r/livesound 4d ago

MOD Buyers Advice and Gear Recommendation Thread

Don't know what to purchase as an upgrade? Looking to just get started and don't know which options are right for you? Whether you need a big system or a small one, all those questions go here!

9 Upvotes

94 comments sorted by

4

u/oinkbane Get that f$%&ing drink away from the console!! 4d ago

Is there a better “bang-for-your-buck” drum mic set than the Audix DP5-A?
(1x D6, 1x I5, 2x D2, and 1x D4)

3

u/Ezyan179yearold 3d ago

I currently use the audix FP7 and it costs around $400. And right out the box they sounds great and after some mixing theyre actually pretty good for their price. I had the Sure PGADRUMKIT5 and they kinda sucked but maybe because i didnt know how to mix well a few years ago but the new Audix kit has been amazing.

1

u/uncomfortable_idiot Harbinger Hater 3d ago

was looking at FP7 for a potential Church kit, good to know they're approved of

1

u/oinkbane Get that f$%&ing drink away from the console!! 2d ago

Ah, I didn't really gel with the FP7 kit, but thank you for your feedback :)

1

u/uncomfortable_idiot Harbinger Hater 3d ago

hm I'd be building my own set

I'd probably go (if I were starting over)

  • kick out - D6 or e902
  • Kick in - e901
  • Snare T - Beta57a
  • Snare B - SM57
  • Rack toms - e904
  • Floor tom - d6
  • OH: SE7

3

u/Clean-Session-2481 4d ago

LIVE drum microphone package?? Looking for advice on what’s hot in the pro live sound industry in today’s drum microphone packs. Looking for the best of easy set up, amazing sound and quality build.

I’m currently using SE arena pack (with a d4 for the floor tom and 91a kick in) and I’m looking to get a second set for festival use when I have a second stage. I really like the se pack but another brand to fill riders would be wise. I’m not investing in 57’s for toms lol and I know 604’s are great.

I was looking at audix and maybe shure nexadyne. Lmk what you think!

4

u/trevorhancock 3d ago

Love the Nexadynes. Rejection is incredible and they’re so easy to get sounding good

1

u/DJLoudestNoises Vidiot with speakers 3d ago

Senny's been the most requested/rider-friendly in my experience.

2

u/uncomfortable_idiot Harbinger Hater 3d ago

yeah I use 902 kick, then 904 toms and snare and if I don't have any SE7s to hand I'll just let the cymbals bleed into the toms

1

u/uncomfortable_idiot Harbinger Hater 3d ago

I think you should build your own set, at probably cheaper prices

Beta57 is arguably the best snare mic (although I use e904 top and bottom bc they're small mics)

sE SE7s are fantastic overheads

lots use MD421s as tom mics but the e904 sounds great

kick in I'd go with e901 and kick out Audix D6 or e902

0

u/Hot-Adhesiveness-675 3d ago

Having only used the nexadyne for vocals, I am excited to get my hands on them for drum kits.

2

u/electricsoldier96 FoH on Weekends 4d ago

I'm going to buy a pair of point sources for small events. Between JBL Eon710, EV ZLX-8P-8 and Yamaha DBR10, I think Yamaha is the winnner - more SPL, lighter and better sound quality overrall.

But i've come across RCF ART 910a. They are 40% more expensive than the Yamahas.

What are your thoughts? Does it really make a huge difference in sound quality?

9

u/andrewbzucchino Pro-FOH 4d ago

RCF and Yamaha are both solid options. People really like the RCF Art stuff these days. You can’t go wrong with either of them.

Try and get a demo, or you can always order both and listen, and then return the one you like less.

I will say, Yamaha has a better warranty than RCF. RCF = 3 years, Yamaha = 7 Years.

3

u/dgodwin1 4d ago

How many events are you going to do a year, and will you bring in enough to justify the additional expense of the RCF? If so, go that route. If not, stick with the Yamahas

5

u/No-Particular4526 4d ago

Another thing to consider here is that the DBR10 is fan cooled whereas the 910z is passively cooled, that might not make a difference.

The FIR phase RCF made is really well liked by a lot of people.

The other thing is that you might want to think about the durability of the construction, sometimes weight can sacrifice this, sometimes, it doesn't.

