Video Gallery
The Video Gallery of PA Systems is appended below:
1. How to Set Up a PA System for a Band
today we're going to talk about setting up a PA system for a band either rehearsing or playing a gig our band consists of bass guitar keyboard and drums the bass the guitar and the keyboards each have their own amplifiers we'll also be setting up a stereo PA system and three monitors as well now to begin I've got all my gear from my PA system here in the center of the stage we've got the instruments already set up and ready to go so we'll need to set up our speakers we'll need to connect our mixer we'll need to run our microphones all those kind of things will happen in order to get ready for the gig to take place I've set up our drops behind the amplifiers for connecting the amplifiers and I've also run power drops to each side of the stage this will allow us to connect our PA stacks as well as we're up power out to our monitor system and in fact you could also use those if the guitar player for example has a pedal board we could run power for that over to one of these power drops as well for our PA system today we're using JBL speakers I have a pair of PR x800 subwoofers a pair of IR X 112 which will be our tops for the PA system then I have three ir x 108 which are used as our monitors well position two of those in front and we'll put one in back for the keyboard player on the drummer to hear our mixer today is a dl 16 s from Mackie and the nice thing about this is that it's controllable using an ipad so we can run sound right from the stage we don't have to have a separate sound engineer I've got a sweet water duffel bag and that holds all of my cables as well as my microphones and one other essential a roll of gaff tape for ensuring that our cables are taped down and nobody's going to trip and fall on stage now our PA system could be configured in different ways as I mentioned I have two subwoofers and two tops if you only have one subwoofer that's fine just put it on one side of the stage or at the back of the stage if you have no subwoofers just use a pair of speaker stands and put the tops on those so we're very flexible as far as setting things up positioning our fronts is very easy first of all I set my subwoofers into place I've got them right at the front of the stage so that they're in front of where the microphones will be this will help to control feedback there's symmetrical around the band and I've kept them a little bit away from the walls just to cut down on reflections each of the subwoofers has a receptacle on the top and we'll screw the mounting poles into those there's a corresponding mount on the bottom of each speaker we simply slide the speaker onto the pole and a set screw on the back that tightens down to hold the speaker in place make sure that it's not going to fall down accidentally the JBL speakers were using a very lightweight so one person can easily put them into position if you're using heavier speakers or you're using really tall speaker stands it may be easier with two people helping next up we'll position our monitors I have three monitors available so we'll put two of those at the front of the stage and that's really going to give us good coverage for all the musicians at the front and the keyboard player and the drummer will also hear that as well but since I have a third one available we'll put that at the back of the stage and that'll help cover the keyboards and the drums and we can experiment with the positioning of that if we need to move it in move it out change the angle of it so it's hitting both of them we also want to be careful that we're not sending that too directly into the microphone and causing feedback problems what I like to do next is run my power cabling for my speakers and monitors when I do this I have my power strip turned off I don't want any power flowing into my monitors or my speakers until I have my mixer set up and everything else connected we'll turn the power on last I'll connect my subwoofer and then power up the top on that subwoofer next we'll wire up the monitor another thing you'll notice is that I've tried to keep the space on the stage itself clear of cabling I've run the cables as much as I can to the outside and I'll go through when I'm completely finished up and gaff tape those down onto the stage so no one trips with my power connected to the speakers I've also set up my mixer now in this case I've put it on a stand right here on stage you could actually put that behind the stage off the stage since we're controlling it with an iPad it doesn't need to be on the stage itself but for the sake of our demonstration I've got it right here where we can see everything will now start running our audio connections so we'll be connecting from the mixer to our fronts as well as to our monitors I'll begin by running a line from the left out of the mixer to the subwoofer on the left side of the stage next up we'll connect from the top down to the subwoofer on the left side now I'll want to connect to the high-pass output on my subwoofer because it's actually controlling the low frequencies that are being fed to the top we'll repeat the process with the stack on the right side using the right output from our mixer now we'll connect our monitors I have six outputs on the front of the mixer we'll connect the first one of those to the first of our monitors now we'll continue connecting up with two to our second monitor and output three to our third monitor which is at the back of the stage at this point our mixer and speakers are ready to go what we need to do is connect our sources in this means it direct out from the bass amp microphone on the guitar amp microphone on the kick drum and the snare drum and finally two line outputs from the keyboard into the mixer and the way I like to set things up is I'll begin with my vocal mic I'll place that in channel one if I have additional vocal mics I'll run those next once I have my vocal mics connected I'll start connecting my instruments and I'd like to do that from left to right on the stage as you're facing the stage so I'll begin with the bass amp in this case our bass amp has a direct output so we can connect it straight from the bass amp right into the mixer we don't need a microphone for our guitar amplifier we'll be hanging a microphone in front of the amplifier so I'll go ahead and run the cable I'll wrap it around the handle so that'll help secure that microphone in place when we plug it in in channel 4 will connect our kick drum I'll wrap the cable around the stand so it stays in place and isn't getting in anyone's way in a similar fashion I'll wrap the cable for the snare drum microphone of the stand now we're using a triad orbit stand in this case it has two arms so it's very convenient very low-profile and doesn't get in the way for our final instrument connections I've got two outputs coming from my keyboard and again these are XLR direct outputs so I can route those straight into the mixer no microphone required this gives us a total of seven input connections one vocal microphone six instruments the final step in our stage setup is to connect our microphones we'll begin with the guitar amplifier my music a sennheiser a 906 which is very convenient because we don't have to have a stand connected to the cable and hang it over the front of the amp and you're ready to go next up we've got a kick drum I've got a V kick mic from SE electronics I'll get it basically positioned where I wanted and then we can move that around when we're checking things out during sound check for snare drum we're using a tried-and-true shure sm57 dynamic microphone once again I'll get it roughly positioned and then I'll fine-tune it when I'm doing sound check our final microphone is the lead vocal microphone we've got a shure sm58 the key to an easy efficient stage setup is having a plan in advance and an order that you follow every time you set things up I begin with my fronts then I do my monitors run my power cables connect up my monitors and fronts to my mixer run my instrument microphones my vocal microphone lines and then come back and plug the microphones in as my final step now I can power everything up and begin my soundcheck if you have questions about how to set up a PA or any of the products we've talked about here today contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer or visit Sweetwater comm thanks for watching and be sure to LIKE comment and subscribe click here for more videos like these or start at Sweetwater comm for all your music instrument and pro audio needs fortunately our subwoofers are lightweight and I'm very mighty so we can no I don't want to say that but you'll probably need two people [Laughter]
2. Top 10 Best PA Systems Review In 2023
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3. How To Set Up A PA System – 3 Easy Steps For Bands, Singers & DJ’s
