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Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:50 pm
by karatestu
Is if I haven't got enough projects on the go at the moment :roll:

Was thinking about this. I have some old small PA speakers that are used for rehearsals and very small gigs. I had to replace the bass drivers a few years back as some lunatic fried them with a clipping amp - don't lend out stuff to mates for a party :naughty: Cant remember what the drivers were apart from I used some marshall 12 or 15". There is a horn and other drivers that I never paid any attention to when I had them open 5 years ago.

How about this

1) throw crossover away
2) dope bass drivers and use full range
3) add an up firing mid or two (slightly doped)
4) keep the horn
5) Usual cap (3.3uf or lower) & padding resistor

I don't know if the semi Omni principle will work for PA speakers ? I can think of some issues like matching levels between drivers. Don't want to have to pad a bass driver if I can get away with it. Also I guess it helps if PA speaker drivers are very sensitive because of the levels they are sometimes driven to (be kind to your amp) although we never do very big gigs. At high power Ievels will just a cap on the tweeter (horn) be enough to protect it ?

I love the semi Omni thang so much I wanted to spread the love to the other members of my band and the audience. The amount of times I have winced at concerts because of the poor (often too loud) sound quality is getting very tiresome.

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:53 am
by karatestu
Tumbleweeeeeeeeeed

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 10:21 am
by Dr Bunsen Honeydew
Not a good idea, different job. But you do what you want.

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:04 pm
by Geoff.R.G
karatestu wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:50 pm The amount of times I have winced at concerts because of the poor (often too loud) sound quality is getting very tiresome.
That is, in my experience, because absolutely everything is amplified and the amps are driven to the verge of clipping which creates distortion and near enough destroys any real musicality. Then again many concerts aren't about sound quality they are about the experience.

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 10:27 pm
by karatestu
Geoff.R.G wrote: Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:04 pm
karatestu wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:50 pm The amount of times I have winced at concerts because of the poor (often too loud) sound quality is getting very tiresome.
That is, in my experience, because absolutely everything is amplified and the amps are driven to the verge of clipping which creates distortion and near enough destroys any real musicality. Then again many concerts aren't about sound quality they are about the experience.
It is bloody awful most of the time. All a drum kit needs usually is a mic on the bass drum. Or if you are Bonzo, one on the front skin and one on the back. Obviously vocals need to go through the pa but not much else - keyboards if they dont have their own amp. I find most gigs painful. Guitarista are the worst, they just want to keep turning up and up.

I remember one on stage drum monitor where it was in the drum throne (seat) , you could feel it as much as hear it :dance:

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 11:42 pm
by CN211276
I think sound quality at concerts has come on a lot over the years. I recall it being awful at most gigs I attended in the 70s. Now it is usually quite decent, certainly far better than what I experienced in the cinema recently, though there are exceptions.

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 12:49 am
by Chunk McDaniel
Depends on the engineer at the desk. He has ultimate control. I went to see Chuck Prophet recently. I was in the middle of the hall stage centre. Every 5 or 10 minutes this guy would come and stand next to me for a few minutes then disappear. Tirms out he was the engineer. The sound was fsntastic. Not too loud but you could follow every instrument. A truely superb sound. Some engineers are good and know exactly what to do and some are just shit.

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 8:52 am
by CN211276
Chunk McDaniel wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 12:49 am Depends on the engineer at the desk. He has ultimate control. I went to see Chuck Prophet recently. I was in the middle of the hall stage centre. Every 5 or 10 minutes this guy would come and stand next to me for a few minutes then disappear. Tirms out he was the engineer. The sound was fsntastic. Not too loud but you could follow every instrument. A truely superb sound. Some engineers are good and know exactly what to do and some are just shit.
Very much agree. There is no excuse for bad sound these days. I am going to see Deep Purple tomorrow and the tickets were expensive. I would expect a good sound.

Re: Doc modding PA speakers

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 11:38 am
by Geoff.R.G
Chunk McDaniel wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 12:49 am Depends on the engineer at the desk. He has ultimate control. I went to see Chuck Prophet recently. I was in the middle of the hall stage centre. Every 5 or 10 minutes this guy would come and stand next to me for a few minutes then disappear. Turns out he was the engineer. The sound was fantastic. Not too loud but you could follow every instrument. A truly superb sound. Some engineers are good and know exactly what to do and some are just shit.
Modern digital desks can be controlled remotely from a tablet and that does mean that the engineer can adjust the sound from anywhere in the hall, it makes for better sound because the desk isn't always located in the best place for sound, just the least inconvenient for the audience. Even when you don't have a tablet, getting out amongst the audience will give a much better sound than can be achieved from a sound booth.