Re[2]: Smaller Speakers

[Mike.Biffle@wj.com (Mike Biffle)]

At 11:33 AM 3/12/98 -0500, Mark Kata wrote:
>Currently I use two EV-12Ls in stereo for looping and general guitar 
>havock.
>However, I've been thinking about switching over to smaller diameter
>speakers for increased portability.

Kim Flint the responded:
speaking of speakers, I've been thinking of getting a small PA setup for
loops and everything else. It would mostly reside in the big room at home,
but should also be relatively portable. I guess the main requirements would
be: sounds good, easy to carry. Any suggestions? Are powered speakers the
way to go? Anybody use the JBL eon series? Also, I have a taste for ground
shaking, butt-wiggling bass. Does that mean a subwoofer, or are there
decent, simple PA's with good enough low end response?

I've been looking at the EON's as well. The 15's seem like a good choice 
if you 
need the bottom end and won't use a sub-woofer. I've only listened to 
these at 
Guitar Center, S.J. as well as the 10's with a cd. No real guitar 
experience 
with them. Since I need a small *portable* pa for acoustic and vox I've 
been 
leaning towards the 10's. I'd probably want a sub-woofer in the studio and 
for 
electric guitar. OTOH, if you're into a subwoofer, the Bose 402 silver's 
or 402 
gold (w/their sub-woofer) could be a good choice. Assuming you'd like to 
buy a 
power amp. It could be said that everyone needs at least one good power 
amp to 
make their studio sound good! I've played out acoustically through the 402 
silvers and they really filled the room (Palookaville in SC).

Note: At the same show I used EV 2 way monitors (the plastic molded 
current 
models) as monitors and they actually sounded bass heavy! I've talked with 
a few
other sound reinforcement types who told me that for acoustic music, it 
might be
best to go with *a lot* of smaller speakers. I'm beginning to believe this 
as 
well after repeated use of 12" monitors.

Kim:
oh, for all you guitar players, I think we established some time ago that
guitar amps just don't cut it for more than simple loops. They just aren't
designed for more complicated sounds and get too muddy. I use a boogie
triaxis/2:90 combo with EV 200W speakers for my guitar, which can be very
clean, but still nothing compared to a PA. And forget about putting 
anything
other than guitar sounds through it, the amp colors it too much.

I started going direct slightly before I began jamming with our friend, 
Mr. 
Chris Muir. After a lot of recording with Chris, I've become very settled 
with 
the sounds I create using speaker simulators (or not). It's not always 
tweaked 
quite right, mostly due to my own trial and error programming and need for 
change. But when it's really dialed, I'm totally happy with it. It's not 
the 
tubes that make the difference for me.

I've also played a few sessions with a singer who is infinitesimally 
critical of
"so called warm" guitar sounds, and after fairly lengthy review, they're 
trying 
to fly my new direct parts back into songs we recorded with speaker cabs 
and 
mics a few years back. He says the new tracks sound way fatter and warm as 
well 
as more modern. This is certainly very subjective... Like DT, I'd love to 
have a
nice Rivera M100 or equivalent. I'm sure I could *learn* to like it. 8-> 
But in 
the meantime, I'll tweak those Boss preamp profiles and speaker sims in my 
guitpre! 
Loops really do need full range and headroom. Not to mention vocals and 
drum 
machines.

thanks,
kim

Cheers,
-Miko