Band PAs - what to get, anyone bought one?

[Cat Burrito]

I'm playing in a fairly quiet 3 piece (guitar, small drum kit & upright bass) band that has just managed to secure a rehearsal space at the drummer's work. The downside being we don't have a PA system. It occured to me tonight that we could have a band kitty with the money we are saving from not renting a professional rehearsal studio and get a little PA system.

I've no idea about wattage etc but we are quiet (the singer was able to sing mic free last week and almost be heard over the band!) and wondered if something like this [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/peavey-audio-performer-pack/5296"]http://www.gak.co.uk...ormer-pack/5296[/url] would be sufficient. The other option is to pick up a 2nd hand bargain if there is a good deal. Presumably we sell it and split the money if the band folds and could use it for small pub gigs. Any experiences / pointers shared will be gratefully recieved, ta

[Ian Savage]

For rehearsal use only, my preference would just be to get a little mixer and a decent secondhand power amp (as I've said before in threads like this, in the rush to lightweight digital stuff the big ol' heavy-but-full-of-power amplifiers are going for a song) or a mixer-amp and run it into a couple of monitor wedges. I'm amazed at how many rehearsal rooms DON'T take this approach, as it's far closer to what bands are likely to experience onstage at a show and saves the faff of speaker stands, reduces the potential for feedback (if the wedges are well-placed) as well as giving you the option to 'tweak' the mix a bit more to give each member closer to what they need.

If you're a fairly quiet band, a few hundred Watts should be enough; something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Crown-XLS-202-Professional-PA-Amplifier-200W-/171087337439?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item27d59997df , this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1U-power-amplifier-/130959030385?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item1e7dc43871 or this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/crest-Audio-FA901-/271247995027?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item3f27a3f093 would do the job nicely, then a cheap-and-cheerful little Behringer mixer or something.

Otherwise (less expandable, but easier) you could go for a mixer/amp from the likes of Studiomaster, Peavey et al (this'd do: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peavey-XR-600C-Powered-Mixer-/290951751254?pt=UK_Mixers&hash=item43be136656) and run it into a couple of wedges along these lines: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Studiomaster-Px-12-wedge-monitor-/221260738750?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item33842af0be - I had some little 8" Peavey wedges that clipped together a a pair which would have been perfect for what you want, can't remember the model number for sh*te now! I might come back to this thread tomorrow when i'm less full of wine...

[NickH]

All I'll say is... if you're going to jointly own any kind of equipment, get something down in writing listing the stuff, purchase price, and everyone's names.
Unbelievable how fast even the closest of bands can turn sour and previously good people can become absolute d!ckheads !

[andydye]

There's a lovely little peavey powered mixer on here that'd be spot on for you, just need a pair of passive speakers and you're away then...?

[Lozz196]

My only advice would be get what is needed, and not what can be bought because of the options available.

In one of my bands we have a pa, 2 speakers, 2 monitors, and only vocals go through it. It sounds fine.

In the other band we have a pa, 2 speakers, 3 monitors, a sub and separate amp for the sub. The whole band goes through the pa, so mics and stands are needed for everything. It sounds fine.

Guess which is easier to set up, sound-check, and more importantly, break down at the end of the night.

[gafbass02]

I play In a three piece covers band, doing rock stuff, just pubs etc. I recently bought a peavey pvi8b+
http://www.dawsons.co.uk/peavey-pvi-8b-plus-powered-mixer
A pair of these
http://www.thomann.de/gb/peavey_pvx_12.htm
And couldn't be happier, never had a volume issue, the reverb is crap though, but I use a tc pedal instead. I use a pair of these added later for monitors

http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_b_205d.htm

And could get away with them as a pa if i needed to for acoustic or very quiet gigs

I'd agree with Lozz, my other band's multicore alone weighs more, cost more and takes long to pack away than my little vocal pa, and we have much less feedback issues etc with the simple rig lol

Edited August 1, 2013 by gafbass02

[bonzodog]

Have a look at the Yamaha stagepas 600i. A nice compact system of powered mixer and 2 passive speakers for £600. We use it for rehearsals and small gigs as a vocal PA, with me and guitarist going through amps and then for bigger gigs we hire a PA and use stagepas as a monitor set up.

[Len_derby]

Don't forget to factor-in the cost of mics, mic stands, DI-boxes (if required) and the XLR cables.
In my experience it's quite easy to spend more on those than for the Mixer/Amp/Speakers.

Last tip, go second-hand. If you're prepared to be pragmatic there's loads of bargains to be had.

[6v6]

If it's only for the vocals, you could get away with a single powered speaker on a stand, some of them even have enough gain to allow you to plug a mic in directly without a mixer.

We got some speakers from the Mackie range, and for budget applications can recommend the TH-12a, it sounds nearly as good as the SRM450s we have for mains (the TH is used for foldback), but is much cheaper, and much lighter.

[url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/mackie-thump-th-12a/44795"]http://www.gak.co.uk/en/mackie-thump-th-12a/44795[/url]

IME/IMHO these are infinitely better than the budget PA-in-a-box type systems you linked - I've tried a few of those, and they are invariably underpowered, sound muffled and basically are not a really good giggable long-lasting solution.

I'd also echo others cautions against joint ownership unless you know the guys well - my previous band split after we'd jointly bought the SRM450s and some stands etc and it was a PITA getting agreement about who kept what and who owed what to whom.

If I did it again I'd say each person buy one powered speaker (e.g drummer/bassist buys a speaker and a stand each, the singer buys a speaker for foldback and a mic/stand), then each person brings their stuff to each gig which saves one person having to store and transport it all, and if the worst happens and the band splits, you've got a useful monitor/keyboard-amp or something which can be sold.

