Here's an update on our actions to simplify setup.
We tried using the setup I described for a few weeks: instrument amps for the FOH sound and vocals through the console and the mains. We had only two instruments (piano plus--acoustic guitar or bass). Actually, it worked better than I thought it would.
Last week, ran everything through the console and the mains. The FOH sound was much better through the mains than through the instrument amps, IMHO. And the sound was more consistent throughout the different listening areas. The setup time was the same for the two setups. I also gave the pianist (i.e., keyboardist) her own monitor--she had previously had to share a monitor with the lead vocalist.
We also organized the cables. Previously, all the cables, mics, and DIs were just thrown into two bins (each bin is about 50" x 24" x 6"). Now we have lots of transparent vinyl pouches. There is one pouch for each instrument. It contains the DI box, instrument cable, and XLR cable all connected. The stage box channel number is written on the XLR connector. Each vocalist also has a pouch containing a mic connected to an XLR cable. As much as possible, everything is color coded. For example, the guitar stuff is green: the XLR connector end has a plastic green shrink sleeve (instead of green tape), the DI box has green tape on it, and the pouch has green tape on it. So, a musician can just grab their pouch and hook up their instrument to the stage box with little or no training. By the way, my 14-year-old daughter had fun helping me create the pouches, etc. She particularly liked using the heat gun to shrink the plastic sleeves over the connectors :-)
Each of our powered monitors also has its own pouch. Each pouch contains the power cable and XLR cable to the stage box. The monitors are labeled. There is one pouch for the two mains monitors as well which contains the power cords and XLR cables. Each mains XLR cable connector is labeled. For example, the connector that goes into the stage box is labeled "Channel A, Left Mains".
All of the pouches fit into one bin. I put the extra cables and DIs into a second bin. Even these are in pouches. Each cable is color coded (at its connectors) according to its length. Each pouch is also color coded according to the length of its cables. For example, we have one big pouch containing 25-foot cables.
We have only used the new pouches once, but it seemed to work well. I will see what the other two sound teams think the next two Sundays.
At first, I had trouble finding an internet site that sold suitable pouches. But I finally found one site that had exactly what I needed.
I have been seriously researching the Presonus StudioLive 16.4.2 digital console. Everything I have seen is impressive. It's a matter of deciding whether it would improve the sound and/or further simplify the setup significantly enough to justify spending $2000. We have no processors at all (not even a graphic EQ).
