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Post by stormymondays on Feb 12, 2018 14:23:36 GMT -6
I'm tired of playing medium-sized venues with floor monitors in bad shape. I wonder if there's something that's worth buying and hauling out to every gig. My band has a fairly complex line-up and I need a monitor that will be able to deliver my "survival" needs (vocal and acoustic guitar) with no compromises, and also be able to supply me with the rest of the band's contribution (piano, organ, horns, strings) without folding under the pressure.
I'm looking for a single wedge that will do the job with stellar sound quality and headroom, and as little weight as possible. A neodymium driver and class-D amp is probably a requirement. If a 10" speaker can do it, I don't need a 12".
Any recommendations? I know this is a tough one...
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Feb 12, 2018 14:46:22 GMT -6
The best wedges are still heavy buggers! Plastic still dose t build a cabinet that sounds as good as 19mm Baltic birch!
I guess what I’m saying is pick your favorite lightweight FOH box put it on its side ring it and run.
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Post by johneppstein on Feb 12, 2018 16:34:20 GMT -6
John Meyers has made some absolutely stellar very compact monitors but they are neither what I would call lightweight nor inexpensive.
I do NOT like any of those lightweight plastic Class D powered FOH/monitor cabs.
Not any I've seen, anyway.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 12, 2018 16:40:07 GMT -6
In ear.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Feb 12, 2018 17:02:16 GMT -6
John Meyers has made some absolutely stellar very compact monitors but they are neither what I would call lightweight nor inexpensive. I do NOT like any of those lightweight plastic Class D powered FOH/monitor cabs. Not any I've seen, anyway. John won’t build anything out of anything but 19 ply Baltic birtch |
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Post by svart on Feb 12, 2018 17:03:26 GMT -6
In ears with one of those fancy attenuator boxes that will knock speaker level down to headphone level so you can monitor the wedge mix in your earbuds.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Feb 12, 2018 19:04:11 GMT -6
In ears with one of those fancy attenuator boxes that will knock speaker level down to headphone level so you can monitor the wedge mix in your earbuds. Even with the fancy DSP mixing wedges and IEMs is not the way to go if you want quick setup and your hearing! |
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Post by christopher on Feb 13, 2018 0:53:30 GMT -6
Ive had to work a lot with plastic monitors. I also have gotten to use Meyer's stuff. I worked for McCune a few years ago and all they use is Meyer, since that's where he started. The wharehouse still had all his early plywood speakers from when he worked there. It's pretty cool to see. They even had the entire massive PA from the last Beatles show at candlestick ...1969?! haha.. Pretty amazing. Anyway Meyer stuff sounds gorgeous. On stage in a funky sounding venue that probably doesn't matter, all you need is an audible cue mix. Mackie will accomplish it. They used to make a little 12" (maybe it was 10"?) that was tiny and light. The older heavier plastic speakers sounded a tiny bit better. The newer ones are lighter though. QSC work ok as wedges, they look cool. Main thing is to have some EQ chops to get them sounding good and also rung out. If no time for that, just angle away from all the mics,lower volume on it a little/ walk over to it as needed.
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Post by stormymondays on Feb 13, 2018 3:12:50 GMT -6
In my rehearsal studio I have the 10" Mackies (SRM 350 v2) which I like just fine. In fact, I like the 10" better than the 12" for vocals. The current v3 version is quite a bit more powerful and could be a contender. However, if I'm going to go the trouble of bringing my own monitors to a venue that already has a PA, I better bring something that's worth carrying!  Those QSC seem like they could be just the ticket! I'm eyeing the QSC K 10.2 and the 8.2. If the 8" would do the job, that would be fantastic! |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 13, 2018 6:34:37 GMT -6
In my rehearsal studio I have the 10" Mackies (SRM 350 v2) which I like just fine. In fact, I like the 10" better than the 12" for vocals. The current v3 version is quite a bit more powerful and could be a contender. However, if I'm going to go the trouble of bringing my own monitors to a venue that already has a PA, I better bring something that's worth carrying! Those QSC seem like they could be just the ticket! I'm eyeing the QSC K 10.2 and the 8.2. If the 8" would do the job, that would be fantastic! A lot of keys players come through my venue with the K10 as a keyboard monitor. |
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Post by donr on Feb 13, 2018 9:10:30 GMT -6
I own a pair of QSC K10's, which sounded the best with the Kemper. Better than the 12's, too.
