Any Advice on Portable Line Array PAs? (BOSE, etc)

[zhunter]

Originally Posted by NotValid

Thanks for all the replies regarding electric guitar. The Boss GT100 has almost every kind of cab and amp available plus all the EQ options. It sounds like you really have to spend some time and dial it in to make it sound good on a portable line array. I almost bought a Palmer Fab 5, great little 5W tube amp but couldn't get the cleans I like out of it. Still no perfect solution. I will have to try out the line 6 speakers.

To stay in the modeler area, when I used the RP-70 I basically picked an amp and cab like the amp and cab I used (Matchless 1-12), set up 4 patches clean, clean louder, very slightly driven, very slightly driven louder. Took about 30 minutes. Then I ran my pedal board (a small board) into the RP70 just like it was an amp. Once I started gigging it, I realized I could go with two patches, clean and slightly driven and get the rest using my board. When I say small board I am talking tuner, two ODs and an echo.

Simple really if you don't get caught up in all the bells and whistles of the modeler. OTOH if you intend to go in with nothing but the modeler and get everything out of a single box? I guess that would take a while.

And the dedicated cab sims are getting better all the time. You might do better to not use the GT100 sims and get another box to handle that.

hunter

hunter

[Hurricane Ramon]

I'm happy soloing with this , so happy I'll get another one . For a larger ensemble two would cut it in a small room easily .
Price is right to compared to Bose and others .



I got the heavy duty stand & lithium ion battery , 10 hours playing time , it's bi-amp'd 150 watts clean ( .05 THD ) stereo RMS .
Run my vocal FX & acoustic steel & nylon / electric guitar FX with a T.C, Helicon Vocal Live 3 X & a Roland GR33 guitar synth &
Godin LGSA through this and a Shure 520D Green Bullet Harp mic .

The synth sounds are really killer on this little P.A. Ripping clean and clear bass , my vocal sails out and cuts through the mix nicely .
The Shure 520D Bullet mic works well through this for the electrified harp sound .The BodyRez presets on the T.C. VL3X really are
outstanding for acoustic guitars with piezo pick ups . It gets the " quack " out , and really sounds great through this P.A.
It also has Feed Back Suppression too .

I play Standards , Jazz , Blues , Ethnic , World Beat , Reggae , CW & Rock-A-Anythang , with my new T.C Helicon VL3X and it's extensive vocal
& guitar FX since getting this P.A. & T.C. VL3X I'm thinking of adding Trance & Frippertronics stuff too through this P.A. .

EZ :

HR

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Hurricane Ramon

I'm happy soloing with this , so happy I'll get another one . For a larger ensemble two would cut it in a small room easily .
Price is right to compared to Bose and others .



I got the heavy duty stand & lithium ion battery , 10 hours playing time , it's bi-amp'd 150 watts clean ( .05 THD ) stereo RMS .
Run my vocal FX & acoustic steel & nylon / electric guitar FX with a T.C, Helicon Vocal Live 3 X & a Roland GR33 guitar synth &
Godin LGSA through this and a Shure 520D Green Bullet Harp mic .

The synth sounds are really killer on this little P.A. Ripping clean and clear bass , my vocal sails out and cuts through the mix nicely .
The Shure 520D Bullet mic works well through this for the electrified harp sound .The BodyRez presets on the T.C. VL3X really are
outstanding for acoustic guitars with piezo pick ups . It gets the " quack " out , and really sounds great through this P.A.
It also has Feed Back Suppression too .

I play Standards , Jazz , Blues , Ethnic , World Beat , Reggae , CW & Rock-A-Anythang , with my new T.C Helicon VL3X and it's extensive vocal
& guitar FX since getting this P.A. & T.C. VL3X I'm thinking of adding Trance & Frippertronics stuff too through this P.A. .

EZ :

HR

NotValid, I totally forgot about this unit for practice and small venues. It got good reviews when it came out. Maybe give this one demo? If I can find a used one locally, I may just pick it up for summer.

