Solution To Sound System Problems at Artwalk Show

After some thought about my lack of sound gear for my recent Artwalk gig, I have come to a conclusion about the kind of setup that would have worked better.

My friend Pete has a Yamaha EMX5014C powered mixer that he uses for his trio band gigs. It has a collection of essential and useful features onboard on all built-in. Since it is self-contained, it is easy to transport to the small gigs where a larger system is just overkill. This mixer would have been totally perfect for the gig that I was part of.

The EMX5014C mixer has 8 mono inputs, 2 stereo inputs, stereo 9 band graphic EQ, SPX effect processor, 2 aux sends, and 500w + 500w of amplifier power available to the mains outputs. There is also selectable amplifier routing allowing custom setup of the power amp channels in the configuration that works for the gig. It can be set to basic left and right mains out, or left/right on one channel with monitor on the other, or both outputs setup for monitor sends.

In addition to the powered outputs, there are also other line level outputs that bypass the internal power amps. Left and right mains outputs, Aux 1 and 2 monitor outputs, and Left and Right Sub outputs. These external connections allow you to connect the mixer to external amp racks or to separate, powered loudspeakers for larger setups.

Now, for the gig I just worked on the street, I could have easily down it with the Yamaha EMX5014C mixer. Everything would have been available onboard and the separate amp rack would not have been required.

The only drawback I can see is if something goes wrong with one part of the powered mixer, you can't just swap out the piece of gear like you would with a component system setup. With the size of gigs I usually work, I would be able to get away with using a powered mixer for most gigs and then adding separate power amps for the larger shows. That is as long as I have enough channels for the show.

Here are a couple of pics of the Yamaha EMX5014C powered mixer:

I used the Yamaha EMX5014C as and example of a good powered mixer. Of course, there are other companies making great powered, desktop mixers out there. Allen & Heath, Mackie, Peavey, Yorkville Sound to name a few. There is a cost difference with a powered mixer compared to a passive mixer + power amp setup. There is also the portability issue with all the extra gear using a passive mixer.

Another option now is the advent of powered loudspeakers that can be easily used with any kind of passive mixer eliminating the needs for separate power amps with the system. There are many things to consider when buying a powered mixer over a passive mixer with separate amp. Determine the complete use of your sound system and make an informed decision when out shopping for a sounds system. Happy hunting!

Basic Sound System for Sarnia Artwalk 2014

This past weekend, I mixed sound for 4 acoustic acts and 1 - 3-piece band at Sarnia Artwalk 2014. Under a 11ft x 8ft tent, I had a micro sound system with minimal gear and managed to make it work.

My sound system consisted of a Behringer XENYX 1204 mixer, a Peavey EU112 loudspeaker (just one), a Peavey CS-800 power amp, 2 - Shure SM58 mics on stands and nothing else. For the acoustic guitarists, I plugged them into the line inputs on 2 channels. No DI boxes required. (I mixed from right beside the tent). The sole Peavey speaker was placed at the back corner of the tent and directed the sound 45 degrees towards the performers.

The setup worked well for the acoustic only performers but, when the 3 piece band played, I was getting feedback from the closest vocal mic due to the higher level required to get over top of the band sound. A little frustrating to say the least. The mixer channels only have basic 3 band EQ and I did not have any outboard EQ on the main speaker.

My other issue was the lack of EFX on my Behringer mixer. All the acts asked for reverb and I did not have it. I actually tried to get an EFX processor from a musician friend but, could not because, he was using it for the same weekend.

I know what you are thinking. Why didn't I plan the setup better? Well, I was asked for a basic setup to provide basic sound without disrupting the other vendors at the Artwalk event right out on the street.

If I get to do the same event next year, I will bring a completely different system with all the essential tools I need available. More speakers, a larger mixer with better channel EQ and EFX and a separate outboard EQ for the mains outputs would be a better way to go next year.

I did not take any pictures this year of my setup and I am kind of glad about that. If I get the chance next year to do it again, I will make it much better for the performers. If you are curious, take a look at the picture below of my baby mixer. The Behringer XENYX 1204 USB:

That's all folks!
Cheers!
Ron "Sound Tech Guy"

Peavey Gear Great for School Sound System Upgrade

In my quest to search for excellent quality sound gear for a school sound upgrade, I have found my way to Peavey Electronics on the web. Peavey has always been a leading manufacturer of pro audio gear at an excellent price point for consumers. They are innovative and creative with the products that they design for musicians and sound engineers alike.

