Advice on making our band louder

[VREEEEVROOOOOW]

My band has applied for some funds, and we have some funds ourselves. Not a lot, but some. So we wanna get louder. So I thought I'd ask good old ILF about what kinda gear you guys would recommend. We're not really hi-end gear literate ourselves... Basically we're just thinking back and forth about what our priorities should be.

What we've got, in descending loudness order:
* Drums
* JC-40 for guitar
* One of those Roland Cube things for trumpet, like 30w or something
* Vocal chords

So the bottom two are obviously what we want to improve first.

STAGE 1: My thinking is that we should get a mic w/ a stand, for vocals, and an active 12" speaker of some sort, to amplify the trumpet and vocals. We already have a mixer that the trumpet player uses to mix in his pedal, so I think we only need an active speaker. 12" seems fine, but IDK. It can be placed between the trumpet player and the audience (he's on the other side of the drummer to me, the guitar player). We can then use the Cube guitar amp as a monitor for the trumpet.

STAGE 2: A monitor of some sort. Maybe some 10" studio monitor, maybe a bigger speaker that can make enough noise to be heard by the audience as well? To be placed between me and the drummer, so that we can hear the trumpet player.

STAGE 3: That 12" speaker is gonna be a lot louder than my JC-40, so the next stage is, I guess JC-120? Maybe use the JC-40 too, and place it by the 12" speaker, to spread the sound a bit? It'd also be nice to have the JC-40 for whenever we're playing smaller venues where the 120 is overkill anyway.

After that, I guess micing the drums would be the next stage, but that's unlikely to be a huge problem. If we're playing somewhere where that's necessary, chances are they'll have a PA system already.

I'm also concerned whether a JC-120 is overkill too. I.e., will I be able to play it loud enough to get feedback and so on, without making the drum kit and/or the 12" trumpet/vocal speaker completely inaudible? Maybe we should have 2x10" or 2x12" or something, to spread the sound out more?

Bleugh IDK.

Give me advice. Either on set-up, or specific products, or whatever.

We play... kinda shoegazemo with post rock structures and skramz vocals, or something.

[tremolo3]

Sounds like you need a PA for yourselves, and the only one I have owned is a crappy Squier one but it gets the job done.
Pretty sure there are better and cheaper options these days.


>shoegazemo with post rock structures and skramz vocals
>a trumpet

Please post clips.

[MechaGodzilla]

yeah just get a smallish PA, with some wedge monitors for your vox/trumpet

[VREEEEVROOOOOW]

The reason I'm thinking some 12", and then, eventually down the road a JC-120, is because the JC-40 doesn't really keep up with the drums for the loudest parts, so if we wanna have a louder guitar sound anyway, we'd need a PA/speaker that keeps up with a JC-120, or at least loud (though not amplified) drums. We certainly want a PA/speaker that's *good*; i.e., one where the trumpet sounds nice, including with FX. And using the PA/speaker for the trumpet & vocals only just makes it easier than if we wanna put the guitar on the PA too, because then there'd be more chances of feedback, more messy mixing/soundchecks, and we would incur the extra expense of buying a mic or two (stereo amp) for the guitar amp, etc.

Would wedge monitors be a better option than (elevated) studio monitors? I'd thought it'd be easier to just get a studio monitor and just put it at ear height between the drummer and myself.

[frodog]

I believe studio monitors cost way more per watt than PA speakers. We use a pair of Mackies, idk the model but they sound good. Not really loud enough to compete with one guy's 100 watt Marshall Artiste + Peavey TKO 80 c-combo and my Sovtek MIG 100 + HH IC 100 tho. And we take turns using a Crate bass combo with a huge cab hooked up, so there's also that.. But every band is different, impossible to know what gear would suit yours without hearing you live.

You need a bigger amp. Older Peavey 2x12 something maybe.

[chromandre]

you should check out the ALTO TS-312 (which seems to be the same product as headrush FRFR112)

[coldbrightsunlight]

I agree with others I think the PA option is likely to be the cheapest

For the guitar if you don't want to run it through the pa you at least want to try more speakers and probably a louder amp.

[VREEEEVROOOOOW]

@frodog, coldbrightsunlight As I said initially, I'm probably getting a JC-120 for the guitar, which is a 120w 2x12" amp, which will 100% be loud enough for everywhere that doesn't have its own proper PA system with mic'd drums.

@chromandre Thanks for the suggestion. I'll add it to the research pile.

Our leading candidate so far is getting a RCF ART 712-A MK4 which is on sale (50%, so really substantial price drop). So maybe get that, and then consider whether we want to get the JC-120 first, or some other active speaker to be used as a sort of monitor—i.e., we can put it between the drummer and myself, but pointed at the audience, or something.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Ah wasn't sure if you meant you were definitely going for the jc120 or just thinking about it. If you're definitely getting it you're probably ok.

That active speaker looks alright to me though no personal experience with it. Generally I'd go with a PA and multiple speakers for a band thing but since you're not running the guitar they it, and obviously you're interested in keeping it small, this will clearly be a hell of a lot louder than the current setup

[VREEEEVROOOOOW]

Well not definitely 100%, but I'm certainly leaning towards getting a JC-120 instead of mic-ing the JC-40 properly, which would probably be almost as costly. And a JC-120 is nicer in that it's LOUD even at modest volumes, so I get more headroom for dynamics/gain stacking.

The speaker I mentioned *is* a PA speaker. And, as I said, we already have a mixer. So I guess we could just get another one at some point and call it a PA...

And yeah, I'm pretty sure this will be louder. I guess the main goal, first of all, is just making the guitar and trumpet as loud as/louder than the drums!

[coldbrightsunlight]

Yeah sorry I meant separate mixer/amp and passive speakers as opposed to active speaker PA. Particularly multiple speakers for the spread of the sound as depending on the venue a single source can be really directional. Just because I'm more familiar with it and integrating monitors into the setup. I assume the active speaker also has monitor outputs so you can do the same stuff. Sounds like you've got some decent ideas about this

[Blackened Soul]

I you have/get edge shaped pa speakers [most are these days] active or passive you can change your setup around depending on the situation as you can you them posted at the crowd or as a wedge monitor, also you can set them at different volumes...

[Antlerface]

Grab a Fender FM100H and a shitty 4x12 for like $150 all day. Them things are clean, loud and have awesome headroom...fuck the gain channels. Use a fuzz or 3. I have one that I used to tour with. Light, loud, and indestructible (AND real spring reverb).