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Author Topic: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing  (Read 3236 times)

Mike Milkovitz

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Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« on: March 20, 2016, 08:41:48 AM »

Hi all, start by saying I used the search and gleaned (love using that word!) as much info as I could of speakers.

  My current setup has served me well for band duty.  I've been using MixWiz 16 into GX7 and onto Yamaha ClubIV 18/15.  Monitors are powered by a Carvin DCM2004L and out to Yamaha Club IV SM12s.  I have all of the outboard (1x31 EQ/mains, 4x15 EQ/Mon, Crossover,Compressor/Gates), amps mixer housed in a SKB GigRig.

  I run sound for my band and have been getting some other sound gigs so I've been saving up for new gear.

  Despite my brain not liking a part of powered speakers I think I'm ready to jump in.  I've been looking at the JBL's (PRX700 - SRX800) and EV's ETX.  The PRX has nice rebates on until end of April.  Concerns with the JBLs are power draw.  There are no numbers to be found.  EV is claiming 1.6-.8 A per speaker.  Being that I'm mostly working in bars/clubs and small/med outdoor (read:occasional backyard and town functions) power is a concern.

  Mixers, I'm ready for digital.  I think I'll keep the AandH as backup but am sooooo looking forward to losing the outboard gear!!(the gigrig is HEAVY!!)  I was considering the A&H QU16/X-32 Producer/Soundcraft-(whatever model).

  And,,,,  I usually fit all of this into a Toyota Sienna so weight and size are factors also.  I'm looking at somewhere in the 5-7K range.

I can re-utilize the Monitor setup (amp/speaks) and upgrade later.

I'm looking for suggestions on speakers and mixers.
Any experience and suggestions/experience would be MUCH appreciated and sorry if I left any holes.  I'll fill in as asked.

Regards,  Mike




 



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Jerome Casinger

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2016, 10:58:14 AM »

I am not sure if I would be to worried about power draw if you are running a smaller rig and go powered for inside gigs. The combo's in this price range all are relatively similar hence you will get multiple recommendations on here and further clarification questions but the power draw has yet to be a problem for me.  If you can clarify how much rig you are looking to get however then we can take a better look.

Personally I am at the attitude of buy once cry once at this point.  I have a QSC KW system which I just sold a good chunk off (kept a small rig for "bar band" gigs), but then pulled the trigger on the SRX800 system (828x2 and 835x2) for when I need a larger rig.

I also have been a fan of the x32 from day one.  I have 2 of them and have had them since one of the first shipments.  Others like their consoles for their particular reasons, but I personally love the flexibility of the X32.  I use an X32 rack as a backup and as a digital snake so I have a redundant capability.

Some questions that will help, what type of music are you providing for, how big are the venues, etc etc.

Debbie Dunkley

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2016, 11:36:12 AM »

Hi all, start by saying I used the search and gleaned (love using that word!) as much info as I could of speakers.

  My current setup has served me well for band duty.  I've been using MixWiz 16 into GX7 and onto Yamaha ClubIV 18/15.  Monitors are powered by a Carvin DCM2004L and out to Yamaha Club IV SM12s.  I have all of the outboard (1x31 EQ/mains, 4x15 EQ/Mon, Crossover,Compressor/Gates), amps mixer housed in a SKB GigRig.

  I run sound for my band and have been getting some other sound gigs so I've been saving up for new gear.

  Despite my brain not liking a part of powered speakers I think I'm ready to jump in.  I've been looking at the JBL's (PRX700 - SRX800) and EV's ETX.  The PRX has nice rebates on until end of April.  Concerns with the JBLs are power draw.  There are no numbers to be found.  EV is claiming 1.6-.8 A per speaker.  Being that I'm mostly working in bars/clubs and small/med outdoor (read:occasional backyard and town functions) power is a concern.

  Mixers, I'm ready for digital.  I think I'll keep the AandH as backup but am sooooo looking forward to losing the outboard gear!!(the gigrig is HEAVY!!)  I was considering the A&H QU16/X-32 Producer/Soundcraft-(whatever model).

  And,,,,  I usually fit all of this into a Toyota Sienna so weight and size are factors also.  I'm looking at somewhere in the 5-7K range.

I can re-utilize the Monitor setup (amp/speaks) and upgrade later.

I'm looking for suggestions on speakers and mixers.
Any experience and suggestions/experience would be MUCH appreciated and sorry if I left any holes.  I'll fill in as asked.

Regards,  Mike





Perhaps a natural transition into the digital world from the mixwiz would be to go to the QU16. That's what I did and I found the learning curve to be much less steep as the QU16 is really the digital version of the mixwiz.  I also have a QU-Pac as back up.
For those small bars, you don't need the SRX series - the PRX series would be enough probably..and with rebates available, that would be good option. I own PRX718's (which I love) and I used to own the PRX612's till I replaced them with Yamaha DSR112's (which BTW are exceptional)
Once you rid yourself of the outboard rack in favor of a digital mixer and realize the simplicity of powered speakers, you'll never look back.
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Steve Garris

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2016, 04:12:59 PM »

Just looking at all that heavy gear is making my back ache!

I moved from a Mixwiz to a Mackie DL1608 3 years ago (iPad mixer). It has been fantastic and I would do it exactly the same today. The A&H digital boards are very well regarded - I'm liking the Qu-Pac, but if I step up from my Mackie I want to consider more channels. The Behringer boards are highly regarded and seem to be showing up in a lot of rooms.

