Hi, I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to all this pro audio stuff so bear with me.
I'm looking at buying a used PA system off of craigslist. It's a yorkville m810 powered mixer + 2 yorkville E10 elite speakers + tripod stands. I can get it hopefully for 800$ but he's asking 900$... which is a pretty good deal considering it's around 2000$ new. I'd be using it for my 5 piece band (2 guitars/vocals, bass, keys/vocals, drums) for rehearsals (in my basement: 30'x13') and small gigs. We aren't too quiet or too loud.
My questions are:
- Will the m810 be powerful enough for the E10 speaker's and monitors (which i'll have to get later)?
- Will the system be powerful enough to keep up with my acoustic drums (which are pretty loud)?
- Is the equipment good quality?
- What are your experiences with this equipment if you have ever used it?
- Would you recommend getting it for my 5 piece band?
here are a couple links to the equipment's info :
Yorkville
Yorkville
Thanks in advance!
I'm looking at buying a used PA system off of craigslist. It's a yorkville m810 powered mixer + 2 yorkville E10 elite speakers + tripod stands. I can get it hopefully for 800$ but he's asking 900$... which is a pretty good deal considering it's around 2000$ new. I'd be using it for my 5 piece band (2 guitars/vocals, bass, keys/vocals, drums) for rehearsals (in my basement: 30'x13') and small gigs. We aren't too quiet or too loud.
My questions are:
- Will the m810 be powerful enough for the E10 speaker's and monitors (which i'll have to get later)?
- Will the system be powerful enough to keep up with my acoustic drums (which are pretty loud)?
- Is the equipment good quality?
- What are your experiences with this equipment if you have ever used it?
- Would you recommend getting it for my 5 piece band?
here are a couple links to the equipment's info :
Yorkville
Yorkville
Thanks in advance!
This system would be sufficient to carry vocals only, the speakers won't produce any bass worth talking about and you only have enough amp power there to get the vocals up over the drums and instrument amps. The mixer doesn't have enough inputs to mic up a whole band anyway, and while you could power mains and monitors with it there are only 2 amp channels so you couldn't have separate monitor mixes. Yorkville does make good solid equipment however.
I have a "small" system I use to support live bands on occasions consisting of a pair of powered mains and subs and 2 powered monitors all rated at 1000 watts each, a 16 channel mixer in a console with compressors and 31band EQs, and a box full of microphones, DIs, stands, and cables for a grand total of about $5000 in gear. Sounds like a lot but this system is still only sufficient for smaller indoor venues and relatively tame bands.. there is no way it would be enough for a proper heavy rock band. Just to put your potential purchase in perspective.
Everyone's obsessed with more and more power these days 😀
But as mentioned, 10 inch speakers aren't going to have much bass, it would be mainly a vocal PA, and you could stick guitars through it as well if you're struggling for a guitar amp.
10 channels should be fine for a small band, basically drums are purely acoustic, and guitar, bass, and keyboards should have their own combos - so mainly just vocals through the PA.
But you list three vocals?, that leaves you 7 channels to 'play with' elsewhere.
I use a similar sort of spec. Behringer, but use 15 inch speakers - 8 ohm, so only get 200W per channel. It's perfectly fine for small gigs (it's louder than acoustic drums), and we often DI bass and guitar though it as well (so no other amps), any spare channels we chuck mikes round the drums (when we have drums), just to give a little boost.
Perhaps I'm getting too old - but do you really need to make the audiences ears bleed?.
But as mentioned, 10 inch speakers aren't going to have much bass, it would be mainly a vocal PA, and you could stick guitars through it as well if you're struggling for a guitar amp.
10 channels should be fine for a small band, basically drums are purely acoustic, and guitar, bass, and keyboards should have their own combos - so mainly just vocals through the PA.
But you list three vocals?, that leaves you 7 channels to 'play with' elsewhere.
I use a similar sort of spec. Behringer, but use 15 inch speakers - 8 ohm, so only get 200W per channel. It's perfectly fine for small gigs (it's louder than acoustic drums), and we often DI bass and guitar though it as well (so no other amps), any spare channels we chuck mikes round the drums (when we have drums), just to give a little boost.
Perhaps I'm getting too old - but do you really need to make the audiences ears bleed?.
conanski + Nigel,
my band is not going to be playing any huge gigs anytime soon. So there are plenty of inputs to mic my band. My bass player does have his own 400 watt amp (Peavey TKO115 Tour series). So if he used that would that take care of the bass problem? Is it powerful enough to play guitars through it?
Conanski, you said "there are only 2 amp channels so you couldn't have separate monitor mixes"
Why do i need separate monitor mixes? (I'm new with this sorta stuff)
Thanks
my band is not going to be playing any huge gigs anytime soon. So there are plenty of inputs to mic my band. My bass player does have his own 400 watt amp (Peavey TKO115 Tour series). So if he used that would that take care of the bass problem? Is it powerful enough to play guitars through it?
