Martin Still
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Martin Still
MemberJune 24, 2012 at 10:57 am in reply to: Help With Getting PA Speakers. Knowledge or Suggestions Any One? #1006662MemberI don’t know what the prices are like in the US but you may be able to pick up a pair of Mackie SRM450’s or even some RCF’s within your budget.
On the cheaper side are the Seismic units that Eric is considering in his post in this thread:
http://www.amazon.com/Seismic-Audio-Speaker-Powered-Speakers/dp/B004Y6YEEE/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1340534427&sr=1-4&keywords=Seismic+Audio+active+speakerI haven”t heard them but the reviews are positive.
June 24, 2012 at 10:56 am in reply to: Help With Getting PA Speakers. Knowledge or Suggestions Any One? #1006661MemberI don’t know what the prices are like in the US but you may be able to pick up a pair of Mackie SRM450’s or even some RCF’s within your budget.
On the cheaper side are the Seismic units that Eric is considering in his post in this thread:
http://www.amazon.com/Seismic-Audio-Speaker-Powered-Speakers/dp/B004Y6YEEE/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1340534427&sr=1-4&keywords=Seismic+Audio+active+speakerI haven”t heard them but the reviews are positive.
June 24, 2012 at 10:55 am in reply to: Help With Getting PA Speakers. Knowledge or Suggestions Any One? #1006660MemberI don’t know what the prices are like in the US but you may be able to pick up a pair of Mackie SRM450’s or even some RCF’s within your budget.
On the cheaper side are the Seismic units that Eric is considering in his post in this thread:
http://www.amazon.com/Seismic-Audio-Speaker-Powered-Speakers/dp/B004Y6YEEE/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1340534427&sr=1-4&keywords=Seismic+Audio+active+speakerI haven”t heard them but the reviews are positive.
MemberJust one more thing, the rated power output for the speakers in your link is 700watts “Peak” the RMS rating is 350watts which is more relevant. ie you would look for a 350 watt amp to power them but they will withstand up to 700watts for short periods or “Peaks” due to the dynamic nature of the signal passing through them.
MemberHi Eric,
Apologies for the name mix up, I really should pay more attention.PA stands for Public Address and is the generic term for sound systems used to broadcast to an audience such as used by bands, DJ’s etc.
You can never have too much power, only too little…..you can always turn the system down and plenty of headroom makes for a better sound.
The speakers in the link you posted are not Active (ie they require an amplifier), the active equivalent is shown here:
http://www.amazon.com/Seismic-Audio-PWS-15-Powered-Speaker/dp/B0049EYTO6/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1340534427&sr=1-5&keywords=Seismic+Audio+active+speakerOr you can get a pair with stands as shown here:
http://www.amazon.com/Seismic-Audio-Speaker-Powered-Speakers/dp/B004Y6YEEE/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1340534427&sr=1-4&keywords=Seismic+Audio+active+speakerPersonally I wouldn’t buy anything without hearing it first but the reviews seems very positive and the specs are good as is the price.
MemberHi Erica,
Yes both the audio interface and the controller will connect to your computer via individual usb cables.
You either do 1. or 2. not both, so if you are using an audio interface (recommended) you will connect this to your sound system and you will not need the connection from the Computer to your sound system.As for speakers I cannot make many recommendations for cheap active speakers other than Mackie SRM 450’s as I do not have much experience of the lower price range speakers any more. The Mackie’s may still be above your price range but are worth looking at if you can afford them, they sound good as long as they are not pushed too hard but do tend to break up a bit when pushed up near their limit. They are fine for small venues/parties.
Member3. With regard to what kind of speakers you require, see my post to Ginger below in this thread.
Once you have decided which way to go with your soundcard and speakers I can help you further with connections.
MemberHi Erica your Hercules controller does not appear to have a built in audio interface (soundcard) so you will need to use one of the following options:
- Use the audio output (speaker or headphone connection) from your computer to connect to your sound system this will probably require a lead with a 3mm stereo mini-jack on the computer end and connectors on the other end to match the inputs of your sound/speaker system. This is the cheapest method but most likely the lowest sound quality option.
- Use an outboard audio interface/soundcard such as the Numark DJ I/O Multi Channel USB 2.0 you mentioned above. This device connects to a usb port on your computer and required a paired stereo lead with two RCA (phono) plugs to connect to the outputs of your Hercules and plugs on the other end to match the input of your sound system/speakers. This unit has the advantage of not requiring an audio mixer and has headphone and mic inputs also and the sound quality should be very good.
