for the help, and sorry for being noobish FWIW, I've been sorely disappointed with their guitars and amps, but for the money, their PA gear has performed well. It seems to be on a par with Yamaha and Peavey performance wise, but a little cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cooterbrown Posted July 7, 2006 Members Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by mparsons I talked to other people that I knew of in similar situations as mine, and I looked at their PA gear and what they liked and didn't like about it. I've heard that Carvin stuff is the best 'bang for the buck' new with guitars and amps and assumed the same for their PA equipment. I did reference MusiciansFriend for better deals for the money but I couldn't find any, and I wanted to avoid getting Behringer, Kustom, Nady, etc. gear.GCDEF- Thanks for the suggestion on the C1644P powered mixer. That looks like it would be better than the set up I did.Thanks again for the help, and sorry for being noobish Honest -to-god, I would rather use Behringer gear than Carvin's cheaply-built and weak-sounding budget line.It least when it fails, you can take it back to the store and get a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted July 7, 2006 Members Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by cooterbrown Honest -to-god, I would rather use Behringer gear than Carvin's cheaply-built and weak-sounding budget line.It least when it fails, you can take it back to the store and get a new one. I don't know if you're referring to the C1644P or not, but I used one for 3 years and liked it a lot. I'm seriously thinking about ditching my A&H Mix Wizard and going back to it just for the convenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Al Poulin Posted July 7, 2006 Members Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by cooterbrown Honest -to-god, I would rather use Behringer gear than Carvin's cheaply-built and weak-sounding budget line. It least when it fails, you can take it back to the store and get a new one. I've heard many more bad things about Behringer gear than I have about Carvin. The last music store I visited told me ''We don't say the B word in this store. We don't sell disposable equipment here.'' To be honest, I would prefer to be seen with Carvin equipment than Behringer anytime. People pay good money for my services and I return the favour with quality, dependable equipment with a proven track record. Neither of these two brands come highly recommended but Carvin seems to have a much better track record than Behringer. I do have one Behringer product in my inventory. Their 8500 microphone which definitely sounds good for the price. However, I will only take it out when somebody who seems to have had too much to drink asks to sing karaoke. They are not touching my Shure or my AKG . Al Poulin - Party-Time! DJ Services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Concerning this: Alright, I did my homework, will this be adequate? I'm curious, what was the extent of the "homework" that lead you to your conclusions? Originally posted by mparsons Ok.. I put together a PA from the Carvin website. Was there more to it that this? Enquiring minds want to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by tlbonehead What else did you consider when doing your homework? Looks like all you did was open the CLAVIN catalog or go to the website. That's funny as hell. I didn't read your post until after I posted my last one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted July 7, 2006 Members Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by Audiopile That's funny as hell. I didn't read your post until after I posted my last one. I said the pretty much the same thing 4 posts in "Sounds like you just went shopping on the Carvin website for their lowest price gear. You're basically "flirting with the bottom"." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by abzurd I said the pretty much the same thing 4 posts in"Sounds like you just went shopping on the Carvin website for their lowest price gear. You're basically "flirting with the bottom"." Yea... I guess you did. The title of this thread has been reaching out and touching me for awhile... 'cause: Back in 1976, I did my homework and bought a Carvin rig. My homework consisted of thumbing through the Carvin catalog that came in the mail. Now, I'll admit, that Carvin stuff I bought back then was pretty decent (compaired to what I was otherwise aquainted with... which was practically NOTHING)... the cabinets were JBL loaded (kind of 'eh' cabinets, but NICE components)... pretty decent box mixer... fine, fine, fine stuff by my standards (and others) back then. Since then (over the last 30 years), I've done a lot more homework... which has lead me to buy a bunch of Meyer and EAW stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cooterbrown Posted July 7, 2006 Members Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by Al Poulin The last music store I visited told me ''We don't say the B word in this store. We don't sell disposable equipment here.'' To be honest, I would prefer to be seen with Carvin equipment than Behringer anytime. Services I hear what you're saying, and I understand...I worked at a high-volume music retailer and we carried that stuff.But honestly, while I wouldn't touch one of their amplifiers with a ten-foot pole, their mixers and rack gear seem to hold up fairly well. My guitarist wanted to put together a small PA, and I steered him away from the Behringer amps, but he did get a 1604 mixer and a pair of their unpowered subs. He liked the portability of the boxes, but I recommended he immediately replace the stock speakers with a pair of EV's that he had and just keep the original speakers, as spares.Paired it up with a Behringer EQ, a dbx Driverack, a couple of Crest power amps, and we have a nice little portable PA for when we do receptions and very small clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted July 7, 2006 Members Share Posted July 7, 2006 Originally posted by Audiopile Since then (over the last 30 years), I've done a lot more homework... which has lead me to buy a bunch of Meyer and EAW stuff. I'm betting you paid a little more than Carvin prices too. I doubt he can get Meyer and EAW for $1200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.