PA / Live Sound

The extremely portable size and shape of these neat little PA speakers make them suitable for a range of more unusual sound-reinforcement jobs, plus those awkward gigs in tiny venues.

Guitar preamps that use digital modelling technology have found their way into vast numbers of studios. But do they have a useful place on stage, and what do you need to know if you want to use one live?

Although Renkus-Heinz is a well-known name in high-end PA components, it's not one often seen on the stages of more modest gig venues — but that may be set to change with the arrival of the new CF/CFX series.

This premium German-made PA aims to offer a genuine hi-fi approach to live sound reproduction. But is it worth the investment?

If you've been to a large gig or a festival in recent years, you've no doubt had the pleasure of hearing line arrays of loudspeakers in action. But why are line arrays the current 'best practice' in large-scale PA, how did they evolve, and will they ever filter down to more modest gig venues?

We test this affordable complete vocal PA you can carry from the car to the stage in one trip!

The PA market isn't short of powered 'plastic' cabinets at the moment, but not many use the coaxial speaker design approach — which is what sets apart this Italian-made model.

Italian company RCF have a good pedigree. They helped design and manufacture for Mackie when the latter first entered the live sound market. We check out RCF's own entry in the portable powered PA stakes.

Staying safe on stage is more than a matter of simply making sure that willing hands are available before taking a dive. Knowing how to properly handle the mains power we all need is also crucial to performance health...

For years bands have needed unwieldy, expensive PA systems to play live, and separate monitoring systems to hear themselves play. Bose's new system aims to do away with much of this complexity and expense. We take a first look...

Having looked in Part 1 at how to condense your studio setup for use as a live rig, David Harman concludes this short series with tips on how to prepare yourself and your gear for the rigours of live performance.

Being a MIDI-based musician doesn't mean that you can't get out and play live gigs; you just need to plan more carefully than the average pub band. Grizzled live MIDI veteran David Harman explains the pitfalls and outlines some of the preparation you need to take your show on the road.

Last month, Paul D. Lehrman described how he became involved in a project to create a performable edition of George Antheil's prophetic but never performed, Ballet Mechanique, in its original version with 16 synchronised player pianos and a human ensemble. With the process of sequencing the 1240-measure work complete, he was now faced with the task of preparing the first ever live performance of the piece...

I am singer in a band just starting out, and we practise at rehearsal rooms with cheap PA equipment. I use Behringer...

Imagine you've spent a lot of time and money setting up a one-off gig in a historic castle, for a select audience, with the aim of recording and videoing the performance for future release. Then disaster strikes: catastrophic equipment failure leaves you with half a gig on multitrack tape, and major rebuilding work is needed later in the studio. Phil Bates mixes some cement, rolls up his shirt sleeves and tucks his pencil behind his ear...