Hey everyone, I'm Sam from Professional Music Technology and in this video we're talking about how to set up a basic PA system Now there are lots of different configurations of PA systems available all offering different options to suit various applications and venue sizes For example, if you're a solo performer playing small bars or cafes or maybe you need a portable system for conferences or sporting events you'll probably want to look at something like an all-in-one Line Array system Or on the flip side, if you're installing a PA at a larger venue or festival you're more than likely going to need a much more complicated multi-speaker and multi-amplifier rig with separate mixers for both the front of house sound and the side of stage monitor mix But for this beginner's guide however we're going to be looking at probably the most common type of PA setup used by singers, bands and DJs and that comprises of a pair of powered, or active speakers a mixer, some microphones and a fold back monitor So we're going to be showing you how to connect it all up the types of cables that you're going to need and we'll also be giving you a basic overview of what all those little knobs on the mixer do Firstly then, let's look at some of the gear that we're going to be showing off in the examples today We've got a pair of Yamaha DXR 12 mkII speakers for the front of house sound that's what your audience will be hearing A pair of slightly smaller DXR10s, which for the purposes of this video, we'll be using as foldback monitors and this is so the singer or musicians in your band can hear what's going on on stage and this isn't essential, but if you're a DJ or a band needing a little more bass end we're also going to add a subwoofer, in this case a Yamaha DSX15 These are all active PA speakers, meaning that they all have internal amplifiers which makes setting up the system much simpler and there's less gear to carry around, compared to a system that uses separate speakers and amps The mixer we're going to be looking at is the Yamaha MG16XU which is a medium sized, 16 channel mixer but everything that we're going to be talking about here will easily be transferable to a larger or smaller mixing desk depending on the amount of inputs that you need Finally, for live sound you're mainly going to be using dynamic microphones as these are tougher and less prone to feedback than fragile studio condenser mics so something like the industry standard Shure SM58 or this Lewitt Audio MTP-440 DM which can be used for both vocals or for miking up guitar amps, toms and snare drums So step one of setting up a PA system is where to position everything and this will depend on your venue and the type of performance that you're giving Looking at a band set up first, ideally you want to position your mixing desk at the back of the room with a separate sound engineer who can hear what the audience is hearing, adjusting levels on the go but this does mean that A) you need someone completely separate from the band to operate the mixer and B) you'll need a way to run all of your cables to the back of the room and this is usually via a long multi-core or snake cable but these can be quite bulky and heavy and add an additional cost to your setup In smaller venues though, the most common thing to do is position your mixer at the side of the stage meaning you can elect a member of the band to be in charge of adjusting levels and all of your mics can then connect to the mixer using standard length cables Microphone positioning will depend on how your band is set up on stage but it is also worth bearing in mind the type of mic stands that you're using Singing guitarists, drummers or keyboard players will probably want to use a boom stand to allow for more positioning options whilst singers who don't play an instrument and brass players are probably better off with a simple straight stand which takes up less room and looks a little neater on stage and if you're miking up a drum kit or a guitar amp, short boom stands or mic clamps are probably your best option as they allow you to get microphones into much tighter spaces The most important thing however, is where you position your speakers Ideally you want a nice wide spread with a speaker either side of the stage to give you a nice even coverage of your venue and for stereo instruments such as keyboards to sound their best but, and this is the really important bit, they need to be positioned further forward than any microphones facing out into the venue If you were to position your speakers at the back of the stage behind the microphones you're much more likely to encounter problems with feedback, which is where the sound from the speakers is picked up by the microphones causing an infinite feedback loop, resulting in that horrible ear piercing whistling sound You'll also probably want to mount your speakers on speaker stands raised to a roundabout, or maybe slightly higher than head height as if you place them on the floor at a lower level the sound waves will get blocked as it hits your audience, resulting in a quieter more muffled sound for anyone who's at the back of the venue Just remember though, when you are using speaker stands always install the safety pins to avoid any accidents caused by the stands collapsing under the weight of the speakers Now if you are integrating a subwoofer into your PA system this can actually be placed pretty much anywhere around your stage area as the very low bass frequencies that they produce are much less likely to cause feedback from microphones and in terms of the stereo image, it's really difficult to hear where the bass end is coming from when you're actually in a venue For the sake of convenience and aesthetics though, the most common thing is to have a pair of subwoofers sitting on the floor directly below your main speakers which also means that instead of using tripod speaker stands, you can just use speaker poles which mount directly into the subwoofers to lift your main speakers up into the air Finally, we need to position our fold back monitor speakers which allow you to hear the music back more accurately when you're performing on stage Monitor speakers, or wedge monitors, are usually placed on the floor and angled upwards facing the opposite direction to your main speakers and most active PA speakers nowadays are designed to be multi-purpose so they can even be mounted on stands for use as front of house speakers or laid on their sides as wedge monitors You can use as many monitors as you want on stage but if your space and budget is limited usually just one or two suffice one for the lead singer and one for the drummer as without monitor speakers, especially at higher volumes in larger rooms it can be really difficult to hear if you're singing in tune or keeping time as the sound from your front of house speakers bounces off the back wall of the venue So that's the basics of positioning the components of a PA system for a band setup but if you're a DJ or setting up a system for a conference or any other events your setup is likely to be much simpler You're still going to want to spread your speakers evenly apart set further forward than any mics that you might be using but you're probably going to be using less inputs and there's no real need for foldback monitors so you just need to position your speakers either side of your DJ console or lectern The next step in setting up our PA system is to connect all of these components up Firstly you're gonna need to power all of your speakers as, as I mentioned earlier these types of active speakers have internal amplifiers, meaning each will require mains power so make sure you've got enough long kettle lead type IEC cables and a few extension cables but for safety, always avoid chaining together things like 4-way power splitters as these can overheat if too many speakers or amps are plugged in at the same time After you've run your power to the mixer and speakers you need to connect the audio outputs of the mixer to the audio inputs on the main speakers Now most mixers and active speakers will give you the choice of using either a quarter inch jack connector so that's a standard guitar cable or balanced XLR connectors, which is the same cables that we'll be using for the microphones Wherever possible we definitely recommend using the XLR cables, as these offer a stronger signal with less noise over longer distances a sturdier more reliable connection and these types of cables can easily be joined together if you need to extend them To connect the main front of house speakers, you need to find the master or main outputs on your mixer There should be two, one for the left speaker and one for the right and these will be what's known as a male XLR connector, which usually indicates an output On a standard XLR cable, the connector on one end will be a male and the other end will be a female To identify these, and without sounding too crude, the male connector is the one with the three little poles and the female is the one with the three little holes So you're going to need two long XLR cables, with the female connectors plugging into the male output sockets on the mixer running the left output to your speaker on the left hand side of the stage and the right output to the right hand speaker The cables then connect into the female XLR connector inputs on the speakers making sure that everything clicks and locks into place for a firm connection and if your speakers give you the option like these Yamahas do make sure that the input is set to a line level not a mic level which is designed instead for connecting the mic directly to the speaker, without the use of a mixer Now you may find if you're using a DJ mixer or controller, such as this Traktor Kontrol S2 that you don't actually have XLR outputs available Instead, you'll find RCA phono style connectors The principle is still the same though, there'll be a master stereo output you just need to use a phono to jack cable instead to connect to your speakers But again, just remember to set the input to line level If you are using a subwoofer or subwoofers, things will be slightly more complicated First you'll need to connect your main mixer output to the input on the sub and then take another shorter XLR cable to link the output from the sub into the input of your main speaker and there will be a couple of ways of doing this, depending on whether you're using one or two subs As most subwoofers offer a built-in crossover feature this means that they'll split the sonic frequency spectrum, so the lower bass frequencies will be pushed out through the subwoofer and the mid-range and higher frequencies will be sent to your main speakers resulting in a much more defined sound with less risk of distortion caused by the bass end blasting through the smaller speakers and some subs such as the Yamaha DXS range will offer options for different crossover points as you can see, this one's got options for 120 Hz, 100 Hz or 80 Hz meaning only the frequencies above these thresholds will be sent to the main speakers leaving the subwoofers to handle the thumping bass frequencies So we've connected up our main speakers, next we need to connect the wedge monitors Now commonly you want to use something known as an auxiliary output for your wedge monitors but this may