Re: PA gear

[Rachelle and Howard Shubert <shubert...>]

The trick is to find something which you can carry without injuring
yourself, something you can afford and something which will not distort
your sound.  I like Rich's idea of the Yorkville amp.  By the way, Rich,
what is the power of this amp and how big a room can you play to with it?
As Rich mentioned, amps are not the best for vocals but can  get you by.
They are generally less expensive and lighter in weight than whole P.A.
systems 

A better sounding but bulkier and more expensive solution is a small p.a.
Some of the new equalizer's are very small and can be tucked under one arm.
 You don't need more than 70 watts per channel for most performances.  The
speakers are the things which weigh the most, however you can often get by
with only one which cuts down on the weight.  Purchasing a dolly at the
same time as the p.a. is an excellent idea.  I have found that there is
almost always someone to help me unload my equipment wherever I perform, if
I call ahead and arrange it. If the outlay for a system like this is too
much, you may wish to rent from a music store. The staff will usually place
the system in your car.  There are many good makes.  Peavey is one of the
less expensive, lower-end quality systems.  I started out with a system
like this and it suited my needs.  I have found, though, that it is worth
going a bit more pricey and not skimping on the sound quality.  

A good vocal microphone is essential. Mine is an Electrovoice and suits my
singing very well.  A Shure SM58 is a good, dependable, if slightly bassy
all-round microphone.   A boom stand for vocals will help you avoid bumping
into the microphone stand.  If you are not completely broke after all this,
lightweight, telescopic speaker stands help to hold up the speakers and aim
them in a good direction.

Good luck.  If you find the perfect system, can you let us all know?

Rachelle





At 11:13 26/05/98 +0100, you wrote:
>It seems that nobody has any response to Carol Rivel's question about a
>lightweight system that can handle a keyboard and a microphone.  Perhaps
>that's because it's a tough call.
>
>I bought a Yorkville amp (made up here in Canada I believe), that meets my
>similar needs.  It's got three inputs, the first of which accepts a
>microphone jack, and the other two can handle a guitar or keyboard.  It's
>not super lightweight, but it works for those numerous occassions when you
>need to plug in both a mic and an electric instrument.
>
>The drawbacks of this type system are that you don't have a separate EQ for
>the vocals and instrument, but for the vast majority of casual gigs, this
>isn't a problem.
>
>Carol, there are several ways you might go, depending on what you really
>need.  If you could describe what type of gigs you are needing to
>accomodate, perhaps I could get more specific about some of the options.
>For instance, is one speaker enough, or do you need to be in stereo?  Also,
>do you understand the basics about mixers and the like, or would it be
>helpful to have a little discussion about the basic set-up of using
>electric instruments and microphones?  I remember that before I had any
>experience with this stuff, it seemed so complicated, but eventually I came
>to see that it's no great mystery  (kind of like the circle of fifths, but
>that's another story)
>
>Take care,
>
>Rich
>
>
>




Rachelle Mingail Shubert
shubert (at) total(dot)net