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moohead Offline OP
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My friend sings out at pubs in England, and needs a new PA system like the one here:

http://www.soundsavers.com/catalog/pa-sy...akers-4716.html

Does anyone have a recommendation for a system (500-1000 watts) that includes amp, mixer and speakers? She sets up herself, so she wants lighter (plastic cased) speakers. She performs in small (50-100 seat) pubs.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Moo

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Citaat:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a system (500-1000 watts) that includes amp, mixer and speakers? She performs in small (50-100 seat) pubs.




The system in your link is only 180W. Without subs you'll get a very thin sound in a crowded pub...If you can reach the audience at all.

I do a lot of those gigs you mentioned. Singing and using backing-tracks. Most of the times in pubs and clubs. Pub-gigs are very different to, say, wedding gigs. Music tends to be played louder and the kind of audience differs from your everyday wedding guests. You'll want a system that is reliable, easy to set up and powerful enough to play the room. When playing with tops only think somewhere around 800W RMS (400W/side)

How often does she play and what is her budget? If she has just an occasional gig, then hiring might be the better option for her. If she needs to buy her own, she'd better pay more cash now than regret later. (read: find out in a pub that your system is inadequate.)
Please post some more info on her needs and we'll see what we can come up with.

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She sings out weekly (Fri/Sat) and has been using a friend's inadequate system. I know zippo about this, but I gather she wanted a 500-1000 watt system with a mixer and lighter weight speakers. Budget? I've no idea. I'm guessing under $1000.

She thought the linked system was 500W...that's what the ad says. How can you tell it is only 180W?

Because she hauls her own stuff, it must be portable. If you could give me an idea of price range/products, I can start a search for her. Thanks.

Moo


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Mooie, if she goes with a small starter system go with something with at least 15" speakers for the low end bass. http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Phonic-Powerpod-780-S715-PA-Package?sku=630490

If she plans on doing this for a while and want to get the snizzle up front go this route, http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Bose-L1-Compact-PA-System?sku=581917


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Have you heard of the Bose L1 systems? The L1 Compact, Bose L1 Model I or II should be pretty ideal for what she wants - definitely worth looking into.


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Quote:

She thought the linked system was 500W...that's what the ad says. How can you tell it is only 180W?

Moo




Mooie,

The amp is capable of 500W EIAJ/~450WRMS into a low-impedance load, but the speakers are 8-ohm jobbies which will only handle 180WRMS each. Therefore the maximum RMS (continuous) power of that system is 360W. Apparently the EIAJ ratings allow for a higher spec.

Put some 4-ohm 15-inchers on there and you might have something.

R.


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Citaat:


She thought the linked system was 500W...that's what the ad says. How can you tell it is only 180W?





In the ad it says:
Pair of 2-Way 12" Vented Passive Speaker Cabinets:
Specifications : PS 4L
Continuous power: 180W <-------
Peak power rating: 360W PEAK

If she needs the system weekly, then she's got to have a solid system.
Here's a set that's compact, reliable and relatively fair priced (incl. UK VAT). Yes, it's way more than $1000, but if you're on the road you need decent gear. You can sing the foundations from the skies: if the sound isn't good, the performance is bad. The mixing-desk has an fx-processor onboard, so she has no need for external equipment. If she needs more "body" in the sound then she can always get two subs to complete the set.

Of-course there are plenty other possibilities. Going low-budget isn't the best way to go when you need your setup as much as your friend does. I've posted a set with a powered mixer, so the speakers can be lighter in weight and she doesn't have to deal with running cables to an external amp.

If she's willing to go the extra mile, then I'd suggest a complete fx-rack build into a 19" flightcase. I am very happy with my live-set:

- passive mixer Soundcraft M8
- TC ELectronic M-One XL fx-processor
- DBX 166 compressor/limiter
- DBX 231 equalizer
- Sennheiser E300 IEM in-ear
- Sennheiser EW100/165 microphone
- Furman M10 LX power-conditioner and racklight
- Lexicon MPX110 fx-processor
- set of gooseneck lights for the mixer
- Peavey PV 2600 poweramp
- 2* Electrovoice g115 Gladiator top
- 2* Electrovoice G118 Gladiator sub



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Wow Mike, that is a lot of crap for a lady to drag around by hereself. I think for small pubs and such a much smaller setup would do. Heck i only have 60 watts and i have played outdoors to over 100 people and everyone liked the sound, and was head very neatly in the back. It is nice to have a big pricey system like that but no necessary under most circumstances. If you had a decent small amp, and two 15s and two 10 for monitors you would be good to go. Really goes to here budget and needs. I like small and compact. The Yamaha stage pass systems are great for smaller venues as well.