be labeled as either a monitor or send output, depending on the mixer that you're using On the Yamaha MG16XU that we're showing for the examples today there's four auxiliary outputs which can be used as monitor sends The number of sends doesn't actually limit the amount of monitors that you can use on stage though if you've only got the one send, multiple monitors can still be daisy chained together using XLR cables it just means that all of the monitors will be sent the same mix Separate monitor or auxiliary outputs however, allow you to send a different mix to individual monitors So for example, your lead singer will probably want lots of their own vocals in the monitor at the front but less of everything else, whilst the drummer at the back will probably want to be able to hear more of the guitar and the bass In terms of connections however, active wedge monitors connect much in the same way as your front of house speakers using either XLR cables or, in the case of this Yamaha MG16 mixer quarter inch jack instrument cables, which connect from the auxiliary outputs into the line inputs on the speakers The final thing that we need to connect up now is all of our mics and instruments On a DJ mixer this is very simple, as most of the inputs will use either a twin stereo RCA or a USB connector for turntables and laptops But on a mixing desk for a band, we're going to be using balanced XLR cables for the microphones that's the same type that we used earlier to connect the speakers and quarter inch jack cables for line inputs such as keyboards or acoustic guitars XLR mic cables are available in different lengths up to around about 50 feet but instrument cables are usually limited to lengths of around about 20 feet so if you do need to extend one of these, but ensure a strong noise-free connection for, let's say an acoustic guitar you may want to use something known as a DI box, which converts your signal from an unbalanced jack to a balanced XLR cable Connecting the cables to a mixer is pretty straightforward Mics connect to the balanced inputs and line inputs go into the quarter inch jack or RCA phono sockets just make sure to label up your channels as you go, to help you remember what's plugged into each channel and if you're confused by the inputs such as the ones on this Yamaha MG mixer these are known as combi inputs, so they'll actually accept either an XLR or a quarter inch jack connector So now we're all connected up, let's take a look at the final stage of setting up a PA system which is how to adjust all of the settings on a mixing desk Now mixers come in all shapes and sizes, but don't let all of those little knobs and faders intimidate you they will work in a very similar way and are actually pretty simple to understand if you break them down into individual input channels So here we are looking at the mixer, which as i mentioned is a Yamaha MG16XU which means it's got inputs for 16 channels, which are broken down into these columns of knobs So we've got eight mono inputs, that's for your microphones and then four stereo inputs which can be used for things like keyboards, mp3 players, laptops or maybe if you've got something like a Line 6 Helix guitar processor, you can connect into a stereo input So it may look like an awful lot of knobs, but you've only really got to understand what they do on one channel because the rest of them are just duplicate controls for the other inputs The mic that you can hear me talking through at the moment is connected to channel one, so let's take a look at the controls for that channel Each input channel on a mixer is going to have an input gain knob and a channel volume control which will either be a knob, or a fader like the one we're looking at here The input gain adjusts the sensitivity of an input, so for example a dynamic mic like the one i'm using at the moment will probably require a little more gain than a hotter line level signal whilst the channel volume control is what's used to actually balance the volume of the inputs in the final mix that will be sent to the speakers The important thing is not to overload the inputs, which can cause unwanted distortion and increase the likelihood of feedback so as you can hear, if i turn up the gain a little bit the mic is going to get louder, but we're going to start getting kind of distortion and if I talk a little bit louder we'll start seeing some peak lights Luckily most mixers will have a peak light, so if I talk very loud we can see it starts flashing, we've got a little bit distortion there and the level meters up here are flashing red, which is what we don't want so I need to back off the gain of that microphone we're gonna go around to about half past two, three o'clock on the dial so what we're looking for is a nice strong signal without any distortion or peaking but as I said earlier, the amount of gain will depend on the type of microphone or instrument that you're connecting to the input Once you've set the input gain you shouldn't need to touch that control again as you can then just use the channel's volume fader to balance the level in the mix Looking at the other controls, each channel on a mixer will usually feature some sort of EQ with the main parameters being high, mid and low or treble, mid-range and bass and these allow you to shape the tone of an input, working in the same way as an EQ on a Hi-Fi or guitar amp and they really can help a mic or instrument to cut through a mix So here's our treble control you can hear it's getting a little more muffled as I turn it down and brighter and treblier as i turn it up The mid-range allows you to scoop the mids to give you that kind of more radio broadcast voice or you can boost the mid-range if you need that kind of honkier sound that's going to cut through a mix and obviously the low controls are for our bass frequencies so if it's turned down we should have a thinner sound but as i turn it up bass bass bass bass bass bass bass bass things should get a lot boomier and a quick tip, when you are setting up your mixer for the first time always make sure that all of those EQ controls are set flat, or bang in the middle so you know where your starting off point is when you're tweaking the tone of your channels Each channel also features a pan control, which allows you to set where you want the individual inputs to sit in the stereo mix So for example, if you're listening on headphones you should be able to hear me panning my voice over to the left hand side of the mix so now I should be talking in your left ear or on your left speaker and now I'm going to pan over to the right hand side, so this is panned hard right and the right speaker and then we can just pan back to the center Now in a live environment however, you are probably going to want most of your mono microphones to be panned centrally meaning they're not going to be louder in one speaker than they will be in the other unless of course this is something you specifically want to do Moving on, most mixers nowadays also feature built-in effects such as reverbs and delays You choose the type of effect that you want up in the master effects section so for example, i've got this one set to patch number one which is a Hall Reverb which usually works really well on vocals and then on each channel you'll find an effects send knob which adjusts how much of that reverb is applied to that particular input So here's me talking without any of that effect applied, a totally dry signal but as I start to turn up the effects send knob you should start to hear the reverb come in Reverb Reverb LOTS OF REVERB! and you can choose how much or how little of that effect that you want on each input channel so for example, you might want quite a bit of reverb on a vocal but none on the keyboard or guitar players channels as they might be using their own effects The last couple of knobs that we're going to look at on our channel strip are the monitor or auxiliary sends that we talked about a moment ago and these allow you to adjust how much of that channel is sent to an individual monitor mix So for example, let's say we're using two monitors one's connected to auxiliary output one and positioned at the front of the stage for our lead singer and the second is connected to auxiliary output two positioned at the back of the stage by the drummer The auxiliary send knobs 1 and 2 on each of the channels will then allow you to balance how much of that particular input is sent to each monitor speaker So if I wanted to send a lot of this microphone to the monitor that's plugged into auxiliary channel one I need to turn up the auxiliary send knob one on the microphone channel but let's say that I've got an acoustic guitar plugged into channel two and our drummer with the monitor plugged into auxiliary two wants lots of acoustic guitar but none of the singer I've got to make sure that the auxiliary two send on the microphone channel is turned right down but then the auxiliary two send on the acoustic guitar channel is turned up So our lead singer will now have lots of their vocals coming through the monitor that's plugged into auxiliary one but the drummer with the monitor at the back of the stage plugged into auxiliary two isn't gonna have any of the lead singer's vocals but he's gonna have lots of acoustic guitar and this is the basic principle of creating individual monitor mixes that can be sent out to separate monitors So asides from those input channel knobs, most mixers will also feature output controls We've got overall level knobs for our effects return and the auxiliary monitor sends and most importantly there's a master stereo output, which controls the overall volume that's being sent to your front of house speakers So that's everything connected up and a basic overview of the controls to get you started on a mixing desk the last thing to do now is power everything up so you can start your sound check Before you do this however, always make sure that the master volume controls on both the mixer and the speakers are turned down so you don't get any loud pops, bangs or feedback when you turn everything on It's usually worth starting with the volume controls on the speakers themselves turned down pretty low so you can then set all the levels on the mixer first and once you're happy that you're not overloading any of the inputs or outputs, usually indicated by flashing red lights on the level meters you can then turn up the volumes on the speakers themselves to gig levels and that's pretty much it, our basic guide to setting up a PA system Now obviously, this was meant to be a beginner's guide, I've tried to keep things as simple as possible but if you are still a little bit confused about anything that I've talked about here please do feel free to go and have a chat with one of our PA experts at your nearest Professional Music Technology store who'll be more than happy to offer any advice on how to set up and use your PA system For more information on any of the gear that you've seen here today visit pmtonline.co.uk as usual don't forget to follow us on all of our social channels that's PMT House Of Rock and if you found this video helpful, please do give it a thumbs up and hit that subscribe button So thanks for watching, good luck setting up your PA system I'll see you again soon
