Bo Eder
Platinum Member
Funny thing when you're sort of locked up in the house trying to get your heel to heal for the last four days....you start taking pictures of stuff. Anyway, I know the title of the thread is a little pretentious, not everyone has their own PA system or has ambitions of ever getting one. But, I've been saying that usually for what I do, I have to have my own system, so I thought I'd share it here in case some of you are entertaining thoughts of getting into your own sound system for your drums.
I consider this a pretty simple system. It centers around a Mackie 1604VLZ mixing console (16 channels), a Lexicon MX200 effects module, two Crown amps (XLS 202D and 402D), and one pair of Yamaha A15 speakers (15" woofer), and one pair of Peavey PR12 speakers (12" woofer). Depending on what I'm doing determines which speakers I bring. Since I use Shure E2c in-ear monitors, I don't really need speakers for monitoring, but the Peaveys make great wedge monitors. If I'm doing sound for an entire band, then yes, I'm using all four speakers: the Yamaha's are the stereo mains, and the Peaveys are for monitoring. The Yamaha's get mounted on their own stands at the front.
I do love digital consoles, and you'll notice I'm not using one here. Digital consoles, like the Yamaha O1v, are great, but they are not set-and-forget consoles. You really need a front of house mixing guy to really utilize a digital console correctly. With the analog Mackie, I can set it up and get levels, and then leave it alone. I have a knob for every little thing on the console so navigating it doesn't take two hands to scroll through screens. So in a live situation when it's just me, the Mackie wins just because I can set it and leave it. The Lexicon effects box is cool. It's actually two effects boxes in one. So I can set two effects, like one reverb, and the other delay, and when I route those two sends back into the console on their own channels, I can mix the two or take one or the other out if I don't need it. There's also a foot pedal by-pass switch on the unit itself. When I finish a song, I cut the effects when I talk to the audience so they can understand what I'm saying. Very aggravating when the reverb stays on through the whole show!
But anyway, that's what I use, along with an array of mics, when I go out and do the solo act. This plus the Tama kit, now you understand why I need a Ford pickup truck, just for myself! Enjoy!
I consider this a pretty simple system. It centers around a Mackie 1604VLZ mixing console (16 channels), a Lexicon MX200 effects module, two Crown amps (XLS 202D and 402D), and one pair of Yamaha A15 speakers (15" woofer), and one pair of Peavey PR12 speakers (12" woofer). Depending on what I'm doing determines which speakers I bring. Since I use Shure E2c in-ear monitors, I don't really need speakers for monitoring, but the Peaveys make great wedge monitors. If I'm doing sound for an entire band, then yes, I'm using all four speakers: the Yamaha's are the stereo mains, and the Peaveys are for monitoring. The Yamaha's get mounted on their own stands at the front.
I do love digital consoles, and you'll notice I'm not using one here. Digital consoles, like the Yamaha O1v, are great, but they are not set-and-forget consoles. You really need a front of house mixing guy to really utilize a digital console correctly. With the analog Mackie, I can set it up and get levels, and then leave it alone. I have a knob for every little thing on the console so navigating it doesn't take two hands to scroll through screens. So in a live situation when it's just me, the Mackie wins just because I can set it and leave it. The Lexicon effects box is cool. It's actually two effects boxes in one. So I can set two effects, like one reverb, and the other delay, and when I route those two sends back into the console on their own channels, I can mix the two or take one or the other out if I don't need it. There's also a foot pedal by-pass switch on the unit itself. When I finish a song, I cut the effects when I talk to the audience so they can understand what I'm saying. Very aggravating when the reverb stays on through the whole show!
But anyway, that's what I use, along with an array of mics, when I go out and do the solo act. This plus the Tama kit, now you understand why I need a Ford pickup truck, just for myself! Enjoy!