Suggested L1 Set-up

Portable PA
1

I play in a duo playing & leading worship music. Numbers can vary from 20 to 200 in halls with plenty of echo. We sometimes play outside for some gigs/services.

We want to down-size our current equipment (heavy, bulky and we’re not getting any younger) without losing quality of sound and the Bose L1 system has been suggested to us. The question is, what setup do we need for our requirements?

We have a

  • Roland G70 keyboard that we also use as a MIDI file player for stereo backing tracks.
  • 2 Shure SM58 mics for vocals
  • up to 3 additional mics for speech
  • all the above going through a Phonic Powerpod 1860II and 2x Wharfedale EVP X15 speaker cabs.
  • Fender Jazz bass guitar through an Ashdown EVOII 300 bass amp.
  • 2x Wharfedale powered monitors from the Powerpod (with individual setups).


We don’t want to lose the stereo capability for the keyboard. We also need a range of effects for the vocal mics.

We are self-funding so we have a limited budget.

What would you suggest as a suitable setup for us?

Also, is it possible to DI from the LI to run to a house system if necessary?

Thanks.

Martin

2

Hi Martin,

Thank you for joining the Forum.

This is great information.

Edit: I did this for you. Do you have a couple of minutes to show us your stage layout now? Please see The Sketcher - our online tool for doing stage layouts. Please see next post.

I’ll watch for your Sketch and I’ll show you how you could set up your stage with the L1® System.

Thank you.

3

Hi Martin,

I did a quick Sketch for you. Does this look about right?



– click image to make changes to the live version –


If you would like to move things around, please click the Sketch below, drag things to the correct position, and then click the button near the bottom right of the screen



I’ll watch for you reply (confirming that it looks about right or that you have made changes) and then I’ll suggest some possible layouts for you.



Quoting Gouge47 from The Sketcher

quote:
I play in a duo playing & leading worship music. Numbers can vary from 20 to 200 in halls with plenty of echo. We sometimes play outside for some gigs/services.

We want to down-size our current equipment (heavy, bulky and we’re not getting any younger) without losing quality of sound and the Bose L1 system has been suggested to us. The question is, what setup do we need for our requirements?

We have a
  • Roland G70 keyboard that we also use as a MIDI file player for stereo backing tracks.
  • 2 Shure SM58 mics for vocals
  • up to 3 additional mics for speech
  • all the above going through a Phonic Powerpod 1860II and 2x Wharfedale EVP X15 speaker cabs.
  • Fender Jazz bass guitar through an Ashdown EVOII 300 bass amp.
  • 2x Wharfedale powered monitors from the Powerpod (with individual setups).


We don’t want to lose the stereo capability for the keyboard. We also need a range of effects for the vocal mics.

We are self-funding so we have a limited budget.

What would you suggest as a suitable setup for us?

Also, is it possible to DI from the LI to run to a house system if necessary?

Thanks.

Martin



quote:
Originally posted by Martin:
Also, is it possible to DI from the LI to run to a house system if necessary?


Depending on which L1® System you use - yes. If you are using the T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine then this is simple to do. More about that later.

4

Hi,

Yes the suggested layout is spot on. The 3 extra mics at the front don’t have to go through any processor - they are optional for others to use for speech during a service.

Cheers

Martin

5

Hi Martin,

I’ve been away from the keyboard most of the day - back now. I’ll have some ideas for you soon.

ST

6

Hi again Martin,

Keyboard in stereo:

Look for the purple lines at the left side of the Sketch below.


– click image to make changes to the live version –

Each Model II has an analog input on the Power Stand. You could connect the left and right outputs from the keyboard to the Model IIs and have absolutely gorgeous stereo with quite likely the widest stereo sweep spot you have ever heard,

Okay - that was a fair bit of information. How does that look to you?

7

That looks good so far.

Would a stand-alone mixer make things easier?

Martin

8

Hi Martin,

quote:
Originally posted by Gouge47:
That looks good so far.

Would a stand-alone mixer make things easier?

Martin


I think am certain it would be easier with two T1®. The principle is that each performer (excluding talkers) is responsible for his/her own sound.

