Bose S1 - Feeds to Front of House PA System??

AndyC · #1 10-21-2018, 04:41 AM

I'm thinking of buying a Bose S1 to use for smaller gigs, and potentially for using as a monitor at larger gigs.

I will be taking the guitar / vocal signals from my TC Helicon Play Acoustic into the two relevant inputs on the S1.

I understand that there is only one blended line out on the back of the S1 (unfortunately - it would have been good if Bose had provided seperate line outs for each channel!)

When required, what would be the best way to give seperate guitar and vocal line outs to the FOH PA system? Can I get away with utilising Y splitters from the XLR outs on the Play Acoustic for example?

Thanks.

AndyC · #2 10-22-2018, 12:29 PM

Anybody...??

RogerPease · #3 10-22-2018, 01:27 PM

The "easy" way is to go direct into the FOH PA first (probably the guitar going through a DI)
and then take an Aux monitor feed from the PA into the S1 Pro. You can control your own
monitor level with the S1.

But that is not what you asked. You can split the guitar signal with a DI and use its 1/4"
output to go to the S1 and the DI's XLR out to the FOH PA. But the Mic is more difficult.
You'd need a small mixer or Mic preamp. Dynamic mics are pretty low level signal and I
don't know if a passive splitter would work. The fact that such a cable is not commonly
available is a hint that it's not the way to go.

Hope that helps.

Marty C · #4 10-22-2018, 06:54 PM

Maybe take the headphone out to the third channel of the S1 Pro (aux channel). Then take the xlr outs of the Play Acoustic to FOH.

Or if you want better eq for the monitor, use a “Y” cable (1/8” stereo on one end connected to headphone out of Play Acoustic and twin 1/4” mono on the other to feed channels 1 and 2 on the S1 Pro.

The Kid! · #5 10-26-2018, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogerPease

The "easy" way is to go direct into the FOH PA first (probably the guitar going through a DI)
and then take an Aux monitor feed from the PA into the S1 Pro. You can control your own
monitor level with the S1.

That's what I'd suggest.

Doing it "right," another way would involve a small mixer, using the aux to go to the S1, and panning the vocals and guitar hard right & left respectively, to front of house.

That gets complicated because any EQ adjustments would effect front of house. Best to just let the sound person do their job. At that point they should have a monitor for you as well.

I assume that there's probably an output via XLR on the S1, but that would send your guitar and vocals as one signal, and the sound person woudn't have control over both the guitar and vocals. They would both share the same channel and EQ on their board.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogerPease

You can split the guitar signal with a DI and use its 1/4"
output to go to the S1 and the DI's XLR out to the FOH PA. But the Mic is more difficult.

You'd need a small mixer or Mic preamp. Dynamic mics are pretty low level signal and I
don't know if a passive splitter would work. The fact that such a cable is not commonly
available is a hint that it's not the way to go.

Yes, this would work as well, but now we're getting complicated for the sake of what... you wanting to incorporate your S1 somehow?? Now you're adding a DI to split the guitar signal, and a mixer to split the mic signal, when the sound guy could send you whatever you like via their aux send.

Unless the monitors there are terrible, I'd leave the Bose and home and let the venue provide you with what you need.

AndyC · #6 10-26-2018, 03:12 AM

Thanks folks - it would appear that a straightforward solution doesn't exist.

I use a SunnAudio preamp with my guitar, so that actually provides a second "DI out" that I could give to the soundman. It's just splitting the mic channel out of the Play Acoustic that is the challenge.

(Why oh why couldn't Bose just have provided seperate channel line outs on the S1 ?)

Chickee · #7 10-26-2018, 08:06 AM

If using a pair of S1's for monitors, run the vocal to one and guitar to the other. Then you have separate lines to run to house. But as I think about your inquiry, if you are playing a venue with a house pa just run the monitor outs from the house board into your bose?

AndyC · #8 10-26-2018, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chickee

If using a pair of S1's for moniters, run the vocal to one and guitar to the other. Then you have seperate lines to run to house.

I'm not using a pair. If I was:

a) I would have mentioned it

and

b) I would have worked that out for myself

Chickee · #9 10-26-2018, 09:39 AM

I wasn't being fresh...I saw you were not satisfied with the other three responses the members offered you. I run a TCH P/A into two Boses S1's. Nothing more than that.

AndyC · #10 10-26-2018, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chickee

I wasn't being fresh...I saw you were not satisfied with the other three responses the members offered you. I run a TCH P/A into two Boses S1's. Nothing more than that.

I wasn't dissatisfied at all with the helpful input that other members have given - that's why I said "thanks folks" at the start of post #6 in this thread.

(And I see that you have subsequently edited your post #7 - as it now reads, it makes a little more sense).

RockerDuck · #11 10-26-2018, 10:04 AM

I have an S1 that I use for smaller gigs and used it as monitor. OK, I use my stereo mixer and use it to send left and right channels to the FOH and use the S1 for monitor. You can put the guitar in the left and vocal in the right. A mixer solves problems like this. Its a main brain to control all inputs and outputs.

AndyC · #12 10-26-2018, 10:28 AM

I'm coming to the conclusion that a small mixer is the answer!

(I used to have a Soundcraft Notepad 12fx that would have been ideal....)

The Kid! · #13 10-26-2018, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyC

I'm coming to the conclusion that a small mixer is the answer!

(I used to have a Soundcraft Notepad 12fx that would have been ideal....)

That would definitely have worked. Regardless of how many bigger mixers I have, I always love having a small format mixer on hand for these type of things.

Murphy Slaw · #14 10-27-2018, 04:22 AM

I kinda see the OP's line of thinking here.

If the mix is "right", you don't have to worry about the soundman screwing it up.

The Kid! · #15 10-30-2018, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

I kinda see the OP's line of thinking here.

If the mix is "right", you don't have to worry about the soundman screwing it up.

True, but what sounds right in a monitor on stage, isn't necessarily what's going to sound out front in the room mix-wise or EQ-wise. A competent sound person will be able to handle the stage monitors as well as the front of the house as long as you two can communicate what you need to hear on stage.