Showing posts with label sound. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sound. Show all posts

6/01/2012

Behringer PMP3000 1,200-Watt 16-Channel Powered Mixer Review

Behringer PMP3000 1,200-Watt 16-Channel Powered Mixer
Average Reviews:

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We bought this powered mixer to replace a defective one at our church. Our sanctuary can seat 900 people and so it is a fairly large auditorium. The mixer has more power than the previous powered mixer and many more features. I especially like the individual channel mute buttons so we can kill a mic without having to move the gain adjustments. The only thing I did not like about this mixer is there was no block working diagram available. So we had to construct one for ourselves. To a trained eye, by using a block schematic diagram, it is easier to know how to set up the mixer for different applications and to troubleshoot a problem.
The actual steady state power output is more like 200 watts (each of the two stereo outputs)for our 8 ohm speaker system but still is greater that the old powered mixer. That is a total of 400 watts as compared to the (at first glance) advertised 1200 watts. We do not have to use the maximum gain on any channel so the output is fine for our use. There is also a headset output that follows the actual powered signal which can give you a better idea of mixed signal that is sent to the speakers and to our DVD and CD recorders.
The people at Behringer were able to answer all my questions without any problems so tech support was great. We did have a little difficulty in figuring out how to use the FX special effects (reverb, etc) generator but once we did figure it out, using it was just as advertised. You can probably guess that the instruction manual is not extensively done. But with a limited budget for an emergency purchase of a powered mixer, we are thoroughly satisfied with the quality and price.
The price is exceptional and caused a few doubting comments about how could we get what we needed for such a small price. We have been using the unit for two months now with absolutely no problems.
My suggestion is that before you purchase this unit, download the instruction manual from the Behringer site. You will see the output connection is not a 1/4 jack. If that is what you have, you will have to buy an adapter or convert the present cable connection to the new type. The adapters or connectors are not very expensive (Neutrik NA4LJX Speakon To 1/4" Mono Jack Adapter)and cost under $11 including shipping. You can optionally by the Speakon connectors and convert the speaker cable to the new connector type.

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If you need superior stereo sound for small club gigs, churches or speeches, but have to keep the outboard gear to a minimum, the 16-channel PMP3000 can deliver. This 1,200- Watt mixer has built-in mic preamps and an FX processor, as well as enough power to drive mains and monitors, thanks to dual onboard 600-Watt power amps.

Massive Mono or Stunning Stereo The PMP3000 gives you the choice of 2 x 600-Watt stereo, 2 x 600-Watt dual mono or 1,200-Watt bridged mono sound. Whether the center of attention happens to be a folk trio, a speech, or a synth-rock band with mind-boggling stereo patches, the PMP3000 can accommodate. This sonic versatility also makes it an excellent choice for churches, where vocals and stereo recordings often share face time.
Classic Control, State-of-the-Art Sound Leave the mic preamps at home, because the quality of sound that was once only available in the studio is ready to go wherever you do. Eight built-in, boutique-caliber mic preamps with switchable +48 V phantom power make it possible to use either dynamic or condenser mics with the PMP3000.
Built-in Digital Effects Processor The PMP3000 is also equipped with a 24-bit FX processor, giving you 100 mind-blowing digital effect presets such as delay, chorus and reverb. Apply them to any channel, as well as to the monitors and main output. In case you're pulling double duty as sound engineer and performer, the FX processor features a footswitch jack for remote on/off.
Changing the Channels The PMP3000 gives you excellent flexibility to accommodate whatever a performance requires. Channels 1-8 are for mics, guitars and other mono instruments. Stereo channels 9-16 are ideal for keyboards. All mono channels have 3-band EQ, switchable Low Cut filter for eliminating infrasonics, and Clip LEDs to indicate when the input signal is too hot.
The Ins and Outs Use the CD/TAPE IN RCA inputs to feed in external stereo signals from CD players or tape decks. The VOICE CANCELLER switch eliminates the vocals from pre-recorded music for karaoke applications.
CD/TAPE RCA outputs send line-level signals from the mixer to a recording device. Left and right output 1/4" connectors are there in case you need to connect more power amps. Connect your monitor power amps or active monitor speakers to the MON SEND output.
A STANDBY switch mutes all mic channels during breaks, preventing the microphones from picking up noise or interference. You can leave all faders untouched while you play a CD via the CD/TAPE inputs.
The FBQ Feedback Detection system automatically shows you which frequencies are causing feedback. Just touch the FBQ button and watch the red LEDs on the 7-band graphic EQ pinpoint which frequencies to adjust for optimized sound, without the feedback.
Speaking of Optimized Output The PMP3000's POWER AMP switch toggles between three operating modes: MAIN, MON/MONO and BRIDGE (the power outputs of A and B on the back panel are added and provided at OUTPUT B). Dual mono mode allows you to use Output A for mono Mains and Output B for monitors. This clever functionality powers both your mains and monitors without the need for an additional power amp.
What's in the Box Behringer PMP3000 Powered Mixer, Power Cable, User's Manual

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5/22/2012

Mackie Thump TH-15A 2-Way Powered Loudspeaker (Single Speaker) Review

Mackie Thump TH-15A 2-Way Powered Loudspeaker (Single Speaker)
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These speakers are clean, clear powerful. Very tight and clean bass (no low end "mud". The speakers have a very useable eq section. They have low impedence in and outs that make joining two or more of these (or other active speakers) as easy as plugging in another low impedence mic cable and going to another speaker. This keeps the signal clean and you don't need to utilize additional outputs on your mixer.
The sound is great. I have owned a pair of Behringer (B212) active speakers and a JBL 15 inch speaker in a cabinet driven by a QSC amp for a few years and have generally been pleased with the sound but I was looking for more natural, punchier low end (and I hate lugging the very heavy QSC amp). These Mackie speakers have the sound I was looking for and are actually lighter than my smaller Behringer speakers. I am now useing the Behringers on stands with the Mackies on the floor (I leave the QSC and JBL cab home). It is a very big sound.
Note: After I bought one of these to try, I had trouble getting a second one. Everbody I contacted from Musicinsfriend, Sweetwater and Guitar Center, were all out out of stock and waiting for backorders. Don't be surprised if you hear this when buying these. They are currently a very in demand item. The price on these does not vary much and $350.00 is the going price across the board.


