Road Tests

We first saw the Peavey Versarray system almost two years ago, and have been trying to work out a road test ever since. As we have done with larger pieces of gear (including other line arrays) in the past, instead of having Peavey send out a rig for us to use on a gig, we went to a gig that had the system already on it and worked the show. In this case, that meant hooking up with Dave Albro, who is doing FOH and associated duties for the VIP events surrounding the current Tim McGraw tour.  Most of the stops on the tour feature “side” events including local and regional acts, plus a VIP-only acoustic show by McGraw prior to the actual arena show, which is a Clair deal.

Whether you are mixing in a club, at a house of worship or almost any venue for that matter — what is the age-old problem? The stage is too loud, right? You tell the drummer to play softer and he complains. You tell the bass player to turn down and he says he can’t feel it anymore. You tell the guitar player to turn down and he says that now he doesn’t have good tone. Being a guitar player turned sound guy, I can’t say that I disagree with him. If you can’t turn the amp up, it’s hard to make it sound the way you want to. But as an engineer, especially in a house of worship, I want to kick the speakers out of the amp and throw it away. 

Just when you think the pro-audio microphone market is well in hand by the big brands in the industry, up springs a viable contender with a lot going for it. Not only does Bob Heil’s Heil Sound enterprise offer some great professional microphones, but Bob does it with equal parts flair and engineering expertise. While the big brands have world-class product design facilities and worldwide manufacturing, Heil Sound does the same with a small staff located in the St. Louis metro area.

If you need a brute of an amplifier for subwoofer duty, but you are limited on funds, consider the Crown XLS 5000 your salvation. Yeah, your salvation comes in three rack spaces and 62 pounds, but wimpy was not specified.

The Crown XLS amplifiers are bare basics, made-in-China power amplifiers, but good old Elkhart, Ind. engineering is what makes this series worth a look. The front panel is simple with two detented level controls with clip/signal/fault LED indicators for amplifier operational status. Then there is the pushbutton power on/off switch. And with three rack spaces, plenty of cooling air inlets are available.

When I think about the Square One Splitter from Klark Teknik, it reminds of the comedians that parody the kitchen utensil gadgets advertised on TV. “It slices, it dices, it…” is pretty much the same with this splitter, as its engineers were given some liberty to add features beyond a mic-level XLR active splitter.

Sometimes a piece of gear comes along that looks kind of cool, but you look at the modest price and think “What’s the catch?” Most of the time there are several catches. Not this time…

Sometimes it is hard to figure out how to write about a company even when they make a really good product.

KSC Industries has been around for a long time, but chances are that while you have used their stuff, you have never heard of them. That’s because they are an OEM company. They make stuff that other companies put their names on and sell as their own. In fact, we are using stock photos here because I had to take care not to shoot someone else’s box while working with this new system. Again, OEM companies are very discrete about who their customers are or they don’t last long, and KSC has been around for 37 years.

On first impressions, the APB DynaSonics mixing console cosmetics appear 1960’s retro with the tan paint job. However, you have to be blind to not notice the colorful control surface features upon that tan surface. I was able to acquire the APB DynaSonics ProRack-House compact mixing console for this road test review. It boasts a remarkable density of features stuck in a 10-rack space form factor.

Aphex HeadPod, TC-Helicon VoiceTone Correct and Radial JDX

I have always thought of gear as falling into one of three basic classes. First is the big stuff that soundcos get judged on (i.e., stacks, racks and consoles). Next comes the less pricey, smaller stuff that goes a long way in defining a soundco’s “flavor.” This is stuff like processors, EQ, comps and mic selection. Finally, there are the small “secret weapons” that can sometimes save a gig and fit in your briefcase. Here are three such armaments.

When I first heard that QSC was going to offer a “low cost” audio power amplifier, my first instinct was how much lower from the RMX models could they go? Then they mentioned that they will adopt the new PLX2 cosmetics and limit the recommended load impedance to 4-ohms and up, and a “great idea” light bulb lit up in my head. And when QSC management said the amplifier would suit MI users and “oldsters” like me, I knew something good was afoot.

As the use of personal monitoring systems has become more common, we have watched the price of earpieces come down substantially. You can get universal-fit models that rival the sound quality of customs that once cost more than a grand and can even find some custom fits for about ¼ of what was once the “standard” cost. While that has been happening with the earpiece side, the wireless transmitter/receiver part of the equation has remained pretty resistant to price reductions. Yeah, there have been some downmarket models introduced, but even those are fairly pricey and the “rider-able” ones remain in the “more than a grand per” category.

Community Loudspeakers is an under-sung hero of the live sound world compared to other brands. Even though Community’s Bruce Howze and staff have lent many innovative features to install and portable speakers, too, many people forget about the advances they have brought us over the years. It’s nice to root for an industry “underdog” when they bring forth a new series of speakers.