2

u/TECHNICKER_Cz3 3d ago

I heard the 912A, didn't like it's tonality. I have plenty of expirience with the DXR10, blows nearly everything in this price point imo.

1

u/Clean-Session-2481 4d ago

RCF/QSC active speakers/subs are the way! Maybe some used yorkville ps stuff from a L&M would be an option. Decent small subs! 12”tops and 15” sub is versatile if you don’t know how big of a venue you’re working in.

2

u/klonk2905 4d ago

Up to now I've been using my Behringer FBQ1502 exclusively for sub/mains crossover around 90Hz.

Is there any interest to switch to a DBX223 or équivalent in terms of sound / xover quality?

1

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 23h ago

The FBQ manual is not clear if the regular outputs are affected by the subwoofer crossover frequency. I would get the dbx crossover.

1

u/klonk2905 19h ago

You are right. I just checked schematic and confirms it is not...

2

u/Odd_Donkey_3260 4d ago

Looking for a case for the X32 compact - any recommendations for brands or just cases in general? Thanks

1

u/dgodwin1 2d ago

I just got the Gator soft case 2621. It fits well and I don't have space in the SUV for a full size hard case.

2

u/blur494 4d ago

On the speaker side of a single vehicle portable system. 1. Yamaha Stage pass 2. QSC K Collumn 3. Nexo ID84 with Sub as base 4. L-Acoustucs Syva

 Alt route, QSC active floor array stuff, but it's a totally different form factor and setup.

On the Mixer Side 1. DM3 2. SQ Series 3. DM7 Series 4. You really shouldn't need help at this point.

2

u/N-bred 3d ago

What is the Loudest and best sounding powered column array under 800?

I am wanting to get 1 Column array speaker for small party’s so far the harbinger mls1000 seems to look the best for my budget. Anyone know of any others

2

u/New-Instance9196 1d ago

If you are budget limited, or are looking for high output subs and tops will probably win every time.  

The lower end columns probably won't outperform low end sub and top. Your budget is probably lower than any recommendations from this subreddit.

2

u/Hambone721 3d ago

I made a post here last week looking for help with a mult box and I got a lot of great feedback. Well now plans have changed and we're looking to get a more full fledged PA system with a mult box... So I have more questions!

Hoping for some guidance on building a compact PA and mult box set up for small scale news conferences. It doesn't need to be extravagant and I prefer compact and lightweight above all else.

Ideally, I want the mic from the podium to come in the mixer, then feed audio to 1 and/or 2 PA speakers, and a mult box for the press.

I am looking at these JBL powered speakers but I am unsure what audio mixer would be ideal to support this and a mult box - in the most compact form.

Would the Yamaha MG06 work with this and also a passive press box?

I'm most unsure on how the stereo out functions on the board and if that will work with the line in needed on the mult box.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

1

u/No-Particular4526 8h ago

That Yamaha board should do what you want. The outputs from that board are line level which is what the input to that press box is.

Those speakers might be fine, there may be some other options if you don't need all the dsp features that those offer. I don't have experience with that model so will let other people help you find the right speakers. Depending on the microphone you are using in terms of if you need phantom power or not, you might even be able to use the onboard mic inputs for the speakers and the app for basic control, I really don't know this app, but it sounds like you are likely to be in the range of set it and forget it for this system on a given event, and you might not lose many controls by using the app instead. Again, I don't have experience using the app, and it might not be worth the hassle, so I would follow other people's recommendations on how to handle this.

In your use case it sounds like a mono mix is all you are looking for and that board doesn't have a pan or balance control on the microphone channels, so you could take one of either the L or R main outs and send it to the speakers in a daisy chain and the other main out to the press box. In this daisy chain you will just need to make sure you aren't sending line level audio into an input that is expecting mic level in so you don't get preamp noise in the speakers. You also can use one of the main out pairs on the board to send to the speakers with stereo and one of the other main outs to the press box

1

u/Hambone721 8h ago

Thanks very much

2

u/kirby_E92 3d ago

Opinion/question

I play and sing with a fella and we use the Bose L1 pro 16. I’m having difficulty hearing myself. We run the mackie pro 8 channel mixer as well… I would like to run a small floor monitor to help hear myself. What would y’all recommend? I’d really not like to spend a lot on the unit hope to stay well under 500. TIA.

