We hope you enjoyed this guide to setting up a PA for your band. There are more helpful tips and tricks on the way! Just like, comment, and subscribe so you don't miss a beat 🤘
Hi. i like the guide especially me having a metal band, and may i ask before shopping, how much is a pedalboard cost at philippine pesos? tnx, very helpful guide
Do you guys have a video for the rockville 18 channel mixer/amp/digital interface im trying to figure out how to set it up to record my drumset on it I tried using the USB thumb drive but it says no device connected and I'm just confused
How about a video where you set up a PA in a small pub/club? The "stage" is 1/2 the size you need, there's one outlet and it's on the ceiling, and you have to carry all your gear through 2 sets of door and up a dark staircase. Also don't forget to lock your car during every trip because otherwise your gear goes for a walk...
Yeah this is mostly useful for semi-pro or late, middle-aged Dad bands with disposable income who bring $20k worth of gear to play Tom Petty covers to a dozen people.
Don’t forget to include the no sound check time in there, the event is set to start at nine but the people at the venue don’t let you setup until ten minutes before the show start 🤣
@@vthings001 …why such hostility toward dad bands having fun? Kudos to those “dads” who, after raising families and working their asses off to support them for 20+ years, finally get the spare time to put toward their hobby/passion which they ignored for years due to family responsibilities. Your poor attitude is probably why you don’t have disposable income. Signed…a dad band bassist/sound man with a $40K “rig” for backyard BBQ/crawfish boils (Tom Petty never sounded so good!!).
Turn on the mixer first. If you turn on the speakers first, nobody in the room will be happy with the loud pop when you turn on the mixer, and you might take a speaker out. And turn off the mixer last, for the same reason.
nobody can mix with stage ears... its a myth... never heard it done better then a sound guy... no musician really wants to do that anyway...you end up being everybody's monitor boy and whipping post when something isn't exactly right. Can kill a mojo faster then a china virus
@@timdegaugh9512 you could have one that controls the front of house speakers and the other controls the monitors but you would have to have 2 separate mixers.
Yes, I don't agree with that comment whatsoever, where is the sound engineer normally, where they are not, out the front, you can't mix FOH from the back?
as an event services AV technician for university of delaware, as well as resident sound tech for a couple house venues, i was ready for this video to be super cringy, full of stuff like all-in-one racks and things that only techs for huge, big-budget events would deal with. i've teched for a lot of bands, and while I personally have never had to run a bass or guitar amp through a PA, use more than one monitor, or deal with keyboard player wanting to use the PA instead of their own amp, this info was really useful and I can see it being valuable to someone just starting out teching in a new diy space where things like that are necessary. good job sweetwater with not including useless information or info that is only applicable to huge events.
It's a lil patronizing, even if you have only ever put a record on a turntable. started reading comments after i commented. worried i was being too much of a smartazz, lol.
Intelligent, scientifically designed for the best performance, very well presented! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For quality, professional content and a masterful presentation! Clearly, this guy is a subject matter expert.
I know it's handy to use the pole out of your subs for mains, but having subs separated very far causes some weird cancellation issues if the room is very deep. If you walk around and hear "dead spots", that is what's going on. Usually putting the subs in the center is the best because they will work together to evenly cover the space. If they can't go in the center, having them to one side is better than spaced apart. Don't worry about how it looks.
In my youth I was a roadie on a Frampton tour. The FOH guy I learned from said "Don't separate the subs". We always had them next to each other, stage center.
@@haverelmink It depends on the venue, the subs, the tops, and the distance. Sometimes you have such a reflective venue that separating the subs helps to even out the huge nulls and peaks that you can otherwise have. The less reflective the venue is, then centre stacking might be a good option. But, then you might have a huge separation between the tops and subs, which might not sound right. Also, if your subs are physically very big or cardiod, you can get away with separating them either way.
I had no idea where to start my research since I know nothing about PA systems and micing drums. This sure helped a lot ! incredible video and I appriciate you showing visually every step of the process.
Re signal routing: I was taught: Channels 1-12: kick, snare, HH, T1, T2, T3, OH1, OH2, bells/chimes/other, Pads (stereo), other or open, then 13-24: back line: Bass, G1, G2, G3, KeyL Key R, Synth L, Synth R, then Vocals 25-28: (house left to right for my benefit) 1, 2, 3, 4, other 28-32: (CD, pre show, video sound, othes). Then, routing to 4: subs to mains: (perc, inst, vocals, efx), then 8 monitor mixes or 16 out to P16 e.g.: 1-8: (wedge/earbuds per performer (in same order: perc 1/2, inst 3/4, voc 5/6, other 7/8) as requested), Out to main (L/R), lobby, other rooms, recording (direct out or other "every channel", plus main (LR) for management (band, house, and me). 32 and every other sound man can run my setup as we all learned the same way. If shrinking, keep the same groups (perc, inst, etc.) and outputs (L/R, lobby, etc.) If only 16: then shrink: drums (8), inst (4), and Voc (4) plus sends (monitors (2) and outs (2)(house and lobby) If keys, then combine toms (1-2), inst (only 3), and voc (1, 2, 3-4) use the two saved for "other".