Having done things with a single conventional mixer for decades and now using T1®s in exactly this way for my duo gigss (and guest performers instead of talkers), I find using multiple T1®s like this much simpler. Why? Because the person at the controls is controlling his/her own sound and that person can do it based on what s/he hears.

Once you get the hang of this - you can pretty much do away with sound checks (which are usually conversations that include
“How does it sound?”
“I need more __________”
“How does it sound now?”
.
.
.
.
Running a T1® becomes as natural as adjusting volume, tone on an Electric Bass.

9

Yes, that makes sense.

If I interpret the sketch correctly, you are showing 2x bass modules on the bass side and none on the other. Is that correct? Also, the LH keyboard channel should go through the bass side. It will be on the LH side of the setup.

What do you think?

10

Er, sorry I forgot to mention that we also need an ability to link in a stereo CD player. We play CD’s before and after a service. We might also downsize the Roland G70 to a much lighter stereo keyboard sometime in the future and play backing tracks as WAV files from CD/MP3 rather than MIDI files through the G70. I hope that this doesn’t complicate things too much!!! Confused

11

Hi Martin,

quote:
Originally posted by Gouge47:
Yes, that makes sense.

If I interpret the sketch correctly, you are showing 2x bass modules on the bass side and none on the other. Is that correct?

There is a B1 Bass Module on the keyboard side. Model II’s come with one B1. We added a second one for the Bassist.
quote:


Also, the LH keyboard channel should go through the bass side. It will be on the LH side of the setup.

What do you think?


Sure. I’ll just cheat in the left and right part for now.

12

Hi Martin,

I’m not familiar with your keyboard. Is there an auxiliary input through which you could run the CD player. If so, that’s probably the easiest thing to do.

If not, would you consider running the CDs mono? You have channel 4/5 open on the T1® on System and that would also be really easy to manage.

If you really want stereo for the CDs then you could run

the Left side to System T1® Channel 4.

and

the Right side to System T1® Channel 4. It just means running cables across the stage.

13

Thanks for pulling this together and the clarification.

Regarding the CD, yes the Roland G70 does have a stereo phono input and aux volume control. I hadn’t though of that option.

I guess our next step is to go to our nearest Bose stockist (not too far away) to look at the system and try it out. Then comes the painful bit of pricing it up!!

Thanks again for your prompt responses.

Martin

14

Hi Martin,

Glad to help.

That’s handy that your Roland G70 has a stereo phono input and aux volume control. That should make things simple.

Suggestion: Please print that Sketch and take it with you when you go shopping.


Please let us know how that goes.

15

Yes, everything is clear now, so I know what to ask for.

Is it essential that the LH system has 2 bass modules? (Thinking of cost now.) We don’t use a gut-wrenching bass - it rattles the false teeth of the older congregation! We keep the volumes fairly low - enough for them to hear the music and our vocals, but also so that they can hear themselves singing. Not like a live stage performance.

Cheers

Martin

16

Hi Martin,

You don’t have to get two B1s for the Bass Guitarist’s system. You can get one now and add another later if you feel like you need it. They are sold separately.

For crowds of 200 I thnk you may like to have two B1s for that System . But it’s not essential.

17

OK, well we bit the bullet and bought the set-up of 2x L1 Model 2 systems!! Wink

Because of supply problems, we had to wait for the ToneMatch units so we borrowed a Yamaha mixer to feed straight to the analogue inputs.

We had our first gig on Sunday and, wow, did it sound great. The setup was simple and many of our regulars came to comment on the fantastic sound that we produced!! We only went for one bass module per system and we found them adequate.

Once packed away, the units were so light that a group of girls offered to carry the out to our cars for us. Unpaid roadies - yes!!

Anyway, the ToneMatch units arrived today and, once we’d read through the setup info, we managed to get a good sound out the system. We need to get more experienced into how to set the various functions to get the best out of the setup. (Any advice would be appreciated. We have no experience of compressors/gates etc. and EQ was just turning Hi, Med, Lo knobs !! Confused )

Although we found presets to suit our equipment, the sound had far too much bass on the keyboard and not enough on the bass guitar. We finally put the keyboard through the stereo inputs (4/5) of the ToneMatch to get a better balance.

Saying that we are over the moon about the system and anxious to fine-tune the sound before we go out gigging this weekend.

