Getting our own PA - what to get??

dealmaker

So we are a 5 piece band - doing mainly Modern Rock covers - with a few classics thrown in.

We have always used a couple of local Sound guys - and paying them usually at least half of what we are making at a gig.

One of the PA guys has packed in recently - and our other guy isn't the most reliable. So this combined with the fact that we have moved to in-ears recently (an X32 Rack with splitter) means we have the heart of a good system now - and we are thinking its only a small jump to doing all the sound ourselves - (and it will pay for itself within 6 months)

Both guitarists are using processors (I'm on an AX8 - and love it) - the bass player goes direct from his bass-head to the IEM mixer - and we mic up the drums.

So we think we need to add just a pair of speakers - and maybe one or two bass bins?

So any recommendations - I think we want to make sure we are putting as decent a sound out as we can - with all the low frequencies to make up for the lack of any back line being used.

However - we'd ideally like something thats really light to transport and easy to set up? (we will probably get the singer to store/load it in - and set it up!)   At the practice room we have a couple of Aguilar bass cabs that use Neodinyium drivers - they are so light you can nearly pick them up with your little finger.  So is anyone out there making a PA rig with Neodynium ??....or anything else thats light??

Thanks for any suggestions!

ESBlonde

The Guy who packed in, does he have some used gear to move on? Might be the first port of call.

RocknRollDave

Depending on your venues, I would recommend trying a single bass bin before you invest in a second. Bass being omnidirections, you don't usually need one either side of the stage to get the bass coverage.

Also, if you haven't already got mic stands of your own, I would recommend investing in Hercules ones. They aren't cheap, but they last so much longer (in my experience) that you'll save in the long run.

Danny1969

It's kinda hard to suggest something without knowing how much you want to spend. There's all kinds of compact powerful PA's which are reasonably light from QSC, HK, EV etc but in general your looking at £3K upwards for 2 bins and 2 tops. Dave above is right about one bin in terms of coverage but I like 2 bins as it means you don't have the hassle and tripping hazard of speaker stands ..... course people can still walk into the bins ....

ICBM

As usual I will have to say - based on what I see most often for repair... avoid Wharfedale, and probably Mackie. Nothing else appears to have a noticeably above average failure rate.

robmac5150

I'd add RCF to Danny's list and look at Gumtree. I got an amazing Fohnn system for 2.5k

John_A

There are some cracking deals around ATM on RFC 710's, we use a couple of them with 2 subs for a 4 piece band.  As Danny says, QSC, HK, & EV  are also good, as are the Yamaha DXR range.  

Regarding light weight subs I've looked and come to the conclusion there aren't any

andyoz

I'm a big fan of RCF active stuff to.  They were tied in with EAW for a long time that didn't seem to help them but got out of that deal a while back and seem to be getting back their mojo.

I'm generally not a fan of plastic cabinets but the new generation from RCF (and others like FBT) seem to be raising the bare.  RCF's 7 series as commented above is one of the best value lightweight tops.  They have released Mk 4 versions so the Mk 2 values have softened.

In terms of Subs you could look at 15" to save weight but you will need more of them to match an 18".  I prefer bass reflex designs over band pass for live music and this RCF 15" is one of the better value ones.  http://www.rcf.it/en_US/professional-speaker-systems/sub-series/sub-905-as-ii    if you had two, I'd actually put them together as they couple acoustically and you get about 3dB increased output compared to putting them eight side of stage (that plus the extra 3dB for the second sub means 6dB more headroom which is a big number)

Although if you are travelling in an estate or van, you might find it just as good to buy a single chunky 18" active sub with wheels.  You can then put the two tops and desk on it and wheel into the gig as one big unit.  There was a second hand RCF SUB 8001 going on gumtreee local to me for £400 that would form the heart of a great rock wig for pubs. http://www.rcf.it/products/pro-speaker-systems/4pro-series/4pro-8001-as  Something like that would do the work of two cheapy shit 18" subs