As a solo performer, do you really need a mixer?

[jt1]

I've got a mixer and an SA220. I only bring the mixer to my gigs if other musicians are joining me. For solo gigs, I bring only the SA220. It works very well, the sound can be dialed pretty well, and, in my opinion, simplicity regarding set up (and take down) is a virtue.

[Murphy Slaw]

If I am only playing guitar, I can get by without a mixer plugging into my L1-Compact, however I usually need 2 mics for vocals and resonator/mandolin/guitar which requires a mixer for the L1, unless I use 2 mics with the S1-Pro. I can also line out of the S1 if I want.

[Pnewsom]

Originally Posted by zhunter

Remember the Bose L1 models are not true line arrays and cannot achieve that theoretical level of performance. Also remember that for a true line array to perform at/near those theoretical levels, they have to have a free sound path. No performers, audience or other obstructions in the line of fire.



hunter

Well there is theory and then there is reality... I've had my Bose Compact for almost two years now, and works great on its own or with a mixer. There is no problem with filling most pubs and restaurants with audience friendly sound, and I routinely get compliments about it from owners and other musicians.

I was skeptical of the whole Bose thing for many years until I worked with a keyboard player who had one and later got my own.

It is also turned out to be the best upright bass amp I have had the pleasure of playing though.

They may not suit everyone, but they can not be dismissed.

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by Pnewsom

Well there is theory and then there is reality... I've had my Bose Compact for almost two years now, and works great on its own or with a mixer. There is no problem with filling most pubs and restaurants with audience friendly sound, and I routinely get compliments about it from owners and other musicians.

I was skeptical of the whole Bose thing for many years until I worked with a keyboard player who had one and later got my own.

It is also turned out to be the best upright bass amp I have had the pleasure of playing though.

They may not suit everyone, but they can not be dismissed.

Most of the time when people say, "You sound great!," the really mean, "Thanks for not being too loud for us to hear one another speak!"

The Bose systems are very unobtrusive sounding because of the low mids being scooped out. The lack of punch is preferred by audiences that want to talk to each other with the performance being background music. They excel in these situations, but fail in many others.

This non obtrusive sound can be achieved with a mixer with mid sweeps and some decent powered speakers for far less money. However, if these portable column arrays work for you and your situations, I wont try to talk you out of them. The certainly sound fine for limited applications.

Hire pro sound for an event and see what they show up with.

[Misifus]

I always used one. I had my acoustic amplifiers up on speaker stands, and having a small Behringer mixer near me let me have access to my vocal and guitar volumes.

[SongwriterFan]

Originally Posted by zhunter

Remember the Bose L1 models are not true line arrays and cannot achieve that theoretical level of performance. Also remember that for a true line array to perform at/near those theoretical levels, they have to have a free sound path. No performers, audience or other obstructions in the line of fire.

True enough, and the compact Bose doesn't have a very long "line array" to it's even further from theoretical than the others. But still, they work very well in my experience.

If you're trying to fill a bar/restaurant that holds 100 people or less, and you're a vocalist with a guitar, I don't think the system can be beat for its practicality, sound, and ease of use and setup/teardown.

The system does a fantastic job of spreading the sound out in the room and letting people in the back be able to hear without deafening those up front.

If your intent is to blow the place out with deafening volume, it's not the right tool.

[SongwriterFan]

Originally Posted by The Kid!

Most of the time when people say, "You sound great!," the really mean, "Thanks for not being too loud for us to hear one another speak!"

When *I* say it, I mean they sounded great. And I'm not one who wants to try to "conversate" when I'm listening to music.

IMO, when people use these Bose systems in a bar/restaurant, it becomes less of a "battle" between the music and those who DO want to talk. When people don't have the Bose system, they tend to turn up the music to drown out the chatter, which just leads to more volume from the patrons. For whatever reason, those who use the Bose system don't seem to have this issue.

It's probably partially due to the Bose system itself, and partially due to the attitude of those who use it. A bit hard to separate, IMO.

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by SongwriterFan

When *I* say it, I mean they sounded great. And I'm not one who wants to try to "conversate" when I'm listening to music.

IMO, when people use these Bose systems in a bar/restaurant, it becomes less of a "battle" between the music and those who DO want to talk. When people don't have the Bose system, they tend to turn up the music to drown out the chatter, which just leads to more volume from the patrons. For whatever reason, those who use the Bose system don't seem to have this issue.

