https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:39:38 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-243122 Fri, 18 May 2007 07:20:08 +0000 Live Sound leear https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-243122 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-243091 Fri, 18 May 2007 01:00:08 +0000 Yes, I've seen both scenarios done. And I've fixed the damage.

When I worked in radio (station engineer), I made sure every system that the DJs had to take out and set up unsupervised used different connectors for different functions. Only mic cables would connect to mics, and the other end would only connect to a mic level input, etc.
If every "black box" was connected to a wire, and every wire was connected to the only place it would fit (and connected at both ends) the system would work.]]> Live Sound kent_eh https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-243091 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-243082 Fri, 18 May 2007 00:01:40 +0000
Speakon is simply a newer connection that came out a few years back that is a big improvement over bananna clips or 1/4" jacks. Here is a pic of a speaker cable with Speakon connectors:

12 gauge speaker cable with Speakon connections

Speakon connectors are great, you get far more contact which gives you cleaner sound. Speakon connectors plug in, then turn to lock. So you won't accidently pull one out during a gig. The downside is that they are pretty expensive.

Lots of companies use Speakon connectors today. Behringer powered mixers and amps all have Speakon outputs. Most companies have Speakon connectors today as well as many speaker cabs. When using a amp or powered mixer like a Behringer with older speakers with traditional 1/4" input jacks you need a cable Speakon on one end, 1/4" on the other like this:

Speakon to 1/4" speaker cable

Lots of folks have many speaker cables with 1/4" connectors and don't want to spend a fortune on newer Speakon connectors, you can buy an adaptor like this:

Speakon to 1/4" female adapter

Some folks hate Speakon connectors because they are expensive, but they are a huge improvement over older types of cables.]]> Live Sound Wes Inman https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-243082 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-242995 Thu, 17 May 2007 07:24:13 +0000 Live Sound corbind https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/4/#post-242995 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-242984 Thu, 17 May 2007 06:09:17 +0000 Live Sound corbind https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-242984 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-230086 Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:17:05 +0000
Sorry to take so long to get to this. I agree with Leear, the first thing is get a good strong signal using the Gain setting at the very top of each channel (the white knob). So speak or sing (as loud as you perform) into this until the LED indicates a good strong signal. Watch the clip light if it has one. It is ok for the clip light to blink occasionally on peaks, but you don't want it on all the time.

Use the sliders for each channel to set the mix.

Use your Master volumes to get overall volume for your FOH and monitor mixes.

I am not familiar with this mixer, but I looked at the manual. I think you should set it up as shown on page 11 of your manual in "Dual Mono Operation". Make sure the Amp Mode switch is set in the center "MONO1/MONO" position. Use Output B for your front of house (FOH) speakers and Output A for your monitors.

You really don't want to go stereo when playing live. Folks on one side of the room will only hear half the mix and vice versa. Even "pro" soundpeople almost always go mono. Stereo can sound good in a very small venue, but you will have problems in a larger hall.

Also, make sure "pan" is in the center. If you run mono (which is really best for live sound), then always set pan in the center. If you use your mixer to record or play a very small room, then you can go stereo and use the pan feature.

It is not surprising that you did not get huge volume with one single monitor. An amp will only produce about 65-70% power at 8 ohms compared to 4 ohms. This powered mixer operates best with a 4 ohm load on each side. Run another monitor daisy chained to the first and I bet you will hear a big increase in volume.

These should help you get maximum volume from your system. But no matter how powerful a system is, it is easy to overpower it with loud guitar amps. So try bringing the volume of the guitar amps down some. Go for a good mix that sounds great. Musicians (especially guitarists) like to play way too loud sometimes. It is probably a lot louder than you think.]]> Live Sound Wes Inman https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-230086 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-227521 Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:27:11 +0000 Live Sound MrJonesey https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-227521 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-227511 Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:04:19 +0000 Live Sound leear https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-227511 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-227292 Tue, 06 Feb 2007 21:02:25 +0000 Live Sound MrJonesey https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-227292 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-226997 Mon, 05 Feb 2007 20:31:52 +0000
This website is the best for walking you step by step on how to set gain structure on your mixing board: http://www.mmproductions.co.uk/gain4.html

Follow the step by step process for setting your gain and your sound will be unbelievably better.]]> Live Sound AustinMan https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/which-pa-system/paged/3/#post-226997