{"id":5308,"date":"2017-10-03T07:05:46","date_gmt":"2017-10-03T14:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/?p=5308"},"modified":"2017-09-21T09:09:01","modified_gmt":"2017-09-21T16:09:01","slug":"building-your-personal-pa-part-1-why-a-good-system-is-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/entertainment\/building-your-personal-pa-part-1-why-a-good-system-is-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Your Personal PA Part 1: Why a Good System is Important"},"content":{"rendered":"

A quality PA system should be a crucial part of every band or artist\u2019s gear arsenal. If the vocals can\u2019t be heard distinctly by the audience\u2014and if the singers can\u2019t hear themselves onstage and at rehearsals\u2014it can negatively affect the performance. Often, musicians try to get by with subpar, thrown-together sound systems. And while that may save money in the short term, it hurts their potential in the long term.<\/p>\n

In the first post of the Building Your Personal PA<\/em> blog series, I\u2019ll look at specific reasons why you should get the best PA you can, and in upcoming posts, I\u2019ll help you choose the gear you need to build a fantastic personal PA system.<\/p>\n

As you know, a PA system consists of several different categories of gear: microphones, a mixer, power amps and speakers, not to mention the stands, cables and other accessories. We\u2019ll go more into detail in later posts in this series about what to look for in the various components, but here we\u2019ll take a brief look at each category, and talk about general needs.<\/p>\n

Microphones<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In addition to being a quality vocal mic, the AKG P5i is one of the components of the HARMAN Connected PA.<\/p><\/div>\n

The microphone is the first step in the chain, and it\u2019s crucial that it\u2019s of good enough quality to do the job accurately. A lousy mic going into a good system, will still sound like a lousy mic.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>In a small system you\u2019ll probably only need vocal mics, but in a larger setup, you may be miking drums and other instruments as well. Almost all vocal mics made for stage use are of the dynamic (moving-coil) variety. Dynamic mics are less fragile than the other most common variety, condenser mics, and thus better suited for the greater level of physical abuse they\u2019re likely to be subjected to onstage. Condenser mics tend to be more fragile, and require external power (aka \u201cphantom\u201d) power, which dynamic mics don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The AKG D5 and P5i are a couple of good dynamic mic options for live performances. The P5i is part of the HARMAN Connected PA ecosystem, which allows supported components to be controlled and configured from an app on a tablet. Other compatible products include the JBL PRX800W line of powered speakers, the Soundcraft Ui24R Mixer, and the dbx Di1 Direct Box.<\/p>\n

Mixer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your mixer is the hub of your PA system. It\u2019s where all the input signals are combined, processed and sent on to the amplifiers and speakers. Getting a quality mixer is important both for maintaining good sound and for providing you with the flexibility you need for connecting a range of gear: Mics, instrument- and line-level sources and DIs on the input side, and powered speakers or amplifiers for the mains and monitors on the output side.<\/p>\n

Amplifier<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019re starting a sound company or buying gear for a system that will be permanently installed, you\u2019re probably better off with powered speakers or powered mixers, which have amplifiers built in than with buying a separate amp (or amps) to run passive speakers. If you do go with a dedicated power amp, it\u2019s critical to get one that\u2019s compatible with your speakers in terms of ohms and power ratings. Your dealer can help you out with getting that sussed out.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Unless you\u2019re a quiet solo act, or you\u2019re just using the PA for rehearsals, you\u2019ll also need monitor speakers, and they must be loud enough and clear enough to cut through the sounds of the instruments onstage.<\/p>\n

Practice Makes Perfect<\/strong><\/p>\n

A good-sounding PA system is not only important for gigs, but it\u2019s also crucial for rehearsing. The better you can hear each other singing, the easier it will be to work out vocal arrangements, learn and refine your harmony parts, and practice your vocal blends.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably had the experience of playing at a club with a nice system, or practicing at a rehearsal studio with one, and thinking, \u201cWow, we sound amazing!\u201d You want to replicate that feeling as much as possible in your own rehearsal setup, because it will inspire you musically. Conversely, if you have a cheap little system that\u2019s not loud enough or sounds distorted, rehearsing won\u2019t be as enjoyable and it\u2019s harder to get in the creative zone.<\/p>\n

Another advantage to a good system is that it will more closely replicate the sound conditions at a venue. Of course, the acoustics of your rehearsal space will differ from those at a club, but if you\u2019ve got a crisp and full monitor sound, the experience will be more similar than if you’re using a subpar system.<\/p>\n

A Lot of Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A good sounding PA will help you replicate the conditions of a gig at your rehearsal space.<\/p><\/div>\n

Your budget will dictate your PA-buying decision to a large degree, but if you can swing it, getting a quality system will be a worthy investment for your act. While most clubs these days have sound systems, you\u2019ll benefit with a good system for rehearsals, and it\u2019s been my experience that there are many gigs, such as private parties and outdoor events in which you\u2019re asked to bring a sound system.<\/p>\n

To wrap this up, let\u2019s recap the benefits of a quality PA:<\/p>\n