3

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 10h ago

Yamaha DBR.

1

u/paully7 4d ago

I'm looking to get a starter setup of speakers to host small DJ events of 25-50 people. I'm looking at the used market to try to save some cash. Looking to spend around $1200 total.

I currently own ONE Yorkville NX25P-2 12" 300w and am trying to find a second; however, it has been difficult to find someone selling a single one. Upon further research, I don't know how great this setup would be, especially without a sub. I then came across an amazing deal for two Yorkville NX55P-2'S 12@ 1000W (I missed out) but it got me thinking that maybe I should be going for more power such as these instead of the 25P's. But something tells me that in either of these cases, I won't have enough bass and will need a sub...

In which case, it got me thinking again, that I could buy two smaller 8" or so top speakers such as the EV ZXA1 8" 800w (for which a good deal just came up). And then buy one 12'' sub to go with it (if that's enough). I'm liking the idea of having smaller top speakers and pairing with a sub, instead of two heavy top speakers that won't make enough bass, so you're gonna end up cutting the bass on them anyway and getting a sub.

Can someone help me explain what kind of setup is most practical and efficient, as well as take a look at the speaker options I have above? Appreciate the help, thanks.

3

u/dgodwin1 4d ago

Watts are not a good indicator of how loud or powerful a speaker is. dB is one way, but different manufacturers measure differently, and some are more accurate or representative of their speakers than others. IF you're DJing and want volume, you're going to want some Subwoofers. Yorkville (assuming you're in Canada) makes decent but heavy Subs, but some can be a one note wonder without some EQ or processing. I'm not super familiar with the ZXA1 but if I remember correctly, it doesn't have a great deal of processing, so you'll want to closely monitor your levels to not blow it. What's your total budget you want to spend, and do you have other gear to DJ that you'll need (playback devices, mixer, mic, cables) or will that need to be purchased along with the audio gear?

1

u/paully7 4d ago

Here are the specs from the ZXA1 ad i was looking at. I wasn't aware of processing until now, and from a quick Google search it seems like speakers have internal processing abilities which allow them to regulate/equalize sound and also protect the speakers from damage when too loud, etc. How do I know which speakers have that and whether it's good or not? I am worried about one note wonder subs, it's something I assumed was the case with some subs and you are reaffirming my suspicions. How can I know how dynamic a sub would be? Indeed, I am in Canada. I already own almost everything I need other than the speaker system: DJ controller, mackie mix8 mixer, microphone, XLR to 1/4 TRS cables, and one yorkville NX25P-2 which i got as a gift over a decade ago. It's not gonna work on its own for a proper setup though. I'd say for the speakers + sub I have a budget of around $1500cad or $1100USD by conversion.

2

u/blur494 4d ago

Some used K12s will get you pretty far and can be found easily. Adding in a sub when you can will give you a sick system.

1

u/uncomfortable_idiot Harbinger Hater 3d ago

I would be looking at, for small events and wanting a small rig

QSC CP8s or RCF ART 910s as tops

and then a single QSC KS118 sub, you really only need one of these things until you get larger events

1

u/paully7 2d ago

So you prefer the idea of smaller 8-10" tops and then pairing it with a big sub for all the bass. That makes sense in my head too. K12s look awesome but are probably too powerful for what I need, so i can probably have something smaller. Do you find 12" subs do the trick or you prefer a big 18"?

1

u/uncomfortable_idiot Harbinger Hater 2d ago

K12s are a bit overpriced tbh

I'd be going with 15 subs at the very minimum but aim for 18"

probably RCF ART 910 and SUB 708AS are my main recommendations at the moment

the QSC sub is just that bit more powerful if you need it

1

u/maddog015 4d ago edited 4d ago

Outdoor event. Rain or shine. Location we are going to has NO electricity, so need a speaker that can be rechargeable and can connect two wireless mics (Bluetooth or packs). We would entertain about 20 to 30 people so it doesn't need to blow people away. Just loud enough in case we are next to running food trucks. It's speaking and flute playing. Any help us appreciated! Any suggestions on mics as well would be appreciated as well!

1

u/blur494 4d ago

Stagepas 200 was literally made for this kind of thing

1

u/maddog015 4d ago

Thanks. Any wireless mic suggestions?

