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Running Active PA alongside Passive PA?


Goochie

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Hi Guys,

just a quickie, I have a wedding booked in in a couple of weeks, and am providing PA for the Band, will be using a Logic Audio passive PA for band, and using my new Yamaha DXR PA for myself on the Disco.

I would like to link them together as one bigger PA but someone has said they wont sound good linked? Is this true? if so is there a way round it?

Wedding is in a Marquee so would like to put the bigger sound out there for both shows as one really.

Any idea's or advice fellas?

Many thanks in advance.

Goochie.

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Firstly, what are you attempting to achieve by running both - is it simply to "make it louder"? Or are you attempting to improve coverage? Is either system underpowered?

 

Simply piling the speakers together to make everything louder is likely to result in comb filtering which will make it sound slightly nasty. Both systems will be voiced differently, which may give you varied results, but is not enough by itself to kill the idea. And the fact that one is passive and the other is active is not really important.

 

Also you don't give much detail as to what each system comprises - just tops or subs and tops?

 

If the Logic Audio PA is good enough for the band, then it's probably more than good enough for the disco.

 

The main reason I'm often happier keeping a band PA separate from a disco PA is that it allows the band to strike after they've played, as their PA isn't being "held hostage" by the DJ until the end of the night.

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Thanks for quick reply.

passive are Logic 15 Tops - Peavey 2600 amp, Logic double 15 Push n Pull subs - Peavey CS3000 amp. both thru Behringer management unit and Behringer EQ in rack.

Active PA is new Yamaha DXR 15 tops & DXR 15 Subs. both around 3-4K rigs,

The idea I have is just to provide a 'Bigger' sound as oppose to a louder sound. The band will have their own Sound guy on desk.

As its a quite big marquee I just simply want a nice big sound without driving the hell out of the individual set ups as sound seems to disappear in marquees.

I'm just worried neither PA will be enough on their own....

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With the gear yo've got I'd consider using all 4 subs and one set of tops as main PA - Probably the Logic & Peavey with the DXR subs is easier to cable. Or if the desk can handle it, drive the DXR subs from a post fade Aux output & only send them Kick & maybe a little Bass Guitar.

 

Then what you do with the DXR tops depends on how the marquee is set out:

 

If the stage and dance floor are in the middle, then the DXR tops, running full range, as second "fill-in" PA pointing outwards to the ends can help - especially if you're covering the speeches too. Don't turn it up too far for the music though - people tend to want to talk at weddings and Great Aunt Maud will think it's too loud already!

 

If you're at the end, then you may want to set up the second system as delays further back, which I think the Behringer management thing can do, but again, mainly for speeches - an Aux as the feed for these may be useful here too. However for the disco, you could then turn it round (get rid of the delay) and have a speaker in each corner of the dance floor.

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If theres enough desk outputs I'd be aiming to use a dance floor system and then depending on layout the other system for delays or outfill.

As mark said about that gives you most control on being able to turn one area up or down depending on whats going on- so the grandparents sat in the corner can hear the speeches but dont get the disco at full volume.

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I think the fundamental thing is to define what the client wants and what need to achieve that.

random thoughts:

1. it's perfectly ok to have a mix of passive and active, IF it's patched right - you need to think of what signals you want to come from where and end up where.

2. hotch potch patching different boxes without thought usually doesn't give good results.

3. outdoor marquees need more than indoor rooms - usually about 3 times as much. BUT..

4. DJ'S are notorious for over specifying weddings - - if it were me, I would be discussing with the happy couple and thinking where the dance floor zone is and where the quiet talking zone is.

- for weddings it usually works well if the pa starts running out of steam half way back in the room, giving other family members a chance to stay and to enjoy, rather than leave early because of the pumping racket - likewise 18" subs moving your rib cage are not a good idea.

5. weddings are a long day and expensive to do right. people end up asking for things (or assuming that things are available for use) on the day, if you don't discuss it in advance. cake cutting, first dance, speeches, random announcements, band striking gear - all these need to be thought of and a 2nd system that remains available after the band has finished is a good option - has the band signed up for their gear to be used earlier in the day for speeches until late in the evening for dj?

 

the others all make sensible points. you might like to define 'bigger' vs louder and thereby define what you are attempting. do you really mean better distribution? (delay system). I did a wedding 6 weeks ago, live band, speeches and music playback (quiet in the day, dance volumes at night) - in a marquee with one wall missing, covering 200 people inside and outside. I go for quality not volume, I used a system comparable with your band system (2 no. 15 tops + 4no. 15" subs) - 5 minutes into band set, mother of the bride wanted it turning down. if I have learned one thing about weddings over the years it's that the dj and the band aren't in charge - even if they are paying you - the financial backer of the wedding (usually mum and dad) are in charge - even if they pass messages via a third party.

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