PA System Suggestions

Join Amazon Prime
soulforged

soulforged

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
1,287
Points
83
Location
Bangalore
Hello,

The good folks in my apartment complex would like to go for a small-scale public address system which they can use for the community events. So far we've been hiring equipment from local guys which is proving to be shoddy and expensive at the same time.

Looking to go for a simple setup -

2 x microphones (corded or otherwise)
2 x lapel mics (nice to have)
8-channel mixer
Amplifier
4 x speakers (for outdoors)

The usual suspects are Shure, Behringer, Wharfedale, Pulz, and Ahuja

Does anyone have experience with PA systems? Any suggestions, leads, contacts would be highly appreciated :clapping::clapping::clapping:

Danke!
 
In mumbai there is a reputed dealer Narain

Details

Manoj N Motwani,
Director,
Narain Proaudio Lighting Pvt. Ltd.
6/7, Dongre Building, 1st Floor,
Kiln Lane, Off Lamington Road,
Mumbai-400 007, INDIA.
Tel No.:- +91-22- 43458000
E-mail:- [email protected] [email protected]
Website: www.narain.in

also Try Ahuja

again a lot of chinese stuff available in local market ,can be paired with assembled PA speakers -- worth visit with a knowledgeable person
 
soulforged said:
Hello,

The good folks in my apartment complex would like to go for a small-scale public address system which they can use for the community events. So far we've been hiring equipment from local guys which is proving to be shoddy and expensive at the same time.

Looking to go for a simple setup -

2 x microphones (corded or otherwise)
2 x lapel mics (nice to have)
8-channel mixer
Amplifier
4 x speakers (for outdoors)

The usual suspects are Shure, Behringer, Wharfedale, Pulz, and Ahuja

Does anyone have experience with PA systems? Any suggestions, leads, contacts would be highly appreciated :clapping::clapping::clapping:

Danke!
Click to expand...

Hey. Can you please clarify the following.
- What is the budget?
- Why do you need a lapel mics?
- What is the size of the hall. This will have a major impact on what you purchase?
- Why do you need a 8 channel mixer.
- What will be the use? Only public address or music at times.
- Are the speakers going to be used in outdoors, most of the time?
- Most importantly would there be professionals or people who understand how to operate these systems or would it be appartment organiser managing the 'show'? I dont want to be offensive, but this will determine if you need a easy plug and play system or multiple jacks and settings running around.
 
Thanks for responding...to answer your questions -


- What is the budget? About 1 Lac for the whole thing
- Why do you need a lapel mics? Just a thought. Might need them for plays
- What is the size of the hall. This will have a major impact on what you purchase? It would be used almost 100% of the time outdoors, in an amphitheater or in an open ground between the buildings
- Why do you need a 8 channel mixer. Again, just a thought. Any suggestions welcome
- What will be the use? Only public address or music at times. Would be used for both equally.
- Are the speakers going to be used in outdoors, most of the time? Outdoors almost all the time
- Most importantly would there be professionals or people who understand how to operate these systems or would it be appartment organiser managing the 'show'? I dont want to be offensive, but this will determine if you need a easy plug and play system or multiple jacks and settings running around. Will be handled by amateurs.

:signthankspin:
 
Dont want to sound pessimistic, but 100k is a real tight budget for a complete PA systems.
- Behringer Eurolive series - Active speakers only. You would not want to get a passive one (without amplifier) and add the trouble of power amps, cables, setting it up etc. The B208, B210 are the ones you should look for. They come in a very good casing which will protect it even when abused. For other wodden made ones you would have to make a casing additonally which will eat away your budget. For a amphitheatre, 2 active speakers, above 250rms should be good, though it will not please you a lot, but then the budget :-). I had couple of events with these in a 3600 sqft closed area (office cafeteria) and they blow away your ears, without compromise on sound quality. These are real bang for money - 19k each, onwards. Peavey and JBL (similar casing stuffs) are other options but they cost high. I guess these speakers dont come with a stand, so another 5-15k on two speakers stands.
- Cabling - pretty much all are same unless you want to build a home studio. You would need a lot of them. Park aside 10K.
- Mic - Shure SM58 and Shure SM57 for vocals (speach & music) and works well with instruments. @ Re 3800 each. Cables additional. These are very good for a band performance as well as speach. Very sturdy as well. Beware there are ample duplicates of these which a normal person wouldn't even be able to differenciate. Search youtube for the differenciation. Mic stands @ 1.5k each, onwards. All the brands are pretty much same, unless you are going for instrument specific mic stands.
- Lapel mics - Would be good only for speach but for plays, I doubt. They are not omni directional. So the actor has to speak straight to the mic for him/her to be heard. That collides with the acting part :-) The actor would appear as suffering from spondylitis :-). My take, get a good omnidirectional mic with a overhead stand. I dont have too much knowledge on this.
- For live music performance you would need atleast 3-4 mics. Electronic instruments will have their jacks. If there are accoustic drum sets, then anyway you would need a professional to tune all the mics to the drums, so keep that aside.
- Mixer - Ah! for band / plays you would need atleast 8 channel mixer. Since your speakers are active, get a unpowered mixer. Again Behringer is a good option. Yamaha also has some good ones @ 22-25k range. I personally would not prefer Ahuja / pulz mixers for they are too 'raw', you know what I mean. Basic functions like echo / delay / phase / tone control is more than enough.