Note that it is actually bi-amped 150 watts RMS. And only 75 watts for the 8" speaker. Each tweeter gets 37.5 watts RMS from the second 75 watt amp. I suspect the 114 dB max SPL is probably closer to the performance of a 60 watt acoustic amp.

However, you get the additional high frequency from the tweeters. It appears the crossover is at 3,000 Hz, so most of the work is being done by the 8" speaker and 75 watt RMS amplifier.

That said, compared to a small 8" acoustic amp, you'll get a little more power, better high frequency response, two XLRs, 16 Mackie digital effects, pole mount and battery power.

SOS review

http://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/mackie-freeplay

Worth a listen I think.


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[Hurricane Ramon]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

NotValid, I totally forgot about this unit for practice and small venues. It got good reviews when it came out. Maybe give this one demo? If I can find a used one locally, I may just pick it up for summer.

Note that it is actually bi-amped 150 watts RMS. And only 75 watts for the 8" speaker. Each tweeter gets 37.5 watts RMS from the second 75 watt amp. I suspect the 114 dB max SPL is probably closer to the performance of a 60 watt acoustic amp.

However, you get the additional high frequency from the tweeters. It appears the crossover is at 3,000 Hz, so most of the work is being done by the 8" speaker and 75 watt RMS amplifier.

That said, compared to a small 8" acoustic amp, you'll get a little more power, better high frequency response, two XLRs, 16 Mackie digital effects, pole mount and battery power.

SOS review

http://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/mackie-freeplay

Worth a listen I think.


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This is a sleeper of a unit to most , got past me at first for quite some time too .

I had been looking for a unit exactly like this one for years and then after researching Fender , Yamaha , Bose and the likes I finally realized what I had past up as a boom box at first .

I actually went through 2 units that had different failures .

Power X-former burn out - From day one it smelled out of the box , I knew it was going to fail

- been there -

Failed in two days after I left it on over night . Un plugged the power supply and started it up and played several hours , but kept thinking " it's going to fail " next day it wouldn't fire up .

Second unit lost it's WiFi .

Third unit is fine - it's now been working 6 months flawless .

You will like how your T.C.Helicon VL3X sounds through it . Vocals are unreal - depending on your style , it can open up genres once considered un doable in a busking situation .

The BodyRez FX for acoustic guitar are really good through this P.A.
The electric guitar FX I find really good through this P.A. as well .

If your after a light weight set up this is one to consider for live busking , with a USB rechargeable power block you can haul your VL3X and a single acoustic guitar , one mic . That's a light weight power setup .

I have had the P.A. over 6 months now I love it for what it did for my acoustic electric dreadnought , 000 resonator and 000 nylon mic'd ( feed back suppressor works ) and or direct into it . I mic the resonator & soprano ukulele with a SM57 through it . I also plug a Shure 520D Green Bullet into it and get great results as well .

I had been plugging a DR44WL Tascam to it's aux/wifi input and played pre recorded tracks and played my acoustic(s) / harps and sang with this for off grid performing and other areas where power is not near or readily available .

As a rehearsal unit , it can't be beat for the $'s . It also is a great personal monitor too and it's " monitor out " can send your signal , which would include your voice , guitar - or what ever you have plugged into your T.C. Helicon VL3X's aux , feeding out of your P.A. to the house system . That's a quadruple threat device .

1. Indoor small venues
2. Outdoor portable venues
3. Rehearsal
4. Personal Monitor

@ it's price they are quite the bargain bang for the buck .

I am going to get a second one they are really that good IMHO - YMMV though

At a rehearsal I was sitting with a drummer & two other guitars one electric , another an acoustic electric Takemine trying to make it happen so's to speak -

I plugged my Roland GR33 guitar stereo synthesizer module into the FreePlay and did :

• Fender Rhodes
• Electric piano
• Synth bass
• Synth Keys
• Synth Pads - Strings
• Acoustic upright bass

With my Shure 520D Green Bullet mic blowing harp in one channel and the other channel I switched from vocal to resonator/ukelele .

