Compact Line Array PA

[Leonard Smalls]

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1496789153' post='3313920']


Maybe but do you remember the metalwork shop with Mr Bruce.
[/quote]
I do! I made a hacksaw in his class that worked well enough for my dad to nick it...

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1496735342' post='3313446']
...I meant sound absorbing thingummies dangling from the ceiling!...
[/quote]

Oh right... suspended acoustic baffles.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1496827371' post='3314056']
Oh right... suspended acoustic baffles.
[/quote]

Baffles me, too.

[Happy Jack]

Threads like this really piss me off.

I have a Fishman SA-220 column PA for those small, intimate gigs and I love it to bits. Every musician who has played through it has commented on how great it sounds. It works perfectly. There's nothing wrong with it. I have no need of a replacement or upgrade.

Then this thread catches my eye, gets me interested in seeing how things have moved on since I bought my SA-220 a few years ago, and I discover the SA-330x with sub and mixer extension.

And guess what? Now I want one.

Bah!

[Dan Dare]

The LD Maui is well reviewed. I've heard someone using one and was impressed with the clarity and evenness of the sound around the room (a feature of this type of system). They tend to be quite hi-fi in their presentation and some may find them a little polite, especially if they are used to the traditional in your face bins and horns sound. There are a number of options for compact line arrays and they are not generally cheap (and it's best to avoid those which are). I own a Fohhn system, which I preferred on audition to the LD - it has more weight to the sound. Bose are slightly different - the drivers are angled to each side. This gives very even dispersion at closer ranges, but tends to have less projection. You really need to audition a few systems to see if they suit your needs.

[Leonard Smalls]

I listened to an HK Elements system which was pretty good soundwise - ran rings round the Alto system next to it but was also double the price - £5k just for the PA, plus mixer/mics/stands etc. And it wouldn't be able to compete on SPL with the JBL system - at full chat that would produce around 115 dB at the back of the hall!

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1496828437' post='3314076']
...I have a Fishman SA-220 column PA for those small, intimate gigs and I love it to bits. Every musician who has played through it has commented on how great it sounds. It works perfectly. There's nothing wrong with it. I have no need of a replacement or upgrade...
[/quote]

That would be the one you brought to Risley in October last? That was impressive.

[Blink]

Have a look at the RCF Evox 8 (or 12). I use a pair for a 6 piece covers band playing rock, pop etc. Very impressed with it.

N

[Leonard Smalls]

Don't think the Evox 12 would have the clout for a 700 capacity hall
The nearest column jobby that I think would fit the bill is this one:
[url="https://www.djkit.com/fbt-audio/fbt-vertus-cla-406a-118sa-system.html?gclid=COenn9Lgq9QCFQK37QodymMAtA"]https://www.djkit.com/fbt-audio/fbt-vertus-cla-406a-118sa-system.html?gclid=COenn9Lgq9QCFQK37QodymMAtA[/url]

This would produce a max SPL of 139dB@1m, so that's 133dB at 2m, 127 at 4m, 121 at 8, 115 at 16m, assuming a spherical dispersion - so being a pseudo-line array it'd produce a little bit more than that.
But it's >£5.5k!

[solo4652]

I play in a 5-piece pop/soft-rock pub covers band. The keys player has just bought a Bose line array PA, claiming that we could put the speakers at the back of the stage and do without monitors and bass bins. We've done a few gigs with poor results. No problem with overall volume out front in the audience, but lots of feedback from the singer's mic, no matter which way the speakers were facing. Using the low-pass filter on the desk seemed to solve that problem, but drastically affected my bass tone and volume. On stage, I couldn't hear my playing at all. Moving the speakers to the stage front solved the feedback issue but, without monitors, all I could hear on stage was the drummer. So, next time, the plan is to use the PA for vocals (and possibly keys), with guitar and myself using our own backline. Sort of negates the promised advantages of the line array system, really.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1496911119' post='3314590']
I play in a 5-piece pop/soft-rock pub covers band. The keys player has just bought a Bose line array PA, claiming that we could put the speakers at the back of the stage and do without monitors and bass bins. We've done a few gigs with poor results. No problem with overall volume out front in the audience, but lots of feedback from the singer's mic, no matter which way the speakers were facing. Using the low-pass filter on the desk seemed to solve that problem, but drastically affected my bass tone and volume. On stage, I couldn't hear my playing at all. Moving the speakers to the stage front solved the feedback issue but, without monitors, all I could hear on stage was the drummer. So, next time, the plan is to use the PA for vocals (and possibly keys), with guitar and myself using our own backline. Sort of negates the promised advantages of the line array system, really.
[/quote]

Sounds like an ideal opportunity to try IEMs.

[MoJoKe]

This is due out in the next month or so:-

[url="http://www.markaudio.it/products/audio-chain-systems"]http://www.markaudio...o-chain-systems[/url]

[media]http://youtu.be/vVF4q4VE-Fo[/media]


From the guys at Markbass. I had the opportunity to give it a listen at Musikmesse in February. Its one of the few small format line array systems which sounds warm and musical. Most of them compromise audio quality for compact-ness. With the AC system you can start small, but you can add more subs, arrays and amps to make up a much bigger system.

I should know more in a couple of weeks. PM me if you want more info.

Edited June 21, 2017 by MoJoKe