Al Krow

Sure thing. But is that impedance and level adjustment likely to be what Zoom are also delivering when switching from stereo headphone --> balanced mono for monitors on their L20 model?

Xvive/Zoom Livetrack - really happy to defer to you given your electronic engineering background, which I certainly don't have! Given what we found with the stereo / mono outputs from the Zoom L12, what would your reading of the cause be? A&H CQ18t - ah the lack of built wireless could be an issue down the line. Maybe well worth investing the extra in the CQ18t for that reason alone?

Thought it might be useful to quickly update on a couple of points: Zoom Livetrack with Xvive U4 IEMs Met up with another bass player who also provides the band PA last week - he uses a Zoom L12 desk. We got the exact same issue when using the headphone monitor outs with my Xvive U4 wireless IEMs i.e. a high pitched whine. HOWEVER when using one of the L/R outs, both individually mono, of the additional monitor output (not available on my L8) there was no whine! Conclusion: because the Xvive U4 are purely mono they don't play nicely with the Livetrack's stereo outputs. Fortunately for us Xvive U4 users most aux out are mono so this should not be an issue with most desks / monitor outs. Interestingly the Zoom L20, which would otherwise be overkill for our needs, has the ability to switch each of its 5 stereo outs from headphone stereo to mono balanced signal which should also deal with the issue. Just wondering whether the same stereo --> balanced mono is available with an adaptor? Unfortunately the L12 L/R outputs only have one mix so that does limit the use a bit. A&H CQ12 - multitrack recording I think there may have been some discussion elsewhere that the CQ12 didn't offer multitrack recording and we'd need to step up to the CQ18 to have that capability. Turns out that's not correct i.e. multi-track recording is available on the CQ12 too.

Oooh it sounds incredibly glitchy! But maybe that's the point of it and if that's your cup of tea... I'll be sticking with my Boss OC-5!

Killers - Somebody told me. Fun bass line which really drives the song!

Thanks, also an excellent summary! I think maybe where we are collectively landing is that for an "average" venue with a full rock band, the two following alternatives (which are likely to be a similar weight & cost) are both pretty compact and can be made to work well without backline: option 1: 2 x 12" tops (e.g. RCF 732A/932As, QSC K12.2) option 2: 2 x 10" tops (eg RCF310/710/910As) + single decent (15") sub Although we're probably no longer in the realms of a "budget" set up (referring back to the topic title from a couple of year's back), but a pretty decent quality one!

Haha thanks, it's actually been really useful! One of my 912A's needs to get serviced, and that's tied in with me thinking about upgrading. Hearing @Jack's band sound so good with that bigger set up makes going for something like that very tempting, but being reminded that will be great for larger & outdoor venues (but overkill in a typical pub set up) and will mainly benefit the drums was important to hear. I think it may well be time to have a chat with the drummer and agree a split of investment for the band e.g. me desk & lights and he can sort out a sub!!

Phil, that's an excellent summary, thank you! Also a useful reminder that: we add a sub primarily to improve the drums (kick and floor toms) and not for the bass guitar 😊

Complete aside - sorry to hear that Jack, from the video you shared, it has the look and feel of a really good band! What's been the struggle in terms of finding your feet?

Hi Phil - didn't quite follow what you were saying here. My question about 15" vs 12" was really directed at adding a sub to our set up. I guess for us (= me, and I don't have Jack's transportation capability or weight carrying youth!), it's going to be boil down a choice of: (i) option 1: 2 decent 12" tops (maybe RCF 932As?) vs (ii) option 2: single sub plus 2 x 10" tops (maybe even 310As) - my query was whether the RCF 702 AS II Mk3 is going to cut the ice, or whether we really need to be going for the 705 if we were using a sub? And I guess, if we do go "further up the sound chain" it would be: (iii) option 1A: 2 932As plus a single sub - at which point I'm guessing folk would likely say the RCF 702 is not going to add too much and we would need to have something like the 705? So back to the 15" vs 12" for a sub question?