Depends on the type of gig. Not sure why in a cover band gig in a typical bar/club the drummer would need more than three channels. Kick drum, snare/hi-hat, overhead. It's very frustrating working with drummers who think they need a separate mic for every single piece of their kit in a 20x30 room with maybe 75 people. It's a waste because in those cases the drums' stage volume is already as loud or louder than the bar wants, so you can't turn those individual channels up at all anyway. I usually just mute them.
If we are not in that room personaly then there is no benifit for us hearing it through a recorded mix, that is altered firstly by this video's audio propably being mixed already, secondly by audio quality UA-cam gives us, thirdly by the set of speakers you use and fourthly your room you are sitting in.
Florian Popp you are right, but for me the benefit of such thing wouldn’t be limited to the PA system, there are many mics in use, the mix itself is a good parameter of how it sounds in the room. At least when I worked as a light/sound tech the first thing was always listening to the mix with earphones and then make the fine adjustments to the PA considering room characteristics and PA frequency biases. Of course, it’s a thing of mine (and some ppl I worked with) so I would’ve liked to hear this equipment in use despite UA-cam compression and etc.
Bardzo amatorska konfiguracja, można to zrobić dużo lepiej. Ustawione w taki sposób głośniki będą emitować dzwięki również do tyłu a pózniej odbite od ściany ponownie do przodu, jeśli dodamy do tego dzwięk z perkusji i wzmacniaczy gitarowych to wokalista nic nie będzie słyszał i będzie zmuszony wzmocnić sygnał z monitorów co w sumie da potężny i niepotrzebny hałas na scenie i ogólnie zły dzwięk dla muzyków i wokalisty, powstanie również ryzyko sprzężeń. Wasz pomysł to bardzo budżetowe rozwiązanie, raczej do sali prób niż do klubu na koncert. Profesjonalny realizator dzwięku nie poleci takiego ustawienia.
The Powered Speaker is one of the most under rated advances in PA System ease and size of setup. Traveling with a local Band up and down the east coast mainly VA, NC, SC, TN, GA, FL, AL we traveled with our equipment in a Bus with limited storage the new class D power amps were a game changer and we use to setup in less than an hour and ready for the SHOW. That included lights. Planning is the key this was a great example of quick and well planned setup! If bands pay attention to this video they can have well thought out setups too!
Nice vid! I ran the PA for an old band of mine, and used older power amps and passive PA cabs. It was fun (for me lol) figuring out all the power handling math. Maybe a follow-up video could be done using older gear like this, as that's probably what most people are dealing with.
wildealien I still use my PA from the 80’s. 6 Peavey CS 800’s, EV 18 subs, peavey 15 mains, jvc’s 12’s, peavey floor monitors, Peavey Board etc. I’m 58 yrs old and I think it’s time to update due to the weight not the sound.
I did a 10 week course on this in the late 80's and did it for a few years.W-Bins, 16 channel desks, effects and amp racks, beer covered multicores. Started playing again recently and it's all so much easier. But a LOT of my course was what mic's where and why, EQ'ing for the room etc. Armed with this knowledge, you could sound like sh!t!
Hello greetings from California. My church would like to setup an IEM system but we don't know to setup. So I was wondering if you can make a video about the setup, the connections, signal chains, etc. Thanks!
Stay tuned... there is a "How to Set Up a PA System for a Mobile Church" video in the editing pipeline right now (it features 6 personal mixers for IEMs/headphones in that video).
There is one important rule for musicians, which are unexperienced with PA systems, especially with PA systems for larger audiences (more than 100): If you're at the PA rental store, don't believe the guy at the counter. At first, they will try to sell you a package that is too large for the job. These guys often try to rent out equipment that is at least capable of blowing everyone's ears out. This is perfectly fine for some occasions, and also can be a lot of fun, especially in the domain of popular music. Nobody owning at least one "Napalm Death" album would seriously doubt that. But in many cases, it's way too powerful, and you can get away with a cheaper option. This also means less effort for logistics, maybe less additional personnel and a less complex system to be set up and managed. Less complexity equals less potential problems for the actual concert.
Yeah, right! I see it more often these days that industrie/marketing is suggesting other than the typical order ( like Drums, Guitars, Keys, Vocals and FX) or something like a festival patch. People, teach them "right" ;-)
Some of this can be dictated by the mixer that you're using. I have a Soundcraft UI mixer. Inputs 1 and 2 are designed for plugging electric guitars into it. They could be used for kick, but then I'd lose my guitar input. (If we ever use it.) Beyond that, I put the vocals first. What I want to know, since I've gotten mixed responses, Do I organize the vocals from left to right from the musicians point of view OR the audience pov? I do my mixing on stage, so from the musicians pov makes more sense, but I can imagine a time when I would hand the tablet to a FOH audio guy.
Excellent as always, Mitch! Many thanks. A good follow-up video could be your process for sound check? My band played out a bunch in 2019. Here's what we came up with. Btw ... we do not have a dedicated sound guy. Once our mains (QSC KS12.2s) are set up on tripods ... we spin them around toward the band (monitors are turned off) and dial in instruments in this order: drums, bass, keys, guitars, and vocals are always last. We typically play a verse and chorus from 2 or 3 of our go to songs--making sure to dial in all instruments and voices. Next we spin the mains back toward the dance floor & seating ... and dial in the monitors. Interesting choices for monitors-- Both the drummer and guitarist have the powered Simmons drum monitors. They sound great. I use the Bose system with sub which sounds really great with my keys, acoustic & electric guitars, and voice. (Overachiever?). All mics are routed to an Allen & Heath 30 channel mixer. Forgot to mention our two QSC 18" subs. At least one person per gig will come up to the stage when we go on break and tell us how amazing the sound quality is. Maybe we're on to something? Quick note about the Bose-- I originally purchased it for my duo (yes ... from Sweetwater!). About five years ago I saw an amazing CSNY tribute band using 2 or 3 of the Bose systems incorporated into their concert rig. This was at a 20,000-seat arena. I gave it a try with my band and have never looked back. Portable & sounds great blended in with the QSCs!
