I have a four piece bluegrass band, we all plug in and all sing. I was wondering if it would be possible to use two of the single bass systems for my entire band plugging instruments into one and vocals into the other. remote control would be asigned to just two people clearly, but other than that, can you see any obvious problems?
Yes, you can use just two systems. I also think you should try three to see what the difference is.
Each Cylindrical Radiator™ speaker has four inputs: two primary (mic and line, with volume and tone at the remote) and two auxiliary (line in only, trim at the speaker, master volume for all four channels only at the remote).
For the two speaker setup, and assuming that some of your are men (vocals in the bass/baritone range) you should start with two single-bass packages (see website for details). Use a small inexpensive (<$100) mixer. Plug the four vocal mics [assuming you are using one mic per singer) into the mixer. Pan 1 & 2 full left and connect left output to the left Cylindrical Radiator [tm) speaker channel 3 or 4 input, pan mics 3 & 4 full right and plug into channel 3 or 4 of the other Bose speaker. Plug instruments directly into channels 1 & 2 of the Bose speaker, as they accept instrument pickup outputs direct [very high impedance inputs).
I’m curious to know if our four-piece country band could use one system for vocals only, while keeping our current stage amps. We don’t play loud, but hearing the vocals is always the biggest gripe. Could we put one PAS in the middle of the stage, at the back, and get a satisfactory vocal sound. We would need to submix into the two channels as you already described, but would that give us enough sound out front, while allowing us to hear ourselves well?
Thanks,
Tom Taegel
Country Fever Band
If you do what you propose you will hear the vocals better and so will the audience.
However, there are a number of important benefits that you will not get and I’d like to see if I can get you thinking about at least at two-piece, and better a three-piece system. I’m not trying to talk you up to more gear: I’m trying to give you advice that will make you really happy as players and will delight your audiences in a way that will be very noticeable. I want you to buy what’s right, whether that’s less or more equipment than what you initially thought.
If you keep your amps (I assume you mean guitar and bass amps) these instruments will continue to be heard inconsistently on stage and in the audience. For example, guitar amps are incredibly directional so those that are directly on axis hear a mix that’s inappropriately dominated by harsh guitar or worse, and those that are off axis only get a dull version of the tone so carefully crafted by the guitarist. With our system, you use a POD or a small tube amp or a preamp to get your tone, then put that signal into the Clyindrical Radiator™ loudspeaker. If you do, then 100% of the people (musicians and audiences) will get your tone.
Second, if you get the vocals into at least two Cylindrical Radiator™ loudspeakers, you will hear an amazing improvement in vocal clarity. The reason, which we published in our research, is because of a well-known property of our hearing system that says that sources arriving from different directions are MUCH more understandable than sources mixed together and coming from a single direction (think about how hard it is to understand anything on a conference call if more than one person talks – yet around a dinner table it’s not only possible, we do it all the time.)
So, instead of thinking about mixing vocals, think about UNMIXING. Think about how your band arrays across the stage, and then imagine that you are a string quartet, but playing amplified country music. The absolute best sound will come if, just like the string quartet, each player has their own amplifier and their sound comes from a different direction. Think about really playing like an acoustic-instrument ensemble. How do they do such complex music? Because they can hear themselves and each other. Completely. Always. And NO ONE TOUCHES THEIR INSTRUMENT WHILE THEY PLAY. Good heavens, can you imagine? That’s because when they control the sound of their instruments, they can play with great beauty and detail. So can you.
Write back if you have more questions, or if you want to talk in more detail about how to kit out your band. Also, if you live near a Guitar Center store, they can help you to with this new approach. Upload a photo of the band or sketch and scan a stage plot, and we’ll help you even more.
Thanks for the reply, Ken. What you say makes a lot of sense, and if money were no object…
It really does get down to cost at some point. There are a lot of guys that believe what they have is ‘good enough’, and just don’t want to spend the money. It would be ideal if every band member would buy one PAS. I live in North Florida, so I’ll have to go to Orlando, or wherever The Syndicators are playing, unless the BOSE store in St. Augustine has them.
Hey Tom. Our new system is not in the Bose Factory stores at the present time. Guitar Center or online here at Bose are the ways to purchase.
I know it feels like a lot of money. For myself, when add up the cost of conventional technology (backline amps, monitors, mixers, cables, amps, speakers, etc….) and compare it to the Personalized Amplification System™ family of products the price is virtually equivalent. But the real kicker is – what’s the price of not playing to my fullest potential? When I add up all the time I’ve spent practicing to be really proficient on my instrument to have it thrown way because I couldn’t hear myself or the audience couldn’t hear me (the cold hard truth is that I never know how I sounded) – it’s not that much money.
I know, it’s easy for me to say - I work for the company. Well, I actually used to work in another division of the company. I was involved in early testing because I had a large band and a lot of playing experience. After just two live gigs with the system, I knew I had to be more involved with this project. I quit my job and begged to be a part of this team. That’s how profound of an experience I had. There are no words to describe the satisfaction I get from being able to hear myself, my band mates, and have the knowledge that what I hear on stage is what the audience is hearing. We have never played better. By the way, when my band first tried the system, we still used our backline amps, and just put horns and vocals through the new approach. It was exactly like Ken described. When we gave in and did it the way Ken said to – Oh my god! The band members looked at each other across the stage – AT LAST we could hear each other. Amazing.
There is a 90 day no-risk trial through www.bose.com. Buy them, go play some gigs, see what I’m so excited about. If you don’t have the same kind of experience; we’ll take them back – no risk; just reward.
Hey Tom, where in N. Florida do you live? My band What The…? (one of the bands Bose selected to demonstrate the Personalized Amplification System) is based in Atlanta but we may be playing a gig down in your area soon. In fact, if you have suggestions for a venue local to you that might be suitable, we’d even call them and try to work it into our schedule.
What The…?
http://www.what-the.com