As for powered speakers, you will love them. For club use, as Debbie recommended you cannot go wrong with a JBL PRX system. I use 615's over 618xlf's (one per side), and it's plenty. I am in the process of building an SRX 800 series system - for bigger outdoor shows, but I'll be keeping my PRX system, which always impresses me with even dispersion and smooth sound with very little output EQ. The tops weigh only 44 lbs.

Other options are EV and Yamaha, both have fantastic sounding boxes in their latest offerings. QSC has a great sub in the KW-118, but I don't care for the sound of their tops.
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Mike Milkovitz

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2016, 05:16:43 PM »

Thanks for the replies!  I'm looking at subs (18) and mains (15 or 12,,, haven't decided yet).  Music is typical bar band, classic, heavy rock, pop, county and maybe some choral concerts ( dad is a director).  Also 16 channels..
« Last Edit: March 21, 2016, 07:17:11 AM by Mike Milkovitz »
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Nathan Vanderslice

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2016, 09:54:40 PM »

Unless you need more channels, why not look at the Behringer X18? You can get it new for $500 on ebay. It's 16 analogue and 2 digital channels.
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Luke Geis

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2016, 11:12:02 PM »

I would not worry about powered speakers at all. They pull about the same if not less than the typical conventional speaker rig. I suggest 12" all day over 15" 2 way speakers. The usable frequency range between them these days is close and the 12" speakers tend to sound a little better. The exception would be the 3 way model they have ( not the dual 15" inch one though ). The 3 way box will bring the win, but if you can't afford it, stick with the 12" model. Since you plan on using subs, the lower end extension of a 15" speaker will be useless. The 3 way speaker just sounds the best of the three main model choices.

As to which mixer? Budget is really the answer. They all do about the same thing in the market your buying in. The Behringer X series ( any of their digital mixers ) is really very good and tough to beat. If you want some more clout, then A&H, Soundcraft and perhaps even Presonus will do well for you. You will get a lot more mileage with the Behringer X32 line though. It's price and performance is stellar.

You say that your budget is $5-7K and this should net you a pretty good rig. You could get 2 PRX tops and 2 PRX subs for about the $4K mark and the last $2-3K will get you a full size X32 or one of the smaller sized name brand mixers. If you want to stay with A&H you can get the QU-32 for around the $3.5k mark new. Another line of very good and well priced speakers that will free up some cash would be the EV Live X line. It is a very good series of speakers that are very well priced.

My suggestion is to get the best speakers you can afford though and not worry about the mixer as much. The Yamaha DSR series, the EV ETX series and the JBL SRX series are probably the best on the market right now. While the Yamaha DSR is probably the least expensive in that range, their sub is the weak link. The JBL SRX is probably the best you can get and the EV ETX sets you right between the two. Now if JBL SRX and the EV ETX is out of your budget then you will want to get the next best thing. This leaves you with the Yamaha DSR's and the JBL PRX, which are both priced about the same. I am not a huge fan of the QSC offerings and think they are priced too high for their performance level. The Lowest priced offering that I endorse is the EV Live X series which honestly punches above it's weight for their cost. 
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Robert Piascik

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2016, 09:35:21 AM »


If you are ready for a digital mixer I think you'll be surprised at how fast you don't even look in the direction of your old MixWiz (and all it's related outboard gear) even as a back up. My opinion is to sell your old stuff as fast as you can for whatever you can get as it is falling in value every moment that goes by. The digital mixers are so good and so small and so feature packed and so inexpensive that I predict you will get a second digital something as a back up. I have a full size X32 but also three X32R and now a XR12 but all of the companies mixers are good for the level of shows you are describing.

I have (and love) my Yamaha DSR-112 speakers and a great thing about them is that they can be used as wedges OR as tops over subs. I don't (but other will) have a good recommendation for powered subs as I use Danley TH-118 (which are KILLER!)

I wouldn't worry about power draw from powered speakers being anything different than from power amps but you will have to re-think your cabling to get power where you need it. I used to be a "no-powered-speakers" kind of guy too but times have changed and the new offerings are so much better than they used to be.

Good luck!

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Mike Pyle

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2016, 12:56:16 PM »

Unless you need more channels, why not look at the Behringer X18? You can get it new for $500 on ebay. It's 16 analogue and 2 digital channels.

That would be MAP price. You can do better.
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Brian Jojade

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2016, 03:01:27 PM »


  Despite my brain not liking a part of powered speakers I think I'm ready to jump in. 

Why?  There are certain advantages of using an external amp rack vs powered speakers that can't be overlooked.  You can mount your mixer and power amps all in one tidy little rack, then all you need to do is run speaker cables to your speaker instead of worrying about signal lines plus power distro. You also then don't have to worry about any settings on the speakers themselves.  If an amp channel blows up, you can easily patch around and make things work.  If the amp in a powered speaker blows up, that entire speaker is out of the show.

In a small bar rig, the advantage of powered speakers is that you can eliminate the amp rack completely, but if it's part of another rack, it's not taking up much floor space to be there to start with.  I have a small bar rig in an 8 space rack with an x32 rack and a 4 channel QSC amp that works wonderfully and takes up very little space. Drop and go.  For the bigger rigs, I have racks on wheels with multiple amps and an X32 rack. This single 10 space rack has 16 inputs and up to 12 amp channels available. I generally run it with 4 monitor mixes and mains and subs, all in one tidy case.  a 25 and 50 foot drop snake stay attached to the mixer that I can pull and drop on the stage where needed, keeping on stage cable runs extremely short.

If I want to have a physical console, I simply connect a cat 5 cable and am ready to go.   This kind of flexibility wasn't available just a few short years ago.  It's amazing how technology has evolved!
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Brian Jojade

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Re: Suggestions for new setup. Reconfiguring the whole thing
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2016, 03:01:27 PM »


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