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PA question


Ross Brown

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How much venue will a 200W PA system handle for a classic rock band? Small club, big bar, outdoors?

 

I'll run the bass through my own amp head and cabinets.

"When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown
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I agree. Once you need more than just vocals through the PA then you need to be thinking in terms of thousands of watts and/or large and efficient speakers.

 

The cheapest option would be a couple of Bill Fitzmaurice Omni 15 cabs - they'll go much louder and deeper with a few hundred watts than the usual 1x15" plus horn tweeter budget PA cabs. That will require some woodworking on your part though!

 

Alex

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200 watts for vocals is fine, live drum kit will be about 350W, so bass and guitar won't be anything like turned up fully. I would have thought a venue with about 150 people would be max.

Feel the groove internally within your own creativity. - fingertalkin

 

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We have 2 T-300 Peavey colums and 2 65 W monitors. Guitars have good amps. I have a good amp.

 

Maybe just vocals through PA. I am not sure. I am new at this part of it.

 

I was thinking of buying a new PA system and using what we have for practice. I have about $700-800 to spend.

 

I'll do some reading and rethink.

"When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown
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Ross, please just get out and play a gig in a bar. Try out what you have, or hire a big rig first. Get some experience before you spend on something that you have no experience with.

 

With 200 watts, there's no way you will be able to put anything else but vocals through them.

Feel the groove internally within your own creativity. - fingertalkin

 

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When I have a limited PA I like to mic vocals of course, but micing the bass drum is the next most important thing in a rock band IMO.

But as TimR said please jsut play out first and see how it goes. Also, try renting like he said. Then you can see what fits your wants and desires.

 

Jonathan

 

 

 

 

 

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May go with new pa for vocals and take your advice on the other. We seem now to be rapidly heading toward bookings. Found a great singer. Everything else is in place.
"When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown
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Good news on the new singer, Ross! :evil: And this was just in a small corner of a basement we used for practice.

 

(What? Did we play too loud? What? Can't hear you? What'd you say? Huh?) :D

 

To be fair, we pointed the mains away from us to keep feedback down and I didn't always stand out front to check for balance. Also, I'm sure the parallel concrete walls kept us from turning the PA up too loud. (I don't remember what we used outside. We borrowed the drummer's brother's PA; he installs sound systems for a living and he had better stuff.)

 

I still like these diagrams from Crown to help visualize how a PA system can be put together instead of trying to buy an entry-level powered mixer with all the fixin's in a "gig pack" package.

 

I also have an old Peavey powered mixer, cracklin' pots and all! (All I have to run it through is a 2x12 guitar cab! :eek: )

 

Anyway, no, I don't think 200 W is going to do much for a band PA. Ask around to see what other bands in your area are using. (Maybe all the venues have house PAs?) Rent a system for a gig (as mentioned above) from a reliable sound company that you can trust (uh, probably not GC :rolleyes: ) and ask for advice on what you should need. If they try to oversell you, you should be able to figure it out on the gig.

 

2003 TB thread heralding the Mackie 808m.

UK PA hire advice.

More BBC advice (band setup).

More BBC advice (monitors).

Small room advice.

Advice from the other side (see bottom for outdoor PA advice).

Something from the vocalist\'s p.o.v. (includes links).

 

Ok, this one looks promising:

What PA?

 

Example of PAs for hire (UK -- 3.5kW for a "small party" -- Wow!).

 

Hold the phone ... Why even bother looking else where when we have our own very knowledgeable experts right here at Music Player! (Man, Bill is a fount of info, is he not? :thu: )

Music Player -- it\'s all you need to read!

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First, we do with about 300W in a B$#%#&$^ head and two Yamaha 15 cabs. We put 2-3 vox, sax, harp (mic at the harp amp) and 1 percussion. It doesn't sound wonderful, but it's strong enough. I think you should try out your 200W system.

 

I received the Carvin catalog - they have some decent packages - something to think about if you can't get a decent discount nearby (or ebay).

 

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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Thanks Tom. I got the Carvin catalog too. Went with the 500W system for vocals for sure. We'll see about the rest.

 

I am still learning but this will serve at least one purpose.

"When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown
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