With my proposal to upgrade a school sound system in a rolling rack, I will now consider Peavey sound gear as a primary choice for the upgrade proposal.

The main upgrades are for a new mixing console and a new power amplifier. Here is the Peavey gear that would work very well for the sound system upgrade still staying within a budget:

Peavey PV 1500 Power Amplifier:

Click her for more details about the Peavey PV 1500 Power Amplifier


Peavey PV 14 USB Mixing Console:

Click here for more details about the Peavey PV 14 USB Mixing Console


Peavey PV-215 Dual, 15 Band, Graphic Equalizer:

Click here for more details about the Peavey PV 215 Graphic EQ


All the gear would be installed into the existing Raxxess Converta rack. This rack has a top mount space to rack mount a smaller mixing console. The front rack panel has 10 RU rack spaces for installing the rest of the gear for the system.

All the existing gear inside the rolling rack case will be removed to be replaced with upgraded gear. The existing rack panel with connectors installed will be moved from the front of the rack to the back of the rack. This rack panel has a pair of 1/4" locking speaker input jacks and a pair of XLR input jack for hookups.

Wish me luck with the project proposal! Cheers!

Shure BLX Wireless Mics for Gymnasium Sound System

Today I was reading about a high school that recently upgraded their existing wireless mic systems with the new Shure BLX Series Wireless Systems. Upon, inspection of the products on the Shure.com website, I see that the new wireless mic systems are quite good. They feature a simple user interface making it easy to setup up great sounding wireless mic systems in any venue.

I am working on a proposal for my kid's school to upgrade their current portable sound system with some new gear including a couple channels of handheld wireless microphones. The BLX Series wireless appear to be a great fit for the project that I am working on.

Specifically, I like the Shure BLX24R/SM58 wireless systems. The system consists of 1 - BLX4R wireless receiver and 1 - BLX2/SM58 Handheld Wireless Transmitter. The units also include the brackets for rack mounting the units together for easy of installation. See a pic of the system here:

Here is the web link for this product on the Shure.com web site:

http://www.shure.com/americas/products/wireless-systems/blx-wireless-systems/blx24r-sm58

Here is a link to download a spec sheet for the BLX Wireless Systems:

http://cdn.shure.com/specification_sheet/upload/163/BLX_Specification_Sheet.pdf

The current sound system for the school gymnasium is a rolling rack, portable sound system with portable loudspeakers on stands. Some of the current gear is going to be upgraded with better gear while the wireless mic systems are a proposed addition to the system. Shure mics were my first choice for wireless systems because, I have worked with Shure over the years and their systems always work well.

As for the rest of the sound gear, I am proposing a Mackie 1402VLZ4 mixing console, a QSC GX5 power amplifier, a dbx 231s graphic EQ, and a Furman M-8Lx power conditioner all for the rolling rack setup.

The main goal is to keep the costs down and have the proposal ready for the next budgets in the new school year. The school principal told me that money for any new purchases would not be available until November in the next school year. That is okay. I will have plenty of time to put the proposal together and submit it to the school principal for consideration. 

In the meantime, I am donating a used, Sony 5 CD Changer to replace their current one does not read discs anymore. Also, in the rollling rack is a Technics Dual Cassette deck that NEVER gets used. I proposed to take out that unit from the rack to make room for the new gear proposed for the system.

As I progress with this project, I will update this post with more details. Stay tuned!

Sarnia ArtWalk 2014 - June 7th and 8th - Sarnia, Ontario

Once again downtown Sarnia, Ontario will be transformed into our annual Sarnia Artwalk Event on the weekend of June 7th and 8th, 2014. The main downtown streets are closed off to traffic and lined with artists, crafts people, vendors, and live musicians performing and showing their works. This year will be the 12th year of the event which has become a major attraction with over 25,000 visitors last year! The event is FREE all weekend long and runs 11:00am to 5:00pm each day.

For more information, please visit the website:

http://www.sarniaartwalk.com/

School Sound System Upgrade Proposal

Recently, I was talking with staff at my kid's school about their current, portable rack, sound system and the need for upgrades to the equipment. The principal has informed me that to purchase new gear for the rack system, it will now have to wait until November 2014 of the new school year. Apparently, there will be new budgets set for the school after November.

In the meantime, the school system is in need of a new CD changer to replace the broken one in the rack. I have found the school a used CD changer in excellent shape and I am going to donate it to the school.