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Post by johneppstein on Feb 13, 2018 11:10:29 GMT -6
Anyway Meyer stuff sounds gorgeous. On stage in a funky sounding venue that probably doesn't matter, all you need is an audible cue mix. Mackie will accomplish it. I disagree. It most definitely DOES matter, perhaps especially in funky venues with poor acoustics. With the Meyer you don't have to fight the monitor speaker as well as the venue. It makes things a lot easier and increases the audibility of the mix while seriously reducing feedback problems. I really loathe those plastic speakers. Of course I loathe some more than others, but that's not saying much. The QSCs do sound a bit better than many of the others, but I've encountered reliability problems with them, especially in monitor applications, where the physical design makes it easy to damage the amplifier module due to the vulnerabilityy of the back plate. I've erncountered cases where the amp module got trashed by the speaker getting knocked over on its back, putting stress on the connectors which mount directly to a circuit board. BTW I just noticed (again) the words "no compromise" in the thread title. That compels to remind you that the words "no compromise" and "lightweight" used together in the same sentence regarding stage monitors (or any sound reinforcement speakers) constitute an oxymoron. Anything that makes the speaker "lightweight" does, in and of itself, compromise the design and performance of the speaker. |
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Post by svart on Feb 13, 2018 11:19:42 GMT -6
In ears with one of those fancy attenuator boxes that will knock speaker level down to headphone level so you can monitor the wedge mix in your earbuds. Even with the fancy DSP mixing wedges and IEMs is not the way to go if you want quick setup and your hearing! Not sure what you mean.. In ears are great because they seal out the sound and you can monitor at lower levels while still hearing what you're doing. At least they've worked for me for like 15 years.. |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 13, 2018 11:35:54 GMT -6
Even with the fancy DSP mixing wedges and IEMs is not the way to go if you want quick setup and your hearing! Not sure what you mean.. In ears are great because they seal out the sound and you can monitor at lower levels while still hearing what you're doing. At least they've worked for me for like 15 years.. Switching to in ears in my cover gig was one of the greatest moves my band made. The in ears act as ear plugs to lower the SPL of my drumming while allowing me to hear the full band and all the vocals without a speaker blaring in my face. Really hearing the group vocals is a revelation when singing background vocals too. |
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Feb 13, 2018 13:29:32 GMT -6
Even with the fancy DSP mixing wedges and IEMs is not the way to go if you want quick setup and your hearing! Not sure what you mean.. In ears are great because they seal out the sound and you can monitor at lower levels while still hearing what you're doing. At least they've worked for me for like 15 years.. I’m talking having both wedges and IEMs, on the stage, if everybody goes IEM it can be super easy, but if someone else in the band is using a wedge it can get ugly very quickly! |
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Post by christopher on Feb 13, 2018 18:36:40 GMT -6
Anyway Meyer stuff sounds gorgeous. On stage in a funky sounding venue that probably doesn't matter, all you need is an audible cue mix. Mackie will accomplish it. I disagree. It most definitely DOES matter, perhaps especially in funky venues with poor acoustics. With the Meyer you don't have to fight the monitor speaker as well as the venue. It makes things a lot easier and increases the audibility of the mix while seriously reducing feedback problems. I really loathe those plastic speakers. Of course I loathe some more than others, but that's not saying much. The QSCs do sound a bit better than many of the others, but I've encountered reliability problems with them, especially in monitor applications, where the physical design makes it easy to damage the amplifier module due to the vulnerabilityy of the back plate. I've erncountered cases where the amp module got trashed by the speaker getting knocked over on its back, putting stress on the connectors which mount directly to a circuit board. BTW I just noticed (again) the words "no compromise" in the thread title. That compels to remind you that the words "no compromise" and "lightweight" used together in the same sentence regarding stage monitors (or any sound reinforcement speakers) constitute an oxymoron. Anything that makes the speaker "lightweight" does, in and of itself, compromise the design and performance of the speaker. I can see this side as well. And if you show a Meyer to the house guys, they'll probably help you hook it up. Show them a Mackie or QSC they'll probably curse under their breath. |
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Post by subspace on Feb 15, 2018 8:41:08 GMT -6
Check the Fulcrum FA28ac or heavier FA12ac, an active speaker with actual data on the spec sheet, be still my heart...
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