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Designed by the same team that produced the SRM450v2, the Mackie Thump TH-15A delivers 400-watts of chest-pounding power via Class-D Fast Recovery' amplification. Mackie Active electronics optimizes the system for amazing performance. And since it can be pole-mounted or used as a wedge, TH-15A represents the best value available for a complete stage solution.

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4/09/2012

TC-Helicon VoiceTone Synth Vocal Effects Processors Review

TC-Helicon VoiceTone Synth Vocal Effects Processors
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Great effects and easy to use. Plugging in my Microkorg and double vocoding my voice is a blast and sounds awesome. The VoiceTone Synth is deceptively deep as well. With far more profiles of sounds than you would first expect by the layout of the buttons. Highly recommend!

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VoiceTone Synth brings together a collection of exotic and current sonic mayhem including jagged HardTune effects, a MassiveBand Vocoder with voice-controlled synth and vocal distortion and megaphone effects. Now vocalists and anyone looking to add a modern edge to their live performances and studio productions can dial-in these effects instantly with the press of a footswitch.

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3/25/2012

Ovation GC057 Celebrity Super Shallow Bowl Acoustic-Electric (Ruby Red) Review

Ovation GC057 Celebrity Super Shallow Bowl Acoustic-Electric (Ruby Red)
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I went to guitar center and played several different guitars ranging in price from $250 to $5000 and the ovation gc 057 (being one of them) had a better feel and sound then several guitars ranging in price from $250 to $1000 so much so that I bought it on the spot. I highly recommend this guitar for anyone. It is a great guitar for a great price.

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Ovation GC057 Celebrity Super Shallow Bowl Acoustic-Electric (Ruby Red).

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2/22/2012

Mackie 1642-VLZ3 16-Ch. Compact Recording/SR Mixer Review

Mackie 1642-VLZ3 16-Ch. Compact Recording/SR Mixer
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I'm not a professional engineer but I have a passion for recording music. I've been recording demos for my own bands and friends' bands on a shoestring budget for over 15 years, on and off. I've been using the smaller Mackie VLZ Pro 1202 since about 2003 mainly for recording to and monitoring Cubase for PC but it has been useful for other applications as well. (It's a dinky but rugged little mixer that squeezes into a backpack, takes some knocking about and still sounds absolutely amazing.)
Lately however I have been doing more live recording, location recording and I am upgrading my home recording setup from spare bedroom to big serious garage conversion and really needed more channels. I needed a mixer that was going to sound really neutral and noise-free with at least 10 respectable mic pre-amps, aux outs for foldback, group channels for drum pre-mixes and 8 direct outputs for recording to my 8-buss Delta soundcard or my Alesis ADAT 8-track recorder (it may be obsolete but it's still brilliant) and which could take any source that I plugged into it. I did my homework (I always spend weeks reading reviews and product specs before I lay out this sort of cash on anything) and found that the 1642 VLZ3 fitted the bill perfectly. Mackie again. (And I managed to find a ex-display bargain!)
When it arrived a few weeks ago I didn't have time to read the manual before my first live location recording job came up. It was no trouble at all to use, very intuitive and I was able to provide foldback and playback to the musicians as well as using the direct outputs to record the 8 individual mic inputs to tape. One thing that I was impressed by was the red overload light on each strip that lets you know if you're driving things too hard. When that red light comes on you better not ignore it!
Again, it is very rugged and despite being heavy it is easy to carry - the light aluminium rim at the front of the desk is actually a hollow metal handle.
I could bang on and on about the sound quality. The low noise floor and the expansive headroom. I cannot fault this mixer at all. My old Mackie VLZ Pro has already lasted over 6 years (including some international flights, a festival, some gigs) and still sounds perfect. Now Mackie say that the VLZ3 series is a major improvement on the VLZ Pro series for all sorts of reasons. I can't recommend this highly enough. This is a serious professional quality mixer for a few hundred bucks. Obviously different people are going to have different criteria and different budgets when it comes to choosing mixers, but I suspect you'd have lay out a hell of a lot more money to get even a small improvement on this sort of quality. It's absolutely perfect for me anyway, I'm a happy bunny.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mackie 1642-VLZ3 16-Ch. Compact Recording/SR Mixer

New from the people who created the world?s best-selling compact mixer line, the Mackie 1642-VLZ3 Premium 16-Channel/4-Bus Compact Mixer with premium XDR2? mic preamps and a rich feature set. It?s ideal for live sound or project and recording studios.

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6/07/2011

Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer XO Analog Guitar Microsynth Review

Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer XO Analog Guitar Microsynth
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The Electro Harmonix MicroSynth is truly amazing! There are no words to describe how versatile and unique the effect pedal can be. I highly advise checking out the EHX website to watch/listen to the demos available. The only complaint I have is that there is no way to store presets.

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From the classic vintage sounds of the great early Moog synthesizerto custom creations, the Microsynth creates fat analog synth soundsheard on classic recordings by some of the finest musicians in theworld. Compact ten-slider layout lets the sonically adventurous guitaristdial in a virtually limitless array of analog synthesizer sounds:from percussive stabs to backwards-sounding bowed effects.

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