Can you hear me now?

[cphollis]

We're getting larger crowds now, so I upgraded the band's PA system: 4x QSC LA122, 2x KS118. Good for ~1000 people or so.

IMG_0369.mov

(28.81 MiB) Downloaded 904 times

qsc 1.jpg (1.15 MiB) Viewed 5308 times

Also can double as a great keyboard amp for when that lead guitar player just won't turn down

QSC 2.jpg (2.44 MiB) Viewed 5308 times

[FZiegler]

I like your Cosco shifter. And the sound tower looks impressing and amazing.

But if things like that happen - people are not only meant to listen to you, they are also willing to pay for that, right? And you want to be totally independent from venues and their gear?

[cphollis]

Creating a popular band and monetizing it seem to be two separate things. We've done the first part, but haven't really pursued the second part. We earn enough to pay everyone -- but I'm the one buying the gear.

Yes, I want to be 100% independent of venue, sound provider, etc. We'll play through systems we know, otherwise we bring our own sound and lights every time. We also bring our own sound tech as well as a stage helper who both know our act pretty well.

[FZiegler]

[cgrafx]

Always nice to be independent. Tents, sound, lights. That way I always know what to expect. The only thing I don't have is staging.

IMG_1084.jpeg (1.81 MiB) Viewed 5242 times

IMG_2691.jpeg (2.14 MiB) Viewed 5242 times

IMG_2110.JPG (790.05 KiB) Viewed 5242 times

[FZiegler]

None of those solutions fit in my car ...

EAW - there doesn't seem to be a rep in Europe; looks like all is handled via export rep. What are they like?

[cgrafx]

The LA series speakers are basically one step below EAW's 750/850 touring rigs. All the speakers are designed to array properly.

So my full rig is 4x LA128 Double 18 subs, 4x LA460 three way tops, and I sometimes use a couple of the LA212 monitors as front of stage or side stage fills.

The nice thing about the setup is it scales really nicely. So on small gigs I'll just bring a single sub and use the LA212 monitors on sticks (12-in woofer and a 2-in exit/3-in voice coil compression driver on a Wave Guide Plate). The wave guide provides almost 180 degrees of coverage, so the high-end is really evenly dispersed and just sounds incredibly smooth.

The LA460's are a three way cabinet (Horn-loaded MF/HF (60° x 45° coverage pattern) - 15-in LF/8-in MF/1.4-in exit HF). Two cabinets cover 120deg left to right. everything is powered by two QSC PL380s running at 2ohms on the subs (8000watts) and 4 ohms on the tops (5000 watts).

System sounds awesome. Good for 1000-1500 people in mid-sized outdoor venues. Really nice thing is not having to push the system. Lots of headroom.

It does require a van to move it though. Definitely not going to fit in a car. Fortunately everything is on wheels and I've got an awesome ramp to load gear in/out of the van.

[Spider]

We went a similar way this summer as our band started getting more and bigger gigs.
3x ElectroVoice ELX118P + 2x ELX115P. Not as big a rig as yours, but enough to fill any indoor venue and most small-medium outdoor ones.
We already had our own mixer and soundman, so now we're 100% independent for the vast majority of gigs.

And once you try EV there's no going back, even if other brands like QSC, RCF etc are great, there's something about the clarity of sound of EVs, coupled to their great price-size-weight combo, that's unmatched.

[FZiegler]

All those systems look very nice. You might risk to be asked to borrow your gear. Any policy yet?

[cphollis]

Always nice to be independent. Tents, sound, lights. That way I always know what to expect. The only thing I don't have is staging.


IMG_1084.jpeg

IMG_2691.jpeg

IMG_2110.JPG

We're very alike in wanting to be independent for our performances! That's a serious PA stack, dude. Mine is about as big as it can get without requiring me to buy a van or trailer. We have the QSC rig (shown) as well as a smaller Bose 812 sub/top rig for parties and smaller events.

I tell people "keyboards are cheap, sound gear is what's expensive!" As are lights, a stage, a trailer to move it all, etc.

We use Ape Labs fixtures for lighting (battery powered, wireless, automated), it's wonderful. I've priced towable small stages -- that's out of range for the foreseeable future.

As far as brands, while I like EV gear, I've always felt they voice their speakers "bright" which some prefer. I find myself dialing down the EQ a bit when I encounter them. The EAW stuff is awesome and pricey as you'd expect. There's nothing special about QSC in much the same way that there's nothing special about Nords -- just lots of little enhancements that work well together and do everything well enough.

I don't loan or rent my gear without me being along for the ride, as you're just asking for trouble.