Some channels waffle on & make what could be a 10 minute video into a 30 minute video (I'm looking in your direction, Mr. Beato) Finally, I have found a channel with good information from someone who knows what they are talking about but doesn't love the sound of their own voice. Instant subscription for a great video. I look forward to checking out more (The titles look intriguing)
Good job on this video. Just want to mention one thing. This "tech guy running PA form the stage" stuff that happens sometimes specially due to the rain. The worst live performances I've seen were all in this scenario, guys rockin onstage and the audience getting just kick, snare and bass guitar, barely guitars and vocals. Ridiculous. People looking at each other and saying what the hell is going on here. I think is suicide and gonna be happy if somebody proove me wrong someday.
Rod I agere with you. The only thing positive with this wireless PA system is that you can grab your iPad and check the sound in the audience. But as I say: No matter how you turn, you always get your ass behind you. The last time my kids played for a big audience, they had a professional sound engineers, running sound from behind the audioence. And the sound was great , but on stage they had big problems healing each other.
great video!! thanks for helping musisian get more profesionals at stage. I have only one objetion: if you got your gtr and bassmann with big amps. I only take the vox and the kick on the PA. the rest i like to keep it as natural as posible.. resuming: Preserve the soundfont as much as you can.
Good morning, I know im late in this Video, but, why is the guitar not linked like the Bass guitar and using a mic rather? or does it not have a Di output?
Sir How to Manage 2 Type Sub. I mean 2 /3 types bass reflex sub , example - 1) Front Loaded 2) Hornload 2) Revers speaker sub In one venue. How to manage it
Hey Mitch, how about the problems of the 2 subwoofer's in the stereo omni configuration in your set up regarding power alleys and power valleys? Is a cardioid central cluster better?
not a fan of JBL, or Mackie after 2008 but overall great presentation. definitely would recommend Yamaha or QSC over JBL, and Yamaha or Allen & heath for mixing. They have the best warranties, best customer service, and are priced appropriately and competitively. Mackie, Peavey, and JBL are all heavily cheeper Chinese parts. Their customer service is horrible, specifically Harman Group who owns JBL. Hope this information was beneficial have a great day.
Perhaps we need a bit of competition in overseeing the building industry to help bring prices down. Instead of limiting the oversight, security, corruption and intimidation on building sites to Bikie gangs, perhaps we should encourage the Mafia and Triads in to add some competitive pressure, and bring these prices construction prices down. It can't get any more corrupt. Lets go VIC Gov!
Great video! It's an excellent starting point but the sub+main on each side of the stage is usually the worst possible placement for the subwoofers. I know that at most small to mid-sized gigs you don't really have enough space to put both subs together at the center of the stage but you can usually stack the two subs on one side of the stage which is much better than the traditional L/R split.
What Iv always wondered about smaller and mid sized gigs is why the front of house absolutely blast the PA system to deafening degrees. I haven’t don’t my own show yet but whenever I see a band, like the offspring, it was just uncomfortable. It makes me worry about myself since my ears aren’t super sensitive but Iv used issues before and feel like PA systems will wreck my ears . They’re always way louder than they have to be .
The more I think about what you wrote here, the more I realize what you're saying makes sense. In larger venues that have their own PA's, the subs are always under the stage in the center....If you have 2 like in this video, doesn't putting them closer to each other actually improve the low end even more? I'm going to experiment with this. Thanks for sharing.
Im sorry, but anyone using a mic in front of any amp is just incompetent in the way of sound engineering. Using a direct box to convert from 1/4 out to XLR will provide a thousand times better sound than any amp mic ever would. I am disappointed that Sweetwater would ever suggest something like this. If your amp doesn't have an XLR out for your mixer, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use a direct box and convert the signal. It just isn't professional quality otherwise.
Great advice except ...I wouldn't worry about stereo. People watching this are going to be playing small club venues most likely and running a stereo PA just complicates things unnecessarily. Mono works just fine for small venues.
in ears for the band. screw the wedges in front and back destroying ones hearing. expensive but helpful when your in your late 50's and whoops should have had hearing protection. I always did earplugs yo.
i have questions..to all sounds engineering..please help my curiosity and hope can help my Church performance Am i supposed to hear all the instruments clear and with detail when the band are played or not? because of this.. bugging me so much why? i’ve been to concerts from Jack Johnson, The Strokes, John Mayer and The Script while i was study in US. i can hear all their instruments played each one of them clearly in my ears..as though they were separated from each other but well combined. For me that’s like awesome, i believe a great quality MUSIC is when i can hear all the instruments clearly and with detail. On the contrary… in my country..most of the bands..whether it’s regular, wedding or church band..they sound so loud in their drum and bass, and that makes me can’t hear the guitar, the acoustic guitar, the piano…even the violin, harps (if there are any). All i hear is the drum and bass and some blending other music playing on the background. Please inform me, what is the standard of hearing good sounds live? Thank you so so much.
