flanc

Ok I'll play too. I'm a 43 yo working as a Major Accounts Exed for a large Telecom manufacturer coming from a strong technical background with a BS in computer science; I'm very much a geek as well!! I was a happy family guy 'till my early 30's when my ex-wife decided she needed a change...me. Anyway to make a long story short, I had always had a love for music and during the next several years of seperation and divorce, I got into the local music scene and met my wife and musical partner. I'm also a pretty decent singer (as is my wife) so together we started a band and I took on the challenge of assembling the PA. My first PA had: MIXER - Mackie 1604 VLZ PROS: 16 channels, rack mounted with 4 Subgroups. CONS: I had ribbon cable problems and the channel EQ is subpar. No inserts on the Subgroups and no Direct outs on half the channels. AMPS - All QSC (RMX 2450 for subs, 1850 for tops and 1450 for monitors) PROS: Inexpensive, full featured, reliable CONS: Heavy and they draw a lot of power causing problems in most of the clubs I work. SPEAKERS Yamaha CLUB 15 tops and Peavey SP118 subs. PROS: They were barely adequate for what I wanted. The Yammies are harsh when driven hard and the Peavey SP118's are just OK. CONS: Neither cabinet offered the quality of sound I was looking for. MONITORS: Bullfrog 12's and 15's (added NL4FC) PROS: Cheap, decent CONS: Heavy, average sounding Processing: Lexicon MP100 PROS: Cheap, Adequate CONS: Cumbersome interface OK, after a couple years of gigging with the above system and not being very happy with the sound, I made upgrades the brought me to the following: MIXER A&H Mixwiz3 PROS: Great sounding, intuitive board. Built-in effects that are decent. Six aux sends. Dual mid-sweep EQ's that really work. Direct outs on all channels. A reasonably priced board. Rack mountable. 100mm faders. CONS: I'm hardpressed to find any. AMPS: E&W PS2000 for the mains PROS: Good value. I know the service company (audiopile) and it is lightweight and effiecient on power. It has been a no-problem steady performer! CONS: It lacks hi-pass filters and limiting that other value brands provide. Lab Gruppen FP3400 for my subs; PROS: Great AMP. Light weight (23lbs). Full featured. Very efficient on power. CONS: This puppy was expensive!!! SPEAKERS: Mains - Yorkville EF508 (x4) PROS: a smooth, reliable, biampable, great sounding speaker. Arrays well with the 60 degree horn. CONS: Heavy (85lbs) and has Rat Fur covering. SUBS: JBL MPRO418 (X4) PROS: Good punchy lightweight subs. Rugged coating. CONS: I need 4 subs to get the concert sound I want and at times in the larger clubs 250+, I could use another pair. PROCESSING TC Electronics M-one and D-TWO PROS: Very good sounding, lot's of presets and a good interface. CONS: They are twice the price of the budget brands but are definitely nicer units.l Not much of a complaint but a factor that needs to be considered in putting together a system. EQ Peavy QF 431 on the mains and Peavey Feedback Ferret's on the monitors. PROS: Good Sounding Good value; CONS: None. I've not experimented with a lot of different FOH eq's but the Peavey sounds good and is reponsive when I move a fader. Overall, I really like the system I've assembled with respect to sound, and power efficiency.