4. Mixers, Speakers, Mics: Choosing a PA System & Setting It Up The Right Way | Reverb
hi friends Joe here a reverb today we're going to be talking about the basics of setting up your own PA system there are hundreds of different kinds of new and used PA systems on reverb today we're going to distill that down and talk about a couple of different types and what might empower you the most to get going with your rehearsal or your live gig situation as you're getting started with setting up your PA system assuming most of you will be singing through a vocal mic plenty of microphone options on reverb maybe the most ubiquitous being the shure sm58 durable always sounds good and you also need some XLR cables otherwise known as mic cables to plug your microphone into the mixer or the speaker okay let's get into different PA setups the first and probably the simplest form is a powered speaker that you can plug a microphone or an instrument directly into the back of some options for these are the Fender passport or I've been using for years the Fishman soloist which is really great most of these maybe have two inputs so if you're doing a solo gig where you're playing guitar and singing this works great some of these also have EQ options and as far as the fish one of these even has some cool reverb on it as well this is the simplest option but also could be the best option for some of you depending on what you're doing okay our second option is a powered speaker with a non powered mixer so now we're taking our microphones or our instruments plugging them into our mixer which we have individual level controls more effects more EQ and then we're going out of the mixer via XLR or quarter-inch cables into a powered speaker a great thing about this option is that a non powered mixer is pretty affordable so it's an easy way to expand your functionality of your PA system and a pretty cheap cost our third option is a powered mixer with passive or non powered speakers a benefits of this option is that the power is coming from the mixer itself so all you need to do is take speaker cables out of the mixer and go straight into the speakers these speakers are lighter because they don't have the power in them and you don't have to plug them in so it's a little less hassle and the fourth option is having a power amp in between your non powered mixer and speakers a benefit with this option is that you can match the amount of output with many different types of speakers the power amp option could be a bit overkill if you're just looking for a simple option for now okay so before we get into physically setting up your PA system and where to put your speakers let's talk about some best practices first of all turning on your PA system always always always your master and all of your volume channels and all your gain levels turn them all down before turning on your mixer I have a few stories of my own as a youngster going to play gigs and setting up my own PA system and there were a few times where I would turn that thing on and the sound that comes out of those speakers if your master level is up is so terrible [Music] it's actually terrible on an emotional level because what it does is it physically hurts people and then it ruins at least the first part of your gig because all of a sudden there's a performer at a bar that nobody trusts and and and who's literally hurt you it's so terrible so then automatically your performance is timid and nervous and it's surrounded by by by a bad first impression so turn the master level down immediately before you turn on your PA to the same effect if you're using powered speakers make sure that the master level on the back of the speakers down before turning it on cool everything's turned on your PA system is set up now what you want to do is get the most volume out of your system right you want to be able to cut through the noise but then a problem occurs when you're turning up volumes and that's feedback so first thing best practice don't ever point the mic directly at the speaker the gig is ruined if that happens and your mic is on the stand and the speaker's behind it which we'll talk about in a minute don't cover the mic capsule with your hand it makes it worse so that brings us to speak your placement okay if we don't want our microphone ever pointing directly at a speaker then I want to have our speakers in a live gig setting always in front of the line of mics okay you got a couple singers in your band or just you right here here's my line I want my speaker in front of that so it never happens where the speaker and the mic can be facing each other in a rehearsal setting if you want your speaker's acting more as monitors you want them facing towards you with you singing this way into your mic again never the speaker directly behind the microphone where it's going to be facing it you're probably noticing right now that I am breaking the very rule that I just established by having the microphone in front of the speaker like this so it's worth considering - worth noting that at very low levels it's okay to do this I've played dinner parties and stuff like this where if everything's really low you can use your main speaker kind of as a monitor as well behind you but in a full band set you're definitely gonna want to take those precautions and not face the speaker towards the mic okay next we are going to talk about more potential feedback problems but before that someone left a pink purse in the front office big person the front office please come claim that thank you so now you had your speakers where you want them you got your mics where you want them and now we're going to basically test the room for feedback ultimately we want to maximize the amount of volume by minimizing feedback through the EQ section of the mixer so a good way to test this is try to make the room quiet first if you can if you're not in a tavern somewhere kick everybody out have some alone time with you and your new PA together you know and then you want to turn up their main mix slowly always slowly until you start to hear feedback and then control that feedback with the EQ setting on your mixer now if your mixer has a parametric EQ then it's even easier because you can pinpoint the exact frequency and bring them down accordingly this mixer only has a high and low which you can still do a fair amount with you're identifying where the feedback is happening and you're tuning to the placement and the room and what's going on around you then when you bring the volume back down to where it's going to be you might need to compensate a little bit by bringing some of those frequencies back up and depending on the quality you want in your vocal mic but now you have a little bit of a better understanding of where the feedback has happening another feedback problem could arise from effects I love reverb just as much as the next person and the next person after that but if you have too much reverb you could be getting feedback from that turn your reverb down a little bit I know it sounds nice and silky but you can sacrifice a little bit of reverb for a clearer vocal now let's get to some of the pro tips or the PA hacks what your vocal mics to be loud you want your vocals to be to be cutting through in a performance right now as as a guitar player myself I know that I'm I'm guilty of this as well nobody likes to hear from a sound guy or from a member of your band to turn down your amps and no drummer likes to hear try playing a little softer however those are actually very practical and important measures to take for maximising your performance and your stage volume and and the overall performance of what you're giving your audience so if you can't hear your vocals turn down your amps try putting a little bit of the kick drum in the PA system this is going to add a little pizazz to the performance and it's going to help you and your audience this is one of the oldest cliches in pop music but it still stands true everybody wants to feel the beat put some kick in the PA if you don't have a bass rig try taking the bass straight into the PA it doesn't sound terrible and even to improve that signal a little more try a bass di box plenty of options for those on reverb as well check it out if you have some other sounds or samples that you want to add in your live performance plug in your laptop or Roland spds pad or something like that it could seriously enhance your performance and folks might not even know in a rehearsal situation try running a click track through the PA this is a wonderful practice tighten up your set okay there's some basics on setting up a PA system and some different styles of PAS in the comments leave some and let us know what's been working for you and we'll see you guys next time thanks for watching [Music] you [Laughter] [Music]
5. 5 Best Portable PA Systems That Won’t Break Your Back – Great For Outdoor PA Systems Too!