This is pretty basic hook ups of inputs and outputs of speakers, instruments and vocals. This is intuitive (except for female singers😂) As a drummer for a 7 member band in the late 90s and early 2000's, the entire group knew their responsiblity of what to hook up. Theres no need for order of hooking up when time is of the essence as long as the inputs and outputs are correct The technical part is the sound check and getting the right mix in the monitors then the FOH. The other technical part is knowing the flow of signal when turning the system on (mixer to eq, efx, etc, to power amp (old school). Reverse process for shutting down the system (amp to mixer).
Thank you for the detailed instruction! Quick questions, for those using their own amp (bass + guitar), do you use these as additional speakers/monitors or do you quiet them down just enough for the mic to pick up so that the sound can only come through the fronts and the designated monitor?
So I would say that the amps should already be at a reasonable volume without the pa stuff, and then proceed to mic up the sounds already. So get a good sound without the pas and then mic them up for less room for changes
This is a nice set-up but after all that work it would have been nice to heard a band play a little and sing with this system. Also, what about the rest of the drum kit? Shouldn't you have at least one mic over the cymbals closest to the keyboard and one over the other cymbals to pick them up as well as the floor tom-toms?
Good video apart from one minor thing...there is a reason why University Lecturers do not play any kind of music while they pass on information to students in lectures.
Hello i have 4.monitors in your case. Does it be better to put them on stands in drummer head level. Because sound go trough left to right trough drummer and fill stage?
Problem with videos like this. People watch half a dozen of them, think they know what they're doing, get to the gig and sound shite. No idea what's wrong or how to sort it. Band gets a rep for bad sound and loses work. If you are watching a video to learn how to plug stuff in, you are not ready to mix a band.
We hope you enjoyed this guide to setting up a PA for your band. There are more helpful tips and tricks on the way! Just like, comment, and subscribe so you don't miss a beat 🤘
Thank you so much now I have a jazz band☺️😁
Hi. i like the guide especially me having a metal band, and may i ask before shopping, how much is a pedalboard cost at philippine pesos? tnx, very helpful guide
Really cool Mitch and Sweetwater
Thanks!!
Do you guys have a video for the rockville 18 channel mixer/amp/digital interface im trying to figure out how to set it up to record my drumset on it I tried using the USB thumb drive but it says no device connected and I'm just confused
How about a video where you set up a PA in a small pub/club? The "stage" is 1/2 the size you need, there's one outlet and it's on the ceiling, and you have to carry all your gear through 2 sets of door and up a dark staircase. Also don't forget to lock your car during every trip because otherwise your gear goes for a walk...
😂
Stu please make one for us
Yeah this is mostly useful for semi-pro or late, middle-aged Dad bands with disposable income who bring $20k worth of gear to play Tom Petty covers to a dozen people.
Don’t forget to include the no sound check time in there, the event is set to start at nine but the people at the venue don’t let you setup until ten minutes before the show start 🤣
@@vthings001 …why such hostility toward dad bands having fun? Kudos to those “dads” who, after raising families and working their asses off to support them for 20+ years, finally get the spare time to put toward their hobby/passion which they ignored for years due to family responsibilities. Your poor attitude is probably why you don’t have disposable income.
Signed…a dad band bassist/sound man with a $40K “rig” for backyard BBQ/crawfish boils (Tom Petty never sounded so good!!).
Plot Twist: this was all just one elaborate ad for the Sweetwater Duffle bag @ 1:23
😂 you are so right!
wait there’s a Sweetwater duffel bag?
it looks good. is it less than $79.98?
If so, I'm sold.
Turn on the mixer first. If you turn on the speakers first, nobody in the room will be happy with the loud pop when you turn on the mixer, and you might take a speaker out. And turn off the mixer last, for the same reason.
Sweetwater has the best videos known to man.
🙌🙌
Nice they are extremely helpful
Ben Gibson That's sweet(water) of you 🙂
Yup
"Don't have to have a seperate sound engineer". There goes my job then!
nobody can mix with stage ears... its a myth... never heard it done better then a sound guy... no musician really wants to do that anyway...you end up being everybody's monitor boy and whipping post when something isn't exactly right. Can kill a mojo faster then a china virus
I need a separate sound engineer!!
@@SteveEdinger true
@@timdegaugh9512 you could have one that controls the front of house speakers and the other controls the monitors but you would have to have 2 separate mixers.
Yes, I don't agree with that comment whatsoever, where is the sound engineer normally, where they are not, out the front, you can't mix FOH from the back?
as an event services AV technician for university of delaware, as well as resident sound tech for a couple house venues, i was ready for this video to be super cringy, full of stuff like all-in-one racks and things that only techs for huge, big-budget events would deal with. i've teched for a lot of bands, and while I personally have never had to run a bass or guitar amp through a PA, use more than one monitor, or deal with keyboard player wanting to use the PA instead of their own amp, this info was really useful and I can see it being valuable to someone just starting out teching in a new diy space where things like that are necessary. good job sweetwater with not including useless information or info that is only applicable to huge events.
😊👍
@@sweetwater Except, after he watched the sub-woofer placement, Dave Rat just rolled over in his grave, and he is still alive. Carl
It's a lil patronizing, even if you have only ever put a record on a turntable. started reading comments after i commented. worried i was being too much of a smartazz, lol.