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Robh,

Notice the wheels under the flightcases? The only thing heavy to lift in my set-up are the 35 Kg tops. The rest I just roll into place. From trailer to music in under 20 minutes (need some help with lifting the tops, second cup of coffee down the line)

Gigging in pubs does ask for a reasonable amount of power. Remember that a 50 Watts guitar tube-amp is a lot more than a 50 Watt all-round speaker. I am gigging with this setup for some three years now, doing about a 100+ gigs a year. This setup has never failed me, was never short of power whatever the circumstance and always has a great sound. I have heard a lot of fine musicians with a crappy (inadequate) setup that didn't get a rebooking just for the fact that they "didn't sound right". It just takes a few missed bookings to make the difference in savings on a cheap system, doesn't it?

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For small gigs 25 - 100 people I am using a Peavey Escort 75 watts per channel, very compact easy to "roll" to a gig and back to the car. For larger venues (I play 200 - 275 people tops) I use my Yamaha 300 watt (150 per channel) with 10" speakers. Now as Mike stated a lot depends on the venue not actually the amount of bodies there and just as important the type of music she will be playing. If it is a small pub with dancers and listeners and no head bangers she will do fine with nothing larger than I use. If the opposite is true she will need more power as per Mike's photos above.

Now if I were starting over I'd get the Bose PA (highly recommended by many in the know on this forum) as for the venues and laid back crowd I play this baby would be powerful enough for the smaller end of my audience to the larger end.

Good Luck,

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Mike i think you missing the point here, the OP said she wanted something easy to handle. She most likely does not have a rolling trailer rig. Most like shows up in a car, and that would be heavy and cumbersome to pack in a car, and haul around not to mention lift out to take advantage of those great wheels.

Anyway i don't mean to argue with you, but the original purpose of this post was to suggest a compact easy to handle rig. Like the one Danny mentioned.

here is the original post "Does anyone have a recommendation for a system (500-1000 watts) that includes amp, mixer and speakers? She sets up herself, so she wants lighter (plastic cased) speakers. She performs in small (50-100 seat) pubs."

My kustom system has 10" speakers, and it soes a great job for smaller venues. 100 poeple and down.


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@ Robh,

I don't think I missed the point; if you click on the link below you'll see what sort of set I recommended.

Citaat:


If she needs the system weekly, then she's got to have a solid system.
Here's a set that's compact, reliable and relatively fair priced (incl. UK VAT).




After that I gave an other option (no links, just something to think about) being a rack-setup. I know quite a few gigging musicians that work with similar kinds of setup. Most of them upgraded from the first mentioned setup to the rack-thing.

Last edited by Mike sings; 12/23/09 12:52 AM.
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I have the Bose L1. A Ketron sd2. A Behringer foot pedal outfit, to change the Ketron patches when I'm not using the netbook or band in a box, which is most of the time, I've never sorted out the fact that 1/3 of my songs are 12/8 or 6/8 and they just don't cut it in band in a box. I also have a shiny new voicelive from TC Helicon, does harmonies and thickens your voice if that's all you want to do.

Mac should have got commission on all the above, he made me buy that stuff. Next he's probably going to make me get model x of a new car. I'm not letting him near the wife if she get's gas were stuck. I just had a dream she's pregnant and got up to look for ammo to off myself. I prefer to hug my grandson the send him home when he falls asleep at 8.

The Bose sets up in about 3 minutes. The smaller Bose compact, you can use 2 like Mac, with a wee mixer. Bose have a 90 day return policy, ship the stuff next day. Any wimp can carry the compact into a gig, or 10 year old girl..drop snap and play.


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I gotcha Mike, but i guess where i am coming from is the OP showed a well under $1,000 setup and you jumped to a close to $4000 setup ( i use US dollars since that is my world) Anyway what ever.


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