June 23, 2012 at 8:37 am in reply to: Help With Getting PA Speakers. Knowledge or Suggestions Any One? #1006623MemberI am UK based and as opinions on what to buy are very subjective and may differ due to local availability I will not give specific recommendations especially as you have not indicated any budget restrictions. Here are a few pointers that may help you with your choices:
- Decide on your budget size……how much to you want to spend/how much could you stretch to at a push if it means getting something better?
- Passive or Active system……most of the major manufacturers provide either option and it comes down to personal preference but there are a few pointers to bear in mind. If you go for a passive system (ie Passive Speakers powered by seperate Power amp and Pre-amp or combination power/pre-amp) you do have the option to buy a very good amplifier with budget speakers to start with and then upgrade the speakers as your budget permits.
With active speakers where the amplifier is built into the speaker (my preferred system) you have the advantage that the amplifier perfectly matches the speaker it was designed for, setting up is arguably a simpler process, less gear to cart about (albeit that the speakers are heavier) and if an amp goes down at least you can finish the gig with the other powered speaker/s. The disadvantage is that good active systems are expensive.
- Depending on the type of venue and music you are playing you may eventually decide that you require a multi-speaker setup with at least a pair of full range tops and one or two sub-woofers for the bottom end but initially just go for a pair of full range tops which you will use for 90% of your gigs. Unless you can afford something like a KV2 system go for speakers that have a 12″ main driver in the cab, that will ensure you get some nice bass and a good allround sound that will be your main workhorse, in my opinion most 10″ main drivers do not cut it with the bottom end with the exception of my KV2 10″ tops which blow away most of the 12″ competition that I’ve heard.
- Here in the UK and based on my experience I would advise anyone to look at systems from Mackie, RCF, Bose and KV2 but I know there are a lot of other systems out there which cost less and sound pretty good for the money.
I would suggest you get out a bit and see what other people are using, go to your local supplier and listen to some systems that fall into your budget range and then ask again if anyone on the forum has any opinions on your selected options. Also go to the manufacturs websites to compare specifications and check out the reviews on third party forums/magazines etc.
Don’t be too hasty for a quick buy, make sure that the system you choose will be powerful enough for the venues you are likely to play and also consider buying secondhand, there are some real bargains to be had and you may end up with a better system than you can afford to buy new.
Personally I don’t like Behringer kit even though it is value for money and I believe that you would probably be wanting to upgrade this system very soon after buying but I have not heard the system you are considering so cannot be specific.
Hope this paved someway in your quest for a suitable system.
MemberHi Yetmo,
I see from the iDJ Live Quickstart guide that there is not direct connection from this unit and your PA system has to be connected to the output (headphone jack) of your ipod (or ipad) device. You will therefore require a lead that has a 3mm mini-jack plug (same as your ipod headphone lead) on one end and a plug/plugs on the other end to suit your PA connection. This will be a stereo output so you will require a lead that has two plugs on the PA end. I cannot be more specific without knowing the nature of your PA setup.MemberHi Terry, thanks for your reply. I thought that was the case but just wanted some confirmation.
MemberHi Yetmo,
I am assuming you are using the iDJ which mixes two ipods and other equipment into a pair of stereo outputs for connection to your sound system (PA)…..Firstly you are confusing “inputs” with “outputs”…………inputs on the iDJ are for connecting the outputs of any outboard equipment such as CD players or Record Decks so that their signal is routed through the mixer section of the iDJ. Outputs on the iDJ are where you connect to the inputs of your PA system (either the amplifier or directly to powered speakers).I am not familiar with this piece of kit so had to look up the Quickstart Guide http://www.numark.com/images/product_downloads/idj_quickstartguide.pdf. The outputs are on the back of the iDG (labelled 6 in the quickstart guide) and comprise of a stereo pair of RCA outputs (otherwise known as Phono sockets) which is where you would connect the cable to route the mixed signal out to your PA system. You will need either a twin (stereo cable) or two mono cables with male RCA (Phono) plugs on one end (to connect to your iDJ) and plugs on the other end to match the inputs of your PA amplifier or powered speakers which are likely to be either RCA, 1/4″ Jack or XLR.
Hope this helps.
MemberI forgot to add that I appreciate the cost of the new controllers which combine the mixer in one unit will most likely make it cost effective to replace both of my existing units with one combined digital controller/mixer but am open to suggestions either way.
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