Intelligent, scientifically designed for the best performance, very well presented! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For quality, professional content and a masterful presentation! Clearly, this guy is a subject matter expert.
I'd love to set up a PA right now. Sure would be nice if we had some gigs or rehearsals going on in the world right now. :(
I wish I was with my band😢
Same here brother. I am a roadie for a band in my area, so I have my routine for setup down. Too bad it's all packed into my van....
I also want to have the best quality sound system to play with my family. Can you advise me on the best sound system today to play at home?
I know it's handy to use the pole out of your subs for mains, but having subs separated very far causes some weird cancellation issues if the room is very deep. If you walk around and hear "dead spots", that is what's going on. Usually putting the subs in the center is the best because they will work together to evenly cover the space. If they can't go in the center, having them to one side is better than spaced apart. Don't worry about how it looks.
i just learnt something
In my youth I was a roadie on a Frampton tour. The FOH guy I learned from said "Don't separate the subs". We always had them next to each other, stage center.
@@haverelmink It depends on the venue, the subs, the tops, and the distance. Sometimes you have such a reflective venue that separating the subs helps to even out the huge nulls and peaks that you can otherwise have. The less reflective the venue is, then centre stacking might be a good option. But, then you might have a huge separation between the tops and subs, which might not sound right. Also, if your subs are physically very big or cardiod, you can get away with separating them either way.
80% of the time it's for convenience using the subs to hold up the tops. I do both ways depending on the venue
Putting the subs together in the middle. Is this applicable in an open venue?
I had no idea where to start my research since I know nothing about PA systems and micing drums. This sure helped a lot ! incredible video and I appriciate you showing visually every step of the process.
I can listen to Mitch for days. Very calming and informative at the same time.
Your videos are always so professional. You've got a lot of hardworking, talented people on your team.
Thank you, John! 😊👍
Re signal routing: I was taught: Channels 1-12: kick, snare, HH, T1, T2, T3, OH1, OH2, bells/chimes/other, Pads (stereo), other or open, then 13-24: back line: Bass, G1, G2, G3, KeyL Key R, Synth L, Synth R, then Vocals 25-28: (house left to right for my benefit) 1, 2, 3, 4, other 28-32: (CD, pre show, video sound, othes). Then, routing to 4: subs to mains: (perc, inst, vocals, efx), then 8 monitor mixes or 16 out to P16 e.g.: 1-8: (wedge/earbuds per performer (in same order: perc 1/2, inst 3/4, voc 5/6, other 7/8) as requested), Out to main (L/R), lobby, other rooms, recording (direct out or other "every channel", plus main (LR) for management (band, house, and me). 32 and every other sound man can run my setup as we all learned the same way. If shrinking, keep the same groups (perc, inst, etc.) and outputs (L/R, lobby, etc.)
If only 16: then shrink: drums (8), inst (4), and Voc (4) plus sends (monitors (2) and outs (2)(house and lobby) If keys, then combine toms (1-2), inst (only 3), and voc (1, 2, 3-4) use the two saved for "other".
Okay your cool
Agreed ..
Depends on the type of gig. Not sure why in a cover band gig in a typical bar/club the drummer would need more than three channels. Kick drum, snare/hi-hat, overhead. It's very frustrating working with drummers who think they need a separate mic for every single piece of their kit in a 20x30 room with maybe 75 people. It's a waste because in those cases the drums' stage volume is already as loud or louder than the bar wants, so you can't turn those individual channels up at all anyway. I usually just mute them.
lol, this is complicated, I just want to play my horn...🤣
How To Set Up a PA:
1. Hire a PA. (Personal assistant)
Lol
Gaff Tape..LOL I fly with gaff tape no matter what my role is for a show.
Gaff tape is an essential!
Shut Yo bitch ass up
It would've been nice to listen to a band mixed with this gear
If we are not in that room personaly then there is no benifit for us hearing it through a recorded mix, that is altered firstly by this video's audio propably being mixed already, secondly by audio quality UA-cam gives us, thirdly by the set of speakers you use and fourthly your room you are sitting in.
Florian Popp you are right, but for me the benefit of such thing wouldn’t be limited to the PA system, there are many mics in use, the mix itself is a good parameter of how it sounds in the room. At least when I worked as a light/sound tech the first thing was always listening to the mix with earphones and then make the fine adjustments to the PA considering room characteristics and PA frequency biases. Of course, it’s a thing of mine (and some ppl I worked with) so I would’ve liked to hear this equipment in use despite UA-cam compression and etc.
This will be helpful once the pandemic has passed and everyone can resume some type of normal again. Thank you. 👍😃
Im telling you , i cant wait
What do you do when a mob comes in and smashes everything?
I feel that
Bardzo amatorska konfiguracja, można to zrobić dużo lepiej. Ustawione w taki sposób głośniki będą emitować dzwięki również do tyłu a pózniej odbite od ściany ponownie do przodu, jeśli dodamy do tego dzwięk z perkusji i wzmacniaczy gitarowych to wokalista nic nie będzie słyszał i będzie zmuszony wzmocnić sygnał z monitorów co w sumie da potężny i niepotrzebny hałas na scenie i ogólnie zły dzwięk dla muzyków i wokalisty, powstanie również ryzyko sprzężeń. Wasz pomysł to bardzo budżetowe rozwiązanie, raczej do sali prób niż do klubu na koncert.
