I play in an acoustic trio with two female vocalists (Beta 58a’s), each of whom plays an acoustic guitar (Taylor with expression and Collings with K&K trinity pickups). I play mostly mandolin (K&K western mini) with occasional electric guitar (I can use an external footswitch to select between the two, thus requiring only one channel). We sometimes gig with a drummer and bass player (amped separately). Each of us performs solo on occasion with vocal and guitar, and the two singers also perform as a duo without me. We typically play fairly small indoor venues with fewer than 200 people.
We have heard others perform with L1 systems, but haven’t actually used one ourselves. Would we be best off with an L1M2T1 (or L1M1T1) system or 3 L1 compacts? The latter may be less desirable sonically, but has the added advantages of distributed ownership and ease for solo gigs. I’m very interested in hearing what those who have actually used these systems think would work best.
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for joining the Forum.
For context: I have Compacts, Classic/Model I, and Model II. I use a T1® most of the time with whichever L1® I take. I play solo, in duos and trios and other formats as well.
Most of the time I perform with other L1® owners who all perform solo or in other groups when not playing with me. It is terrific that everyone owns his/her own gear.
If you had said, "We typically play fairly small indoor venues with fewer than 200 100 people."
100 people - and if you had said that you were playing in a concert setting I would have been quick to say - get three Compacts. So far, despite the advantages of distributed ownership, it looks to me like you might be better served with a Model II (or two).
Can you say more about the places where you play, what people are doing while you play, and how often you are doing that for audiences over 100 people.
Thanks for your quick reply ST.
We usually play in fairly quiet listening environments or coffee houses. The latter can be somewhat loud, but they’re not as bad as bars. We do occasional outdoor gigs in fairly small spaces. The larger places we play usually have their own house systems.
Oh…we currently use a Peavey escort for the smaller venues and a system with two Mackie 350s for the larger ones.
Hi Andrew,
If most of your gigs are for audiences up to 100, and if you can use a house system for larger places, then I think you would be fine with three Compacts. Use the Compacts as you would without a house system and run a line out from each one to the house. The Compacts then function as your monitors, and you have your same setup and familiar stage mix.
For the kind of group you have described, I think you would be pleasantly satisfied if not surprised at how well the Compacts perform outdoors.
Hi again Andrew,
Just saw your post about the Escort and the SRM350s.
If these do okay for your audiences now, I think you will be fine with the Compacts and you are going to really enjoy the extemely wide sound dispersion of the Compacts.
Thanks ST. My wife (one of the vocalists) just reminded me that the most important aspect of our sound is the blending of the two vocals and that she’s not going on stage without reverb.
What are you using for reverb when you use the Mackies?
I use a Mackie 1402 board with a Lexicon MX200.
Hi Andrew,
You can continue to use the board and effects unit, but once you hear the sound of the voices blending in the air without them, I doubt you will feel the need to keep them in your rig. The Compacts excite the natural reverb in a way that more conventional loudspeakers cannot.