Hi,

I sing in a metal band (http://www.facebook.com/lethalvoltage if you're interested).

We'll be moving into our own jam space soon, and will be needing a PA. Problem is, I don't know what I need, I just know it needs to be loud (we practice really loud, drummer has a big kit and heavy hands).

So I'm hoping to find a little guidance here. Please pretend you're explaining this to a retarded 8 year old.

I need to know what I need and why.

Any help will be appreciated. Cheers
Spewk

Welcome to the forum

Quote Spewky:

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...we practice really loud... ...I need to know what I need...

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earplugs

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www.Lozjackson.com

Small mixing desk and powered speakers (inbuilt amplifier) would seem like the obvious solution. While not the best for true audio quality, Mackie SRM450s are always a good choice because of their rugged build, high power and good sound. You can connect mics directly to them but you'll have no ability to apply EQ to the mic, meaning your voice may not cut through the rest of the band as well. It would also allow you to play iPods etc. through the system if needed.

When looking at small mixers Behringer are the best known, but are generally considered an entry-level brand and may not offer brilliant reliability. Try looking at something like the Mackie 802 VLZ3 or a second-hand (as they were recently discontinued) Soundcraft Notepad 124. For a mic you'd be best with the usual rugged and reliable Shure SM58. Good mid-range to help vocals cut through and built like a tank.

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Joel Nichols - Owner and Director - Revolution Audio
www.revolutionaudio.co.uk

A few questions:

1) How many musos amd instruments? Maximum number of inputs required - vocs and instruments?
2) Do you want to put everything through the system or just the vocals? Putting it another way, do you want to mic the drums and will you you be using backline amps?
3) Will you want to use the gear for gigs or is it purely for practice and rehearsals?
4) What's the budget?

And if you purely want stuff for practice and rehearsals have you checked out the JamHub range? They're specifically designed for this application.

TDC

Good questions indeed there! If you're looking at gigs, consider stepping up to the Soundcraft MPMi Series of desks. Best thing to do at the moment if you don't have a tech for your band is to keep it simple!

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Joel Nichols - Owner and Director - Revolution Audio
www.revolutionaudio.co.uk

First up would almost certainly be something to quieten down the kit! Your call, but lower levels make it easier to hear what you're doing.

I assume you've got bass and guitar amps, so the PA will just be for vocals. How many singers do you have? If you've got several singers (maybe one lead and one or more backing) then you might want a couple of monitors so everyone can hear. If you've only got one singer, then a single monitor might be enough. Although if you're very loud then you might need a second monitor for the drummer so he can hear the vocals over the din he's creating. Number of singers will also dictate the number of mic channels you need on the mixer.

For fire-and-forget-ness, I'd recommend getting active monitor(s), which are speakers that have their own power amp built in. And if you've got active monitor(s), you can get a little desk-type mixer, which will be fairly cheap, good quality and easy to upgrade in future. (The main alternative is passive speakers - just the speaker in a box - and a mixer which combines mixer and power amp. Powered mixers are mostly pretty rubbish though, so better not to go there.)

If the mixing desk is going to be used live as well, then consider getting one with built-in FX for convenience. It's more expensive though, and you don't need FX if it's only being used for practises. Singers do like their reverb, but it disguises problems with pitch which you *want* to hear in monitors so you can sing accurately, and reverb doesn't tend to be used much in metal vocals anyway. The little Soundcraft and Mackie mixers are fine, and generally outlast budget brands like Behringer or Peavey.

TBH I'd prefer a proper floor monitor wedge which puts all the controls somewhere sensible and is stable on the floor, instead of a moulded cab like an SRM450 which can be propped at an angle but tends to squish the cable and needs crawling around on the floor to adjust controls. 100W RMS should be plenty enough for vocals, unless you're obscenely loud. You could always use an SRM450 and put it on a speakerpole, of course, but this tends to end up pointing directly into mics and gives more problems with feedback.

You'll need mics too. SM58 is traditional for male rock vocals, of course. Beta 58 is rather better (especially for lead vox), and you may also get decent mileage from something like the AKG D5 which has lots of fans and is only half the price of an SM58.

Finally, mic cables - one per mic, plus one per monitor (getting the mixed signal from the mixer to the monitor), and ideally one or two spare. At least 5m long (8-10m is better), and Neutrik connectors (other connectors are cheaper but break sooner).

Oh, and don't forget mic stands. Make sure the mounting for the boom is metal and not plastic (which breaks very easily), but otherwise there's no harm getting cheap ones.

Quote Theo D-C:

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A few questions:

1) How many musos amd instruments? Maximum number of inputs required - vocs and instruments?
2) Do you want to put everything through the system or just the vocals? Putting it another way, do you want to mic the drums and will you you be using backline amps?
3) Will you want to use the gear for gigs or is it purely for practice and rehearsals?
4) What's the budget?

And if you purely want stuff for practice and rehearsals have you checked out the JamHub range? They're specifically designed for this application.

TDC

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1. 2 Guitars, Bass, And drums
2. Just 3 vocal mics
3. Just rehearsal
4. Under $1000

Quote grab:

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First up would almost certainly be something to quieten down the kit! Your call, but lower levels make it easier to hear what you're doing.

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Easier to hear what's going on now and also being able to hear anything at all in the future.

My band (drums, bass, 2 guitars, lead & backing vocals) got its own space a couple of months ago. We used equipment which we already owned - small Behringer desk, 2 active wedge monitors (12" / 150w) and recently added this. We set up as per on stage (all facing front, backline behind) with the 12" monitors in front of the mics in the front corners of the 'stage'. The mini monitor sits on a short mic stand in front of the drummer. Only the vocals go through the monitors (and only the lead vocal into the drummer's monitor).

If I was starting from scratch I'd probably go for active PA cabs rather than wedges. I have some passive LD 10" cabs (part of an old PA) and a pair of LD active 12" cabs which we use for our vocal PA when we play pubs and small venues. They can be used as 'wedges' by sitting them on some little plastic brackets. We used the wedges because we have them and we're happy to leave them set up in the room.

Chris

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http://www.random-thought.co.uk/