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[Airton Pereira]

Hi, my band is starting to play at some regular gigs where we play with other bands and to lower costs the bands decided to get some good floor monitors instead of the crappy ones the end up with (they don't like in-ears no matter what I say). So basically I am a tiny sound company right now. The problem is, how much power do I need? I saw some cheap ones with 200w (125w cone and 75w drive) and I would carry 4 of them, one for each musician, is that good for some small bands and stages or should I get more power or maybe less monitors?

[(Brian) Frost]

You cant judge speakers by watts.  some are more efficient than others.  additionally we would need to know what the performers will need as far as volume/quality/bass/ coverage.

Hi, my band is starting to play at some regular gigs where we play with other bands and to lower costs the bands decided to get some good floor monitors instead of the crappy ones the end up with (they don't like in-ears no matter what I say). So basically I am a tiny sound company right now. The problem is, how much power do I need? I saw some cheap ones with 200w (125w cone and 75w drive) and I would carry 4 of them, one for each musician, is that good for some small bands and stages or should I get more power or maybe less monitors?

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

You cant judge speakers by watts.  some are more efficient than others.  additionally we would need to know what the performers will need as far as volume/quality/bass/ coverage.

For rock (especially amateurs) you can NEVER be loud enough.  Things to consider:

SPL:  watts don't mean a thing.  SPL is how loud they'll get.
Pattern:  cover the area you need without overlap.....
Footprint:  how much space will they take up

for starters

[Airton Pereira]

For rock (especially amateurs) you can NEVER be loud enough.  Things to consider:

SPL:  watts don't mean a thing.  SPL is how loud they'll get.
Pattern:  cover the area you need without overlap.....
Footprint:  how much space will they take up

for starters

That's what I wanted to hear, the basic stuff to consider.
So, I forgot to say but it's rock music, not heavy, more like The Cure, U2, Bauhaus...

As far as SPF, the specs are 1w/1m 100db, which is good as far as I know. They have 12" cones, which make them small and light (very important!). I think a 12" cone monitor won't overlap if I place them right.

[Randall Hyde]

Hi, my band is starting to play at some regular gigs where we play with other bands and to lower costs the bands decided to get some good floor monitors instead of the crappy ones the end up with (they don't like in-ears no matter what I say). So basically I am a tiny sound company right now. The problem is, how much power do I need? I saw some cheap ones with 200w (125w cone and 75w drive) and I would carry 4 of them, one for each musician, is that good for some small bands and stages or should I get more power or maybe less monitors?

I run JBL SRX 712m (blah efficiency, 95dB 1w/1m IIRC) biamped with ITech 8K amps. Limited to about 1,600 watts. The higher the max SPL, the more headroom you'll have and the clearer they become.

Just wish the 712m cabs went a little lower. May have to invest in some VRX 915m cabs at some point or another.
Cheers,
Randy Hyde

[Tomm Williams]

Since this is a band you play in, you are in the perfect position to discuss stage volume with your band mates. If you can convince them accordingly, monitor issues become a smaller problem.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

That's what I wanted to hear, the basic stuff to consider.
So, I forgot to say but it's rock music, not heavy, more like The Cure, U2, Bauhaus...

As far as SPF, the specs are 1w/1m 100db, which is good as far as I know. They have 12" cones, which make them small and light (very important!). I think a 12" cone monitor won't overlap if I place them right.

OK.  SPF is a measure of protection for sun block.  SPL is Sound Pressure Level.  Different things.  The specs you give are for the sensitivity, or how much power it takes to produce a certain level at a certain (standard) distance.  think of it as efficiency.

Pattern has little or nothing to do with cone diameter.  It generally refers to the pattern of the horn, so you can figure that it sort of refers to the frequencies above the cross-over.  Below that the dispersion widens as the frequencies go lower.

For rock I'd be looking for wedges that would put out a constant SPL of at least 130 dB.  That'll give you enough headroom.  For pattern you can commonly choose from 60 to 90
 degrees.  How you choose is up to you.  Personally, I prefer a little tighter pattern, but that means that the performers can't wander very far.  Of course on small stages they really don't have anyplace to go......

Don't forget a good EQ for each mix.  By the time you're done getting each wedge purchased, powered and EQ'd, I'd figure around $1k/wedge to do it right.......less if you can find used.

[Airton Pereira]

Since this is a band you play in, you are in the perfect position to discuss stage volume with your band mates. If you can convince them accordingly, monitor issues become a smaller problem.

But there will be other bands too. That's why I'm concerned about power.

[Airton Pereira]

OK.  SPF is a measure of protection for sun block.  SPL is Sound Pressure Level.  Different things.  The specs you give are for the sensitivity, or how much power it takes to produce a certain level at a certain (standard) distance.  think of it as efficiency.

Pattern has little or nothing to do with cone diameter.  It generally refers to the pattern of the horn, so you can figure that it sort of refers to the frequencies above the cross-over.  Below that the dispersion widens as the frequencies go lower.

For rock I'd be looking for wedges that would put out a constant SPL of at least 130 dB.  That'll give you enough headroom.  For pattern you can commonly choose from 60 to 90
 degrees.  How you choose is up to you.  Personally, I prefer a little tighter pattern, but that means that the performers can't wander very far.  Of course on small stages they really don't have anyplace to go......

Don't forget a good EQ for each mix.  By the time you're done getting each wedge purchased, powered and EQ'd, I'd figure around $1k/wedge to do it right.......less if you can find used.

Ops, my bad, I wrote SPF cause it also means Specific Pathogens Free on laboratory animals, but that's another issue.
Anyway, another question is powered or unpowered? Although powered speakers are very popular today, I prefer unpowered for monitors because the power cable are always really short and because with a powered speaker a douche in the audience can simply turn off the monitor very easily. What do you think about it?

[Rick Powell]

Ops, my bad, I wrote SPF cause it also means Specific Pathogens Free on laboratory animals, but that's another issue.
Anyway, another question is powered or unpowered? Although powered speakers are very popular today, I prefer unpowered for monitors because the power cable are always really short and because with a powered speaker a douche in the audience can simply turn off the monitor very easily. What do you think about it?

When I bought a system for myself (but started hiring out for occasional sound gigs) I looked for something with good sound quality, could handle instruments as well as vocals in the monitor mix if needed, and enough power to cut through, but not needing to be ear-splitting loud.  Found four used Bag End TA15 monitors, and two used Crown xti2000 amps, and two used dual 31 band 2231 dbx graphic equalizers.  Cost about $2000 US for the whole pile of stuff, and everybody who uses the setup loves it.  I could do without the 85 lb. per monitor weight, but every bargain (usually) has a drawback or 2.

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