BAND PA HIRE sydney

Top Equipment

We only hire superb sounding equipment.   Front-of-house speakers include the Bose 302A or 802 speakers which give even clear but not harsh mids & highs.   For subs the Bose MB4 or MB12 speakers provide punchy bass without the rumble right down to 40hz.   The Soundcraft M8 mixer is one the finest small analogue mixers around and includes 8  XLR + 4 stereo inputs and of course the classic British EQ section.    The DBX processor provides 3 channels of Digital Signal Processing including parametric EQ, crossovers, compressors & feedback control.

Solid Band Mixing Experience

Of course having great equipment is no use if you don’t know how to operate it.  Thousands of hours band mixing experience over the years means your band will get a great sounding mix – perfectly balanced & equalised.   In October 2011 we completed the LA Tavern band competition  mixing for over  60 bands & had very positive feedback from the bands & management.

Foldback

We understand how important it is to have good foldback.   In fact it’s the first thing we do when sound checking your band. While our foldback system is not large we’ll make sure you can hear yourself adequately.   Our standard band system has 2 foldback speakers but we can run up to 4 with 2 different mixes.

Small PA – Big Sound

The extreme volume transients in live music add little to the audience perception of loudness but can wreak havoc on a PA system.  Did you know that every 3 Decibel increase in volume requires doubling of amplifier power?  We recently won some work over a competitor because their much larger system kept distorting every time the singer shouted into the microphone.  Since we run multiple channels of compression we can pull out the unwanted transients & get more amplifier headroom.   Another method we employ to get more efficiency is to use smart speaker placement.   Subs can be delayed & “boundary loaded” against walls to increase forward output & front of house speakers can be mounted up high to improve throw.

Drums

We generally always mic up the kick drum.  We’ll use a decent mic & EQ it to get a nice solid thud without the unwanted resonance. We have available the Alesis 3630 compressor/gate & the Alesis D9 drum trigger module also.

Bass

Along with drums the bass forms the second part of the Rhythm Section.   As such we know they need to work together to compliment each other.   We’ll make sure the bass & drums give a cohesive foundation for the rest of the band.    We understand too that bass can be very power demanding.  We generally always reinforce the bass through the sub.  Our sub is usually located on the stage (not in front of it) so the band will be able to hear it clearly.  (we use time delay to sync the sub to front of house speakers).   Many hired PA systems don’t’ include subs.  Realistically even 15 inch combo speakers won’t give the response of a dedicated sub.

Acoustic Guitars

Nothing sounds finer than a nice acoustic guitar through the 302A or 802 speakers.  It has a warmth that is hard to find elsewhere.  The wide dispersion means that more of the audience gets the same experience.

Electric Guitars

In most venues electric guitars don’t need any amplification through the PA but if they do we totally understand that you go to a lot of trouble choosing your amp & effects units to get exactly the sound you want.  We’ll mic up your amp & faithfully reproduce your specific sound.

Vocals

Every vocalist is different & has a specific resonant frequency & their own unique sound.  The Soundcraft M8 mixer has sweepable mid EQ band which means any mid range frequencies that often cause “muddiness” can be easily taken out leaving a clean sound that cuts through the mix.  Backing vocals can be made to blend nicely through volume & EQ adjustment.   We use the industry standard SM58 microphones which always give a good result.  For reverb we have the classic Yamaha SPX90 (yes – the one we hired to Bob Dylan).

Keyboards

Too often keys get overpowered by the rest of the band.   We’ll make sure you’re heard!   We can DI or direct line your keyboard.  Since it’s a quality signal path you don’t get the bad hums & hiss that you can get with budget PA’s.

Wind Instruments

Whether it’s Sax, Flute, Horn, Clarinet or other we’ll get you properly mic’d up so you can be heard.

Servicing Sydney & Surrounds

We hire anywhere in Sydney as well as the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Newcastle or Central Coast.