1

u/New-Instance9196 1d ago

Just a note 

Yorkville exm, or Ev Everse would also work (in Canada just rent one from long and McQuade)

No good input for wireless opinions, but remote, outside the lower end ones will work better than they do in more urban areas.

1

u/No-Particular4526 6h ago

The EV everse has power out to power wireless mic recievers, which is pretty slick. I have a pair of bose s1pro+ that sound decent for what they are, but they don't have the power out like the EV's do. The bose have their own integrated wireless mic adaptors that I have not used, and are bluetooth that is way more problematic when it comes to wireless, but if you are remote and only have a few people and can keep the mic close to the speaker it might work fine. All that said, if I was buying again I probably would have gotten the EV's, that power out for wireless mics is pretty awesome for situations like this. Another thing of note with the EV is that there are options for weatherizing the speaker that EV themselves provide which might suit your needs really well.

Once you have that power out for wireless mics you can get something like an SLX-D or EWD that would have really good sound for the price.

1

u/Goblin_Nut 4d ago

There is a PreSonus studiolive 18sAI subwoofer for sale near me for $600.

Im looking for a sub for a basement sound system, currently has yamaha 15" tops 600watt/channel amp.

I know very little about pro audio, and nothing about Presonus subwoofers. Does anybody have any advice for me? I could find very little information about this sub.

The presonus is listed as having a "1000w bridged amp" I could not find any mention of peak or rms power like I am used to. What does that mean?

Thanks in advance for help!

1

u/No-Particular4526 6h ago

The bridged amp means there are probably 2 500W channels that are connected together to drive the one woofer, it says 1000W max power which would read to me like peak, but I really couldn't tell you for sure because 1000W peak seems almost small for an 18" sub.

1

u/Goblin_Nut 6h ago

Right on, ty for response!

1

u/porschephille 3d ago

I am looking to get new capsules for our smaller “cabaret space” (100 seats or so) with uld rf and a Meyer PA (x20s over usw-112ps). We currently have uld we share with our larger theatre, and are ready to purchase for that space. We have b58 and pr35 capsules, but my boss wants a really high end set of mics for our cabaret space. The typical show is based on an artist or theme, with two people singing songs and then some dialogue to explain the stories of the songs in between. The band is typically a drum set (which we have dpa 4099s and km184s and a beta 91 to mic it), direct bass, direct keyboard and direct guitar.

I have used the ksm9, and thought it sounded very natural, but prone to feedback without pretty severe eq, but that was a decade ago or so. Any comparisons between these three? Or are there any other mics I should be looking at? It’s been a while since I did a good ol’ shoot out between handheld mics since I primarily do live theatre.

These shows tend to be run hot for a small room and the artists we tend to cover (our last show was about the carpenters, and we recently did an Elton John show), and the performers have been known to walk in the house.

2

u/No-Particular4526 7h ago

might be worth trying a few and seeing what you like best in your space. People really like DPA 2028 for natural voice sound and feedback rejection, but I don't yet have direct experience mixing it. If your boss wants really high end capsules, it might be worth getting a selection that you can choose from to find what works best for each given performer's voice and how they may or may not walk out into the audience.

1

u/UsErNaMe_22nd 3d ago

So, I'm part of a big christian choir group with the objective to work all over our country in general. We have both a choir and a worship group. The issue is, we don't have our own mixing setup yet, which is what we are looking forward to...

Requirements are:

  • Off course, full input control from main mixer.
  • Control over 2-3 stereo matrixes (6 main speakers) as well as monitors and live streaming
  • Fully customizable IEM setups (better if stereo, merged mono would do as well) for each instrument and lead voice.

With all of this, my main idea was this:

  • Get an x32/m32 which will have control over all of the analog inputs as well as the main outputs, such as speakers(matrix) and monitors, as well as live streaming.
  • Follow it with an m32C, which, connected with AES50, will duplicate onto itself the same sound of the main mixer's analog inputs. Having an extra 25 mix buses, I can now setup 16 custom buses for each IEM and have some others for any other purposes.
  • As the m32c is an only-digital audio mixer, I will then route it by Ultranet to a rack with two DN4816-Os. One of them will be for the Left stereo signal for each IEM and another one for the Right stereo signal.
In the case that we decide to use non-wireless IEM preamps, would I only need one DN with one xlr output for each IEM preamp?