There was already the acoustic Takemine playing so I didn't use my dread , but the resonator came through good as did the ukulele with out being drowned out or droning and the electric guitar player had it covered so I didn't want to strep on his toes with another electric guitar and I didn't have any electric guitar stomp FX either at that session . I could have played electric with my Godin LGXSA but elected to not with out any FX .

Nothing came out of the session except the fact that we did have a good session and I liked what I saw come out of that Freeplay .

My Shure 520D Green Bullet sounds really Jazzy through the FX of the FreePlay too , it's a keeper amp . Hope it has a good positive long term relationship with me before it fails cause they all fail sooner or later .

Hope it works for you too

EZ :


HR

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Hurricane Ramon

I'm happy soloing with this , so happy I'll get another one . For a larger ensemble two would cut it in a small room easily .
Price is right to compared to Bose and others .



I got the heavy duty stand & lithium ion battery , 10 hours playing time , it's bi-amp'd 150 watts clean ( .05 THD ) stereo RMS .
Run my vocal FX & acoustic steel & nylon / electric guitar FX with a T.C, Helicon Vocal Live 3 X & a Roland GR33 guitar synth &
Godin LGSA through this and a Shure 520D Green Bullet Harp mic .

The synth sounds are really killer on this little P.A. Ripping clean and clear bass , my vocal sails out and cuts through the mix nicely .
The Shure 520D Bullet mic works well through this for the electrified harp sound .The BodyRez presets on the T.C. VL3X really are
outstanding for acoustic guitars with piezo pick ups . It gets the " quack " out , and really sounds great through this P.A.
It also has Feed Back Suppression too .

I play Standards , Jazz , Blues , Ethnic , World Beat , Reggae , CW & Rock-A-Anythang , with my new T.C Helicon VL3X and it's extensive vocal
& guitar FX since getting this P.A. & T.C. VL3X I'm thinking of adding Trance & Frippertronics stuff too through this P.A. .

EZ :

HR

I found a used Mackie Freeplay for $200 with case. It should get here early next week. I'm looking forward to trying it out.


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[Hurricane Ramon]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I found a used Mackie Freeplay for $200 with case. It should get here early next week. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

''



Yep there are bargains to be had if you seek them out .

Please post how it works for your set up .

I'm surely going to be getting a second one .

These kind of look like the cartoon character Sloth from the animated movie :

Ice Age





EZ :

HR

[martingitdave]

Great visual. Glad you shared that AFTER I bought it. :-). By the way, my kids love that movie.


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[Hurricane Ramon]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Great visual. Glad you shared that AFTER I bought it. :-). By the way, my kids love that movie.


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Bet your kids will agree and like this unit . I call mine Sloth heh heh heh .

I have used this unit to hear TV stereo movies too , it's a bad boy ! You will love it to I betcha .

I'll be playing in a place solo where I sat in with a band using a Bose L1 system , it will be interesting how this P.A. handles that room in comparison .

EZ :

HR

[martingitdave]

Unfortunately, the used Freeplay arrived broken. Back it goes. It sure was neat and small. I ordered a used Mackie DLM8. I came across it while researching the Freeplay on Mackie's website.


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[NotValid]

Ouch. Maui 5 Go is €740. Too expensive for my needs. If I were gigging more often then it would be better value. I really like the idea of the Laney 4x4 or the Mackie freeplay in that it can fit in a backpack and hiked up to a mountain top. Not that I plan on doing that but since I just mentioned it why not?

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by NotValid

Ouch. Maui 5 Go is €740. Too expensive for my needs. If I were gigging more often then it would be better value. I really like the idea of the Laney 4x4 or the Mackie freeplay in that it can fit in a backpack and hiked up to a mountain top. Not that I plan on doing that but since I just mentioned it why not?