6. How To Set Up A Sound System For A Live Event [PA System Setup Tutorial]
In this video, I'll walk you through the steps of setting up a sound system for a live event. By following these steps, you're going to avoid the most common mistakes and by the end you'll have a great sounding system. But if this is our first time meeting, my name is Kyle. Welcome to Audio University. The first step is to determine the room layout. It's really important to put things in place before you start making connections. Otherwise, you'll just end up making a mess, which will make your job more difficult. There are three things I want you to consider: speaker placement, mixer location, and cable pathways. Let's start with speaker placement. The goal is to place the speakers in a location where everyone in the audience can hear while preventing microphone feedback. To get maximum coverage of the audience, I recommend placing the speakers on either side of the stage. If you have speaker stands like these, it'll help you get the speakers higher so that the sound will reach everyone in the audience, not just the people in the front row. If you don't have speaker stands yet, check out the video I made on these stands. I really can't recommend them enough. To prevent mic feedback, it's helpful to place the microphone behind the speakers rather than in front of the speakers. If you place the mics in front of the speakers, you won't be able to turn them up very loud before you'll start to get microphone feedback. And trust me, nothing ruins a performance like the squealing sound of mic feedback. The next thing you want to consider is the mixer location. Now ideally you'd place the mixer right in the middle of the audience so that you can hear what the audience is hearing while you're at the mixer. However, that's not always practical. In many cases, the best place for the mixer is to one side of the stage. This keeps everything together so you won't need to run any long cables. In some settings, however, you'll need to hide the mixer so that it's out of sight. In those situations, you'll really just need to find a place to tuck the mixer away based on your unique situation. Once you've decided on the location of the stage, the speakers, and the mixer, you'll need to determine the safest cable pathways to avoid creating tripping hazards. Try to run the cables along the wall wherever possible and if you need to cross a doorway or another walkway, you've really got two options. The first option is to go up and over the doorway and the second one is to keep the cables on the floor by using gaff tape or cable ramp. Now that you've got everything in place it's time to run power. This is a good opportunity to verify that you have working power while there's still time before the event begins. You can either test power with a tool like this or you can simply turn on the speakers in the mixer. Just make sure that you turn everything off once you've verified that you have power, because we're going to turn everything on once we've already made the connections between devices. The next step is to normal the mixer. That means that you set all of the settings to their default. That'll help to make sure that you don't encounter any surprises left for you by the person who used it last and it'll make sure that you're starting with a blank slate. Finally we can start connecting things together. Let's start with our outputs. I usually recommend connecting the main outputs of the mixer to the main speakers. In this case, I'll use an XLR cable from the left output on the mixer to the input of the left speaker and another XLR cable from the right output of the mixer to the right speaker. If your mixer has 1/4-inch outputs instead, you can use a 1/4-inch TRS to XLR adapter that will convert those outputs to XLR. By the way, you can find links to everything I talk about in this video down in the description. You might also need to run speakers to the stage so that the performers can hear themselves play. If you are running monitor speakers, I'd recommend connecting them with the auxiliary outputs on your console. I'll use aux 1 for one monitor and aux 2 for another. At this point you can go ahead and turn on the mixer and then the speakers. Turning them on in this order will help to prevent any pops or clicks that could damage your speakers. Now let's connect some inputs to the mixer. Let's start with a line level device. That could be a smartphone, a laptop, or something like that. To do this, I'll be using a 3.5mm to dual 1/4-inch adapter. You could connect your device to any of these 1/4-inch line inputs, but I recommend using one of the stereo inputs instead. These stereo inputs will help you to save space and control both the left and right channel with one channel strip on the mixer. This adapter can really only be used for short distances. For longer distances, you'll use a DI box. A direct box or DI box can be used in a few different ways. Let's say you've got a presenter on stage who wants to play a video for the audience. The distance from the laptop on stage to the mixer is just too far for the adapter that I just showed you. Instead, you should use a two-channel DI box like the Radial ProAV2 or a simple tool like the Rapco Horizon LTIBLOX. DI boxes are also useful for instruments like electric guitar or bass. Just plug the instrument into the DI box and plug the DI box into the mixer. If you're using an active DI box, you'll need to turn on phantom power. Most microphones you'll encounter in live production are dynamic microphones. You can connect a dynamic mic directly into any of the XLR inputs. Condenser microphones are microphones that do require an external power source and in most cases they'll get power from the mixer through phantom power. Some mixers have a phantom power switch for each input and other mixers have a single phantom power switch for all channels. At this point, you should have everything connected. So let's start to set up the gain structure and route some inputs to the speakers. Now pay special attention here, because this is where a lot of people make mistakes. By following the process I'm about to lay out for you, you'll optimize the performance of your system and make your job a lot easier. I like to start with the volume level on the speakers or amplifiers turned all the way down. To start, set the master fader to unity or 0 dB. Next play some music on the phone or laptop that's connected to the mixer. Unmute the music channel and begin to bring the music channel fader to unity. You should start to see signal on the master level meter. Adjust the volume level of the music player or the preamp knob at the top of the channel strip until the meter averages at about -6 dB. If you don't see any signal on the meters yet, you might need to select the "L-R" or "Main" button at the bottom of the channel strip to route the signal to the main output. With the music playing, start to turn up the volume knob on the speakers until the music is at an appropriate loudness level for the audience. I'd recommend erring on the side of too loud rather than too quiet here. Once you've completed these steps, your system will be optimized to provide enough sound to the audience. For each microphone or other input, start with the fader at unity. Setting the fader to unity means that it won't be boosting or reducing the signal. It'll just let the signal pass through and that'll help to make sure that you don't use unnecessary gain, which could make your job more difficult down the line. With the channel fader set to unity on each channel, boost each signal to the appropriate level in the speakers by adjusting the preamp gain at the top of each channel. Don't pay too much attention to the meters here. Just boost each signal until it sounds loud enough in the room. Through the course of boosting the level of each signal, you might start to experience some microphone feedback. Now remember that the further the speaker is from the microphone, the louder you'll be able to boost that signal. But if feedback is still a problem, you can try using some high pass filters or EQ to reduce that feedback. I created a post on the Audio University website all about eliminating microphone feedback that might be helpful for you. If you want some help using your mixer, check out the free guide that I created at audiouniversityonline.com/mixing-console-tutorial/. If you got value out of this video, hit the "Like" button and I'll see you in the next one.