[LemonCello]

We use the Yamaha 600W system mentioned above, although we've swapped out the Yam speakers for Wharfedale's which produced a better sound. We've also just bought an Alto foldback speaker so the singer can hear himself. All in all, about £800 worth and plenty good enough for pub gigs with the kick drum micc'ed up. As has already been said, it can be problematic if the band owns the PA jointly. In our case, it belongs to me so if it all goes west - no issue.

[Cat Burrito]

I appreciate the replies so far. I'd considered the potential fall out / split later, I guess what we'd be looking for is a simply idiot proof setup that isn't rocket science to setup / use and doesn't break the bank. Hopefully people will keep the thoughts coming. Cheers

[Len_derby]

You may have already considered it, but there will be the twin pleasures of transport and storage.
I'm one of an acoustic blues/roots trio and similar to yourself, decided to go down the route of getting our own PA.
As a result, at gigs where we use it we no longer fit into one car. This has cost and general hassle implications.
Also, who's daft enough to keep it at their house and transport it to-and-fro?
Oh yes, of course, that'll be the bass player.

[barkin]

I use a Yamaha EMX powered mixer (can be had for 200 quid ish 2nd hand) and a couple of passive speakers.

Even the smallest 2x200 Watt model is loud enough for vox at pub gigs. Sounds great, has very usable effects (if you want a smidge of reverb on the vox, for example) has 2 power amps, so you can use one to drive a couple of monitors if you wish.

And it's dead easy to setup - mics in the front, speakers in the back... Job done.

[BobVbass]

[quote]I use a Yamaha EMX powered mixer (can be had for 200 quid ish 2nd hand) and a couple of passive speakers.[/quote]

+1 to the Yamaha - one of the functions bands I play in has one (not sure the wattage) but great bit of kit

[bertbass]

I'd suggest one of these, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HH-MA100-Mixer-Amp-Head-old-but-quality-kit-/231023995692?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item35ca1a6b2c or, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H-H-amp-head-with-5-channels-spring-reverb-PA-or-instrument-/130956940321?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item1e7da45421 or, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carlsbro-Marlin-6-150-Amplifier-Head-/190876203294?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item2c711bb91e and something like this, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carlsbro-300-watt-speakers-/221260316440?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item3384247f18

They always worked OK and are probably ideal for what you want. They are also cheap enough that if the band split it wouldn't be worth arguing over your financial input.

[andyonbass]

I have a [url="http://www.crownaudio.com/xls-series.html"]Crown XLS402 Power Amp[/url] which is surplus to requirements plus a load of speaker leads which I'll let go dead cheap if you want to nip down the M4 and collect. Would make the basis for a good PA. Useful to power a bass pre-amp too!

[Ian Savage]

[quote name='Ian Savage' timestamp='1375314324' post='2159787']
I had some little 8" Peavey wedges that clipped together a a pair which would have been perfect for what you want, can't remember the model number for sh*te now! I might come back to this thread tomorrow when i'm less full of wine...
[/quote]

Out of interest, stumbled upon these today which are the ones I remember having: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peavey-Mini-Monitors-pair-/121157942331?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item1c35937c3b

[grandad]

Worked my way through the Yamaha EMX range & now use the 5016CF. All have been excellent with never a problem.

As mentioned above, if it's just for vocals & small/medium gigs then the capability to use 1 channel for FOH & 1 channel for monitors is very useful.

[BigRedX]

Is this just going to be set up permanently in your rehearsal space and never used for gigs? If so you have a lot more options because light and portable no longer comes into the equation and you can most likely pick up a (relatively) old, big and heavy system for next to nothing from someone upgrading to latest more gig friendly lightweight system.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1376295051' post='2171696']
Is this just going to be set up permanently in your rehearsal space and never used for gigs?[/quote]

Possibly & this did occur but equally it's all unchartered waters so we could well be carting it around for some gigs. Who knows? Everything is still early stages and we've no intention of rushing into buying something at this stage as the drummer's boss could kick us out in a few weeks / months or it could roll for years. The thread was as much to see how other musicians coped (possibly more so) rather than see if we could grab a bargain on here as we're not ready just yet to buy into something.

[bassintheface]

We've just pulled the trigger so to speak on this as a new system.

Mid highs - [url="http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/general/Product.aspx?PId=361"]http://www.jblpro.co...ct.aspx?PId=361[/url]
Subs - [url="http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/general/Product.aspx?PId=365"]http://www.jblpro.co...ct.aspx?PId=365[/url]

We were fed up of the heavy and cumbersome amp rack with a backbreaking pair of crown power amps, plus crossover. Heavy Adlib mid highs and GAE subs so we've gone for the simpler and lighter option.

We also have this desk - [url="http://www.allen-heath.com/uk/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=PASeries&ProductId=PA28"]http://www.allen-hea...&ProductId=PA28[/url]

For bigger gigs, we have a deal with a local PA guy and one of his line array systems with YAMAHA LS9 desk.

So here's a +1 for active speakers!!

Edited August 21, 2013 by bassintheface

[Monckyman]

Heya Burrito!

For even a pokey band at decent levels, I,ve had really decent results from an LD Dave system with one active sub and two passive satellites all powered from the amp in the sub.
it has a limit facility so you cant destroy anything and with a little EQ can sound really good.
add a small mixer with a built in reverb etc
couple of those behringer active stand monitors everyone here likes and youre done.
they come in 10" and 15" sub combinations and I can vouch for the 15" setup being fine for bars and Pubs if youre not doing metal.
Fits in the boot of most cars also..
Some folks use two setups for bigger gigs.

[JTUK]

RCF ART10A 10" actives.

They'll still be worth having if you decide to split

[The Dark Lord]

Just bought a Mackie. 2 x DLM12 - 1 x DLM12S with a DL806 digital mixer (plus one additional DLM12 as a monitor for me)

Sensational.