PA speakers + subs advice

[MikanHannille]

Looking for what PA speakers + subs (if required) to purchase.

I play in different bands, my main band uses an ancient Yamaha passive mixer and separate amps for home made PA speakers and monitor wedges. Being home made, they are massive and heavy boxes. They work great but it takes time to get the right mix when playing different venues (we play soul and funk).
My other bands, we gig rarely. Probably once in 2-3 months. Nobody owns a PA system. And when we do gig, it's usually for a charity event or private parties with DJ's involved so the PA system tends to be provided for us . But recently we have been considering to offer the band for paid gigs. That means we have to get our own PA system.

Earlier this year, I treated myself to a Helix LT and with all these in mind, I got myself thinking if it's worth going totally ampless and go FRFR for the whole band (main) since the guitar player also uses Line6 Pod. I have sold my rig to purchase a Behringer XR12 and headphone amp to go with it for in ear monitoring. Now all that is left are the PA speakers + subs. I am quite happy to purchase and own the whole PA system, that way I know that we have consistent mix every time regardless of the venue and it greatly lessens the setup time.

Now the question is which one? I have been looking at the more affordable ones like Alto. Budget around £1k-1.3k. What speaker sizes and do I really need a sub? and if I do, do I only need one or two? Should I go active or passive?

I would love to hear from you guys what are your suggestions for my budget.

Good day all!

[EBS_freak]

For around 1.4k you could get a couple of active RCF 735s and that means you can do away for the subs for all but the biggest gigs. The higher quality hf driver (3 inch voice coil in this case, compared to the 1 inch drives you tend to get at this price range), means that the woofers are freed up to do more work in the lows... to the point where they can put out enough bass for you to negate the needs for subs. They are a very loud cab, light enough to be manageable and as stated before, for most small (to medium depending upon your definition) venues will negate the need for subs as they will quite happily handle the whole band going through them and remove the need for backline completely (e.g. they won't fart out with kick, toms and bass guitar etc). The 3 inch voice coil in the drivers means that your vocals will be super clear and carry without too much trouble - afterall, vocal clarity is the most important aspect of a live band as punters want to be able to hear the vocals clearly.

If the band is looking to all get onto IEMs, you may be hampered by the XR12s two auxes... that may or may no be enough for you.

Edited October 2, 2018 by EBS_freak

[itu]

Even though our band is using separate guitar and bass amps, the new (well, used) PA might work well with them, too. We bought a slightly used pair of JBL PRX735 for a good price. Tons of headroom, so they are loud if needed but also very clean. These speakers are big. Not heavy but big. So if you need to carry them around, you need to find a suitable car or rather a van for them. But they do not need a sub with them.

Our mixer is a 24-channel digital Soundcraft. Mixing live can be done with a mobile phone...

From your point of view I would recommend a slightly used active pair (good price and performance) and some mixer that is reasonable. This depends on the amount of channels needed. A 12 ch digital Soundcraft costs maybe 250 £. A pair of speakers is then the rest. Well, quality cables cost something, which is often omitted. I would take 500 W / side or more, woofer 12" or 15", not less, not more. I have heard good comments on these pillars, like Bose but their prices vary a lot, so I would recommend testing them before buying.

Edited October 2, 2018 by itu
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[skidder652003]

Active all the way, as above, RCF 735's are awesome speakers. Phil Starr should be along soon, he knows his onions

[colleya]

We've got a pair of the Alto TS312 tops and they're great. Can't compare to the RCFs as I haven't used them but they're about 1/3 of the price each. For our monthly outings at the Dog & Doris they do the job admirably.

We had a digital mixer (soundcraft ui12) but went back to an analogue desk. Without a dedicated sound person we find it easier to make minor on the fly adjustments to physical sliders than the on screen interface. Yes it's bigger and we can't save settings but a desk that did both was out of our budget.

[MikanHannille]

Thanks guys. One of these days I'm going to try some out with my bass in one of the stores. Though I'm not sure which ones to go to. lol. Probably PMT or GuitarGuitar.