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Live Duo Set-up Advice


Bootsy

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Greetings - Been a long time lurker and occasional poster but I could use some advice and thought I'd post here. (yes - I used the search function first!)

 

I'm part of a band that is playing more duo acts lately - about 2x a month. Most of our gigs are restaurants/small bars/coffee shops with 20 - 50ish people.

 

We're comprised of a guitarist and me (Roland VR-700) who both sing. we're looking for a solid, easy to transport set-up where we both can put the vocals and all insturments through the PAs without bringing amps. Most of what we do is acoustic guitar with piano/organ/eps kind of stuff. What would you suggest?

 

The ideal would be using this set-up for our duos and using our current larger gear for full band. We could then use the duo set up as monitors. Money wise - music is a hobby. While we'd pay for good quality, we don't need top-of-the-line break the bank equipment.

 

Any help is welcome! Thanks for your advice.

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Roland SA-300. Light, 4 inputs (each of which can take a mic or a stereo line in), simple and fast setup. The downside is the sound quality... decent, but not great.

 

Much better quality but slightly more cumbersome setup would be any small mixer and an EV ZXA1 powered speaker or two.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Here we go again, suggestions coming in that don't take into account what the OP actually posted.

 

Here's a recap of some pertinent points:

 

We could then use the duo set up as monitors.

 

Money wise - music is a hobby. While we'd pay for good quality, we don't need top-of-the-line break the bank equipment.

 

Carry on. :thu:

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First of all, I wouldn't run instruments through an L1. I did a similar duo with a singer/guitarist who rented that system for a few gigs and I hated the keyboard sound through it - boomy bottom, lack of articulation on the mid/highs and just general lack of presence.

 

If I were doing this again I'd probably go with a Yamaha StagePass system.

 

 

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Maybe look at used pro level Powered PA (or separate). I tried some of the DJ level powered systems at first for the same reason, lower cost - but quality was not satisfactory (mostly due to a vrey strong resonance peak in the mid bass range).

 

I'd rather have some used EON's, even first generation, for that matter, I bought a pair of EV SXA100+ a while back for less than half of new price. In the long run, if your needs increase, it is better to have something that still gets the job done than to have to sell stuff and buy again.

 

I'm very pleased with my pair of K10's, but the EV's got the same job done, just a bit bulkier and heavier (they are still in use though in my shop/studio).

 

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

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Do you want/need any effects or amp modeling on either the vocals or guitar? That small detail would influence the advice I give. I assume you're not doing any drum/bass backing tracks or anything like that?

 

What's funny, is I did a duo with a guitar player years ago, but would never recommend now what we had then. There was no such thing as powered speakers back then. And they hadn't yet invented subs with built in poles for the top speakers. I built my own 15" subs with parts from a speaker stand built into it so I could slide poles in them and adjust the height of the peavey SP5's we used. Each pole had a T with a short pole coming off with a Par 56 and a pin spot (our "light show"). We had a pair of home made 8" 2-way wedge monitors (they didn't make 8" wedges back then). We had a 14 space rack with a mackie 1202, vocal effects, guitar effects, crossover, 2 power amps, and a multi pin connector for my 2-tier keyboard rig (with custom switching mechanism to route, via channel inserts, my lower keyboard and vocal mic directly into the FX unit for vocoder effects).

 

Anyway, nowadays you could get a pair of K10's or 12's, each run your mic and instrument into one. If you want vocal and/or guitar effects, add a small mixer with built-in effects and/or a small pedal fx unit for the acoustic...done. So much easier now.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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I know this is a little off from the specific request of OP. However, I am part of piano/acoustic guitar/vocal duo with similar needs. Equipment at this point is: Soundcraft MFXi mixer (has built-in effects and enough inputs for all our mics/instruments and occasional extra vocalist or instrumentalist who might show up), 2 QSC K12's -- nice sound for vocals, guitar and keyboard, yet reasonably light weight (these make very nice monitors in larger venues btw), 2 Yamaha SM10 monitors (small, light, sound great. I power these with the QSC amp I use for my keyboards in larger groups).

 

Seriously considering getting a PreSonus 1818VSL when they come out and getting rid of the mixer altogether, using laptop instead (and getting much better live recordings - currently I just capture an Aux from the mixer for recording - less than ideal).

 

This may be more gear than you want to purchase and/or carry around, but we have found it works very well in the small venues we play. Yeah, it's only a hobby, but you want to sound good too.

