I'm thinking of building a little portable PA system for our theater. I say building because I have zero budget and a truckload of components and MDF and lumber sitting around that I can cobble together.
I'm thinking of basically building a sub box on casters with a horizontal rackmount for an audio desk on top, then a couple extending poles on the side for some full range speakers. I actually have a rolling rackmount case but I can't fit an amp and a sub in it, so I was going to just build it from scratch. (it also has really annoying rattly metal hasps on the covers.
The uses will be for PA when we have an outdoor performance, when we have a sitzprobe, mobile music/DJ for events, or for rehearsal tracks at dance rehearsals. Roll it out, plug in laptop/phone or a few mics and go. Right now I have to pull Eons from storage, pull the aux desk out of the booth, set up a table... blah blah. Just thinking it might be nice to have a little box-o-sound I can roll around.
If I build the sub as part of the case, how awful will the vibes be on the mixer? Am I asking for trouble with a massive magnet and 350w bouncing around that close by?
I'm thinking of basically building a sub box on casters with a horizontal rackmount for an audio desk on top, then a couple extending poles on the side for some full range speakers. I actually have a rolling rackmount case but I can't fit an amp and a sub in it, so I was going to just build it from scratch. (it also has really annoying rattly metal hasps on the covers.
The uses will be for PA when we have an outdoor performance, when we have a sitzprobe, mobile music/DJ for events, or for rehearsal tracks at dance rehearsals. Roll it out, plug in laptop/phone or a few mics and go. Right now I have to pull Eons from storage, pull the aux desk out of the booth, set up a table... blah blah. Just thinking it might be nice to have a little box-o-sound I can roll around.
If I build the sub as part of the case, how awful will the vibes be on the mixer? Am I asking for trouble with a massive magnet and 350w bouncing around that close by?
I don't. What I have is a Yorkville 10" 300w active sub with a damaged enclosure. I was going to build an enclosure and stuff the Yorkville guts in it.
Keep subwoofer separate from anything else, you are not building a combo Bass Guitar amp or a portable battery power guitar/mic amp for street busking where you are forced to.
Is that Yorkville 10" all you have ?
And you tell us nothing about "some full range speakers" or how will youn drive them.
They are the core of your system,the sub is just an extra.
Is that Yorkville 10" all you have ?
And you tell us nothing about "some full range speakers" or how will youn drive them.
They are the core of your system,the sub is just an extra.
Well, you could ask, and you did so I'll answer, but not sure how it pertains to a question about vibrations/desk.
As far as subs, I have that damaged Yorkville and I have an Idol Pro powered sub
For "regular" cabinets (I won't call them full range since some are more mid/highs) I have the Idol IPS-550s that go with the Idol sub. If you're not familiar with that system it's an older karaoke/DJ setup that quite frankly was built for abuse instead of good sound. I have some JBL Control 28s (not high power and only an 8" woofer) and on the insane overkill side I have some 18" SP3Gs (not what I would call portable.)
Amps for the full range I have a choice of a Crown X202 (145w x 2) or an older Peavey M7000 (350w x 2) that I refurbed. Also have a couple Peavey rack mount EQs
All of this is random stuff that was donated over the years (community theater) and all of it is in good condition if not a little long in the tooth.
This project needs to do the job. It does not need to be "oh wow, that sounds really good," it needs to be "oh wow, I can hear what they're singing/saying." I can EQ well, so the focus is on utility and being functional in a 750-seat proscenium for a visiting artist's master class, outside on a amphitheater stage where I can toss 4 wireless lav mics into it for an improv troupe, in a 50x60 black box with some Sennheisers for a holiday cabaret, in the rehearsal space with 2 studio condensers for Sitzprobe, or in the studio with a laptop/DI for tracks during dance rehearsals. The sub isn't necessary for all of the above, but necessary for some. I've successfully received grants for all new LED theatrical lighting fixtures, modular seating risers and auditorium seats, and 28 channels of ULXD wireless. For now - until I get a grant for house audio - I will have to continue life with a soldering iron and some creative TRS adapting. When I took over these spaces 7 years ago, I had nothing but a Soundcraft desk from the early 80s and a Sony home stereo amplifier. Until that grant happens, we're closer to banana plugs and vacuum tubes than we are speakon and Dante.
Here is a picture and a like for the Idol full range
And the sub I can't find, but it's a single 10" (or maybe a 12"), reflex, 300w active. Model number is Sub-02
The Idol sub is currently my house sub at the black box. I suppose I could rebuild the Yorkville for the house and use the Idol for this project.
Components I have. Tons of them. Some of them actually good.
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Ok, now we are talking.
As of the bare "is that a bad idea?" , yes,it was already answered.
As in: terrible idea.
Besides, knowing the rest of the system is very relevant, because now we now what its job will be.
Not the same fighting/matching a couple PC monitor / kitchen desktop class speakers or a couple high power high efficiency cabinets.
As of the bare "is that a bad idea?" , yes,it was already answered.
As in: terrible idea.
Besides, knowing the rest of the system is very relevant, because now we now what its job will be.
Not the same fighting/matching a couple PC monitor / kitchen desktop class speakers or a couple high power high efficiency cabinets.
In the big scheme of things a 350w sub isn't very powerful these days and if the box is well build and fairly heavy there won't be a lot of vibration escaping. What effect the vibrations have on the mixer is a but unknown, electronics can and do survive being in the same box as a sub but an old analog mixer may not make out as well. There are ways to isolate the two though, the sub could be built in it's own enclosure and placed inside the bottom of the rack on some dense foam for example.
As long as you are realistic about the expectations for the speakers this can work, I doubt those idol speakers will get very loud so this won't be mistaken for a live band PA by any stretch, but it should suffice for some spoken word or light accoustic performances.
The Peavey SP3G(if that is what you have) are on another level, they can certainly get quite loud but require some EQ and don't produce much lowend despite thier size, so they could be useful for louder events if paired with some powerful 18" subs.
The SP3Gs will eventually go on the proscenium as house PA once the renovation is completed. I've already played with them excessively because I'm evidently 12. They're a fun toy.
The Idols will take a clean 400w without much complaining. They're built for loud and ugly DJ/Karaoke. More than enough output (sensitivity is a respectable-ish 92db) for vocals during a sitzprobe or in a larger venue where just a few people are talking. They start getting a little awful above about 7000hz, but that can be attenuated easily. You're correct that they aren't wonderful things, but they can be EQ'd to make decent sound for my needs.
This whole project is about taking the turds I have and polishing them to use for a couple years until I can get a grant. I have also toyed with horse-trading away what I have for something better, but it's hard to trade a turd for anything decent.
And, no... I'm not trading my SP3Gs 🙂 Those, and the Yamaha 2 x 750w that powers them are staying here. They're the only good pieces I have.
The Idols will take a clean 400w without much complaining. They're built for loud and ugly DJ/Karaoke. More than enough output (sensitivity is a respectable-ish 92db) for vocals during a sitzprobe or in a larger venue where just a few people are talking. They start getting a little awful above about 7000hz, but that can be attenuated easily. You're correct that they aren't wonderful things, but they can be EQ'd to make decent sound for my needs.
This whole project is about taking the turds I have and polishing them to use for a couple years until I can get a grant. I have also toyed with horse-trading away what I have for something better, but it's hard to trade a turd for anything decent.
And, no... I'm not trading my SP3Gs 🙂 Those, and the Yamaha 2 x 750w that powers them are staying here. They're the only good pieces I have.