When people say "with PA support"

[EBS_freak]

... As the title says, just wondering when people say they let the PA do the work, what is the PA doing the work?

[JapanAxe]

I only DI (in addition to backline) if there is a honking great PA provided. It's pointless putting the bass into a band's pub PA, all it will do is steal headroom from the vocals!

[AndrewJordan]

err..do you mean "what is a PA?" ?

[EBS_freak]

No - I mean what sort of PAs are people putting their bass through... eg which tops/mids/subs

[AndrewJordan]

Well in our case it's a pair of 18 Inch subs with Logic Systems 15 plus comp tops over them. I usually have the cab as loud as I need it on stage which usually means it is fairly audible out front and just put enough through the PA to fill it out a bit and add a bit of low end that I don't want mudying up the stage sound.

[dave_bass5]

We only use a vocal PA (1x15+ horn each side) but if the room is on the nasty side, or packed (not likely these days) I'll DI my bass as well. Although i have more than enough power the PA will help get the higher freq's out in to their audience. So yeah, just adding a bit more clarity out front without me having to EQ for it on stage. My rig still does most of the work.

EDIT: Sorry, miss read the title. Ignore this post as it's not relevant.

Edited May 28, 2016 by dave_bass5

[Dad3353]

Our own PA is voice only, with a smidgen of bass drum and overhead, usually. No subs, just a pair of HK Power Works RS152X, using a 2 x 300w amp (one side FOH, t'other side a pair of monitors...). If we need more (festivals, largish outdoor stuff, biggish 'dry' venues...) we have a PA buddy who 'lends' us a d&b C7 or two, depending on the venue needs. It's good to have friends.

[Phil Starr]

There's really two approaches to PA assuming we are loosely talking about some sort of rock band rather than something less noisy.

The simplest approach which works well for smallish venues is a PA which deals mainly with vocals. The other approach is a fully mixed system where the sound the audience hear is all coming through the PA. This has lots of advantages but not simplicity portabiLity or cost. Effectively it means the PA has to be louder than all the stage amps put together and have all their capabilities.

As a bassist this means that the PA must handle all your bass just as well as your bass stack plus all the bass from drums etc. Your bass stack becomes an on stage monitor for you and the band. Step up to a touring rig and you might even do away with the bass amp and have all your monitoring through in ears or a floor monitor.

So, PA support doesn't realy have a technical status but would normally mean that the PA can safely provide all the bass you would want to throw at it. It has big speakers or more usually bass bins and plenty of headroom. that means you can take your smaller amp as you won't have to fill the room with bass on your own. In practice I'd always check each time to see what they mean though and I always take my own bass gear unless I know and trust the system and the engineer. One bad experience where the sound engineer cut my monitor mid gig and another where they had a noise gate which cut the first second of every bass entry would make me very reluctant to play without any monitor of my own.

I hope this was the question you wanted answering

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1464509243' post='3059866']
There's really two approaches to PA assuming we are loosely talking about some sort of rock band rather than something less noisy.

The simplest approach which works well for smallish venues is a PA which deals mainly with vocals. The other approach is a fully mixed system where the sound the audience hear is all coming through the PA. This has lots of advantages but not simplicity portabiLity or cost. Effectively it means the PA has to be louder than all the stage amps put together and have all their capabilities.

As a bassist this means that the PA must handle all your bass just as well as your bass stack plus all the bass from drums etc. Your bass stack becomes an on stage monitor for you and the band. Step up to a touring rig and you might even do away with the bass amp and have all your monitoring through in ears or a floor monitor.

So, PA support doesn't realy have a technical status but would normally mean that the PA can safely provide all the bass you would want to throw at it. It has big speakers or more usually bass bins and plenty of headroom. that means you can take your smaller amp as you won't have to fill the room with bass on your own. In practice I'd always check each time to see what they mean though and I always take my own bass gear unless I know and trust the system and the engineer. One bad experience where the sound engineer cut my monitor mid gig and another where they had a noise gate which cut the first second of every bass entry would make me very reluctant to play without any monitor of my own.

