r/livesoundgear

Hi, I'm managing a project for replacing the sound system for my frat's basement and was wondering about the kind of speakers I should be getting.

The thing is the basement we have is a tight 8mx15m space with ceilings about 8-10ft high, the basement is always packed to the point where people are right next to our speakers so i was wondering if coaxial speakers are kind of a requirement.

Currently our setup is 2 JBL JRX125 tops and 2 JBL SoundFactor SF15 with 2 subs that I don't know what they are honestly the speakers currently sound like shit probably because they're old and the amp is fucked so we're completely replacing the system, I want to keep a similar loudness level (the JRX125s are like 133db SPL i think) but I was noticing that speakers with the same db rating that are also coaxial are much much more expensive, our budget is around 15k and I'm looking to get 4 tops and 2 subs.

Our budget is in the ballpark of 15k and these were the two options I was looking into

4× JBL SRX812P + 2× SRX828SP (Non-coaxial) 135dB SPL per top

4x or 6× Tannoy VXP 12 + 2× SRX828SP (Coaxial) 131 dB SPL per top

I was wondering for this case with a packed basement how important coax is and is it worth losing the loudness. Also curious what the word is on passive vs powered systems at this price point and I've heard powered speakers are dangerous when people with drinks are nearby so let me know if that is a huge worry or not. I'm new to this speaker stuff so any advice would be appreciated! I'm also curious what other things I should be worried about with speakers and if things like driver size are important to look at like if i want to SRX812s or SRX815s for example. Appreciate the help!

I'm not a live sound engineer, I tune the audio in ambulance/police radios, but I'm always told to do the live sound for company-wide corporate presentations for the CEO and top level management. I'm not very good but there is no one else.

They insist on using lapels and I really struggle with feedback. I feel like I've done everything I can:

- swapped to cardioid lapels

- moved the speakers as far forward and as wide apart as possible (they seem to always stand right next to them no matter where I put them)

- tried to give them a brief of what to do (most don't listen)

- made sure the mics are placed correctly (because they insist on lapels, they swap them around because we only have 3, so they end up in all sorts of funny positions, sometimes upside down)

- sent the mixer outputs to a sound card for parametric EQ (has crashed twice recently - i know this isn't a great thing to do but it's all I have)

Despite all this, I still get insane feedback and I struggle to get people to understand. They always think I'm an idiot for not just 'turning it up'. I'm 99% sure it's the room causing the issue. We do it in our cafeteria and the ceiling is quite low.

Does anybody have any tips for what I could try next? I thought about trying to suggest the idea of headsets instead?

I’m currently looking at buying a lower priced PA system to occasionally DJ parties and small bars of no more than 40 people. I was looking at the Evivia line from Electro Voice as I’ve heard that it’s a reputable brand in the audio industry. What confuses me is why is this particular line is selling less than the Alto brand series of the same size speaker. I’ve heard that alto isn’t a great brand in terms of quality and build. Does anyone know why this is? Is the Evivia line not great either? The Eviva 12P is currently selling at $369 and the TS412 is currently selling at $399.

Hi, im going to a small gig in December, probably only 100/150 people in a church. I usually record these gigs on my phone but the audio is obviously not great.

Are there any cheap, small mics that can hook to a phone that will record better audio? Doesn't need to be pro quality. Just better than what I usually get.

The ones I keep seeing online are for voice recording and im not sure if they'd record the room audio too.

Any help would be appreciated

I've been contracted to design sound for an exhibit at a children's museum about "being inside a thunderstorm and rainbow."

It’s a pretty small exhibit area with an open-floor plan, targeted to toddler age, and with a live foley component (thundertubes, rainsticks, etc). I am deeply concerned about sound bleed so I'm researching directional speakers. (Which will be supplemented by subwoofers and some practicals.)

I'm looking at Dakota Audio (FA-501), Brown Innovations (CT24-24 or Wide Dispersion Localizer Sound Dome), Focusonics (Model A) and Soundtube (FP6020-II).

What I’d like is for visitors (say, a small family) to be able to go to each area (maybe 7’x7’?), stand there and be immersed in the storm for a few minutes while looking at whatever it is they’re looking at, and then move on to the next area and listen to that storm phase, but without having to hear too much of the other areas. In other words, sort of a curtain of sound blended around the room but specific details as you move around each "area" and explore the storm.

I have no idea what the museum’s budget is. They told me to do the research and they’ll let me know!

Thoughts on the above brands? Or others? Or best practices? I have never done this before and neither has the museum.

I am attempting to create a live sound setup for my college marching band.

We currently have an electric guitar and electric bass running through a fender hotrod deluxe and a boss katana respectively. We've been noticing issues with hearing the instruments against the rest of the band, especially as we utilize the guitar for a lot of solo moments.

My director wants to make it as “plug and play” as possible, while remaining future proof for the future generation of our pit.

Right now we are dealing with a very unconventional pit, Being the guitar and bass previously mentioned, and a single Marimba. We are fighting a 98 piece band. 

Our budget is ~$3000

Any suggestions?

I'm a gigging acoustic musician putting together my first proper portable PA and have gone far enough down the rabbit hole that I could use some advice from people who actually work with this stuff.

Current situation:
I play solo acoustic gigs and sometimes have a friend or two sit in for a couple songs. I've been using a Fishman Loudbox Performer, but it just died during a gig, which accelerated my plans to put together a real PA.

For solo shows I'm primarily running vocals plus acoustic instruments - guitar, resonator, banjo, etc. Sources include pickups/pedals going direct, but sometimes just use an SM81 to mic all the instruments if I'm going to switch around a lot.