Profesjonalny realizator dzwięku nie poleci takiego ustawienia.
EDIT: 6:18 "The key to having an easy efficient stage set up is to turn down 90% of the gigs you are offered because they won't look like this. "
Mitch Gallagher dose such a good job explaining.
The Powered Speaker is one of the most under rated advances in PA System ease and size of setup. Traveling with a local Band up and down the east coast mainly VA, NC, SC, TN, GA, FL, AL we traveled with our equipment in a Bus with limited storage the new class D power amps were a game changer and we use to setup in less than an hour and ready for the SHOW. That included lights. Planning is the key this was a great example of quick and well planned setup! If bands pay attention to this video they can have well thought out setups too!
Nice vid! I ran the PA for an old band of mine, and used older power amps and passive PA cabs. It was fun (for me lol) figuring out all the power handling math. Maybe a follow-up video could be done using older gear like this, as that's probably what most people are dealing with.
wildealien I still use my PA from the 80’s. 6 Peavey CS 800’s, EV 18 subs, peavey 15 mains, jvc’s 12’s, peavey floor monitors, Peavey Board etc. I’m 58 yrs old and I think it’s time to update due to the weight not the sound.
@@SirBelvedere333 I hear ya. I'm 71, I have a lightweight rig, my big, heavy stuff stays home unless I have an outdoor gig.
Bill Miller I’m gonna find a new system once this virus is dealt with.
I did a 10 week course on this in the late 80's and did it for a few years.W-Bins, 16 channel desks, effects and amp racks, beer covered multicores.
Started playing again recently and it's all so much easier.
But a LOT of my course was what mic's where and why, EQ'ing for the room etc.
Armed with this knowledge, you could sound like sh!t!
Hello greetings from California. My church would like to setup an IEM system but we don't know to setup. So I was wondering if you can make a video about the setup, the connections, signal chains, etc. Thanks!
Stay tuned... there is a "How to Set Up a PA System for a Mobile Church" video in the editing pipeline right now (it features 6 personal mixers for IEMs/headphones in that video).
@@DaveMcCall Nice 👍
Dave McCall Sweetwater has the best videos known to man. (I am a former broadcast editor.)
Informative but curious why you said if you have one sub to place in the back? I feel like that would cause crazy feedback and issues
Fantastic explanation of the basics with tips from experience thrown in. Love it!
There is one important rule for musicians, which are unexperienced with PA systems, especially with PA systems for larger audiences (more than 100): If you're at the PA rental store, don't believe the guy at the counter. At first, they will try to sell you a package that is too large for the job. These guys often try to rent out equipment that is at least capable of blowing everyone's ears out. This is perfectly fine for some occasions, and also can be a lot of fun, especially in the domain of popular music. Nobody owning at least one "Napalm Death" album would seriously doubt that. But in many cases, it's way too powerful, and you can get away with a cheaper option. This also means less effort for logistics, maybe less additional personnel and a less complex system to be set up and managed. Less complexity equals less potential problems for the actual concert.
I wish every bar had a sound guy like this dude
NOOOOO!!!! Channel 1 is always KICK 👍🏽
Yeah, right! I see it more often these days that industrie/marketing is suggesting other than the typical order ( like Drums, Guitars, Keys, Vocals and FX) or something like a festival patch. People, teach them "right" ;-)
Exactly. Drums starting with the kick on 1, instruments next, vocals last.
Kick, snare, hat, rack, floor, overhead. Omit what you don't need, but that's the order and don't you forget it!
Some of this can be dictated by the mixer that you're using. I have a Soundcraft UI mixer. Inputs 1 and 2 are designed for plugging electric guitars into it. They could be used for kick, but then I'd lose my guitar input. (If we ever use it.) Beyond that, I put the vocals first.
What I want to know, since I've gotten mixed responses, Do I organize the vocals from left to right from the musicians point of view OR the audience pov? I do my mixing on stage, so from the musicians pov makes more sense, but I can imagine a time when I would hand the tablet to a FOH audio guy.
You need 2 of those mixers connected together, 1 just for the drums.
Who else is playing this at .75x?
Excellent as always, Mitch! Many thanks. A good follow-up video could be your process for sound check? My band played out a bunch in 2019. Here's what we came up with. Btw ... we do not have a dedicated sound guy.
Once our mains (QSC KS12.2s) are set up on tripods ... we spin them around toward the band (monitors are turned off) and dial in instruments in this order: drums, bass, keys, guitars, and vocals are always last. We typically play a verse and chorus from 2 or 3 of our go to songs--making sure to dial in all instruments and voices.
Next we spin the mains back toward the dance floor & seating ... and dial in the monitors.
Interesting choices for monitors-- Both the drummer and guitarist have the powered Simmons drum monitors. They sound great. I use the Bose system with sub which sounds really great with my keys, acoustic & electric guitars, and voice. (Overachiever?). All mics are routed to an Allen & Heath 30 channel mixer. Forgot to mention our two QSC 18" subs. At least one person per gig will come up to the stage when we go on break and tell us how amazing the sound quality is. Maybe we're on to something? Quick note about the Bose-- I originally purchased it for my duo (yes ... from Sweetwater!). About five years ago I saw an amazing CSNY tribute band using 2 or 3 of the Bose systems incorporated into their concert rig. This was at a 20,000-seat arena. I gave it a try with my band and have never looked back. Portable & sounds great blended in with the QSCs!