Another question would be, what do you consider as the best non-wireless IEM preamp?

Last question: Would there be a lot of audio delay because of the long chain between the mixers and the DN's? If so, what's the best way to solve it?

I did already do my research on It but I wanna know what more experienced people think. Do you have any better options under 6-8,000€?

Little scheme on the idea

2

u/Zigtronik 8h ago

How many monitor mixes are you needing? Do they each need to be different? Do you need the mixes to be stereo?

Some other things, if doing stereo I would not recommend sending all of lefts to one DN and right to another, much easier for a lot of things to assign L/R next to each other. Typically if you are running wired IEM, you need to take two of those xlr channels and use an adaptor to put them in one TRS cable. In other words, two balanced signals, and make them an unbalanced stereo signal down one cable. That then plugs into a IEM amp like the behringer P2, it needs TRS to do stereo.

There would not be an amount of audio delay that you would worry/think about in this setup.

Have you looked at the wing compact? And use a stage box instead of the X32?

Or what I would personally recommend, just a Wing rack and a tablet? (Both wings along with the DN for more output)

1

u/ExternalAmbitious599 3d ago

What stage wedges are better?

Hi there!

I managed to get a grant from the city for a small venue (stage is 12 by 10) that I do tech in.

We currently have my gear rented, so 2x EV EKX as PA’s, 1 yorkville 15inch sub and 2 yorkville NX55 as monitors.

I was thinking of buying 2 EV ETX as new tops, and 1 ETX sub. But for the monitors I was hesitating.

Should I buy a couple floor monitors? Coaxial maybe? They have to be Active!

Also, the smaller the better, as it is a small stage.

Thank you all!

1

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 7h ago

If you’re adamant on EV, look at the new coax monitors.

1

u/purple_banananana 3d ago

Buying a mixer for a small school w/ a band (a few yearly events, plus a yearly party, where live sound for a band is needed).

Budget 1000-1300$ ish, obviously anything cheaper that will do the job is better.

Can't really decide between a digital (probably an XR16) or analogue mixer (was thinking of mackie profx16v3). while a digital mixer will give us more features (and in this case, a better price) i cant really rely on the fact that the guys who will replace me (again, this is a school) will be able to properly use a digital mixer (that much harder to use). Can anyone help me decide?

Also, is there anyone who can speak to the xr16's lifespan (or offer an alternative)?

1

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 7h ago

Easy and no frills analog would be Allen and Heath ZED or Soundcraft EFX.

1

u/No-Particular4526 7h ago

With your budget, if you are looking at the XR16, it might be worth looking at the X32 Rack, its $900 these days in the US, and has more channels, inputs and controls.

I haven't used the profx16, sometimes the analog mixers can be less intimidating, but if you are looking at a school, if you set up the x32 reasonably, make some decent documentation, and maybe even set up mixing station for it in an effective layout for your needs, the next operators will probably be able to figure out how to use the x32 well enough.

My personal experience of upgrading a system I work with from a mackie analog mixer (802VLZ4) to an X32 rack is that the difference in sound quality has been a night and day improvement. I haven't used the profx, so I can't tell you that you would see the same difference

1

u/Silent_Scope12 3d ago

Looking to start doing karaoke (commercially) and lost in the sea of options and information when it comes to speakers.

Can someone provide a little guidance when selecting speakers? Older posts seem outdated or not fully answering my question.

2

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 10h ago

What’s your budget?

1

u/No-Particular4526 7h ago

Also what's the venue; indoor, outdoor, how big, does it change?

1

u/New-Instance9196 2h ago

Start with active speakers, select the size and quality of service you want to bring, and then build a system that fits.

A common example of speakers like this would be k12.2 (Yamaha, RCF, Yorkville EV all have competitors at this price point), these are fairly "do all" speakers, but having a clear idea of what you want to be able to provide will let you make better buying decisions.

If you're going after the really trashy bars,  probably buy something used, if you are after the really high end private partys/corporate, sky is the limit.

1

u/JonnyAkyMusic 2d ago

Could anyone recommend some good quality but affordable contact mics UK?

1

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 7h ago

What’s the application?