I'm planning on buying a small mixer with phantom power (currently looking at a Yamaha MG10XU) and initially one good powered speaker on a stand. I own a Bose S1 Pro that I can use as a personal monitor.

Typical use would be small-to-medium bars, breweries, restaurants, outdoor tents/festivals, etc. I'm not trying to provide sound for a 500-person rock show. For larger gigs I generally plug into house sound anyway.

Long term I'd like something I can keep for many years, potentially add a second matching speaker later for when I make it big (HA!), and occasionally contribute to the PA/monitor setup for other bands I'm in.

I've looked at everything from portable suitcase systems to:

• QSC K10.2
• Bose F1 812
• JBL EON/PRX
• Yamaha DXR
• RCF ART 910-A

I initially leaned heavily toward the K10.2, but the Protect Mode 4 reports and stories of failures during gigs have given me some pause. I realize the majority of owners don't have problems, but reliability is pretty high on my list - especially after my amp just died mid-gig.

The Bose F1 812 also interests me. I generally love Bose gear and sound, but it's substantially more expensive and heavier.

At this point I'm less concerned about finding the cheapest solution and more interested in buying something that:

1. Sounds excellent for vocals and acoustic instruments
2. Is extremely reliable
3. Has enough headroom for small/medium gigs
4. Is reasonably portable
5. Can serve as a main, monitor, or part of a larger system as my needs change
6. Is something I'm unlikely to feel the need to replace in two years

If you were starting with one powered speaker + mixer for this use case today, what would you buy?

I'm especially interested in long-term experience from people who regularly use these speakers live.

We play a recurring gig at a very small restaurant/café (roughly 60 people max), and I’m looking for some opinions on adding a pair of really compact subs.

Our current PA is a pair of original QSC K10s. They actually handle the room surprisingly well, but we’re definitely missing some low end whenever we have electric bass or our drummer brings a Roland HandSonic. We don’t need club-level bass — just enough 50–100 Hz-ish reinforcement to give the bass/kick some actual weight and take some of that work off the K10s.

I already own two QSC KS112, but it’s honestly too large for this particular room. There’s basically no usable place for a center sub without taking up dance-floor space.

The weird part about our setup is that the K10s also have to sit behind the band. There isn’t room to put them out front, and we currently use them partially as our monitoring since we don’t have wedges and only have 2 IEMs mixes at this gig.

So what I’m thinking is:

K10 short speaker pole compact sub

on each side of the band.

That would actually take up less usable floor space than our current tripod stands while adding the little bit of low end we’re missing.

The three options I’ve been looking at are:

2x Rockville TITAN SLIM D8 — dual 8", very shallow cabinet, plywood, M20 pole mount. About $600/pair.

2x Rockville RBG10S V2 — single 10", much lighter and cheaper at roughly $420/pair.

2x Sound Town CARME-110SPW — single 10" folded-horn design, plywood, roughly $620/pair.

The TITAN SLIM D8 is the one I’m currently most interested in because that super-shallow form factor looks almost perfect for this room. With two of them we’d have four 8" drivers total, and we’re not looking for huge SPL — just clean bass reinforcement for an 80-person restaurant.

My main questions:

Has anyone actually used the TITAN SLIM D8? How does it perform in the real world?

Would two dual-8 subs be enough for electric bass + electronic kick in a room this size?

Would you choose the dual-8 Titans over a pair of small 10" subs for this application?

Any concerns about putting a K10 on a short pole above something this narrow?

Is there another very compact/shallow powered sub around $300–400 each that I should be looking at instead?

Again, this isn't replacing our larger PA/sub setup. This would basically be a dedicated tiny restaurant rig where portability and footprint are almost as important as output.

Would love to hear from anyone who's used these little subs in an actual live-band application rather than just DJ/background music.

I need something mainly for vocal practice with backing tracks. But I would also like to use them with a modeler to practice bass.

I would like something that’s powerful enough to play the occasional bar/party that doesn’t have a PA available.

I use Bluetooth a lot. I could buy an extra receiver if there was a really good sounding pair that didn’t have one. But the convenience would be very nice, all things being equal.

I really like the feature set of the EV ZLX-12p. Bluetooth and the high Z plus the built-in mixer features. But I hear a lot of “Yamaha db12 or ART 712 sound way better”

If I were to gig with them, I do have a single Kali ws-12 sub at 1000w that could add a little more low end.

My genres vary wildly but I’m focused on R&B and very hard rock. Any help is appreciated.

Right now, my band has two subs, with poles in the middle of them supporting other PA speakers. I also have a PA speaker off to my left that basically functions as my amp.

However the stand for it takes up space on the floor

Is there a clamp that can support a PA speaker and hook right up to the other speakers I just mentioned? (the pole that goes into the sub)

So I have seen and read the marketing fluff about the new V8, but I cannot de-cypher the fluff. Is it just an excuse to release a "new" microphone and charge more money?

Disclaimer: I have been impressed with sE mics, the V7 in particular are staples for the live shows I put together in untreated rooms. So I'm the last person to poop on sE but I'm really confused about what the selling point is.

Looking for a vocal delay pedal to use live to get that Boy Harsher, the hellp, suicide vibe. Any recommendations?

If you have used this combination before, which crossover settings do you use? The Hz setting, or the named setting?

My band has an EV EKX 15" sub and Yamaha DXR10 tops that we use for most shows, and we choose the manual crossover point on all boxes (usually 120 Hz).

We're going to play a venue next weekend that has ZLX 12 tops and no sub, so they said we can bring our sub. We won't be able to test different settings, so I'm looking for advice on whether it's better to use the Hz or the name options. I suspect there isn't much difference, but let me know if your experience is different.