7. Choosing the Best Portable PA System for YOU!
hi i'm mitch gallagher from sweetwater today i'm surrounded by compact portable pa systems we've got an array of great systems here covering a wide range of sizes and weights some of these are battery powered some have tons of built-in features and they come in at a wide range of prices but most importantly we've got systems here that cover a broad range of applications let's take a look at these systems and how you can go about choosing the best system for your needs [Music] before you even begin searching for the best portable sound system for your needs as always i recommend that you do a bit of homework a bit of thinking so that you have your needs defined before you start with portable self-contained systems like all of these behind me i'd consider the following things first i'd look at how portable does the system need to be do you need to one-handed while you also carry a guitar or other gear are you getting around in cabs and ubers or are you on a subway so start by looking at systems that are the right size and the right portability for your situation second an adjunct to this is powering the system some of these systems can operate off of battery power which is very convenient for outdoor and remote gigs for busking and anywhere where you're going to be a distance from an ac wall outlet third how much space do you need to fill with sound some of these systems can fill a good sized room and a larger sized audience and others are aimed at more contained spaces and smaller audiences four how many inputs do you need just a single mic for speeches or addressing a crowd do you have an acoustic guitar and a mic for a singer songwriter gig four inputs for a duo with two vocals and two acoustic guitars now you can always chain an external mixer for more inputs but having enough inputs in the system itself so you can be self-contained at a gig is a great convenience feature number five how much bottom end do you need some of these systems have incredible bass response if you're running a bass a keyboard or a kick drum through the system or you want full range playback for a mobile dj rig you'll want solid low frequency response six how important are on-board effects in processing do you just need to touch a reverb to liven up your sound or do you need a full set of additional effects and processing built in seven do you want or need to use bluetooth for streaming audio during your gigs whether for brake music or backing tracks this can be very useful in many situations eight do you want or need remote control via your smart device this can be a great convenience feature for dialing in the sound and the list goes on from there there are many other things to consider but the point is figure out what your priorities and must haves are before you start shopping and the process of finding the best system for your needs will be much easier today i've got 10 portable systems here each of which is ideal for one or more applications and situations before we start remember complete information on these and other systems is instantly available at sweetwater.com or contact your sweetwater sales engineer to have all your questions answered and for help finding the best system for your needs first up we've got the bose l1 pro 8 portable line array system here to my right bose of course has been leading the charge for these line array designs for years now and with the l1 pro 8 you get an integrated subwoofer and line array that provides wide frequency response down to 45 hertz this gives you full range sound and great coverage for your audience there are a lot of useful features built in such as a built-in tone match presets for acoustic guitar and voice easy carry and setup and wireless control from smart devices this system works great where you need broad audience coverage with full range sound such as mobile djs cafe gigs acoustic performances events and presentations bose of course makes many other systems this is the s1 pro a super compact solution that can be operated off either ac wall power or from its built-in battery it's a great solution for solo performers speakers at events busking small gigs but even with a small size and weight the s1 pro is loaded with features including bluetooth streaming two inputs plus a music player input and more the shape makes it versatile for floor placement use as a wedge monitor or for pole mounting and it comes in at less than 16 pounds we often use a pair of these for monitoring stereo keyboards and guitar processors here for music playback and more jbl's eon 1 mark ii back here to my left offers a whopping 400 watts of total power yet it can be run for up to 6 hours off battery power with its 10 inch subwoofer it reaches down as low as 37 hertz for solid low end response and this is great for keyboards for bases for small band gigs and for dj gigs it has a 5 channel mixer dual usb inputs dbx drive rack technology a remote app for smart devices and many more features yet it comes in at just over 42 pounds and it can be carried in one hand the on one mark ii provides wide coverage for outdoor use for shows and in rooms up to medium size jbl also makes the eon 1 a very compact solution for smaller gigs event speeches busking and portable music playback for any situation it can be battery powered and offers up to 120 watts of total power you can place it on the floor on a table or it has a built-in pole mount socket as well at less than 18 pounds it's a very easy carry and there's a built-in four channel mixer bluetooth and usb for streaming from mobile devices and even a slot here on the top for your mobile device or tablet it makes a great choice for singer songwriter gigs and also as a monitor for keyboards guitar processors and more fender audio's passport event s2 here beside me really is a fully featured but super compact pa system you get five mic or line inputs one instrument input one stereo input and bluetooth capability plus the passport event s2 has two speakers for wide coverage in up to medium-sized rooms or outdoors it makes a great solution for speakers at events for stereo music playback for small group performances and more packing up before and after the gig is easy because the whole system combines together into one easy to carry 44-pound package including both speakers and the mixer unit despite that lightweight and small size it delivers up to 375 watts of total power and the passport event s2 includes everything you need even 15 foot cables for connecting the speakers from mackie we have the srm flex portable column pa system here behind me with an incredible 1300 watts of potential power on tap the 10 inch subwoofer reaches deep into the bottom end for solid base performance making the srm flex a good choice for djs small bands acoustic performers and duos and it's even great as a full music playback system it's got a six channel mixer with reverb bluetooth for both audio streaming and remote control using mackie's ios and android app maccurates the srm flex for audiences up to 100 people which is incredible considering it packs up into a compact easy to carry package that weighs less than 30 pounds the freeplay live personal pa from mackie is incredibly light coming in at under nine pounds yet it still delivers up to 150 watts of peak power it can run off a battery power for up to 15 hours for ultimate portability and uses a ported design that gets the frequency response down to 60 hertz for solid base production there are three inputs two can accept mic line or instrument level signals while the third is an eighth inch jack for music players you also get bluetooth for streaming and there's a remote control app for your smart device too the freeplay live makes a great solution for event speakers truly portable wires free music playback at parties and events as a keyboard or guitar monitor and for solo performers and more fishman offers the sa-330x performance audio system here behind me it's a two-way system that provides up to 330 watts of power you get two mic or instrument channels with reverb plus an aux input for music players the sa330x weighs just 26 and a half pounds but it can easily fill medium sized rooms with rich deep sound it even includes a tripod stand so you get the complete system plus you can expand the sa-330x with the sa subwoofer for even more bottom end and you can add more inputs with the sa expand 4 channel mixer expander i play an acoustic duo in coffee shops bistros and wine bars and we use the sa330x with the sa expand it's been a fantastic solution for us the sa330x would also work great for singer songwriters for music playback for event speakers and more the samson expedition xp-106w is a lightweight system that includes everything you need even a wireless handheld microphone coming in at just 22 pounds the expedition xp-106w can run off of either the included power supply or you can go totally wireless on battery power it delivers 100 watts of power and can be easily positioned anywhere including on a pole mount stand using the integral socket on the bottom of the cabinet you get a 4 channel mixer bluetooth usb and switchable eq for speech or music and as i mentioned it includes a wireless mic specifically the xpd1 usb digital wireless system which includes a handheld dynamic microphone it's ideal for speaking at events or in worship or educational applications finally let's check out the electro voice evolve 50m portable column pa system right here behind me this system packs 1 000 watts of power and features a 12 inch subwoofer along with a column array this gives you frequency response down to 43 hertz and plenty of power for up to medium-sized rooms and audiences the onboard 8-channel digital mixer can accept mic line and instrument level signals plus bluetooth allows for audio streaming as well as remote control using the quick smart app the evolv 50m collapses into a compact package and it's an easy carry at less than 47 pounds it's ideal for mobile djs small bands acoustic performers sound reinforcement events and other applications so there you have it 10 great solutions for compact portable sound systems all these systems sound fantastic perform extremely well and make life easy they're all lightweight and easy to load carry and set up which one is the best for you it all depends on your applications and your needs to learn more about these and other portable sound systems contact your sweetwater sales engineer or visit sweetwater.com thanks for joining me today i'm mitch gallagher from sweetwater [Music] thanks for watching be sure to like comment and subscribe click here for more videos like this or start at sweetwater.com for all your music instrument and pro audio needs