Excluded: Stands for mixer, power sockets etc.

Disclaimer: I personally dont own any of these equipments, but I have used them a lot. I dont intend to advertise for any company/brand either.
 
Yamaha mixers - Thomsun Music Store, 9th main, Indira Nagar, they have the entire range of equipment on display. Dont expect a decent customer service, though.
Behringer - Not sure if we have dealer or shop who stock these, but SP Road can be a good try.
Mics & Cables & stands - There is a shop on Brigade Road (forgot the name), just before Vector Systems, when you are coming from Brigade Road to Vellara Junction. Same Road, further ahead you will find Reynolds. Surely you will get most of the things there but slightly higher priced.

Best of luck.
 
pupupuchi28 said:
- Lapel mics - Would be good only for speach but for plays, I doubt. They are not omni directional.
Click to expand...
I bought one once, and it cost me a great deal of money. My intention was specialist: I was playing morsing, and wanted to try to emulate the way some instruments, eg violin, are miced with a miniature microphone, attached to the instrument or my wrist. The experiment was a failure. partly because my mic is omnidirectional, and also very sensitive, so it picked up everything around, which was a major pain to the mixer operator. Expensive mistake.

With all microphones of any type, check that they are really correct for the intended purpose. Lesson learnt the hard way!

Actually, I suspect that souforged is thinking of radio mics? These can be lapel or handheld, but are an entire subsystem of a PA system, with their associated receiver(s) and probably a big extra cost. Can always be added later when needed and funds permit.
 
The only possible exception to that is having enough channels on your mixer! Without going OTT, it might be better to over-estimate that, rather than have to replace it later.
 
Thad E Ginathom said:
I was playing morsing, and wanted to try to emulate the way some instruments, eg violin, are miced with a miniature microphone, attached to the instrument or my wrist. The experiment was a failure. partly because my mic is omnidirectional, and also very sensitive, so it picked up everything around
Click to expand...

Hi Thad, I'm not sure if the mic failed because of omni directional nature. Try opening a lapel mic and you would realise that the diaphragm is located deep inside a cylindrical tube, which is non porus on sides. There's no way the centre can catch surrounding sound. It could be because of sensitivity of the diaphragm, which usually they are. Typically Lapel mics are not same as the ones used for say violin, accoustic drums etc.
 
I believe it is omni according to the spec ... but it has been neglected in some cupboard for quite a few years now, so it some time since I looked. I quickly realised I had bought the wrong thing. As I said, it was an experiment, and an unsuccessful one.

It would be something very like this



.
 
Last edited:
Thad E Ginathom said:
I believe it is omni according to the spec ... but it has been neglected in some cupboard for quite a few years now, so it some time since I looked. I quickly realised I had bought the wrong thing. As I said, it was an experiment, and an unsuccessful one.

It would be something very like this



.
Click to expand...

Thad, This one (link) seems to be omni directional from the specs, but this certainly is not a mic, to be used for musical instruments and as guessed, it does mention 'high sensitive' diaphragm. This does deviate from the typical rules of a lapel mic.

BTW do you mean you have a mic worth $600 lying in your cupboard, for few years now. Do give me a buzz if you think of giving it away for an invisible bundle of dollars :)
 
I would have to check the actual model ... but still I was shocked at the price too!

Bought second-hand, at a studio gear auction. First-class condition, though, as-new. All I remember was it did go into three figures of UK pounds. invisible dollars, though? Hmmm...

:)
 
pupupuchi28 - what speakers would you suggest for complete outdoors usage? Would Ahuja be a good option? The other I was looking at was Peavy PR15 NEO but that is a passive speaker. Should we also look at monitors? I was looking at Wharfedale...
 
Follow HiFiMART on Instagram
Follow HiFiMART on Instagram for offers, deals and FREE giveaways!
Back
Top