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[Guy Graham]

Would each channel still need to be handled individually for the DriveRack to operate as expected?

What problem do you have, that you anticipate a dbx Driverack will solve?

How you described its place in the signal chain indicates you are not understanding the purpose of such an item. In pursuit of addressing the issues you've mentioned, I struggle to see what value you'd get from a Driverack.

Until you've sorted out your principle concerns, I'd forget about it altogether - you have decent powered speakers that seem to fulfill your current need. Any model of Driverack will mostly just duplicate the good work Yamaha already did with the built-in processing on your loudspeakers; if you are considering it for the peripheral functions it could add - then it is the wrong tool for the job!

[Lou Paris (Paris Creative)]

What problem do you have, that you anticipate a dbx Driverack will solve?

How you described its place in the signal chain indicates you are not understanding the purpose of such an item. In pursuit of addressing the issues you've mentioned, I struggle to see what value you'd get from a Driverack.

Until you've sorted out your principle concerns, I'd forget about it altogether - you have decent powered speakers that seem to fulfill your current need. Any model of Driverack will mostly just duplicate the good work Yamaha already did with the built-in processing on your loudspeakers; if you are considering it for the peripheral functions it could add - then it is the wrong tool for the job!

So here are the problems that I have in general (some are mic related, some are mixer related).

1) Picking up softer sounds on my lavs. I believe this is a mic issue where the GTD lavs just not good at their job. Even in ideal conditions I have to turn up to max gain unless it's a person who projects well. So I have no headroom left, and of course maxing out the gain brings noise and other artifacts in.

2) Voices sound very tinny. Again unless it's someone that projects, voices on my lavs and my mics are just tinny, washy. And sometimes on my handhelds they can get muddled depending on the voice of the person speaking.

3) EQ. I don't have any EQ capabilities on my current mic mixer, just gain. I am delegated to my speaker when I am playing to ceremonies and at my reception I have a 2 band EQ on my Rane 62 mic input.

4) No high pass filters. No filters on my ceremony other than my speaker (100hz, 120hz). I have a filter on my Rane 62 that works well, but most of the time I need any serious HP filtering is at the ceremony.

5) Feedback cancellation. It's bound to happen. The toaster walks too damn close to the speaker, and I think even if it's rigged out properly, it's inevitable to happen.

6) Ability to live mix "comfortably". I've mentioned it before, I really only have a pair of spots I can live mix from at my reception/main setup. Up high at the level of my laptop, and low, where a rack bag would reside. Problem with it low is I loose a lot of eye contact with the event, there are times i have to play music at a queued time. It's just not good being low. And since my setup is pretty minimal I just can't throw a regular mixer up, and have numerous cables hanging around, if I even had a place to put it.

It seems the consensus in this thread is there are no appliances out there that can help with auto-gain, auto-gate, anti-feedback. And that is fine. I am not a sound engineer, but I have a couple basics in my head. However as a solo DJ with a minimal setup the more automation that I can factor in to make these mics sound great, the better.

I already get great sound from my Rane 62 and my Yamahas. Now it's time to do the same for the mics for ceremonies and receptions.

If someone here tells me that the best option is simply to get good-great mics (Senn ew135s, Shure QLX, etc) and a mixer with gate, hp filters, and eq and that is the best solution, then that is it. I still need to think of the logistics to actually live mix, which is why i have been focused on the iPad since I can bring that up to my laptop level and do what I need to do. If that is the case I may look at the lower cost solution of the Mackie DL806, although Mackie has been dicey for the past some years (at least in the DJ community) so I am not sure what to make of that.

[Bob Leonard]

Here's a suggestion for you. Go to the study hall section of this site and take the time to actually find out what mixing basics are before you post again. What you're doing here is asking people to do your homework for you, something that should have been done long before your first post. Not knowing what a DSP does, what the order of the signal chain should be, etc. are indications of an extreme lack of knowledge, which is the first problem you need to cure before moving past two speakers on sticks.

