Aloha,
Am I able to have 4 microphones, three acoustic guitars and 1 electric Bass plugged-in to 1-Bose L1 model S B2 Bass, T8S tone match mixer, and S1 Pro for an outdoor venue?
please advise
DonFia
Hello themisterfia,
Your question: "Am I able to have 4 microphones, three acoustic guitars and 1 electric Bass plugged-in to 1-Bose L1 model S B2 Bass, T8S tone match mixer, and S1 Pro for an outdoor venue?"
The best answer is "it depends". How big a crowd are you trying to reach, where will the Bose units be placed relative to the musicians, how loud do you need to be to cover the area, and how experienced are you with the system?
"Able"? Yes, you can physically connect everything, no problem there. The biggest challenge you will face is running loud enough without experiencing feedback from having so many microphones. Are all the vocalists singing simultaneously? Are they using high-quality cardioid, super-cardioid, or hyper-cardioid mics? Are they used to singing with close-up technique (lips touching the mic's windscreen)? There are so many variables that affect the outcome.
Also, the "throw" characteristics of the L1 Model 1S are much different than that of the S1 Pro. Do you have access to the system for practice? That will give you a chance to tweak settings and the placement of the system and musicians.
In summary, yes, you'll be "able". I think there are too many unknowns to make a definite statement whether your coverage will be adequate, with the sound quality you want to present.
Thank you for the quick response! really appreciate it... Here's some answers to your questions:
How big a crowd are you trying to reach, where will the Bose units be placed relative to the musicians, how loud do you need to be to cover the area, and how experienced are you with the system? Are all the vocalists singing simultaneously? Are they using high-quality cardioid, super-cardioid, or hyper-cardioid mics? Are they used to singing with close-up technique (lips touching the mic's windscreen)? There are so many variables that affect the outcome. Do you have access to the system for practice?
roof top setting with about 100 or so people no more than 50 feet away from speakers. The system and microphones (SM58 Beta) I own but I have never used all 8 inputs of the T8S before and will be doing sound with this set up. I'm still learning all of the capabilities of this Bose setup but can make it sound really good for soloist/duos but never 4-piece acoustic bands. Singers will do lead and harmonies but not all singing simultaneously the entire time.
Another concern I have is the bass and if it will over power the system and make the sound output weak for the microphones and instruments. Should I run the Bass off it's own amp? What kind of settings can I tweak to help with this?
~Am I over my head???~
Hello again themisterfia,
Thanks for the information. Sounds like you've been elected "the sound guy" for the performance.
You should do well with the Beta 58 mics (I own four myself.) Make sure to instruct the singers to use the mics close to their mouths, their lips brushing the windscreen. With some singers, that's natural, with others it's hard to get them used to it! (Just tell them to never point the mic directly at the tower!)
The bass guitar shouldn't be a problem, since you have a B2. As a bassist in a past life 😄 I know that they are always worried about wanting to lay down a solid foundation. The B2 will carry most of the low end and some of the lower registers of the acoustic guitars. The L1 Model 1S has a dedicated 250W amplifier for the bass module, and the crossover point is at 200Hz. If you are running the T8s, you will be in control. I would probably place the bassist as close to the B2 as possible.
I neglected to ask about the mix of instrumentalists and singers. Are the guitarists also the singers, instrumentalists only with separate singers, or a mix of both? Will the mic's be on stands, or handheld, or a mix? Do the acoustic guitars all have pickups and will be plugged directly into the T8s, or are any of them going to be mic'd? Have any of the performers ever used an L1 system before?
As far as placement and usage, I would probably try placing the L1 Model 1S front and center, with two singers on either side. This should help reduce feedback problems, since the Beta 58's have good side rejection. I would mute any vocalists who are not actively singing to reduce the number of open mics. (If additional feedback elimination techniques are needed, you may need to set a "noise gate" -- page 23 in the T8s manual -- we'll only cross that bridge if needed.) You should experiment moving the singers slightly forward or back from the tower to gauge feedback susceptibility.
The 1S should carry your crowd size fine, without the S1 Pro, but you probably needn't worry about knocking guests off the roof. The S1 Pro could be used in a couple of ways, as reinforcement if you have a corner or obstruction to go around, or as a monitor if the musicians/singers can't quite hear the whole mix from just the 1S. You could connect the 1S to the right main out and the S1 Pro to the left main out, but you may have problems balancing the sound, as the throw of each system is quite different.
I'd probably feed the 1S from the right main out, pan all the channels right, and then run the S1 Pro from Aux 1 as a monitor. That way, you get a consistent main sound from the 1S, and send a second custom mix the S1 Pro to target needs for the performers. To get a separate mix from the main, set the tap point for each channel's Aux 1 send to either "Dry" (no effects or reverb) or "Pre" (with EQ and FX). I tend to use Dry more often, as too many effects tend to "muddy" the sound, but your performers will tell which they prefer.
These are just some ideas for you to get started. Every situation is different, and what I've suggested may not work at all for yours. You didn't say how much time you'll get to sound check, or hopefully practice your configuration before the performance date. Make a plan and some alternatives, have fun and don't be afraid to experiment!
If any other forum members have ideas for the OP, please join in!