Live club amplification?

ondrums

Junior Member
I often find myself in an audio situation where the PA is not substantial enough to handle my mic'd drum set. Even if I have great mics, some groups only have PA enough for the vocals. Additionally, band members are a little touchy about their PA and letting someone run drums through them, understandably. Can anyone direct me on how to amplify my set, without going through a PA. I have small bass amp which works in a pinch. Most of the drum amps I have seen are definitely not capable of handling a club situation. I am thinking of a mixer/amp and speakers. Any input is appreciated!!
 
I have an 8 ch. board that I've used over the years, I'm thinking of getting a couple of powered monitors to get the drums out.
 
I use:

Mackie 1604VLZ 16-input mixer
Crown XLS402D power amp
(2) Peavey 12-inch speakers (those light plastic ones)
Alesis PicoVerb for my effects.

I can put the speakers up on stands and slightly in front of me and that will amplify me enough to get my point across without scaring the rest of the band. Some guys I know also carry a subwoofer, but there comes point of diminishing returns for how much work you're doing. Also, if you have enough power and your mixer's mic pre-amps are at least adequate, you shouldn't have a problem with smaller speakers. Lots of people take the power amp for granted. The whole system is important, but having a good excess of nice clean power can't be stressed enough. Some of my colleagues think my amp of choice was done on a budget since they tell me I should use either Crown Macro Tech2400 amps or their new CTs amps, but I'm pretty happy with what I have.
 
To me, the rules are very simple; The overall band volume should be set to the quietest acoustic instrument, & mixed from that reference point. If the band needs a louder or more full sound, then the band needs to consider upgrading the PA to allow for reinforcement of acoustic instruments. Using a separate PA for just the drums is adding another uncontrolled element to the out front mix. For the same investment as buying a separate PA for the drums, you can significantly increase the headroom of the band PA, & that offers much more bang for your buck. If the band PA currently consists of a couple of powered tops on poles, & there's enough inputs on the desk, then adding a pair of subs c/w built in processing/crossover will often be enough to get the job done at lower volumes.

I've no idea what level of sound quality you're after/budget, or the gear your band currently has, but another route is to replace the band's existing tops with a full range powered speaker enclosure. We use 4 x QSC KW153's as tops with a bank of 18" touring pro grade powered subs, but a pair of those QSC's on their own are capable of handling a kit at reasonable volume. They're 1k RMS each, and have a very cool DSP section that means the 15" driver can deliver surprisingly decent sub frequencies. These will also give the band a great sound too.
 
Adding a subwoofer, or two would probably beef up the existing PA enough to mic the drums. Or a bigger bass amp and small mixer would do it too. If they are touchy about it, maybe you should use your own personal sound reinforcement, such as a bass amp with a tweeter, or a small PA with 15" woofers. Good luck.

Peace, goodwill, and blues.
 
Excellent input! Thanks! I work mostly as a hired gun for the right $$. I perform on a Yamaha Anniversary Recording Custom or my Pearl Masters MRX set, depending on the gig. Either of these sets will deliver the sound if mic'd and mixed properly. Some audio situations I am thrust into, some bands know how to handle drum audio, and some do not. I have opted to have my own system for these situations. I think the mixer, good bass amp or speakers with sub is the best solution. I agree with having plenty of clean power. I really hate being the "victim" of a poor audio situation all night!! I am sure many drummers have encountered this problem. Thanks for the input!!!!

~All the Best~
 
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