I hope this was the question you wanted answering
[/quote]

No, I'm up to speed on the above -

I'm more interested in the makes and models that people are actually using when they say they are playing with PA support.

[sunburstjazz1967]

We use a Realistic 125 watt PA, we are a drum and bass band and get lots of positive comments on our sound, that said we hire in six D and B monitors for most gigs.

[Happy Jack]

PA equipment is pretty cheap these days, I own several rigs which get used in different ways depending on which band I'm playing in. For King Ralph - a semi acoustic originals outfit - the whole band goes through a Fishman Performer vertical stick PA. For the Junkyard Dogs the vocals go through a Behringer mixer into a Powersoft Digam into a pair of McGregor 1x12s, sometimes with a feed from the electric drumkit if we think it necessary.

For my main band (Junkyard Dogs) Silvie and I do pretty much all the gig-getting. As part of our duties we take the trouble to go and check out the competition; there can't be many decent pub rock bands in West London that we haven't seen. Very, very few put anything through the PA other than vocals. Exceptions would be Prezence (keyboard heavy) and B-Sharp (where the very excellent drummer gets to gigs an hour earlier than the others so as to set up a kit slightly smaller than Surrey and then mics up everything).

Sad to relate, I am insufficiently geeky to remember what PA systems those bands use.

[Roland Rock]

DB

[Roland Rock]

No, D&B

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1464514655' post='3059934']
DB
[/quote]

Short. To the point. Incomprehensible.

[Roland Rock]

Actually, we don't even have a PA

We just use whatever the venue has in house.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1464514676' post='3059935']
No, D&B
[/quote]

That's better, but did you clear this with JTUK first?

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1464514784' post='3059938']


That's better, but did you clear this with JTUK first?
[/quote]

Of course - he's the one we hire it from!

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1464513448' post='3059919']
We use a Realistic 125 watt PA, we are a drum and bass band and get lots of positive comments on our sound, that said we hire in six D and B monitors for most gigs.
[/quote]
Those Realistic watts are so much more powerful than those standard watts.

Man, I bet playin with those D and B monitors is an absolute dream.

Drum and Bass you say? There's this great pub I reckon you should play at.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1464514913' post='3059941']


Of course - he's the one we hire it from!
[/quote]
What did he say? It's whatever you want it to be?

[discreet]

I have no idea. Our PA is mysterious, arcane and esoteric. I have enough to think about as it is.

[sunburstjazz1967]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1464516702' post='3059962']

Those Realistic watts are so much more powerful than those standard watts.

Man, I bet playin with those D and B monitors is an absolute dream.

Drum and Bass you say? There's this great pub I reckon you should play at.
[/quote]

Sounds fishy to me.

[Les]

Pair of Peavey messenger MkII pro subs 400 watt class D power amp

Pair of Mackie SRM 450 V2 tops Class D power amp

Pair of Yamaha wedges (don't know model) and 800 watt Crown power amp (don't know model)

Everything through the PA, drums are kick and overhead.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1464518632' post='3059980']


Sounds fishy to me.
[/quote]

What are you angling for?

[Painy]

Very loud rock covers band playing mainly pubs and clubs but with quite a few outdoor/marquee type gigs at beer festivals, biker do's etc. All Peavey apart from the desk which is Yamaha. A pair of 4ohm UL215S bass bins on the bottom powered by a Peavey 2600 and then 2 pairs of 4ohm UL15 cabs for the tops powered by another 2600.
Used mainly for vocals and fully mic'd kit bit with the option to put bass and guitars through it when needed.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Painy

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1464539524' post='3060194']
Very loud rock covers band playing mainly pubs and clubs but with quite a few outdoor/marquee type gigs at beer festivals, biker do's etc. All Peavey apart from the desk which is Yamaha. A pair of 4ohm UL215S bass bins on the bottom powered by a Peavey 2600 and then 2 pairs of 4ohm UL15 cabs for the tops powered by another 2600.
Used mainly for vocals and fully mic'd kit bit with the option to put bass and guitars through it when needed.
[/quote]
That'll shift a bit of air!

The tops - you are running the amp the tops in series I presume?