Just something to get vocals heard at band practices/ shed gigs.

OLP

right, would a monitor and mixer do it for 3 mics?

david

Just about, halfarsed

Savman

Yes small mixer + active monitor. You can get another active monitor in a few months if you want and daisy chain it up. Next year you could get 2 Active Tops and you have yourself a whole PA. So the mixer + monitor leaves itself open to future integration if you so wish.

Remember lads, it's easy to spend someone else's money
I wouldn't tell someone to buy something I wouldn't buy myself.

Personally I'd go with http://www.thomann.de/ie/db_technologies_opera_402_live_aktivbox.htm over any Thomann shop brand gear but to each his own eh?

OLP

Right, I've got this lined up, I know it wouldn't be loud for a gig but I reckon it'd plenty loud for a shed.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/mackie_by_tapco_mix_120.htm

http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_box_sm100_aktivmonitor.htm

Savman

OLP wrote:

Right, I've got this lined up, I know it wouldn't be loud for a gig but I reckon it'd plenty loud for a shed.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/mackie_by_tapco_mix_120.htm

http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_box_sm100_aktivmonitor.htm

Sorry but 100w is underpowered for a vocal monitor, in a "heavy" band it wouldnt be much better than shouting at the top of yer voice. You can go for any aul mixer in the €100 category they're all much of a muchness, but you're speaker relies on raw power.

You'd nearly want 2 of those sm100 boxes per vocalist

OLP

I've decided on the Mackie mixer. Would this monitor do?

http://www.thomann.de/ie/tc_electronic_voicesolo_vsm_200.htm

Savman

OLP wrote:

I've decided on the Mackie mixer. Would this monitor do?

http://www.thomann.de/ie/tc_electronic_voicesolo_vsm_200.htm

TC-Helicon VoiceSolo VSM-200, Active Voice Monitor, 150 Watt (200 Watt Peak)

You've gone from 100w to 150w.

If you want I can lie and tell you it'd work fine but the reality is you will struggle to hear anything below 200w (even thats being conservative).

Unfortunately, music gear is not dictated by what you set as your budget...

OLP

Okay, but what about

http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_box_pa202a.htm

I know it's a speaker and not a monitor but whats the difference?

Savman

OLP wrote:

Okay, but what about

http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_box_pa202a.htm

I know it's a speaker and not a monitor but whats the difference?

A monitor is just a speaker so no difference whatsoever. But that particular speaker does not have the body shape to allow it lie on its side on the floor (so it can face up to the singer).

See you want a speaker for a specific purpose, which means you're not as flexible as you think. I think your ideal speaker may not be within your budget.

Eoin Madsen

The TC is very small, tbh I'm not sure it's really suitable for putting in a shed for three vocalists.

OLP wrote:

Right... now yis have just confused me. We're not botherd about a live set-up, just amplifying vocals for practices.

My suggestion still stands. As I see it, the bottom line is: putting speakers up on stands in an enclosed space like a shed is a feedback nightmare. You'll get more volume out of a floor monitor of equal wattage than a standing speaker, purely because the floor monitor won't feedback at as a low a volume.

OLP wrote:

right, would a monitor and mixer do it for 3 mics?

It's not ideal* but yes. Unless the drummer is one of the vocalists, in which case you will really need a seperate monitor speaker for the drum vocal if you want him or her to be able to hear themself.

*ideal is a 2000 euro monitor each, with expensive in-ear monitors and a monitoring engineer

Savman wrote:

I wouldn't tell someone to buy something I wouldn't buy myself.

Neither would I.

OLP

**** it, we're going with the speaker, we'll just prop it on it's side against something, there's loads of shìte in the shed.

Savman

Eoin Madsen wrote:

I've never heard that DB stuff in action, so I couldn't personally recommend it. Tbh, it's all made in the same place (China), so I'd be surprised if there's a whole lot of difference. Though the physical size of the DB enclosure you indicated would give it a relatively poor bass frequency response which would make me wary of its use in this context.

Why? The guy want's a vocal monitor, not something that will handle bass guitar or kick? You recommended he get a 15" speaker which has no benefits for a vocal wedge.

iirc the dB tech is Italian made, no links to China from any literature I've read (and I've 4 db speakers with "Made In Italy" on the back )

The OP wants a vocal wedge with enough power to handle 3 Vocalists and to cut thru amps and a drum kit in a small room. I've yet to see anything suitable for that exact circumstance and pretty much everything so far has had its drawbacks. If he's certain he wants cheap gear, what you suggested is probably the best of a bad bunch. If he wants something to do the job properly he'll need to broaden his horizons a bit and possibly creep over his budget which'd be worth it imo...

Savman

OLP wrote:

**** it, we're going with the speaker, we'll just prop it on it's side against something, there's loads of shìte in the shed.

If its just a case of throwing any old speaker in the corner with minimum of hassle, then buy exactly that. There are better options but if it works for you thats all that freakin matters.

Paladin

I am flabberghasted by the confusion created for this poor guy.
We are talking about practice in a shed for small money! Get the cheapest option that will do the job. If your not going using the rig you will gig with then it doesnt matter what you use to get heard.

In a shed if you cant get vocalists heard with 150W then you are going to have hearing damage. A shed ffs! That said a monitor like Eoin Madsen suggests can be used at a gig too, whereas cheap speakers really wont be.

Take your pick from Eoins or my suggestion (one or two others seem sane(ish) also ).
Save yer cash for a beer fridge for the shed
.
http://www.thomann.de/ie/tmix_the_bo...0_pa_set_1.htm

Savman

Paladin wrote:

I am flabberghasted by the confusion created for this poor guy.

Ah I dunno, I think he's been given decent advice so far bearing in mind its all a matter of opinion. He kept asking more questions so was always gonna get confusing...;)

Besides if he's taken any of it in he'll be that tiny bit more educated no?

Rancidmaniac13

If you still want more advice my band just uses a mixer and a little box that you can connect headphones to. You can hear the vocals fine and I'm sure it'd be cheaper. We're in the exact same situation as you and it works grand. Not sure what the name of the box thingy is but I could find out.