8. TOP 6: Best PA System [2022] – For Live Bands!
hello peeps today we'll take a look at the best pa system in the market i made this list based on my favorites and i'm trying to help you find the right one for your needs to see the up-to-date prices and more information about these excellent products you can check out the link in the description below let's get started the hs120b is a very versatile system complete with portability and functionality it has been widely used by professionals of all sorts including teachers studio instructors and auctioneers it is also used by business people who travel a lot and speak in front of conferences and large corporate meetings the high sonic hs120b portable pa system screams light and compact everything can fit perfectly in the carrying bag with a dependable shoulder strap when using the system and the accompanying microphone there is no voice distortion so everyone within the area can hear and understand what you're trying to say the quality and tone of the sound being produced by the speaker system are top notch despite the device's small size the speaker's rechargeable battery is built to last with high capacity it is the ideal partner for outdoor activities where a pa system is required this is an excellent gadget for those camping jamborees for when campers are sent into the wilderness where there is no access to an electrical outlet nearby the stylish portable pa speaker and amp package includes all the equipment you need for a quality live music performance it comes with a 1 by 8 channel audio mixer 2 by 8 inch passive speakers a wired mic two adjustable height tripod speaker stands a power cable and two line-in speaker cables you can enjoy the clear and powerful sound when you pump up the jams indoors or outdoors the two speakers each feature 8 inch subwoofers with a 300 watt peak that's true uninflated wattage don't sacrifice quality for loudness this set is a dream come true for performers who need robust bass and professional sound during their party or event don't worry about the connection because you can connect this sound system to almost any music or sound source you can connect your phone or device with wireless bluetooth usb or sd card each channel is individually controlled there is also a 5 band equalizer and phantom power samson's expedition xp 800 is an all-in-one sound system that offers excellent audio quality with quick and easy setup providing 800 watts of power the xp800 features a lightweight 8-channel powered mixer and two 8-inch speakers for enhanced portability the xp800 offers a unique speaker locking design that allows the system and all its components to be packed up and transported as a single unit weighing just over 40 pounds with bluetooth connectivity to wirelessly stream audio from laptops tablets and smartphones the xp800 is perfect for presentations parties and karaoke the xb800 includes a usb wireless port for integrating stage xpd usb digital wireless systems the xp 800 speaker enclosures feature a tilt back design so they can be used as storage monitors as well as 1 3 8 speaker stand mounts the piled pwma 230 bt provides wireless and portable p8 loudspeaker mobile entertainment this versatile system is designed with a quick audio setup in mind its bluetooth streaming ability and built-in rechargeable battery give you wireless freedom while the telescoping handle and roller coaster wheels allow for rapid transport this high powered pa amplifier speaker with an 8 inch woofer with a maximum power output of 400 watt peak and 200 watts rms so you can play your favorite tracks as loud as you want and with style perfect for dj parties and gatherings it is compatible with bluetooth for wireless audio streaming and works with devices like iphone android mobile phone ipad tablet and pc ideal for personal indoor home and outdoor use this cool pa comes with a front control panel to adjust the base treble echo levels and mic guitar audio and ipod mp3 volume levels it also comes with a 35 millimeter stand mount bose is no stranger to the world of music their line of both consumer and professional speakers is often among the most popular options available in the market bows and presses with high quality audio and smiley face eq curves that please the average listener but this is one area where the bose s1 pro does differ the sound quality here is far more neutral than you'd expect not only is it well balanced it also retains exceptional clarity it has an impressive pa system with excellent definition pleasant to listen to without ear fatigue while maintaining lots of warmth it offers a six inch low frequency woofer along with three two quarter inch high frequency drivers this combination delivers excellent sound quality it provides plenty of depth with a frequency range of 70 hertz to 16 kilohertz at negative three decibels at 150 watts it also offers a similar power output as other comparable pa speakers in the market pleasingly it is also quite loud despite its compact form factor at max volume you can expect it to reach around 98 decibels this is more than enough for small performance but if there are many people or you find yourself in a large venue it is a little underwhelming the bose s1 pro shines in the lack of distortion at higher volumes it sounds just as good at low levels as it does at high ones the bose s1 pro offers up to 11 hours of battery life the jbl eon 1 is a small but mighty pa system that delivers 112 decibels of clear sound that fills the room it comes with many easy to use features that make it a great portable speaker with 120 watts of power and 12 hour battery life you can keep the music going for hours this excellent p8 comes with an integrated 4 channel digital mixer the mixer has two xlr quarter inch combo inputs and both of them have phantom power so you can use them to connect condenser mics or active di boxes with a jbl eon 1 you can easily control the eq volume and reverb using the back panel controls which is led lit there's also a built-in ducker that enables you to switch back and forth between music playback and voice levels which is great for instructors or presenters okay that's all for today guys i hope you liked the video please tell us which products you'd like us to review next in the comments section and don't forget to check the description box for all the buy links of products featured today thank you you
9. Public Address System ll PA System With Wiring Diagram 2021
10. How to Set Up a PA System for a Mobile Church
today let's take a look at how to set up a mobile house of worship system a worship band today will consist of a guitar bass drums keyboards a worship leader playing acoustic guitar and ukulele and a second singer will also have a separate wireless mic for the pastor [Music] for our system today we've gone as compact and efficient as possible to minimize the number of trips in from the vehicle we want to make things easy to get into the venue easy to set up and easy to tear down as well we've gone with a compact PA system consisting of two subwoofers one on each side of the stage and each of those will be topped with a main speaker as well for monitoring will be using personal mix boxes and each musician and singer will have their own set of headphones everything will be routed through a digital mixer for easy control so let's begin we'll take a step by step approach to how we're setting things up I like to start by positioning the musicians in the vocalists on stage so I've got my guitar my bass my keyboard my drums my two front people set up where they'll be standing on stage and now let's set up their instruments for them the guitar player will be playing direct they're using a line six helix LT which plugs straight into the PA system no microphones required the bass player likewise will go direct and they're using a tech 21 fly rig the keyboard connects directly into the mixer and all three of these musicians will hear their sounds coming back to them through their headphones on the drum kit will position some microphones just to give a slight amount of reinforcement through the sound system and if we're playing a larger venue we can really push those drums through as well the acoustic guitar and ukulele we played through an LR bags venue preamp and direct box and we have three vocal mics on stage one for the keyboard player one for the 2nd singer and one for the worship leader and again we'll also have a wireless lav system for our pastor my goal when I'm setting up a stage like this is to make it clean neat and safe for the performers so I'll go ahead and position my helix my fly rig and my venue and then later when we finished setting things up and all the cables are routing I'll go back through with gaff tape secure all the cables down make sure everything's neat and there's no danger of anyone tripping as I walk around on the stage the other thing I'll do as I'm setting up the instruments is set up my power drops we need to have outlet boxes available for the musicians we need to have some for the PA stacks so I'm actually using four on this stage I've got one between the drums the bass and the guitar I've got one stage left for the mixer and for the PA system I put one in