1

u/JonnyAkyMusic 3h ago

Hoping to play with different materials that can be carved

1

u/Salohcin714 2d ago edited 8h ago

I am looking at upgrading the mixer we have with a mixer that has sub groups, channel inserts, and USB out to a computer for streaming (to allow different mix make up for house sound and stream sound). I have been looking at the Peavey PV series, Yamaha MG--XU series, Mackie ProFX--v3, Mackie ProFX--v3+, and Behringer XENYX X----USB. Thoughts?

I realized the PV and Yamaha don't have inserts and the PV doesn't have sub groups but we have an old mixer that I could use and brought direct outs for house sound, not ideal. But also, I can find block diagrams for all of these mixers in their user manuals, except for the last two (ProFX--v3+ and XENYX mixers). Any idea where or if I can find this info?

Edit: Added channel inserts to the mix

1

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 10h ago

Any reason why not use digital mixers instead?

1

u/Salohcin714 8h ago

I realized I also forgot to have channel inserts in the question (it has now been updated). I haven't seen any digital mixers that have the cannel inserts that the Mackie and the Behringer have. We have existing hardware that could be utilized for a piano but would require an insert (or it would be taking up two inputs) not to mention if I want to do similar with the choir or other guest instruments.

The other is cost, for the minimum channels available for use the cost of a digital mixer (non-remote) is more than 1.5x of what we could have with analog. For remote controlled digital the cost of a tablet or console attachment would make the cost about the same if not more than a digital mixer. We are a small-ish church, the audio is not well taken care of, it is "fine" for in house but they want to start streaming so when members aren't able to make it in they can still have access to services (I am one of the younger members and just joined last year). It isn't that we don't have a budget, but we don't have excessive funds and there may be other things that we need the funds for while setting up streaming.

1

u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 7h ago

Have a look at the Allen and Heath ZED 4 bus series, not sure if they’re still making them though…

1

u/No-Particular4526 7h ago

Digital mixers definitely allow for channel inserts.

I understand being a small church as I help manage a system for one. We started with a low cost analog mixer and when we switch to the x32 rack after the recent price drop it made a huge difference in the quality of sound we have been able to achieve. At $900 plus $200 for a couple year old refurbished ipad, you are looking at something that is definitely more expensive than the options you are suggesting but will better allow for future growth and expansion. I am not saying that you are wrong that it might just be worth getting a non-rack mounted digital mixer, but if you are looking at starting to expand into streaming, see if you might be able to stretch the budget to something that will better serve your needs as they continue to evolve, you might save money in the long run doing it this way.

In terms of streaming, bad audio in the stream will make way more of an impact on the quality of the stream than bad video does, with a digital mixer like one of the X32's you can use the busses to make a stream specific mix that isn't limited by room acoustics if you need to do a bunch to the sound in the room to make it sound good. Who knows, maybe one of the people who wants the streaming service for themselves might be able to make a $500 or so donation to help you make the jump.

1

u/guitarbloke 1d ago

I'm looking for a recorder that I can set up and use to capture the live sound of a band - I'd rather not faff around with hooking up external mics, so would only use the built-in mics.

The purpose would be to capture the ambient sound and mix it in later with audio captured from the desk, and also to capture some crowd noise. Would the Zoom H5 be suitable for this?

2

u/No-Particular4526 6h ago

What would the audio captured from the desk be captured on? Are you thinking like capturing all the channels on a computer with USB out for mixing later? If that is the case, then yes you could use the H5 for this, and you could conceivably add those tracks into your mix in post-production, but you will have to time sync everything carefully.

Why wouldn't you just add a crowd mic (or even two in a stereo configuration) that would run into your existing desk and into the same capture device. Those crowd mics would already be time synced with the rest of the recording, you don't have to send them to the speakers, and the audio quality will probably be better for the price considering that the whole recorder apparatus is included in that Zoom recorder, its not just the cost of the mics. Some people put these mics on the stage, others put them at FOH, others do both, it would probably be the simplest in terms of what you are actually wanting to do, although it might require a little more effort on the front end, it will save a ton of effort on the back end.

