Which Monitors have you tried?

[Phil Starr]

The time has come to upgrade, We played a gig on Sunday where we headlined with an open mic first and this gave us a chance to completely sort our monitors. The singers sounded out of this world throughout the evening. We are using an old, cheap Maplin PA as monitors simply because it was lying around unused and it has done the job for years. Set up carefully it works a treat but playing alone makes it difficult to adjust during the set so we are looking for an active system we can easily adjust on-stage.

What active monitors have people tried and what is their experience? Good and bad please.

[keving]

One of the band I play for recently changed their monitors to the Behringer spot monitor mounted on mic stands. ([url="http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/B205D.aspx"]http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/B205D.aspx[/url]).
I had concerns about reliability but so far I have to admit they are very good. They also take up much less stage space than floor monitors.

[skidder652003]

used some wharfdale actives on saturday, they were fantastic, not mine unfortunately!

[Deep Thought]

I use an Alto MS10ma, which was recommended to me by my local shop, and I'm very pleased with it. We hired a PA for an outdoor gig a few years ago which had JBL powered monitors (I think they were EONs) and they were great, but I know they aren't cheap. I know Electrovoice are also highly regarded.

[The Dark Lord]

I'm just about to pick up one of these

[url="http://www.guitarandampshop.co.uk/acatalog/Laney_CXP-112_120_Watt_Active_Stage_Monitor_Speaker_Cabinet.html"]http://www.guitarandampshop.co.uk/acatalog/Laney_CXP-112_120_Watt_Active_Stage_Monitor_Speaker_Cabinet.html[/url]

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1338884445' post='1680355']
used some wharfdale actives on saturday, they were fantastic, not mine unfortunately!
[/quote]
I must admit these are probably high on my list as they seem to represent pretty good value, Any idea which model?

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1338932312' post='1681428']
I'm just about to pick up one of these

[url="http://www.guitarandampshop.co.uk/acatalog/Laney_CXP-112_120_Watt_Active_Stage_Monitor_Speaker_Cabinet.html"]http://www.guitarand...er_Cabinet.html[/url]
[/quote]

yeah we had the 10" version which is let down by the horn, It never let us down but just didn't give the vocal clarity i am looking for, if you do get it let us know how you get on.

[bertbass]

I use some of these, http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/aug09/articles/evforcei.htm bought on the bay. Used so a lot cheaper than new and they are great.

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1339181190' post='1685097']


yeah we had the 10" version which is let down by the horn, It never let us down but just didn't give the vocal clarity i am looking for, if you do get it let us know how you get on.
[/quote]
Played a pub gig last weekend with my new Laney monitor. It was just fine. Very good. Sound mix on the tiny stage we were using was great. Very good purchase and at £180 is probably the lowest cost serious monitor out there.

[crez5150]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1340474367' post='1705070']
Played a pub gig last weekend with my new Laney monitor. It was just fine. Very good. Sound mix on the tiny stage we were using was great. Very good purchase and at £180 is probably the lowest cost serious monitor out there.
[/quote]

And you get a 5 year warranty with Laney ;o)

[vsmith1]

I have a Mackie SR250 which is what Behringer have ripped off. I have used it a few times, and it is fine. A a band, we have recently invested in the Laneys the CXP110 - they are so efficient as wedges that we can use the lower powered, smaller, lighter and cheaper 10" monitors. Our drummer is a bit mad and loud and basically only the vocals go through the desk and the monitors. They work fine for us. Got them from Gear4Music.

[grandad]

We had Laney 10" powered wedges previously but after a couple of venues that gave us feedback problems we changed to Studiomaster PAX 12's bought from Oakleigh Music in Halesowen.

They aren't light being MDF but they are sturdy. The variable notch filter is very effective & even with a microphone pointed directly at the speaker at 1 metre will quickly kill the dreaded "howl" usually at around 200 - 400 Hz. The powered wedges (about £220) drive passives (about £120) at 120 watts. In use we don't need to have the gain & volume at more than 5 even on a large stage, (WMC size large). At an out door event I guess the 120 watts would come in handy.

