Stereo Practice PA?

[hduncan]

Ok after talking with others on this forum and discussing it with my vocalist, we have refined our needs.

We'd like to have a PA that is practice worthy, that will take a stereo from my keyboard and a normal mic signal, pan the keyboards hard left and right, then the vocals down the middle.

another thing that would be nice but not necessary are EQ controls.

but again the most important is that it basically needs to have three channels (Keyboard left, keyboard right, and vocals) and panning controls.

the http://www.b-52pro.com/models/Matrix1000V2.html was recommended but I am not sure if It can do what I need of it. can someone help me figure out how to tell if a PA can pan stereo keys hard left and right while having the mono vocals down the middle? Thanks!

and again its for practicing and would be used as monitors during shows so it would be necessary for it to be able to keep up with the usual Metal half stack backline. Thank you all in advance!

[hduncan]

is the b52 the only suggestion out there?

[Remoteness]

What's wrong with a pair of sMackie SRM450s and a smaller mixer?

[hduncan]

Nothing I guess, I am stupid in this field of sound.. do you think the mackies are a better value?

[bishopthomas]

I've never heard of the system that you originally mentioned, but for ease of setup I would try to go without the sub. You say you are just running keys and vocals through it and I think the SRM's would do that just fine.

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by DarkEcho

Nothing I guess, I am stupid in this field of sound.. do you think the mackies are a better value?

Well, the sMaclie SRM450s are always available and sound pretty good.
I never heard of that other brand and if you ever need to sell them the folks on Craig's list or eBay will know the sMackies better than that brand X setup.

[hduncan]

is there anything in a near by price bracket that has a better bang for the buck? Because if there is somehting proportionally better but that costs a few hundred more, I would go that route. if the Mackies are the best in their price range +/- a few hundred bucks then I will go with them.

Thank you everyone!

[hduncan]

also, because its self powered, I dont need to match up any RMS or wattages or anything, right? I just need to get any old mixer that can handle 3 signals (vocals, Left keyboard, and Right keyboard) and put it all together...?

[macleod]

hi we have six srm450s and a bunch of jbl eon ( 1 and 2 ) powered speakers. the srm450s sound really good but they are really punch in the mids, they are cool though, the jbl's sound really weak in comparison.

I use the mackies as wedges as we have a small meyer PA for FOH which sounds much better but costs far more. If you have the cash go for some meyer upa1p's.

K

[Jim vanBergen]

I agree. As much as we all slam Mackie for what they are, they ARE affordable and consistent. I have installed & used a bunch of 350s and 450s and they always do an admirable job. Well worth considering, but whatever you are leaning toward, make SURE you demo the system in advance so it sounds like what you want. You don't want to make a mistake and buy TWO systems.

[hduncan]

How does the 350 compare to the 450? For a practice and monitoring solution do you think it would do the job? I didn't realize that the 450s were close to 700$ each.. then I need stands and a mixer which would increase it beyond what I'd really like to spend..

I was hoping to keep the whole deal under 1200$

[Dave Peck]

The matrix 1000 V2 in the link you provided is only the speakers & power amps. In addition to that stuff, you need A MIXER. Doesn't have to be anything big, it just needs to be:

1. AT LEAST THREE INPUTS
2. STEREO OUTPUT

Like a Mackie DFX-6:

http://mackie.com/products/dfx6/index.html

Or a Soundcraft Spirit Notepad:

http://www.soundcraft.com/product_sh...p?product_id=1

Lots of other possibilities, these are just examples.

You connect the stereo output of your keyboard to mixer inputs 1 & 2 and use the pan knobs on those channels to pan channel 1 to the left and channel 2 to the right. Then connect the vocal mic to mixer input 3 and set the pan control for that channel in the center. Viola !


DP

[Jim vanBergen]

Originally Posted by DarkEcho

How does the 350 compare to the 450? For a practice and monitoring solution do you think it would do the job? I didn't realize that the 450s were close to 700$ each.. then I need stands and a mixer which would increase it beyond what I'd really like to spend..

I was hoping to keep the whole deal under 1200$

IMO, the 350 has plenty of power, MORE than enough for a rehearsal system. The 450 has more power and a little more bottom end, not enough to be concerned about keys and vox for sure. Save your $$.

[hduncan]

Hmm how much more does the 350 have than what I need? haha maybe I should get something less expensive.. Whats would be the next product?

[hduncan]

what about this setup?

http://www.carvin.com/products/singl...-PM15&CID=SYS1

but it doesnt look like it's powered.. I'd have to get an amp wouldnt I?

theres these two as well
http://www.carvin.com/products/singl...-1540&CID=SYS1
http://www.carvin.com/products/singl...-PM15&CID=SYS1

[Remoteness]

I remember looking at the Carvin catalogs when I was a teenager in the 70s.
They have been around for a very long time...

Hey, Carvin is cool and it fits your budget.

IMO, it's a no brainer, but you should try to listen to the system if you can.

Furthermore, look into their return policy if you cannot demo them first.

[bishopthomas]

Pro audio gear is not much different than most things in life: you get what you pay for. If you can't afford the Mackie system then expect less quality for a cheaper price. I would recommend the Behringer powered speakers that are a knockoff of the SRM450's (I think B300 is the model). Anything less than that and you might as well use headphones until you can save enough money for the right equipment.

[Jim vanBergen]

I could not agree more. You NEED to hear these speakers with a similar setup. You should be able to find a Sam Ash/Guitar Center/Mom & Pop Music Store and demo a similar system with a keyboard that is not too different from your own, and try it. See what it sounds like, see how heavy the speakers are, how hard it is to put them on the stands by yourself.

Jim

[Remoteness]

Word!