[Lou Paris (Paris Creative)]

Here's a suggestion for you. Go to the study hall section of this site and take the time to actually find out what mixing basics are before you post again. What you're doing here is asking people to do your homework for you, something that should have been done long before your first post. Not knowing what a DSP does, what the order of the signal chain should be, etc. are indications of an extreme lack of knowledge, which is the first problem you need to cure before moving past two speakers on sticks.

I am asking for advice. But since i guess I am not a coveted sound engineer you don't want to provide any.

I am a DJ, who knows some basics of sound, but trying to elevate my knowledge and experience with providing great live mic sound.

I do know what a DSP does, however I am unfamiliar with if a product that says it does X if it really does X.  And sorry that I did not know that the Drive Rack processor would be post mixer, I was assuming that it would provide the basic processing pre-mixer which would then allow me to make minor adjustments at the mixer.

But again, whichever.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Lou...

There is no "simple solution", so stop looking and "go to school".

It doesn't matter what gear you use as much as knowing how to use it.  You've gotten by as a DJ so far but plainly know little or nothing about live sound.  Your "gear problems" stem more from your lack of knowledge/experience than from the gear itself.

Granted, wedding sound will also fool sound people who have only done bar bands.  It is one of many sub-sets of live audio.

IIWY, I'd hire someone with the requisite experience to work A few weddings with you and pay them to show you the ropes.  You need guidance and experience OTJ.

Just remember when learning a craft:

The first twenty years are the hard part.

[Lou Paris (Paris Creative)]

Lou...

There is no "simple solution", so stop looking and "go to school".

It doesn't matter what gear you use as much as knowing how to use it.  You've gotten by as a DJ so far but plainly know little or nothing about live sound.  Your "gear problems" stem more from your lack of knowledge/experience than from the gear itself.

Granted, wedding sound will also fool sound people who have only done bar bands.  It is one of many sub-sets of live audio.

IIWY, I'd hire someone with the requisite experience to work A few weddings with you and pay them to show you the ropes.  You need guidance and experience OTJ.

Just remember when learning a craft:

The first twenty years are the hard part.

I plan on learning, but I also cannot get by with the current equipment I am using, plain and simple. I don't have EQ, Gate, HPF (except at the speaker for ceremonies). This is why I was reaching out here to see if a) if there were automated ways to assist and b) what would be the equipment to go to given what I was looking for.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

I plan on learning, but I also cannot get by with the current equipment I am using, plain and simple. I don't have EQ, Gate, HPF (except at the speaker for ceremonies). This is why I was reaching out here to see if a) if there were automated ways to assist and b) what would be the equipment to go to given what I was looking for.

Lou..

I have had to do far more complex things with the same lack of equipment when working for AV outfits.  I make it work because I know HOW it all works.  It isn't working for you because you have very little practical knowledge and are mistaken in the little knowledge you THINK you have.

We can't spoon feed you experience and you seem not to be amenable to taking advice or following instructions, preferring instead to pursue the fantasy of gear that will do the job for you without your learning anything other than where you can buy stuff.

You are fast approaching troll status...

[Bob Leonard]

I am asking for advice. But since i guess I am not a coveted sound engineer you don't want to provide any.

I am a DJ, who knows some basics of sound, but trying to elevate my knowledge and experience with providing great live mic sound.

I do know what a DSP does, however I am unfamiliar with if a product that says it does X if it really does X.  And sorry that I did not know that the Drive Rack processor would be post mixer, I was assuming that it would provide the basic processing pre-mixer which would then allow me to make minor adjustments at the mixer.

But again, whichever.

Giving advice to anyone is not a problem for me as long as I'm qualified to give that advice. I gave you my advice, like it or not, so that's where the advice giving ends.

In your case though you've asked for the location of the airport before you've learned how to fly. And, if you didn't know a Driverack is designed to be used post board, then you've never taken the time to read anything about the product(s). Want more advice?? Do your homework, and post in the proper DJ forum.

[Lou Paris (Paris Creative)]

Do your homework, and post in the proper DJ forum.

Um, but this has nothing to do with DJing other than I am a DJ. This is all about live mic mixing (thus why I posted here).

And no, I did not know DriveRack was supposed to be used post-mixer. This is a product that I was unfamiliar.

Don't worry, I will not be posting again.

[ProSoundWeb Community]