They have the usual gain, volume & hi & lo tone controls, mic & line i/p's, a link & speaker ext o/p's. Also they have rubber feet on the end as well as the base, useful for transportation. A pole mount means they can be used as a small PA. We've had them for over 12 months now & have probably done about the same amount of gigs with no problems at all.

Another choice is Peavey - reliable & robust. They are a little dearer but lighter, I think they may be ply. The 5 band EQ can used to notch out any feedback.

Our drummer (Roland kit) uses a Roland KB150 which is an excellent monitor amp as channel 4 is a dedicated monitor channel which doesn't get fed to the line out & so he can independently monitor his drums, send them to the mixer & receive a vocal mix back.

After one particular gig some years previous when the on-stage sound level was so loud it was actually painful I now insist on a comfortable level & check that each member is happy with the monitor mix. This makes for a much better performance from all involved.

The other thing to remember especially the younger players is hearing loss/damage. I'm down to 11-12kHz so I've lost the top 8kHz. I shall probably need a hearing aid next year. Look after your hearing now by keeping your sound at a comfortable level or you'll pay the price in later years. God bless those who suffer deafness, there but for the grace etc.

[Mykesbass]

Mackie Thump 12" - light as a feather, really nice sound and we use them as FOH for our acoustic(ish) gigs.

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1340474367' post='1705070']
Played a pub gig last weekend with my new Laney monitor. It was just fine. Very good. Sound mix on the tiny stage we were using was great. Very good purchase and at £180 is probably the lowest cost serious monitor out there.
[/quote]
[quote name='grandad' timestamp='1340511746' post='1705447']
We had Laney 10" powered wedges previously but after a couple of venues that gave us feedback problems we changed to Studiomaster PAX 12's bought from Oakleigh Music in Halesowen.

They aren't light being MDF but they are sturdy. The variable notch filter is very effective & even with a microphone pointed directly at the speaker at 1 metre will quickly kill the dreaded "howl" usually at around 200 - 400 Hz. The powered wedges (about £220) drive passives (about £120) at 120 watts. In use we don't need to have the gain & volume at more than 5 even on a large stage, (WMC size large). At an out door event I guess the 120 watts would come in handy.

They have the usual gain, volume & hi & lo tone controls, mic & line i/p's, a link & speaker ext o/p's. Also they have rubber feet on the end as well as the base, useful for transportation. A pole mount means they can be used as a small PA. We've had them for over 12 months now & have probably done about the same amount of gigs with no problems at all.

Another choice is Peavey - reliable & robust. They are a little dearer but lighter, I think they may be ply. The 5 band EQ can used to notch out any feedback.

Our drummer (Roland kit) uses a Roland KB150 which is an excellent monitor amp as channel 4 is a dedicated monitor channel which doesn't get fed to the line out & so he can independently monitor his drums, send them to the mixer & receive a vocal mix back.

After one particular gig some years previous when the on-stage sound level was so loud it was actually painful I now insist on a comfortable level & check that each member is happy with the monitor mix. This makes for a much better performance from all involved.

The other thing to remember especially the younger players is hearing loss/damage. I'm down to 11-12kHz so I've lost the top 8kHz. I shall probably need a hearing aid next year. Look after your hearing now by keeping your sound at a comfortable level or you'll pay the price in later years. God bless those who suffer deafness, there but for the grace etc.
[/quote]

I'm glad the Laney's are working out so well, thanks for letting us know. I've wondered about the studiomasters too great spec for the price.

Good advice on hearing loss. This has been posted before but you can check your hearing yourself if you have reasonable headphones [url="http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/your-hearing/look-after-your-hearing/check-your-hearing/take-the-check.aspx"]http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/your-hearing/look-after-your-hearing/check-your-hearing/take-the-check.aspx[/url] I'd advise every bassist to do this once a year.