Oh dear. I'm concerned you may end up backpacking with the Maui 5. :-)

The FreePlay is very nice, but over priced for the consumer level quality you get. It should cost no more than $250. My $0.02. If you can find one cheap, it's a no brainer. Laney 4x4 review from Anderton's was fairly complimentary.

But, in the end, you should convince the wife that the Maui 5 is the bees knees and quite a necessity for your burgeoning music career. Plus, when she kicks you out of the house, you'll be able to rock out on the sidewalk on battery power. Rock on!


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[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by NotValid

Ouch. Maui 5 Go is €740. Too expensive for my needs. If I were gigging more often then it would be better value. I really like the idea of the Laney 4x4 or the Mackie freeplay in that it can fit in a backpack and hiked up to a mountain top. Not that I plan on doing that but since I just mentioned it why not?

On Soundonsound magazine, Paul White wrote about the Laney AH4x4:

Sonically this little speaker turned out to be a real surprise, capable of SPLs up to 117dB. Its vocal clarity is nothing short of superb - open and airy - ...

Among PROS:
* Excellent sound
* Surprising powerful
* ...

Same author wrote un SoundOnSound about the Mackie freeplay

There's a lot to like though. The unit is compact, it produces a semblance of stereo, it is adequately loud and the four voicings really do work to optimise the general tonal balance [...]. It handles vocals particularly well and with good clarity

In the PROs you have mostly specifications, nothing about sound quality...

Ok this is a UK magazine and Laney is from UK. However I may be leaning toward the Laney.

Note one cool thing is the sub ouput with 120Hz crossover. It mean, that I can scale it with my SR tech JAM 150. Put it on a pole and put the vocals on the AH4x4 and the guitar and the JAM 150, and still get the extra deph from the JAM 150 (you never know, I may wake up with the voice of Barry White one day).

If I use the beatbuddy I could also have beatbuddy on the JAM, the vocal on the AH4x4 and the guitar 50/50 on each very easily.

I like the idea of having my voice separated from the guitar.

Note: The review of the Maui 5 in the French magazine Sonomag is quite bad. The dynamic is not very good according to the review. The JBL eon one is so so. They really liked the HK nano 600 and the Bose L1 compact for example.

Cuki

[martingitdave]

If it were me, I'd get the Laney. Looks like a proper system with good sound and knobs. Need. More. Knobs!


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[necrome]

I have the AH4x4 and am not from the UK so you can trust me haha! It works very well but do remember never to run them on AA's because they'd be underpowered, use the 18650 cells instead. I have a friend who uses the Mackie FreePlay and I hear him play a lot, the FreePlay definitely sounds quite a lot worse than the AH4x4 but they aren't even in the same price/weight range. The Laney doesn't have EQ though (only presets) and it really needs more knobs like martingitdave says!

[Hurricane Ramon]

Originally Posted by necrome

I have the AH4x4 and am not from the UK so you can trust me haha! It works very well but do remember never to run them on AA's because they'd be underpowered, use the 18650 cells instead. I have a friend who uses the Mackie FreePlay and I hear him play a lot, the FreePlay definitely sounds quite a lot worse than the AH4x4 but they aren't even in the same price/weight range. The Laney doesn't have EQ though (only presets) and it really needs more knobs like martingitdave says!

They all sound anemic with standard battery's fast .

I have had my Freeplay run for hours and not break up when pumping synth bass/guitar/harp and vocals .

I take a break and leave it on playing what I just looped/recorded or a backing track of my music and talk with people as my stuff plays . Talking with people and getting to know them helps establish a fan base .

But it's different for everyone's experience I guess . The lithium battery makes a difference . It sounds as if it was powered by A.C. when on battery , no marked difference .

Being placed high on a elevated speaker stand makes a huge difference too when there is foot traffic to deal with to get your sound to propagate and be heard over a wider area .

All the small ground level amp's & P.A.'s suffer from this issue as a group gather around you and the sound kind of stops from going beyond the people in front of you .

EZ :

HR