Did anyone else start screaming no when he said the vocal on channel one? Ugh... kick on 1!
That and the mic hanging from the amp, before he pulled out the 906 😂 got scared
Yeah. I use a Samson C02 on a stand for micing cabs. So until he pulled out the Mic he did, it was total cringe!
Yup. Cringe city.
Lol I actually like the vocals on 1-3 now, no one complains in the band except them so its nice to have all their controls first.
maybe those vocalist need some kick??🤔
Some channels waffle on & make what could be a 10 minute video into a 30 minute video (I'm looking in your direction, Mr. Beato)
Finally, I have found a channel with good information from someone who knows what they are talking about but doesn't love the sound of their own voice.
Instant subscription for a great video. I look forward to checking out more (The titles look intriguing)
Good info, the outtakes cracked me up too. :)
Good job on this video. Just want to mention one thing. This "tech guy running PA form the stage" stuff that happens sometimes specially due to the rain. The worst live performances I've seen were all in this scenario, guys rockin onstage and the audience getting just kick, snare and bass guitar, barely guitars and vocals. Ridiculous. People looking at each other and saying what the hell is going on here. I think is suicide and gonna be happy if somebody proove me wrong someday.
Rod I agere with you. The only thing positive with this wireless PA system is that you can grab your iPad and check the sound in the audience. But as I say: No matter how you turn, you always get your ass behind you. The last time my kids played for a big audience, they had a professional sound engineers, running sound from behind the audioence. And the sound was great , but on stage they had big problems healing each other.
How much would this equipment cost in total?(minus instruments)
How do you hear what the audience hears when your mixing from the stage? 2 mics for the entire drum kit? I can't take anymore nonsense.
Great
Greetings From Super Extremes- Sri Lanka
💚 💛 ❤ 💙 💜
great video!! thanks for helping musisian get more profesionals at stage. I have only one objetion: if you got your gtr and bassmann with big amps. I only take the vox and the kick on the PA. the rest i like to keep it as natural as posible.. resuming: Preserve the soundfont as much as you can.
Mitch is mighty indeed. 👍😎
This is excellent . I learnt a few things from this video...so thankyou Mr Gallagher and Sweetwater
You forgot the Gaff.....
These videos are great for us out of date guys :) Thank you. I learned a lot!
Thanks for watching, Clinton!
Good morning, I know im late in this Video, but, why is the guitar not linked like the Bass guitar and using a mic rather? or does it not have a Di output?
Either it doesn't have it or he prefers the miked sound
Very helpful. I’ve learned some techniques I’ll apply to our next gig.
First time watching this setting up of this great PA system looking great,this is how I would like to set up my bands,
Can you follow this up with a sound check video and explain anything else a noob like me would need to know for setting everything up?
How about mixing bass and kick please? It doesn’t affect the high speakers??
Why isn't the kick drum at channel 1?
Pushing The idea of not using a sound engineer or operator isn't good business sence. We buy stuff too.
Your service will always be needed anyway so.. you guys are the cherry on top. On where the job makes good money.
We were very confused when we appreached our first music venue, luckily we were able to come across this tutorial. Thank you, Sweetwater.
The PA is supposedly just for the vocals right? Since the guitar, bass and keys already have their own amps?
What a Great Explanation
Great
Greetings From Super Extremes- Sri Lanka
💚 💛 ❤ 💙 💜
vocals on one..?! Heresy!
this was the most confusing thing ever thanos
😂 basic I/O connection.
Would this work for a small church about 30-50 people typically in attendance
Request: Video on portable PA for one man band (lead guitar, vox, backing track) maybe two options, budget and top shelf
Sir How to Manage 2 Type Sub. I mean 2 /3 types bass reflex sub , example - 1) Front Loaded
2) Hornload
2) Revers speaker sub
In one venue. How to manage it
holy cow LOUD MUCH ??? LOL
you are living my dreams
Enjoy your successfulness
Hey Mitch, how about the problems of the 2 subwoofer's in the stereo omni configuration in your set up regarding power alleys and power valleys? Is a cardioid central cluster better?
not a fan of JBL, or Mackie after 2008 but overall great presentation. definitely would recommend Yamaha or QSC over JBL, and Yamaha or Allen & heath for mixing. They have the best warranties, best customer service, and are priced appropriately and competitively.
Mackie, Peavey, and JBL are all heavily cheeper Chinese parts. Their customer service is horrible, specifically Harman Group who owns JBL.
Hope this information was beneficial have a great day.
That was an extremely helpful video. Thank you for taking the time to teach this!!
Perhaps we need a bit of competition in overseeing the building industry to help bring prices down. Instead of limiting the oversight, security, corruption and intimidation on building sites to Bikie gangs, perhaps we should encourage the Mafia and Triads in to add some competitive pressure, and bring these prices construction prices down. It can't get any more corrupt. Lets go VIC Gov!
Excellent demonstration & very clear instructions. Thanks again for helping us to set up and quickly position ideas of system.👍🌸🌟
Great video! It's an excellent starting point but the sub+main on each side of the stage is usually the worst possible placement for the subwoofers. I know that at most small to mid-sized gigs you don't really have enough space to put both subs together at the center of the stage but you can usually stack the two subs on one side of the stage which is much better than the traditional L/R split.