The existing mixer/amplifier in the rack is the kind of unit normally used for a paging system full of those ceiling speakers. The unit is setup like a powered mixer with the single, mono split to two speaker jacks for the existing loudspeakers. The mixer/amp unit is very underpowered for the speaker setup and should be replaced with a better setup.

The proposal to replace the mixer/amp unit is to purchase and install: 1 - analog, rackmountable mixing console in the top on the rack case and 1 - two channel power amplifier allowing each speaker to have its own output. With the new mixer and power amp additions, I am proposing that the school purchase 1 - dual, 31 band, graphic EQ for the tonal shaping of the main speakers.

There is an existing dual cassette deck that NEVER gets used so, the proposal is to remove that unit from the rack making more rack space for other gear. The school has expressed an interest in purchasing at least 1 - wireless handheld mic system (and maybe 2 units) to add to the existing rack case.

I have suggested that the school should buy the following items: 2 - wired, vocal microphones to replace aging, broken and lost mics in the system, 1 - passive direct box for connecting the audio output of a computer to the sound system, and 1 - power conditioner/distribution unit to be installed in the rack for powering all the gear.

The school currently owns a rolling rack case with top mount rails for mounting a mixers (10RU rack spaces) and 10RU Rack spaces on the front panel of the rack for mounting of all the other sound gear. The rack also has a custom patch panel installed that would have to be modified a bit to work with the proposed, new system.

The good thing for the school is that I am not charging them for my time spent of this proposed project. Since my kids attend the school, I decided that it would be a nice way to volunteer my time with my kid's school. I also mentioned to the principal that I would be willing to train all the required staff and tech students on how to operate the upgraded system after it is finished. I am also going to volunteer my time for that task.

The only thing the school will have to pay for is the purchase cost of the new gear. The principal also said that used gear is acceptable as long as it is in excellent working order. I have proposed some specific sound gear for the new setup:

1  -Mackie 1402VLZ4 Mixer
http://www.mackie.com/downloads/VLZ4/support/1402VLZ4_SS.pdf

1 - QSC GX3 Power Amp
http://qsc.com/files/9513/4625/5899/QSC_GX_Series_Spec_Sheet_Eng_revA.pdf.pdf

1 - dbx 231s Dual, 31-Band, Graphic Equalizer
http://2fecf431b6f093853a80-bc95634e606bab3d0a267a5a7901c44d.r9.cf2.rackcdn.com/product_documents/documents/760_1324414918/dbx231sDataSheet_original.pdf

1 - Furman M-8Lx Power Conditioner/Light Unit
http://www.furmansound.com/downloads.php?z=PDF&item=PDF-DS-P120-004

1 - Radial ProAV1 Multimedia Direct Box
http://www.radialeng.com/pdfs/smartsheet-radial-proav1.pdf

All of this gear would be mounted into the existing Raxxess Converta Rolling rackcase.

Loudspeakers currently consist of 2 - TOA SL-122 12", 2-way speakers rated at 240watt @ 8 ohms.
http://www.toacanada.com/assets/files/sl_series.pdf

Loudspeakers - Option #2:

There is another option to swap out the existing TOA SL-122 speakers for a new pair of powered loudspeakers effectively eliminating the QSC GX3 power amp in my proposal. There are numerous brands in the marketplace offering powered loudspeakers in their lineups. I am interested in the Electro-voice Live X series powered loudspeakers.

Specifically the ELX15P 15", 2-way powered loudspeaker:
http://www.electrovoice.com/product.php?id=1067

With using powered speakers, the school could start off with a pair for the mains and then later on purchase a second pair for stage monitors or foldback monitors on their stage. They would also have to purchase more XLR cables for interconnection of the new speakers along with enough AC cables to run power to each speaker.

All this can be done quickly as long as the money gets approved for the purchases. Now I wait and see if the  money gets approved for November of 2014. It takes time for schools to get their wallets out to spend money on those capital expenditures. Wish me luck!

Enter The PSW Sweepstakes To Win Electro-Voice Loudspeakers

In the latest sweepstakes by ProSoundWeb.com, they are giving away Electro-voice powered loudspeakers in May, June and July 2014. Scroll down to view all three models of loudspeakers up for grabs!

May 2014 - A pair of EV ZLX-15P two-way powered loudspeakers

June 2014 - A pair of EV ELX115P two-way powered loudspeakers

July 2014 - A pair of EV ETX-15P two-way powered loudspeakers

Click on the link below to enter the sweepstakes

Enter Sweepstakes Here

Good Luck!!!!