It's probably partially due to the Bose system itself, and partially due to the attitude of those who use it. A bit hard to separate, IMO.

Ok,... cool.

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by SongwriterFan

It's probably partially due to the Bose system itself, and partially due to the attitude of those who use it.

This...…….

[AeroUSA]

You don’t need one but it’s nice to have the additional control. I use my TC Play Acoustic direct to a PA Speaker.

[varmonter]

Originally Posted by varmonter

Ive used several all in one pa systems and find
i still want a mixer. Its great not to have the extra
stuff to lug but Im fussy about my sound and
like to be close enough to the controls to
change them on the fly. if i have to get up and
walk over to the sa220 to cut or boost a parameter
its just inconvenient for me. Having a mixer
right next to me is just better. so i will vote
for the mixer. YMMV.

Originally Posted by JackB1

How far away is your SA220? Too far to walk too?

Sorry I must have been a bit unclear.
Picture it if you will from the prospective of an
audience member. I sit down when i perform.
No guitar strap. I place my guitar in the rack,
get up off the stool, go over to the sa220.
make an adjustment, Go back to the stool ,
sit back down,pick up my guitar, play a song, Repeat until
i get it right.
I dont use a sa220, But if i did i would have a mixer as well.
Its not lazyness like a remote and a tv. I just dont want
to subject my audience to this. I like to place
my speakers where its optimum for the rooms
acoustics...not where its convenient for me to
reach.YMMV.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by varmonter

Sorry I must have been a bit unclear.
Picture it if you will from the prospective of an
audience member. I sit down when i perform.
No guitar strap. I place my guitar in the rack,
get up off the stool, go over to the sa220.
make an adjustment, Go back to the stool ,
sit back down,pick up my guitar, play a song, Repeat until
i get it right.
I dont use a sa220, But if i did i would have a mixer as well.
Its not lazyness like a remote and a tv. I just dont want
to subject my audience to this. I like to place
my speakers where its optimum for the rooms
acoustics...not where its convenient for me to
reach.YMMV.

Having used both conventional 2 speaker PA and external mixer, and an SA 220 for a number of years
Couple of clarifications
First: The SA 220 has a Mixer built in. So the question is one of having an "additional" mixer or not.
While there may be some logistical advantage to having an additional mixer, even for a solo act.
I don't think room optimization is really one of them in practical terms.
Because, most of places I played (where you had to provide the speaker system), you were given a small designated area to play in, including spk's, which was based on being the most convenient and out of the way for the establishment, not quality of room sound .
Acoustical room optimization was usually not really possible no matter if where you placed you spk/s in the designated area, in reach or not .


Also I found that usually I could set and forget. That is to say during the sound check pre performance, I was usually able to get the best sound I could, and then usually did not have to do much in the way of tweaking during the performance. And this was true with the PA/mixer or the SA 220

All that said : what I found actually made the biggest contribution to getting "better" sound that I liked, was having a good vocal mic and studio grade front end ---- Pre , EQ, Limiter and Reverb. As per my previous post (#37). Which admittedly I was able to place in reach.

[MarkF_48]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

You don’t need one but it’s nice to have the additional control. I use my TC Play Acoustic direct to a PA Speaker.

This is what I'm doing and with a PA with just a couple of inputs, it frees up one of the inputs for a BeatBuddy drummer.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by JackB1

So if you are mostly performing solo....just you and your guitar and vocals...do you really need a mixer? Will it improve your overall sound or is it just to have more channels available if folks want to sit in? I am currently just plugging straight into my Fishman SA220 but wonder if adding a mixer will do anything for me?

thanks

If the mixer has some special EFX that the SoloAmp can't duplicate, it may be worth the trouble. Otherwise you're just adding unnecessary gain stages and degrading your sound a bit.

If you wanted to do it, you could probably run six signals into the SoloAmp. You could run a preamped mic signal into the Monitor In (using something like a TC Helicon voicetone pedal) and you could run line level instrument signals into the Aux In, and into the EFX return inputs on both the channels.

When I'm using the SoloAmp as an open mic monitor, I'll typically send a signal to one of the channel's EFX return inputs (bypassing the preamp section) via an instrument cable. That enables me to bypass an unnecessary gain stage when I'm using a mixer to accommodate multiple performers.

[Irish Pennant]

My PA system is a modular system based around a combination of pedals, mixers and powered speakers. I do have a few amps but I get a better sound out of my PA and more flexibility on how I can setup the stage. For my system, without a doubt a mixer is necessary.