Jambo_UK Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Hi every1, I'm looking for a PA Desk for my school as there one is starting to feel its age and I was wondering if you could answer these questions for me and also can you make any recommendations to me as I have had a look at ton of desks and do not understand them at one :( 1. What is Phampton 48v?2. Whats better Powered or unpowered? The only spec I was given was it would be used for a mixture of music from rock concerts to normal singing and that the desk has to have more than 12 channels, mainly XLR connectors but there will be a need for two stereo channels for CD players. so just to sum up, - 12+ Channels- 2-Stereo Inputs- XLR connector inputs (with some jacks)- Output jacks possibly- able to drive both normal speakers, bass speakers and monitor Thanks for all the help in advance from Jambo PS. The Budget is about £500-£1500 but the would prefer to be under a £1000, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
london sound Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Hi I would suggest a Mix-Wiz from Allen and Heath ( http://www.allen-heath.com/wizard_series.asp ), you can get a desk in several formats ie. stereo versus mono channels and with/without sub groups. Phantom power is a means of powering Condenser mics, these mics have a small pre-amp inside and also provide a current to the Condenser, having said that almost any desk worth having will have phantom power (so I would not worry about it) I would suggest a desk that is not powered (I assume you mean with built in amplifier). I hope this helps Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Alcock Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Jambo, If you really have got that much to spend, it's quite a decent budget. I would definitely look for more than just 12 channels - the first time you do a band and mic everything up you'll easily eat those 12 up. If you wanted a top quality desk, under your budget, that would be capable of doing what you want, and be easy to operate, I'd look at the Allen and heath PA20. It's got a meaty power amp built in so you don't need to worry about power amps if you take it to another building/hall/gym/sports field etc. You don't have to use the built-in ones though if you've already got decent amps. RRP is about £799 inc VAT. Allen and Heath product page Trust this helps, Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 12 channels will get eaten up pretty quick when you do bigger gigs. Assuming you have the Mics!!! I like A&H desks- easy to use and follow the 'flow' which isn't the same for all mixers. Or try Spirit by Sound Craft- something like the LX7 which comes in 16, 24 and 32 channel flavours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_cooper Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Hi Jambo_UK A couple of comments, more information is needed to answer this, 1. What is Phampton 48v? As posted by "london sound" this is a method of sending power down the microphone cable to power circuitry in a microphone, often marked on mixers as "+48V". 2. Whats better Powered or unpowered? There is no real answer to this question, they are different ways of approaching a problem. In order to give any decent recomendations of equipment, you will need to know which you need. Powered desks have a built in power amplifier, unpowered do not. Examples are (from Soundcraft not necessarily suitable for you, just similar examples); Powered Mixer, Soundcraft Powerstation 1200 Unpowered Mixer , Soundcraft FX16 Tell us about your system and I'll help work out which type you need. There are a huge number of options for that spec in your price range. Regards, Richard Cooper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo_UK Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 Thanks for all the helps, just got off the phone with anyone one of the technicians and he said that we will need a max of 24 channels of which we need 2 extra which are RCA input. and if possible could it be under £900, because the sound guys are planning to toal the amp and speakers tomorrow at the leavers assembly! (hense Clip them to the point they burn out!) Thanks for the help so far I will have a look at all the web links above thanks again from Jambo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Foster Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 hense Clip them to the point they burn out!) Why? that seems like a bit of a waste, and its gonna sound sh :o te, and probably pack in halfway through the show. If you cand find a desk specifically with RCA inputs, you can get adaptors to plug into the line level jack inputs. Let us know what you end up buying, as our school may be after something similar, just got to get the money :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomLyall Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 by the looks of your post.. its for your school, so you can forget paying the VAT, which makes things a little bit more budgetable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominicgross Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Don't you still pay VAT, then you get it back later. We had this situation at our school: buy a £1000 desk + VAT = £1175, then at the financial year end you get the £175 back (which we never did) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 if possible could it be under £900, because the sound guys are planning to toal the amp and speakers tomorrow at the leavers assembly! (hense Clip them to the point they burn out!) Doesn't sound like they deserve a new desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 if possible could it be under £900, because the sound guys are planning to toal the amp and speakers tomorrow at the leavers assembly! (hense Clip them to the point they burn out!)Doesn't sound like they deserve a new desk. What school is this? Wanton destruction like this is no better than throwing a rock through a window, tearing pages out of books in the library or torching the theatre. What is the school's policy on expulsion? Oh and you do realise, that if they DO damage the amps, and they need replacing then there is a record now here that you knew this was going to go ahead and did nothing to stop events, or take preventative action, doesn't this make you an acomplice? On that cheery note. I would recomend Behringer MX 2442. Why? I haven't looked at it's features beyond it's specification, I haven't any experience on reliability, I haven't any experience sonicaly but it is the cheapest desk I can find to fit your specification, At less than £500 inc vat there is more than enough money to buy some books (assuming students don't tear them up for a laugh when they leave) as rob say then they don't deserve a new desk. If the money has to go on sound then buy 2 of them so you have a spare for when it gets destroyed. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 By the way Jambo, I assume this event is at Holy Trinity Crawley and the contact info to warn the school is all on the school website? James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJUnreal Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Our music technology studio uses a "Spirit Studio 16-8-2" which is a very good desk. I have heard that a 24-8-2 or something similar is available now for less than your budget, although I'm not 100% sure on that one. Spirit kit is generally good (from my experiences anyway) and as mentioned before, you can follow the "flow" of the audio (ie from where it goes in at the top you know what it does before it exits at the end). Also has a useful little talkback mic installed in it which would be good for shutting up those bands without needing an external mic when trying to sound check... Personally, I am looking at buying such a desk for use at home (believe it or not!). JoHn -- Venture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 I 'cut my teeth' on the Spirit Live 16. Spirit stuff is decent value, but as the others have said is it really worth buying kit for somewhere that won't ttreat it with the respect it needs? (and if the amps are any decent make, then they may well stop themselves before they die, with a limiter cutting in. Which then runs the risk of square waving the amps, thus killing the speakers.....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dave Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 May I suggest an Allen & Heath GL2200. Comes in 12, 16 & 24 Channel versions and also has an additional 2 stereo inputs plus a tape return on RCA. Good little desk and has the added bonus of an internal PSU so one less thing to go wrong. Oh forgot to add, I seem to remember the 16ch version being about £800 ex VAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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