Our current system is a very simple Mackie analog mixer, two powered Mackie mains (350s). Two keyboards, two acoustic guitars, two speaking mics. One monitor. Auditorium seats 180, attendance 100.
We're getting ready to add a subwoofer to stop overdriving the speakers on the low end. We're especially interested in clarifying our piano sound (this is traditional worship).
We're being directed toward a Driverack PX to act as crossover (and also give us feedback suppression etc.) and then a JBL 618 or QSC 181.
But we don't have a highly knowledgable sound team. Is the Driverack likely to cause more trouble than help if we don't know how to use it well? Should we just stick with the crossover in the sub and keep it simple? (do we need a sub as expensive as what they are recommending?)
Thank you for helping a newbie.
Since your congregation is on the small side and you're doing traditional services, I'd recommend just getting a keyboard amp (or amps) to take the LF load off the speakers and leave them to do the guitars and vocals. I believe this will give you more flexibility outside the band and will likely be a better fit for the technically inexperienced in that you'll not have to learn a lot about how to tweak the system and mix everything through it. All you should have to do is have a good listen to the ensemble in the room and turn the keys amps up or down until you find a nice balance.
You should probably add a graphic equalizer to your system to address your feedback concerns. You'll one one channel for your mains (running in mono to make adjustments easier...you don't need stereo) and one channel for your monitor. Or you could run stereo, but then you'd need 3 channels of graphic.
Using an equalizer is not difficult. If you want to know how, I have a .pdf illustrating a very simple technique which I will gladly share. The "auto-EQ" feature of devices like the PX/PA are where both noobs and semi-experienced sound people get flummoxed. And the feedback exterminators can pretty much be left out if you set up your system properly in the first place.
I hope your keyboardists and guitarists have the sense to not all be playing all the time, sharing out the duties and the sound spectrum with nice, clean arrangements.
By the way....
The PX is not a very good piece of gear and has features which, if you try to use them according to the advertised capabilities, can and will foul you up. The PA+ is not much better.