the center of the stage just for a drop at the front there if we need to plug something in and then I've got one onstage right behind the PA stack for connecting that stack as well as the keyboards and here's a protip for you you can never have too many extension cords power drop boxes or too much gaff tape and you gig bags I've got two bags today one is a Sweetwater duffle bag that I use for hauling around all my cables and the other one is a Planet Waves bag that holds my microphones and some of my accessories as well one more tip for you turn your power on last so when you set up your power drops turn the power off on those boxes make all your connections get everything entirely set up and then when you're ready to go turn the power on this prevents any accidental bangs thumps or pops from coming through the PA system let's begin setting up our sound system we'll start by positioning our subwoofers I have a pair of Q s CK s 212 C subs now I like these subs because they're cardioid most subwoofers send energy out in all directions at the same time and this can sometimes create problems in certain rooms a cardioid sub allows you to have a lot more control over how the bass energy is being directed in the room the subs are positioned one on each side of the stage to balance out the room and I position them as far forward on the stage as possible so that we get our performer microphones behind them this will help prevent any feedback in the microphones now the K s 212 C subwoofers can actually position laying down horizontally or standing up vertically I have them vertically today to give us just a little bit more height and this will give us a little more throw in the room our next step will be to add the tops to our PA stacks I'm using 2q SC k 12.2 speakers these are powered monitors and they slide right into poles that insert into the tops of our subwoofers we insert the threaded pole into the sub woofer and then slide the speaker onto the top of the pole the k-12 actually has two sockets on the bottom for the pole one of these will position the speaker so it's facing straight forward and I'm using that today again for maximum throw in the room the second socket will angle will speaker down slightly if you're on a raised stage or your congregation is sitting down you might want to use that downward angled socket I'll be aware that any PA speaker can be heavy one person could position these but it's easier and safer if two people do it one other thing that's worth mentioning when you get speakers placed on top of subwoofers this tall you want to make sure that they're very stable so you'll need to ensure that either your subwoofers are on the side which is a more stable position or you'll want to secure those subwoofers in place now let's get our digital mixing console set up now for today's video I'm gonna put this right on the side of the stage well we could put this anywhere within the venue if you have a sound engineer that's helping you out it could be placed back in the room if you're running sound yourself it could be on stage like this either way it works fine I've got an Allen & Heath sq6 which is a digital mixer and it connects to an on stage stage box the DX 168 this allows us to run just one thin cable from the stage box to the mixer and then the mixer can be positioned anywhere the stage box accepts all the inputs from our microphones and from our instruments and it also routes the outputs back to our speakers in our headphone boxes now we'll connect our PA speakers to our stage box now how you do this will vary depending on the types of speakers you have the type of stage box or mixer you have and so on so consult the manual for your gear but the basics are you connect from the stage box into the subwoofer the subwoofer actually handles dividing the frequencies so the low frequencies go through the sub while the mid and high frequencies go through the top speakers so we'll run one connection from the stage box out to the input of the subwoofer next we'll connect from the output of the subwoofer to the input of the top speaker here are two quick tips for you first of all it's handy to have some sort of flashlight or use the light in your phone if you're on a dimly lit stage this will help you see clearly as you're making your connections second I like to route my cables in terms of signal flow and this way it keeps it straight in my head I don't get confused so I connect the output from the stage box first route the cable come to the input of the subwoofer the output of the subwoofer and then up to the top speaker because that's the way the signal flows now let's set up our personal monitor mixer for our six performers on stage I have six any five hundreds from Allen & Heath and these connect daisy chain fashioned so we can hook them all one after the other and cover all of our musicians that way we begin by connecting a cat5 cable from the link output on the stage box to the input on the drummer's Emme 500 we'll also run power from the drummers of me 500 back to our power drop next we'll daisy chain from the drummer's NV 500 to the input on the bass players ME 500 and we'll connect his power supply to the power drop as well we use a longer cable to link the bass players NV 500 with the guitar players ma 500 we'll begin in this fashion linking our me5 hundreds with cat5 cables so we'll route out of the guitar players into the second vocalists now we'll chain from the second vocalist to the worship leader and finally we'll route from the worship leader back to the keyboard ami 500 one thing to note with the ME 500s we're using power cables because we aren't using a powered hub with a p OE powered hub wouldn't have to have those power supplies and it keeps our stage cleaner with fewer cables having said that you may have noticed that there are a lot of cables running around the stage keep in mind at the end we'll go through tape those down make sure everything is safe secure and neatly routed now we'll connect our instrument outputs to the inputs on the stage box the base with its fly rig has an XLR output and we'll connect that directly into input one next up we'll connect the left and right outs from our helix LT for the guitar player these are also xlrs we'll route those straight into inputs 2 & 3 and we'll keep track of which one is left and which one is right so we can pan them properly if we're working in stereo finally we'll route the two outputs from our keyboard back to the stage box now the keyboard doesn't have XLR outputs so we'll use to direct boxes to convert the impedance this allows us to make a longer cable run will take quarter-inch outputs from the keyboard plug in to our two direct boxes then we'll take the XLR outs from our direct box brought them behind the drums and connect them dim twits 4 and 5 on our stage box next we'll make up our drums we'll begin with the snare and the two toms I've got three ATM 350d drum mics and these clip right onto the lugs of the drums makes them very easy to position for our kick drum we're using a V kick from SE electronics and as a pair of stereo overheads we have se eight also from se electronics for our drum overheads we're using a very cool dual mic stand from triad orbit it's actually on wheels so I can position the microphones and then roll it right into place once our drums are placed we'll connect them to the stage box here's a protip for a that'll make things faster and easier when you're mining microphones like an SCV kick or a mic clip onto a mic stand it's easier to hold the mic clip or the mic in place and actually rotate the stand just loosen the setscrew rotate the stand shaft and when it's tight in the mic clip go back and tighten down the set screw now let's get our microphones ready to go we have three singers our worship leader in the center we'll be using a shure KSM 8 we'll mount that to the stand and run their cable next up our second vocalist is using a shure sm58 well mount that to the stand and route their cable finally the keyboardist is also singing and they're using a shure sm58 microphone well mount it to the stand and run their cable finally we'll provide a wireless lavalier system for our pastor to speak during the service the receiver pack has an XLR output and we'll connect that to the input on the stage box wireless transmitter and the lav mic will go with the pastor at this point our final step is to get those cables run neatly so there's no danger of tripping there aren't big coils of wire sticking out anywhere so we'll make it all look neat and clean for our musicians so they can safely be on stage without worry about tripping or tangling and cables the very last thing is to turn on power to our system first power up your power drops turn on your gear and last of all turn on your speakers thanks for joining me for this look at how to set up a mobile house of worship system if you have questions about anything you've seen here or any of the gear we've used today contact your Sweetwater sales engineer [Music] thanks for watching and be sure to LIKE comment and subscribe click here for more videos like these we're start at Sweetwater calm for all your music 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