Conanski, you said "there are only 2 amp channels so you couldn't have separate monitor mixes"
Why do i need separate monitor mixes? (I'm new with this sorta stuff)
Thanks
even as a practice PA in your jam space the M801 can easily be gotten to clip levels on vocals alone.
heed conanski's recommendation as to what a "basic system" should consist of.(i'd even go a little bigger in terms of F.O.H.)
if the importance of separate monitor mixes is unclear to you it leaves no doubt of your "newbie" status as "pa guy" for the band.(for me 4 mixes or a separate monitor console is a must because it goes a long way to resolving all the volume wars that arise from a shared mix)
and do tell just what sort of tunes are you playing(style/genre)?
does your drummer have a typical 5 piece kit + cymbals and is he an aggressive player?
and are the guys in the group opening their wallets or is this all on you?
heed conanski's recommendation as to what a "basic system" should consist of.(i'd even go a little bigger in terms of F.O.H.)
if the importance of separate monitor mixes is unclear to you it leaves no doubt of your "newbie" status as "pa guy" for the band.(for me 4 mixes or a separate monitor console is a must because it goes a long way to resolving all the volume wars that arise from a shared mix)
and do tell just what sort of tunes are you playing(style/genre)?
does your drummer have a typical 5 piece kit + cymbals and is he an aggressive player?
and are the guys in the group opening their wallets or is this all on you?
turk 182,
"even as a practice PA in your jam space the M801 can easily be gotten to clip levels on vocals alone." - Is that true? If so, why would they even make it if it can't even handle vocals?
Conanski's recommendation of a "basic system" is outside my budget. We are a band aged 13-17 with only two of us working part-time (myself and my brother who would help with buying the pa system). And it wasn't the importance of separate monitor mixes that was unclear to me, it was the reason why we need 2 or more separate mixes. I'm as newbie as it gets when it comes to this sorta stuff.
Our bands genre is not yet totally discovered as we have only just started writing originals. But we have covered songs such as: golden hour (sam roberts band), use somebody (kings of leon), you're too cool (the zola's), my body (young the giant), waiting on the world to change (john mayer), there are tiny beasts in the ground (we are the city).
I (the drummer) play a 5 piece set with an extra snare (so basically a 6 piece). I use two crashes, a splash, and a ride.. and hi hats (obviously). And no i'm not an aggressive player. I hit harder than a jazz player but lighter than a hard rock/metal player.
Also, if I found that the non-seperate monitor mix was an issue, i could always down the road get mic splitter's and di boxes and run the mic's and instruments to the m810 and separate monitor mixer with capabilities of running separate monitor mixes...right?
P.S - Our band would be using this mainly for practice and the occasional small gig where a pa isn't provided.
"even as a practice PA in your jam space the M801 can easily be gotten to clip levels on vocals alone." - Is that true? If so, why would they even make it if it can't even handle vocals?
Conanski's recommendation of a "basic system" is outside my budget. We are a band aged 13-17 with only two of us working part-time (myself and my brother who would help with buying the pa system). And it wasn't the importance of separate monitor mixes that was unclear to me, it was the reason why we need 2 or more separate mixes. I'm as newbie as it gets when it comes to this sorta stuff.
Our bands genre is not yet totally discovered as we have only just started writing originals. But we have covered songs such as: golden hour (sam roberts band), use somebody (kings of leon), you're too cool (the zola's), my body (young the giant), waiting on the world to change (john mayer), there are tiny beasts in the ground (we are the city).
I (the drummer) play a 5 piece set with an extra snare (so basically a 6 piece). I use two crashes, a splash, and a ride.. and hi hats (obviously). And no i'm not an aggressive player. I hit harder than a jazz player but lighter than a hard rock/metal player.
Also, if I found that the non-seperate monitor mix was an issue, i could always down the road get mic splitter's and di boxes and run the mic's and instruments to the m810 and separate monitor mixer with capabilities of running separate monitor mixes...right?
P.S - Our band would be using this mainly for practice and the occasional small gig where a pa isn't provided.
Do your guitar players(besides the bassist) have their own amplifiers on stage? It doesn't take much power to make really loud noises with an electric lead/rhythm guitar so if your guys have their own amps I suggest you leave them out of the PA, if they don't and just use a DI then of course they will need to be in the PA mix. Again for perspective a 50w guitar amp can go louder than a 200w PA speaker.
Monitor mixes are usually customized for the performer the monitor is pointed at, usually he/she will want to hear their instrument and vocal and maybe one of the rhythm players to help stay in sync. Microphone response dictates the best location for a monitor speaker is directly behind the mic pointed up the barrel of the mic at the performers face, so unless performers share mics or stand closely together it's common for each one to get a separate monitor and individual customized mixes.