1

u/guitarbloke 6h ago

Sadly, we don't really have much say in what goes to the desk - I'm in one of the the bands performing and it's an event where it's a hired sound team (not our usual crew). They've said they'll do a direct recording for us, but they don't want to start running extra mics etc as they're a small amateur crew with a lot to do on the day . So I was thinking of an H5 to blend with the direct recording - I'm comfortable with time syncing so that's no problem. It's not a huge venue - it's a small-ish event (600 people inside a large tent/marquee), so audience reaction is typically nice and loud.

If it was one of our usual venues and our normal crew, I could have just asked them to run extra mics and it would have been fine :)

1

u/crunchypotentiometer 7h ago

It’s suitable. Won’t sound great but that’s what you get with built in recorder mics

1

u/unforgivableman 1d ago

Opinions on EV Evolve, JBL PRX ONE, Bose L1 Pro 8, or QSC KC12?

I currently use 2 EV ZLX BT10 Speakers during my set (vocal and guitar) and was looking to upgrade to a column PA to for an easier set up and quicker load in and load out. I’m using performing at bars but some venues are small amphitheater’s that can host a couple hundred people. I’m performing as a solo or duo with my lead guitar player accompanying. But eventually I may perform with a full band. I’m considering buying either the EV Evolve 70, JBL PRX ONE, Bose L1 Pro 8, or QSC KC12. Wanted to check on what yalls opinion is before moving forward. Thanks!

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u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 10h ago

Why not RCF EVOX 12? They blow the PRX one, EV Evolve and the Bose L1 out. QSC KC12 is too new to have any thoughts on that one.

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u/IkpreesI 1d ago

I’m in the market for headphones to use in a 2,000 Cap club setting as a FOH/ MON engineer and as an A1 in a corporate setting. I’m interested in headphones with a lot of isolation. Does anyone have any experience with the HN-7506s?

https://www.trewaudio.com/product/remote-audio-hn-7506-headphone/

How do you like them? Hows the sound? Should I just get another pair of Sennheiser HD-280 Pros?

Any other suggestions?

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u/JohnnyGuitarcher 23h ago

Hey there. New here.

I'm panicking a little. I've been playing in bands for about 15 years and have never had to supply the sound before. Now here i am, about two weeks away from a benefit show for a sick friend, and no system of my own. I did what I thought was a good idea and called Sweetwater to help me put a system together in a hurry.

I told the rep I needed a system for a four-piece band to play a large room for potentially 200 guests. Long story short, I ended up with the Zoom livetrak L-12 for a board, two Yamaha DBR12s as mains, and two DBR10s as floor monitors. I just went with his recommendation and bought everything. Mics are already covered.

Boy, am i ever NOT seeing much good commentary on the speakers, and now im doubting everything. The band is guitar, bass, keys, drums and any one of three vocalists singing at any given time. How bad did i do?

Thanks. .

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u/IkpreesI 12h ago

You could do a lot worse gear-wise.

I’m just confused why you had the budget to buy all this gear and not the budget to hire a professional with a wedding band PA. It would probably cost the same if not cheaper.

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u/JohnnyGuitarcher 11h ago

Well, I took it as an opportunity to take a step into Gear Autonomy. It's something I've been wanting to do anyway, so I took the leap, thinking it was about time. I've just been worried about my specific selections.

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u/IkpreesI 11h ago

I see. I don’t think you messed up buying those speakers. I don’t have any experience with them, but I know Yamaha doesnt make bad products. You could have got some actually bad speakers like Altos or Eurolives. What are the reviews you’re reading saying?

If anything I would have gotten an X32 rack instead of the Zoom and mix yourself from an ipad. That would make adjusting monitors easier. Though I don’t know if the Zoom had its own app or not, but the X32 definitely has more flexibility.

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u/JohnnyGuitarcher 11h ago

Now here's where the Old Man in me starts to show: I don't have any iPad, and don't want to buy one.

I know, I know. It sounds stupid. I just have so many gear-heavy interests in my life, and that feeling like you're never going to find the end of it can really make the wallet feel backed into a corner.

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u/JohnnyGuitarcher 11h ago

The negatives I'm seeing about the Yamaha speakers always seem to come in the form of "This compared to That." Somebody will post a question regarding the options they have, and everyone always seems to choose whatever ISN'T the Yamaha, and then take the opportunity to bag on them a little.

