Choosing The Perfect Public Address (PA) System
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DJs
If you are a DJ and have your own decks/CD/MP3 and mixer you will only need an amplifier and speakers. You're probably just after
something like a home stereo, only bigger and with loads of bass so that you can get the gig going. You don't need much more than
something to plug your mixer into so it's sound quality and power that are going to be main points to consider.
Bass & Power Amps
The minimum rating we would suggest for any serious DJ is to have speakers with a 15" driver for good bass and a 500 watt per
channel power amplifier. The Peavey UL15 speakers
and CS1400 power amp are an ideal package. This will be good for a gig of
200-300 people.
Bands
Most bands will probably need quite a bit from a PA. It's not just a matter of making things louder. You need to be able to
control the sound so that you can make a decent overall mix and reduce any feedback from the microphones, or acoustic instruments.
The speakers will be the most important part of the PA chain so always get the best that you can afford.
How many times have you gone to a gig and thought how terrible the sound is? You should be careful not to try and overdo things.
Think about how you would like your band to sound if you were in the audience. The rating of the amp doesn't just govern how
loud things will be, it will also dictate how much you can expect to put through it. We always advise quality and not quantity.
Budget PA Systems
For a small PA don't try to put much more than just a vocal or two, or perhaps a vocal and acoustic guitar. Much more than that
and the amp will struggle and the sound quality will suffer.
Don't take it as read that a PA system with inputs for half a dozen instruments is actually powerful enough to handle them all.
We suggest that you consider what you want to put through the system and add around four extra channels for future expansion.
Power wise we would suggest at least 200watts a side for your front of house. The Peavey XR684 is ideal with nine channels,
digital effects and 2x200watts output power. This model would be certainly be more than enough for an average pub gig with
around 100 fans.
As a bit of advice, try and get a friend in the audience to comment on how you sound when you are playing.
Digital Effects & Sound Channels
At the end of the gig, check how your PA has been set up. If any of the channels are cranked up full, then you're already running
the thing flat out and have nowhere to go if you need more volume for a bigger venue in future. It probably sounded awful too!
To sum up, it's all about the quality and not quantity. Think about where you want to be a few months down the line. You will
outgrow that budget PA system much quicker than you think. You can talk to sound guys at gigs or get advice from a reputable
music store. The team at Nevada are mostly gigging musicians with plenty of experience and will be more than happy to give you
impartial advice.