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I love the advice so far. It seems a mixer and powered PA seems the way to go. Please feel free to keep sharing your ideas.

 

Any opinions on the Mackie SRM-350?

 

We'd want effects and we don't do backing tracks so a mixer would be necessary.

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Speaking of the SRM-350, does anybody know of better speakers for the same price? Thats $400-$500 each.

 

The K10 is worlds better, though. I would spend the extra $500 on a pair.

I haven't heard them against the SRM-350, but the comparably priced EV ZXA1 I mentioned sounds great... better than the K8, but not as loud.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Speaking of the SRM-350, does anybody know of better speakers for the same price? Thats $400-$500 each.

 

The K10 is worlds better, though. I would spend the extra $500 on a pair.

I haven't heard them against the SRM-350, but the comparably priced EV ZXA1 I mentioned sounds great... better than the K8, but not as loud.

 

+1 on the EVs. You can fly these on poles as mains for your duo gig and use them as monitors for the band (wedge design). I play pretty small places like you're describing too. I will say these EVs are not very loud; the QSCs will have more headroom but to my ears (and at least a few others) they do not sound as pleasing as the EVs. Also, FYI I do not sing; I am running keys (mainly piano) thru my amplification (EV ZXA1) only and so far don't need the extra power. But if your full band is loud, that is something to consider.

 

What about a mixer? I have one of those little Yamaha MXG82cx mixers with built-in effects ... that could get you reverb for your vox if you add that. Thos Yamahas come in larger configurations if you want more inputs for full band and are pretty reasonably priced.

Original Latin Jazz

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"I am not certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur." Patti Smith

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First of all, I wouldn't run instruments through an L1. I did a similar duo with a singer/guitarist who rented that system for a few gigs and I hated the keyboard sound through it - boomy bottom, lack of articulation on the mid/highs and just general lack of presence.

 

If I were doing this again I'd probably go with a Yamaha StagePass system.

 

 

...and my experience is the opposite. I've done loads of gigs with my dual L1:s in all kinds of settings and love them to death. :)

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I heard the L1s being demo-d when they were new and the band was quite loud with them, and almost crispy clear up to the dB point of some annoyance threshold. So depending on the venue being a nitting club up to most things short of a rock-type performance they sounded able to satisfy. For monitoring I'd think the wide reach and undirectedness wouldn't be suitable. Also the deep and subtle-low band sound might be better served by simply plugging into a softly adjusted bigger PA.

 

Last time I did a (blues) duo I quite enjoyed the combo amp sounds mixed in normally small/medium venue, even when they're not working at their top volume at all they still have that stable warm sound to them.

 

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I've used the L1's for church gigs, and have heard them used for solo/duo acts in small bars. They work well for that, but I cannot imagine using them for a monitor and have never seen anyone try it. And they ARE pricey.

 

Sounds like a small mixer with built-in effects and a pair of active speakers is the way to go. Just audition them at the store and see which ones you like better.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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I've seen some guys use the L1 as a monitor onstage. Last time I saw the one act I can think of, they were in a very different venue and not using it. I don't know if he still does.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Also the deep and subtle-low band sound might be better served by simply plugging into a softly adjusted bigger PA..

 

That's my ideal setup - but not my ideal haul... :)

 

For me, a big + with the L1:s is the possibility to use them as PA and monitors - you can set them up behind a live band, no feedback problems, no ear fatigue (I had Mackie SRM 350 and 450 setups, sold them both) and ultra portable. If you need more bass, you can just add more bass modules.

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I have an acoustic duo / trio where I play piano and the other instruments are acoustic and/or electric guitar. Plus 2 vocals. We picked up a powered mixer plus speakers combo frmo Yamaha. I think it's a 6 ch mixer with some effects built in and a single mono powered feed and an unpowered monitor output. What we do is just position the speakers so at least one is somewhat behind us and we just monitor ourselves that way off the FOH speakers. Very simple and easy to set-up. Probably a 100W system with 10" speakers which is more than adequate for the places we play - even moderate outdoors gigs. Sometimes we will add a powered monitor, but once we figured out that we could just position the mains so we could hear them that simplified the whole set up and we are hearing the mix the audience hears which is good so we can adjust as needed since we have no sound guy.
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I use Eon G2 and JBL powered sub. But I play organ and bass through it. I us a small 6 Channel mixer.

Jimmy

 

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho

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