What Iv always wondered about smaller and mid sized gigs is why the front of house absolutely blast the PA system to deafening degrees. I haven’t don’t my own show yet but whenever I see a band, like the offspring, it was just uncomfortable.
It makes me worry about myself since my ears aren’t super sensitive but Iv used issues before and feel like PA systems will wreck my ears .
They’re always way louder than they have to be .
The more I think about what you wrote here, the more I realize what you're saying makes sense. In larger venues that have their own PA's, the subs are always under the stage in the center....If you have 2 like in this video, doesn't putting them closer to each other actually improve the low end even more? I'm going to experiment with this. Thanks for sharing.
Im sorry, but anyone using a mic in front of any amp is just incompetent in the way of sound engineering. Using a direct box to convert from 1/4 out to XLR will provide a thousand times better sound than any amp mic ever would. I am disappointed that Sweetwater would ever suggest something like this. If your amp doesn't have an XLR out for your mixer, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use a direct box and convert the signal. It just isn't professional quality otherwise.
Great advice except ...I wouldn't worry about stereo. People watching this are going to be playing small club venues most likely and running a stereo PA just complicates things unnecessarily. Mono works just fine for small venues.
Martinez Carol Thomas Donald Young Scott
in ears for the band. screw the wedges in front and back destroying ones hearing. expensive but helpful when your in your late 50's and whoops should have had hearing protection. I always did earplugs yo.
Ugh I miss this right now
😕 Now can you make a video plugging in a
TD-17 KVX Roland E-Kit instead of an acoustic drumkit?
What happens if you mix two different brand PA powered speaker, like a 8 inch with 10 inch with the same line music source for both..
We actually needed to see this. I like that mixer. Thanks 🙏🏼
i have questions..to all sounds engineering..please help my curiosity and hope can help my Church performance
Am i supposed to hear all the instruments clear and with detail when the band are played or not? because of this.. bugging me so much why? i’ve been to concerts from Jack Johnson, The Strokes, John Mayer and The Script while i was study in US. i can hear all their instruments played each one of them clearly in my ears..as though they were separated from each other but well combined. For me that’s like awesome, i believe a great quality MUSIC is when i can hear all the instruments clearly and with detail.
On the contrary… in my country..most of the bands..whether it’s regular, wedding or church band..they sound so loud in their drum and bass, and that makes me can’t hear the guitar, the acoustic guitar, the piano…even the violin, harps (if there are any). All i hear is the drum and bass and some blending other music playing on the background.
Please inform me, what is the standard of hearing good sounds live?
Thank you so so much.
Good day, I notice that I have limitations opening your site from my location. Is there anything I can do?
This is pretty basic hook ups of inputs and outputs of speakers, instruments and vocals. This is intuitive (except for female singers😂) As a drummer for a 7 member band in the late 90s and early 2000's, the entire group knew their responsiblity of what to hook up. Theres no need for order of hooking up when time is of the essence as long as the inputs and outputs are correct The technical part is the sound check and getting the right mix in the monitors then the FOH. The other technical part is knowing the flow of signal when turning the system on (mixer to eq, efx, etc, to power amp (old school). Reverse process for shutting down the system (amp to mixer).
Thank you for the detailed instruction! Quick questions, for those using their own amp (bass + guitar), do you use these as additional speakers/monitors or do you quiet them down just enough for the mic to pick up so that the sound can only come through the fronts and the designated monitor?
the bass guitar sound should be audible well enough to the player, so i use them for the players instead of dedicating a monitor to them.
So I would say that the amps should already be at a reasonable volume without the pa stuff, and then proceed to mic up the sounds already. So get a good sound without the pas and then mic them up for less room for changes
How are you using an active mixer with active speakers? I read you can’t use both powered
top
No overheads on the drum kit?
This is a nice set-up but after all that work it would have been nice to heard a band play a little and sing with this system. Also, what about the rest of the drum kit? Shouldn't you have at least one mic over the cymbals closest to the keyboard and one over the other cymbals to pick them up as well as the floor tom-toms?
Extremely helpful and informative!!!!
How would you prevent the stage monitors from giving a feedback
Thanks this video is really helpful..I own a bose f1 series setup and bose s1 pro for monitors..Can u explain the setup for it also..I'm from INDIA
Good video apart from one minor thing...there is a reason why University Lecturers do not play any kind of music while they pass on information to students in lectures.
If you need to watch a UA-cam video to set up. You are not ready. Get help
What kind of guitar is that blue one
Looks like a fender jazzmaster
Perfect. Thanks Mitch and Sweetwater!
Hello i have 4.monitors in your case. Does it be better to put them on stands in drummer head level. Because sound go trough left to right trough drummer and fill stage?
How does this setup compare to say
Setting up two Bose towers?
Problem with videos like this. People watch half a dozen of them, think they know what they're doing, get to the gig and sound shite. No idea what's wrong or how to sort it. Band gets a rep for bad sound and loses work.
If you are watching a video to learn how to plug stuff in, you are not ready to mix a band.
Great tutorial on setting up a PA. Thank you for taking the time :)
Nice and simple. Add in two overheads for the drum kit. like!
What about the rest of the drums?
I've been to one show in my life where the sound was good. Pros, major artists, but the sound was always bad...
What reverb unit would U recommend for a JBL prxone as there reverb is total unusable