Building the Perfect PA System for You – Part 1

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This week, I introduce to you a series focused on selecting individual components in order to put together a custom PA system that would specifically suit your needs.

What is a PA?

PA is an acronym for public address. So a PA system is a sound reinforcement system intended to make a speaker – or performer – audible over a great distance.

A PA is much more than a means of hearing your singer above chainsaw guitars and crashing cymbals. It is a chance for your band to sound cohesive – less like a bunch of people and more like a functional unit. A proper PA system can be the difference between a mediocre show and a great show.

Technically, what a PA system does is convert sounds into electrical currents, amplify them, and convert them back into sounds at much higher volumes.

In the context of musical performance, a PA system serves two primary functions:

1. Amplify the band so the entire audience can enjoy their performance.
2. Provide the performers with a reliable means of hearing each other and themselves.

An Important Acquisition

That said, it’s easy to see why a PA system is an important acquisition for any band. Not only would you need one to perform in any venue that lacks their own, but they are indispensable for rehearsals as well. How are you to practice those juicy 4-part harmonies without them? Yet many bands balk at such a system, seeing them as more of a luxury than a necessity. After all, they are not cheap.

Fortunately, you don’t need to spring for the whole thing at once. Instead of purchasing a package like the ones I covered last week, you can put your own PA system together, piece by piece, to precisely suit your needs. What’s more, each member can buy separate pieces, spreading the financial hit.

Parts of a PA System

A PA system consists of four fundamental parts:

• Main Speakers
• Monitor Speakers (aka floor wedges)
• Mixer
• Microphones

Let’s take a quick look at each of these components and cite some examples.

Front-of House Speakers

These are the big speakers meant to amplify the band for the audience. Also called mains, in many cases there need only be two; left and right. If possible, adding a subwoofer (or two) would be a major enhancement – nothing makes a band or DJ sound more legit right off the bat than thick bass amplification.

These Electro-Voice ELX115P speakers are popular mains and are some of my personal favorites. Lightweight, portable, self-powered and able to double as floor monitors, these are a versatile choice for anyone looking to put together a system one piece at a time.

Monitor Speakers

These are the smaller speakers meant to amplify the band for the performers. Often referred to as wedges, monitor speakers are meant to sit on the floor at the front of the stage pointed at the players. They don’t need to be as powerful as the mains, but they do need to be heard in noisy environments.

Continuing with Electro-Voice (can you tell I’m a fan?) their ZLX12P speakers are similar to the ELX, but are not quite as loud or defined. This does not mean they are to be scoffed at, only that I wouldn’t use them for FOH duties. Now, as floor monitors, these things kick! I personally own one and use it for monitoring at band gigs and DJ gigs.

Mixers

Of all the components of a PA system, this is where you will find the widest variety. Mixers come in all shapes, sizes, and configurations for a range of applications. This is also the component that demands the most thought, as it would be best to find a single unit to work for each situation in which you anticipate using it. Additionally, it would benefit you to purchase one with just a little more than you really need – that way it remains useful as your needs grow over time.

Here is the Mackie ProFX6V3; a tiny portable mixer that would suit a solo performer just fine. Two preamps, 1/4 stereo inch inputs, 1/8 inch stereo input, two sets of main outputs, phantom power, and internal effects cover all the bases for a simple, complete PA system.

On the larger end of the spectrum, Allen & Heath’s ZED22FX is a much larger portable mixer with 16 preamps, 3 stereo 1/4 inch input channels, 4 auxiliary sends (this is how you connect monitors and use effects). This is what I use when I run sound for events where my band, Capistrano, supplies the PA system. It’s simple to use and sounds great!

Mircophones

Of course, what’s the point of having all of this fancy equipment if you can’t run any signals into it? Microphones are the means by which we change sounds into electrical currents that can be amplified. A variety of microphones are needed to run sound for an event, each tailored to suit a particular function.

Here are two of the most popular microphones ever built: the SM-57 and SM-58 by Shure. If you have paid any attention at the concerts you have attended, I guarantee they were using at least one of these. They are popular for a reason: they are relatively inexpensive, they sound great, and they are built like freaking tanks.

Conclusion

This brief overview should be enough to get you thinking about what you might need for your situation, as well as how much you are looking at spending. In subsequent posts, I’ll be going more in-depth on each of these four components and citing more examples for you to make informed purchases. I hope this series will help you build the perfect PA system for you or your band.

Until next week,

-AudioMunk