Small powered mixers like this are built for small solo or duo acts, it makes for a tidy little system that will cover a pub gig or street busking where big SPL or wide coverage isn't required. In your case if you were to get this system I'd suggest you set it up as monitors for the two main vocalists and get used to practicing with it in that config, if you play out anywhere you are going to be behind the PA because that is the only way to get any volume out of it without feedback, and in that position you can't really hear what is coming out of the PA so there is no point practicing while trying to listen to a PA. Once you get your own gear and see for yourself just how hard it is to get any volume out of a system with a bunch of live mics and instruments making a pile of racket you will understand what everybody is saying.
Monitor mixes are usually customized for the performer the monitor is pointed at, usually he/she will want to hear their instrument and vocal and maybe one of the rhythm players to help stay in sync. Microphone response dictates the best location for a monitor speaker is directly behind the mic pointed up the barrel of the mic at the performers face, so unless performers share mics or stand closely together it's common for each one to get a separate monitor and individual customized mixes.
Small powered mixers like this are built for small solo or duo acts, it makes for a tidy little system that will cover a pub gig or street busking where big SPL or wide coverage isn't required. In your case if you were to get this system I'd suggest you set it up as monitors for the two main vocalists and get used to practicing with it in that config, if you play out anywhere you are going to be behind the PA because that is the only way to get any volume out of it without feedback, and in that position you can't really hear what is coming out of the PA so there is no point practicing while trying to listen to a PA. Once you get your own gear and see for yourself just how hard it is to get any volume out of a system with a bunch of live mics and instruments making a pile of racket you will understand what everybody is saying.
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conanski,
they do have their own amps (something like 50w and 75w). I was just hoping we could use the PA for them so it would be easy to adjust everyone's levels. But now i'm starting to understand just how much power we would actually need. I guess we could just use it for vocals but it seems unnecessary to have 8 mic inputs when we only have 3 singers.
What do you suggest I do? Get it just for vocals? Or look into getting something with a lot more power so we can use it for other instruments?
they do have their own amps (something like 50w and 75w). I was just hoping we could use the PA for them so it would be easy to adjust everyone's levels. But now i'm starting to understand just how much power we would actually need. I guess we could just use it for vocals but it seems unnecessary to have 8 mic inputs when we only have 3 singers.
What do you suggest I do? Get it just for vocals? Or look into getting something with a lot more power so we can use it for other instruments?
Just a thought, whatever it cost new is irrelevant, what matters is what they sell for used in general. Have you seen similar rigs being sold?
Have you explored available used gear at local music stores? Some PA companies will sell off un needed gear at times, got any of those? Point being, see if you can give yourself some more choices.
I kinda think a pair of 400 watt amps in the mixer ought to drive a couple speakers reasonably well, but I;d be looking for a pair of 15" rather than the 10" ones.
Have you considered renting a small system for a night or a weekend to try and see how it works out? Instead of purchasing with no experience, a test drive would help you get a handle on it.
The M810 does have a separate monitor mix already. What was mentioned earlier was you could not have separate monitor mixes, meaning more than one monitor mix. You get one monitor mix here. You have two power amps in the M810, you can use one each for left and right main speakers, or one for mains together, and the other for monitors.
A pile of mic splitters wouldn;t be my way to get a separate monitor mix going. I think you are way short of needing a slew of monitor mixes at this point in your career. If you find yourself needing that in the future, then I think it would be time to sell the M810 and gut a mixer with multiple monitor sends already on it.
Have you explored available used gear at local music stores? Some PA companies will sell off un needed gear at times, got any of those? Point being, see if you can give yourself some more choices.
I kinda think a pair of 400 watt amps in the mixer ought to drive a couple speakers reasonably well, but I;d be looking for a pair of 15" rather than the 10" ones.
Have you considered renting a small system for a night or a weekend to try and see how it works out? Instead of purchasing with no experience, a test drive would help you get a handle on it.
The M810 does have a separate monitor mix already. What was mentioned earlier was you could not have separate monitor mixes, meaning more than one monitor mix. You get one monitor mix here. You have two power amps in the M810, you can use one each for left and right main speakers, or one for mains together, and the other for monitors.
A pile of mic splitters wouldn;t be my way to get a separate monitor mix going. I think you are way short of needing a slew of monitor mixes at this point in your career. If you find yourself needing that in the future, then I think it would be time to sell the M810 and gut a mixer with multiple monitor sends already on it.
How about this? There are 2 Peavey Impulse 1012's for sale (used) for 450$. Someone else is also selling a Peavey Powered Amp XR 696F (1200w.. 2x600w) for 300$. The 1012's are 1000w. Would this be powerful enough for vocals plus 2guitars and keys? Bass running separately like I said before through his own amp.
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