Decent PA setup

Dr.Winston O'Boogie

Not too experienced in buying microphones and that, but was looking to buy a decent microphone and speaker for me and my mates to use when jamming. Looking to spend about 200-250, and order off thomann is possible, just for ease of use.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Paolo_M

niallo24 wrote: »

Not too experienced in buying microphones and that, but was looking to buy a decent microphone and speaker for me and my mates to use when jamming. Looking to spend about 200-250, and order off thomann is possible, just for ease of use.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers.

The shure SM57 or 58 are good all rounder mikes.
These will set you back around €100+.
I've heard that the €32 SM57 replicas being sold in Thomann aren't half bad. That might be a good start.
http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_tbone_mb75.htm

For speaker, do you already have an amplifier/mix desk?
You need at least a preamp and a powered speaker or alternatively you'll need a desk with built preamps and a power amp and use a passive speaker.
Either way you wont get anything for €200 especially if you've already spent €100 on a mic.

There may be cheap alternatives that I'm not aware of, anyone else?

Also consider what you plan in future. Often you'll a get a good deal but find that it wont cut the mustard for gigging

shizz

There are many cheap passive PA buncles on Thomann. The lowest I found was E155 but it wasn't too great but might have still done the trick.

If you can stretch to E300 I think this will suit all your needs for just Jamming and even small gigs. http://www.thomann.de/ie/peavey_audio_performer_pack.htm

eoin5

If its just for jamming a full PA mightnt be necessary. Maybe one of these: http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_box_ma120_mk_ii.htm

jimmy99

niallo24 wrote: »

Not too experienced in buying microphones and that, but was looking to buy a decent microphone and speaker for me and my mates to use when jamming. Looking to spend about 200-250, and order off thomann is possible, just for ease of use.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers.

http://adverts.ie/296361

Adyx

jimmy99 wrote: »

http://adverts.ie/296361

That's a single speaker which takes up the OP's entire budget with no money left for a microphone. If it's just for practice/jamming, eoin5's link will be fine and he'll have money left to put towards a decent microphone, which would be a better investment in my opinion.

Eoin Madsen

You don't need a PA, just an active monitor. Like this one: http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_box_pa110a.htm or the one eoin5 suggested.

T.Bone mics are grand on a budget from my experience, so perhaps this one:
http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_tbone_mb85_beta.htm
But I wouldn't get the SM57-style one if it's for a vocal. SM57 is not a nice vocal mic for general use.

carthach

get a 58 they're better built and they will last longer, not to mention the fact that they're an industry standard.

eoin - why isn't an SM57 nice for vocals?

Eoin Madsen

Well, it's an "instrument mic" by design, and there's quite a harsh middle bump in the frequency response. It's okay for effects like lo-fi vocal sounds etc. and maybe the odd time for harmonies when a thin vocal is useful, but as a general vocal mic I always found it a bit of a bitch to mix with a band live. A vocal mic shouldn't be that much work.

Not sure I'd agree with your reasoning behind getting a branded mic in this instance. On a budget like that, in a practice room setting, I don't think the longevity or durability of the mic is a big issue. I have a couple of T.Bone condensors that lasted me several years and were still functioning fine when I retired them. Something being an "industry standard" is hardly a reason in itself to buy or endorse it.

Adyx

Eoin Madsen wrote: »

Well, it's an "instrument mic" by design, and there's quite a harsh middle bump in the frequency response. It's okay for effects like lo-fi vocal sounds etc. and maybe the odd time for harmonies when a thin vocal is useful, but as a general vocal mic I always found it a bit of a bitch to mix with a band live. A vocal mic shouldn't be that much work.

Not sure I'd agree with your reasoning behind getting a branded mic in this instance. On a budget like that, in a practice room setting, I don't think the longevity or durability of the mic is a big issue. I have a couple of T.Bone condensors that lasted me several years and were still functioning fine when I retired them. Something being an "industry standard" is hardly a reason in itself to buy or endorse it.

Definitely agree wit you on that, but they way I look at is: OP has €250 so allowing for up to €150 for the powered monitor, that leaves €100 for a mic. So why not get the best he can afford? That will be one less thing needed later on when gigging etc.

Eoin Madsen

Well, that is a fair point, though it's debateable whether the SM58 is the best mic in its price range. He still has to buy a mic stand and an XLR though, so I was pitching at 200 more than 250 for the monitor and mic.

Adyx

Eoin Madsen wrote: »

Well, that is a fair point, though it's debateable whether the SM58 is the best mic in its price range. He still has to buy a mic stand and an XLR though, so I was pitching at 200 more than 250 for the monitor and mic.

Ah but I never mentioned the SM58. I'm sure there are plenty of mics in that price range which are as good if not better than an SM58. As you said, he might even get more bang for his buck by opting for a T-Bone mic. Regards the stand and cable, Thomann often have bundles with mics, cables and stands for about €10 more than the mic itself.

Eoin Madsen

Well, they do, but hardware is somewhere I wouldn't skimp either. Millenium mic stands are junk, and the sssnake cables really aren't the best. It's definitely worth only an extra twenty quid for a K&M stand and a cordial XLR cable or something along those lines.