SETTING UP YOUR PA SYSTEM - TOP TIPS Physical Setup... All speakers should be balanced and steady whether on tripods, poles, beer crates or each other. If stacked up, strap them together to improve stability Don’t overextend poles/tripods ; ensure at least 4 x the pole diameter is still inside the outer pole Make sure the legs have a good splay on tripods, and do not obstruct doorways Ensure the top cab is smaller/lighter than bottom if using pole Keep lights away from speakers ; heat can cause fires / speaker damage Keep smoke/fog machines away from speakers ; the fog fluid gets into the cone and ruins mid and top, plus weakens the cone Keep smoke/fog machines away from fan cooled equipment ; the fog fluid reacts with materials in the electronics and again causes damage, and makes any repair more difficult and expensive Keep glitter cannons away from electronics also. The small, metallised particles get into circuitry (especially mixer sliders) and cause shorts, in the case of sliders forcing them to be replaced. Don’t stand drinks or other fluids anywhere near electronics. Spilled drinks cause serious and potentially dangerous damage to electronic equipment. Don’t run cables across doorways ; if you have to, run them above the door. Wiring your system... Don’t run all amplifiers / equipment off multi blocks. Be aware of total power drain (all electronics must state power consumption). A 230V, 13A wall socket provides around 3000W. This is enough for around 1500W of amplifiers. If more power is needed, use different mains circuits or ideally a higher current supply (many venues have 32A supplies, but these require special connectors also). Overloading a mains socket is potentially dangerous, and likely to cause a power out during use. Ensure all connections are the correct kind of cable Ensure all connections are between correct points (sources to mixer inputs, mixer line outs to amp inputs, amp outputs to speakers. Keep lighting cables away from ALL sound including mains, use separate circuit if possible. Run all cables neatly, use cable ties to tidy excess cable length. Tie up excess cables in figure ‘8’ shapes, not circles to avoid induction loops and noise pickup. Equipment Settings... Start with EQ settings flat and gains low Use input gain to set the maximum signal level without distortion (use VU meters, bar graphs or peak lights if fitted, use your ears if not) Use the minimum cut or boost in EQ. Use it as a subtle fine tuning effect, not to define the whole sound. If all EQ controls are boosted or cut, flatten EQ, re-adjust gain and start again. Set up mic levels first, and adjust other equipment to match Avoid very high onstage levels from backline With mixers, use the gain to maximum clean signal, then use the channel faders to balance all sources in soundcheck. Use just the master faders to control overall level during the gig ; avoid ‘riding the faders’ as much as possible. If possible position mics/instruments in the correct left to right position as on stage using the PAN controls Amps should have peak or clip lights illuminating only on signal peaks, not all the time. Sound Checking... Soundcheck is a very valuable way of making sure you sound good for the punters Check all mics and instruments individually, but avoid excessive EQ or time spent ; with all controls fault it should be very close to the original sound Check the whole band through a song to balance levels Find out where mics feedback most ; mark these positions with tape and avoid them. Position main vocal mics where feedback is least. If you need further information on this topic or are looking for personalised information and quotes on PA systems, click here to contact the professor