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Author Topic: Portable PAs  (Read 6561 times)

Tom Hulbert

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Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2013, 05:15:54 PM »

I'm sorry guys. It just gets frustrating when the sound guy (and I use that term very loosely) is asked for advise and it's expensive to those who asked.
I had to ask about the portable pa's just to see what y'all thought of them. I know they are cheap, and I probably wouldn't use one(even though it seems like a good idea).
But now there is a possibility that we could get a bonafide sound system from another church that would be a little overkill for the application I'm looking for but will work.
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g'bye, Dick Rees

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Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2013, 05:17:14 PM »

I'm sorry guys. It just gets frustrating when the sound guy (and I use that term very loosely) is asked for advise and it's expensive to those who asked.
I had to ask about the portable pa's just to see what y'all thought of them. I know they are cheap, and I probably wouldn't use one(even though it seems like a good idea).
But now there is a possibility that we could get a bonafide sound system from another church that would be a little overkill for the application I'm looking for but will work.

It's not overkill, it's headroom!!!! ;D
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Bob L. Wilson

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Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2013, 02:12:45 PM »

Guys this is a forum for church sound right?
It's like we're doing live sound for (enter name of artist here)... it's for our church.
What I'm looking for is:
Something we can use in our youth room: For speaking and music cd,dvd, through whatever.

Use the samething to take outside for speaking for when we have a cookout,or like I mentioned before a movie night.
Also using the same thing to take on "Destination unknown" as a teen outing (providing there is a power source).
We just need something lightweight and portable, and under budget.

The smallest lightest most portable setup that I have had positive personal experience with is EV ZX1 tops with Dynacord 112 subs. This is an all passive setup using an EV DX38 processor and two EV Q99 amps. It belongs to a local university and it really works well for what it is, can do 110db clean on a smooth curve in a pretty darn big room, or 100db with the ridiculously over emphasized bass the hearing impaired young people of today seem to prefer. The entire rig is less than 225lbs with the heaviest component being the amp and processor rack at around 80lbs. It will fit in a compact SUV or station wagon and will run wide open off a single 15amp 110V circuit. EV has just started offering a similar sub in the ZX1 passive that supposedly performs about the same for about half the cost of the Dynacord unit. I have been underwhelmed by any of the Passport style units I have ever had to listen to music through.
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Frank DeWitt

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Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #13 on: January 20, 2013, 05:50:50 PM »

You might look at a QSC K10 or K12. It is a good quality powered speaker.  It can often hold it,s own in a good sized room and when you need to you can add another, add even add a mixer.

Frank
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Dave Rickard

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Re: Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2013, 01:00:59 AM »

I'm sorry guys. It just gets frustrating when the sound guy (and I use that term very loosely) is asked for advise and it's expensive to those who asked.

Church rules:  If you have a tight budget, and you want to be a good steward, you can't afford to buy junk.  Someone trusted you with that money.

"The wrong gear, at the right price, is still the wrong gear."

Your system should be determined by your needs.
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The wrong piece of gear at the right price, is still the wrong piece of gear.

David Kaiser

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Re: Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2013, 07:39:05 AM »

Church rules:  If you have a tight budget, and you want to be a good steward, you can't afford to buy junk.  Someone trusted you with that money.

"The wrong gear, at the right price, is still the wrong gear."

Your system should be determined by your needs.
For an outdoor/indoor speaker system, the minimum I would recommend is the Carvin Stagemate. It has several inputs, battery power, and can run a companion speaker, which is not expensive. I believe you can also hook up a spare battery. I would still not use it for a group of more than two or three singers or acoustic guitarists.http://www.carvinguitars.com/stagemate/
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Jonathan Johnson

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Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2013, 08:04:00 PM »

Guys this is a forum for church sound right?
Yes, but most of the people on here are professionals who demand professional results of themselves, their equipment, and the people they work with. They will not give you any less than professional advice.

Quote
We just need something lightweight and portable, and under budget.

That's a recipe for unrealistic expectations, IF your budget is not adequate. It's better to figure out what's adequate, then adjust your budget. You'd be amazed how quickly the cash flows when you ask AND people know exactly what it will be spent on. Just because it's for church doesn't mean you can get away with inadequate equipment. Being a church, you might be forgiven, but that doesn't make it sound any better.

I have tried lightweight and portable, and I agree, it's inadequate for all but the smallest of meetings. There are several things to consider:
  • Location: room size / outdoors / shape and position of seating area
  • Audience size and expectations; consider audience age
  • Material presented -- it is speech, live music, prerecorded content?
  • Ability of operator
The answers to all of these will help narrow down your choices of equipment.

And one more tip: for bring-your-own-chair outdoor services, the first person to sit down WILL be in the front row. NO ONE will sit in front of them. (At least if it's a Lutheran church.) One trick I've used is first determine where the first row should be, and place the "stage" about 50 feet away. Then just before the show, move the "stage" forward. Of course, my "stage" was a lectern and a mic stand that could be easily moved.

For BYOC outdoor services, expect the "seating area" to nearly wrap around the stage. You'll need to cover a wider area than you expect. This often means more speakers to cover more area.

P.S. -- An "all purpose" sound system that is truly adequate for all purposes would be neither light, nor portable, nor inexpensive!
« Last Edit: January 24, 2013, 08:13:21 PM by Jonathan Johnson »
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Portable PAs
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2013, 08:04:00 PM »


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