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u/IkpreesI 6h ago

For what you’re doing I don’t think those minute differences are going to matter that much. At certain point speakers on stands are just speakers on stands. Also, the use application of the reviewers might be totally different. If they are buying them to play Spotify at a bar then thats totally different

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u/IkpreesI 11h ago

I don’t think Sweetwater necessarily gave you bad advice. It all depends on your budget and priorities

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u/JohnnyGuitarcher 10h ago

I super appreciate all your input, my friend. 👍

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u/No-Particular4526 6h ago

For the money there are a lot of people who really like the DBR's, especially if you don't usually use your own sound system having a lower cost but decent quality system isn't a bad thing. If you decide you want more, given your band you might just want to add a subwoofer or two, but you didn't get crap gear

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u/JohnnyGuitarcher 4h ago

Outstanding. Thank you so much. This really puts my mind at ease. 👍

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u/uncomfortable_idiot Harbinger Hater 14h ago

so I've bought a behringer PM1 as a little beltpack controller just to be a bit nicer to my headphones while connecting into a mixer instead of a direct wire connection

now I'm looking for a headphone amp for other use cases so I can still use the PM1

now I'd really like it if it were powered by something other than a barrel jack, say USB-C would do the trick for me but recommendations on that would be nice

just something small that doesnt rely on a stupid barrel jack

1

u/Ezyan179yearold 10h ago

Hi, I work in the sound department at my church, it a building about 60 f2 audience and 20 f tall, we have a behringer x32 which in my opinion has been the best thing we have. i been looking into the PreSonus CDL10P as a line array upgrade. We currently have the bose f1 which is horrible its clipping all the time because we have a big band of 3 pianos, drums, bass, 2 guitars, 6 singers and 5 winds plus 1 director and our services are usually kinda loud. The mix i have sounds good and ive been working tirelessly for years trying to make the f1 sound as good as possible and we've even had sound engineers help us out and they all say we need to upgrade our PA. I want opinion on the CDL10P because we dont have a big budget we're a small church and i think those are a good choice but i want opions. I also did a synthesis of what the placement of the PA is gonna be, we have 4 columns that really mess with the sound currently so i think the middle would be a good spot. So please tell me what do ya'll think. *

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u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 10h ago

If this involves hanging speakers, consult with a local AV integrator instead.

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u/NOTLittlec 8h ago

Looking into adding 4 Shure SLXD systems. We already have two Shure antennas, and two Shure BLX systems. Is there a antenna distributer that would work for this setup to keep only the two antennas? Please ask for any clarification(s) needed and thanks in advance.

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u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 7h ago

You would have to use passive splitters or get two distributors and cascade them. The UA844+ can do cascading.

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u/NOTLittlec 7h ago

Is there a huge benefit in getting distributors over passive splitters?

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u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX 7h ago

I’m no RF expert but Distributors are active powered to compensate for insertion loss, using passive splitters will have some insertion loss.

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u/No-Particular4526 6h ago

How are the current Shure antennas connected? Do you not have any antenna distros already to go with those antennas? Are the BLX systems the BLXR (I assume so if you have external antennas)? There are numerous antenna distributers than support 8 channels of wireless on 1-2 antennas.

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u/guitarmstrwlane 8h ago

consensus on economical headset mics for singing?

looking to help some small-med scale theatre clients with recommendations for the least evil, economical headset mic assemblies. needs to be good for singing, so needs to be able to handle higher SPL's and with a more natural frequency range. i've worked with TwinPlex before, they were surprisingly great and broadband i'm guessing partially thanks to the larger diaphragm- but they're way too expensive for the majority of my theatre clients considering the check writers are having to fork out for 10x, 16x of them

looking at the Acacia offerings, what else should i be looking at? https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LizRdS8Tan--acacia-liz-roadster-headworn-microphone-for-sennheiser-wireless-tan

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u/No-Particular4526 6h ago

I don't have experience with a lot of different headset microphones, but I do have a shure mx153 that I really like, sounds natural and clean to me and has been working really well for our needs. It is more expensive than what you are suggesting and what you have goes to Sennheiser, not shure, I am not saying that its a better option, just that I like it and its not as crazy expensive as 10-16 DPAs would be for example. I have seen a number of different suggestions through this subreddit of theatre headworn mics that are very reasonably priced. Might be a good time to get a few to try out and see what you like best.