Thanks for all your advice that gave us the confidence to buy the L1.

18

Well, we’ve built up quite a bit of experience now with the LI & Tonematch. We’ve created identical scene set-ups on the two Tonematches so that we can use either or both, depending on the venue.

For small venues we just use one LI Model II Tonematch and we still only have the master volume set half way. The only downside is that we’ve used all of the inputs so none left for additional mics, but we rarely use them at small gigs.

We put the Tonematch unit on the keyboard where it is easy for us both to reach and there’s no chance of it falling off. It looks neat and easy to tidy the cables.

For larger venues we use two LI Model II’s and both Tonematches. I bought the microphone clamp for my Tonematch and it is a sturdy as a rock!! Easy to mute the effects when making announcements. I have to be careful though as vibrations get picked up by my SM58. We have 3 spare inputs for additional mics - great!!

We have fine-tuned the set-ups and recorded them on a simple Excel spreadsheet (I didn’t find the example provided on this forum until later!!)

I’m still experimenting with compressors/gates/limiters - never had these luxuries before. Can you point me to any good advice on settings for various instruments, please?

The Bose LI system is the best investment we have made!! Cool

19

Hi Gouge47,

Thank you for writing to tell us how you are doing.

quote:
Originally posted by Gouge47:
Well, we’ve built up quite a bit of experience now with the LI & Tonematch. We’ve created identical scene set-ups on the two Tonematches so that we can use either or both, depending on the venue.

Great idea. Have you backed up your Scenes to a computer (yet)?
quote:

For small venues we just use one LI Model II Tonematch and we still only have the master volume set half way. The only downside is that we’ve used all of the inputs so none left for additional mics, but we rarely use them at small gigs.

You can run two T1®s from a single Model II Power Stand. You will need to get another T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine power supply but other than that, it is a very easy way to have all the inputs you have when you run with both L1®s.

Notes: Connect two T1®s to a Model II

–== click the picture for details ==–

quote:

We put the Tonematch unit on the keyboard where it is easy for us both to reach and there’s no chance of it falling off. It looks neat and easy to tidy the cables.

For larger venues we use two LI Model II’s and both Tonematches. I bought the microphone clamp for my Tonematch and it is a sturdy as a rock!!

If you are not already doing it - use the velcro strap on the ToneMatch® cable to secure it (the cable) to your microphone stand. Then the ToneMatch® cable can act as a safety tether for the T1®.
quote:


Easy to mute the effects when making announcements. I have to be careful though as vibrations get picked up by my SM58.

Are you getting a lot of vibration? Are you using the ToneMatch® Preset for the SM58 microphone?
quote:


We have 3 spare inputs for additional mics - great!!

We have fine-tuned the set-ups and recorded them on a simple Excel spreadsheet (I didn’t find the example provided on this forum until later!!)


For others interested in this see Scenes Housekeeping
quote:


I’m still experimenting with compressors/gates/limiters - never had these luxuries before. Can you point me to any good advice on settings for various instruments, please?

Here are some notes: T1® Compressor
quote:

The Bose LI system is the best investment we have made!! Cool


Me too.

20

I established the settings for each scene on one T1. When we were happy with them, I used the L1 updater software (downloaded from www.bose.com/musicians) and backed up the user settings on my pc. It was dead easy - just connected a USB cable to the T1, fired up the L1 Updater software and clicked the “backup” button.

I then powered down the T1, connected the 2nd T1, fired up the L1 Updater software and clicked the “Update” button against the User Settings and selected the saved file. The 2nd T1 then had all of the saved settings loaded - i.e two T1’s with identical settings and with the settings backed up on my pc.

The mic vibrations are not a problem. If I hit the mute button too hard, there’s a slight thump transmitted through the mic stand, that’s all. I’ve used the SM58 preset.

I use the velcro strap as suggested (saw your recommendation on another forum. I also use additional velcro straps to tidy up the cables and secure them to the mic stand and the keyboard stand.

So far, using one Tonematch for small gigs is not a problem. If it becomes an issue, then we’ll just take both L1 systems - not worth the extra expense of the T1 power supply. We’re now broke!! Frown

Thanks for the link for T1 Compressor. I’ll check it out.

Thanks ST

Martin