My first outdoor PA gig

[Tom Loizeaux]

I did my first outdoor PA gig last weekend. It was a "Wine and Jazz" festival in my own neighborhood. The great thing was that I could actually hear everything, so mixing and balancing the instruments and mics was a pleasure.
This is my 3-way system made from some vintage Sunn cabinets and some "repro" cabinets...all with JBL drivers! That's me in the yellow shirt with my two crew guys.
Fun, but a lot of physical work!

Tom

[chad]

Hey, congrats on the gig, Tom!!! Hope you enjoyed it.

I run the mix and configure the PA for my own band, it is a lot of work but quite rewarding when everything sounds just right.

Would you share some of the details...
1) How many bands were there? How many in the audience?

2) What drivers were you using in the cabinets?

3) How much power were you feeding to the cabinets?

4) What type of mixing console did you have, and have you used it for live performance before?

thx,
c

<c:

[mixsit]

..made from some vintage Sunn cabinets ...all with JBL drivers!
Yeh, you got my old guitar rig!:D :applaud:
Wayne

[Tom Loizeaux]

Hey, congrats on the gig, Tom!!! Hope you enjoyed it.

I run the mix and configure the PA for my own band, it is a lot of work but quite rewarding when everything sounds just right.

Would you share some of the details...
1) How many bands were there? How many in the audience?

2) What drivers were you using in the cabinets?

3) How much power were you feeding to the cabinets?

4) What type of mixing console did you have, and have you used it for live performance before?

<c:

There were 3 jazz groups. Maybe 300 at the festival at any one time.

The 2-15 cabinets have 2 JBL K140s in each, the mid cabinets have 2 JBL 2123Hs in each, and the Sunn horns have a 2426H in them. I have a large Sunn 1-18 with a 2242H in it, but I didn't use it on this gig.
2 monitors use a JBL E120 and 2402H in each, while the other 2 use a K120 and 075 in each.

The 2-15s get a Crest CA9, the mids get a Crest CA6, and the horns get a QSC PLX 1602. The monitors get a Crown PT 2.1. I use a Crown MX-4 3-way crossover on the mains and don't run the power amps all the way up. The CA9, for example, is rated at 900 wpc @ 4 ohms. These 2-15 cabinets are 4 ohms, so I don't need all that power, given the K140s are only rated at 150 watts each.

I have an old Biamp 8 channel board. It is very simple but does a nice job. I use a Rane compressor, graphic, etc.
I've tried to keep this as small and simple as possible...while still using JBL drivers driven with polenty of clean power.

Tom

[pelly3s]

nice little rig. i wish my stuff looked pretty like that :) mine all looks like its been through a war. God bless you for moving a rack with a CA-6 and a CA-9 in it. i would love to hear a setup like that though. its gotta be a lot more like listening to a big stereo more than a PA system

[boputnam]

That's me in the yellow shirt with my two crew guys. Fun, but a lot of physical work!
:o: Doooooood, I am so jealous...

I did two load-ins / load-outs the past three days, and no crew - they tired of this long ago... ;) Thankfully, the band I was working with helps a lot after they're loaded-in (and out), but it is indeed an impossible amount of work.

All us soundguys have a love/hate relationship with our passion. It is what it is...

[Tom Loizeaux]

... God bless you for moving a rack with a CA-6 and a CA-9 in it. i would love to hear a setup like that though. its gotta be a lot more like listening to a big stereo more than a PA system

Yes, the power amp rack is a back killer! I put the two Crest amps, the QSC, the Crown crossover and the Crown PT amp all in one box. I did it to keep my cableing short and simple, but I'm thinking of splitting it into two boxes.

I've had comments that this system sounds "so clean!" I suppose it's a hi-fi rig more then a typical PA set up. But hey, I do use a pair of 40 x 90 degree fiberglass horns!

Tom

[scott fitlin]

Well, the crown MX-4,s are some of the cleanest, and nicest sounding crossovers I have ever heard, very good at what they do!

Nice rig! :)

[chad]

Hey Tom, thanks for sharing the details.

Wish I could have been there to hear it :).

(((mmmmm))) Crest... Crown... QSC.... nice. All in one rack??? Do you rent a forklift to move it :D???

[Mike Caldwell]

Hello

Outdoor sound jobs are the best (providing good weather, I always have rain protection handy even on those perfect weather days). Everything always sounds better outside your not dealing with whatever the room is thowing back at you. Here in Ohio the outdoor season is winding down I do have two Christmas programs outdooors in mid December coming up! I have a 70 piece orchestra show coming up in a hockey arena. Most people have no idea the amount of time and heavy lifting it takes prior to the start of a show and after it's over. Not to mention the time involved in preping, planning and loading what is needed for the show before you even head out! Places and people not accustomed to a full scale production always give you a funny look when you say you need to start setting up 3,4,5 hours ahead of time sometimes even more if there is a major rehersal or sound check required. It sounds like you have already been infected with a live sound virus and there is no cure, beware if you hear yourself saying "I don't think I need any more equipment, I have everthing I need".
When looking at equipment consider what will make the job easier and more effective. It's fun to look at the latest and greatist mixers, amps, dsp's, speakers, mics ect. and they are all needed and usefull but the non glamours items can help make or break the day. Things like, plenty of mic stands in all shapes and sizes, various lenghts of mic and speaker cables, speaker snake cables saves from running a pile of individual cables to each speaker stack for low mid hi, sub snakes for the stage to save on running separate mic cables to main snake box that also keeps the stage neat and clean, various types and genders of adaptors/cables, a power distro, pop up cover for the FOH, cases to keep things organized, heavy duty extension cords and quad boxes for stage power...no orange extension cords, rain covers and tarps. A dollar saved is not always a dollar earned when buying equipment.

What is your next show, let us know how is goes.

Mike Caldwell