Did you ever consider getting a 12" sub (eg the RCF 702) or is the consensus that you really need to be at 15" when it comes to subs, even with something as decent quality as RCF?

Cheers Jack! The bass is actually very clear through a pair of decent headphones and I can imaging the extra thump you would have been getting live! Nice one!

I think someone elsewhere mentioned that multi-track recording was not possible on the CQ-12T, but it seems that's not a limitation ie possible to record multi-track both straight to a DAW and also to an SD card? Also really like the sound of: "CQ’s Feedback Assistant automatically detects and eliminates problem frequencies using up to 16 filters per output so you can mix with confidence – and forget about feedback." @warwickhunt - have you noticed any reduction in feedback?

Thanks Jack. Any clips of your pop punk band with the RCF set up? 2 x 910A plus a 705ii sub sounds like a very decent alternative to 2 x 932As or 732As! (Although I suspect the mids / vox may well benefit from the larger 3" voice coils on the x32 speakers).

Looking for a recommendation for someone or a store in the Central/N London area who can service and repair PA's?

I agree with you Phil in terms of wanting to getting good value for money. The fact that you would go for the 932As over the 745As I think very much chimes with where I'm landing on upgrading from the 912As, and certainly does help thank you! I think the marginal improvements that the NX wooden cabs will offer is going to be relatively marginal in the scheme of things, and an upgrade to a digital desk would be money much better spent. Tbf we have done a fair number of function gigs these past 18 months, which do pay considerably better than pubs, and I've had feedback from other experienced bass players that we have a pretty basic set up for a function band with no sub (and, personally, I think our lighting could do with a revamp too!) But a digital desk with tailored monitoring for all the band, rather than just two of us being able to tailor our IEM feeds, with the other two just getting the FoH mix would make much more sense in the first instance.

As a general point, if you are using PA speakers without backline or subwoofer, would you ever consider a default set up of one PA speaker on the floor, to give the bass a boost, and the other pole mounted in standard fashion to carry the vox across the room? Or would that be considered a sub optimal set up?

The best prices I can find online currently are: 932A - £790 NX 932A - £1,099 (Then need to add another £50 for the RCF padded covers, which are worth getting). So a pair of NX's are going to add another £600, which is decently chunky and I suspect that the tough plastic casing is going to cope with the usual knocks that all bass gear gets in live use and, paradoxically, where a more rigid structure is likely to cope less well?

Thanks for the earlier two posts Phil. Quoting part of the first above... Having regular access to both 912A and 732A, I agree that comparing the two, the 912A is a (little) better on bass and the 732A noticeably better for mids/vox. I'm therefore hoping that the RCF 932A should deliver the best of both worlds?

I guess the follow on question is how does the set up vary between say the 912A and 932A (or 712A and 732A) eg do they have same tweeter/horn set up? And how/why is the voice coil dimension so important, that it becomes a key RCF reference number?

+1 for RCF 310As^^

My understanding is: First - series (but maybe equates to the features Phil was highlighting?): 3(basic), 7, 9(premium) Second - ?? Third - speaker cone size 0 = 10", 2 = 12", 5 = 15" Actually I'm not 100% sure what the second number specifies? Some sites (eg Bax) mention Tweeter size, others imply 3 = 3" voice coil.

Oh that's good to hear, Phil. Any particular forums you are seeing active bass speakers being listed and sold?

Agreed that the 732As are a step up, certainly for vox (interestingly not so much for bass). Our singer has those for her solo work, plus brings them to half the band gigs. We use my 912As for the remaining band gigs, to share the PA transport load between us. I was actually thinking of getting the RCF 932As rather than the 732As by way of upgrade for mine. I agree a digital desk would be a really good addition too, and as you say @Jack should probably be the priority in order of importance.

Wrong size for the sub woofer I had and now going spare. Collection only from Bow E3.