FOH options for small festival

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DJStevieRay

DJStevieRay

I Like Pizza
Mar 2, 2015
203
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Lehighton, PA
www.stevierayentertainment.com
Hello old friends, I came seeking advice (or opinions), First of all, it's good to be back.

Now to ask for some advice. I was asked to provide a sound system for a local music festival in October. It will be outdoors. And the stage (20ft wide by 20 ft deep) is a band shell (1/4 dome 26 ft wide and high by 13 ft deep). The festival area is about the size of a football field, and is a steady uphill grade. Seating for maybe 150 with grass seating behind. There will be 8 local rock/cover bands over 2 days and 16 hours. I was asked to provide FOH, monitors, mics, mixer, and connections. The bands want to show up and be plug and play. Already asked, no special equipment requested by riders.

The park is 275ft long by 135 ft wide and surrounded by homes, so I have to watch the volume. Sound quality and proper coverage is my first priority over pure SPL.

My initial thought was too rent a very good but dated EAW system (4 KF650s, over 4 KF600 subs) from a local dealer, but my local dealer gave me great pricing on the following packages to purchase. Which would you choose and why?

Package 1: 4 RCF HD-12A's with 4 RCF 708AS MKII subs, as well as 2 more HD12As to be used as stage monitors.

Package 2: 2 FBT Mitus 114A's with 2 FBT Q118SA subs, along with 2 Yamaha DBR10's for use as monitors

Other options included 4 QSC KLA's over 4 KW181s, also a system with 4 Peaveys RBN's for FOH

I'm leaning towards the Italian made stuff personal preference. I like the modularity of the RCF setup, but the FBT system is just pure power which I can add to for more coverage down the road. Another plus for the RCF is it matches my Evox systems, so I can use the subs to supplement my Evox's on medium sized events.

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For rock bands, midrange punch and low end in the 60-80Hz region are key.

Based on the layout, I would actually shoot for JBL VRX (2 per side tilted upward) over double 18s. The QSC KLA can also be used, but I find the throw on the JBL better. We've used them in smaller conference spaces and they work very good.

As for standard tops, distance would appear to be a bigger factor, so for live sound, I would probably go to either EV ETX or JBL STX/SRX for powered, though I think the VRX will cover the area better.

Don't forget the FoH stuff .. probably a 24 channel mixer, stage boxes/snakes, compressors, reverb, etc.

If passive is a possibility, we've done events like these with JBL SRX 725 over 728 stacks ... awesome for rock.
 
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Steve thanks. I am kind of between the two systems listed. One they expect about 300 people there at any given time based on last years numbers. The first requirement was they want great sound quality, second requirement was to not piss off all the people in the houses 100 ft from the stage. The RCF's sound great and I was planning on a pair on the stage, and then a pair right where the grassy area starts on delays. But I know the FBT system can cover that entire area with just 2 tops and 1 sub at 140db but it is not as modular for future use. This is why I'm torn.
 
A pair of F1 812s and F1 Subs. The adjustable articulated array of the F1-812 redirects the sound in exactly the configuration of the stage and seating area. At 132db spl, it will deliver to the power needs without sacrificing sound quality.

Two F1-812, two F1 Subs, and four F1 travel bags is currently on sale. $4,548.00 delivered (no sales tax, free ground shipping)
 
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No sir. I would put 1 F1 set separated 20" (if mono) of 12' (if stereo), using the system's mounting brackets. Then I would push in the top part of the F1-812 array in the reverse "J" or hook position.

The F1 system is rated at 1,000+ head count so power is the least of concerns. The man demanded clear, concise, crisp audio. 10-04! It's got it.
F1-812DispersionPatterns-01.jpg
 
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I'd love to provide that demo for you however you're 4 hours out from me. Word is there'll be a Bose booth at the DJ Expo in August, but we all know how hard it is to discern any audio products in that chaotic environment.
 
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Not sure what's available in your area, Rick, that would impact such low prices. My big annual audio only event is providing sound and audio feeds for TV for a Holiday parade, one city block grandstand area, with 4,000 or more people. last year it was almost double because the weather was balmy. I use the double L1 and double F1 systems, wirelessly strategically placed for max coverage. The fees are 10x what you mentioned but they (the customer) demands perfection.
 
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Cap Capello said:
Not sure what's available in your area, Rick, that would impact such low prices. My big annual audio only event is providing sound and audio feeds for TV for a Holiday parade, one city block grandstand area, with 4,000 or more people. last year it was almost double because the weather was balmy. I use the double L1 and double F1 systems, wirelessly strategically placed for max coverage. The fees are 10x what you mentioned but they (the customer) demands perfection.
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Back when I was working with the Opry artists, these kinds of festivals were our mainstay gigs. It was always hit or miss on what quality of sound we'd have. One day, we'd have concert-grade sound companies and the next it would be some yocal that had bought himself "a real nice P.A." $2,000 is what I'd see as reasonable. I guess around here there are just so many starving, music wannabes that it's just near impossible to actually fetch that. You typically have to go north of Nashville to start getting paid reasonably.
 
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Outdoor coverage is different than indoor coverage .. no offense to Cap, but you'd need several F1 subs per side to be heard. Tops are less of an issue as I've seen a pair of JBL SRX712s (12" 2-way and driven hard) cover an area this large with no issue. Subs don't carry and that will affect performance of the drums and bass (low keys as well) and are usually the limiting factor outside.

Most standard powered tops (the RCF and FBT included) have too wide of a horizontal dispersion and drop off too quickly to provide even coverage out to the back .. that's fine for DJing a wedding, since you really want to cover the closer dance floor, but not so good for those in the back seats at a concert. Not that they won't work, you'll just get too much in the front and too little in the back.

As I said, if renting, I'd go with the smaller line array units. If buying, I might opt for a pair of higher performing 12" tops (maybe 4 splayed) and a really good sub set (or just rent those).
 
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Steve the FBT's have a 75 degree or 50 degree angle depending which way you turn the horn and go to 135.5db. They are FBT's Touring line. The subs as mentioned are 140db too. Are you saying to purchase tops that are even higher performing than that? I have to keep the db's below 100 outside the park are too.
 
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DJStevieRay said:
Steve the FBT's have a 75 degree or 50 degree angle depending which way you turn the horn and go to 135.5db. They are FBT's Touring line. The subs as mentioned are 140db too. Are you saying to purchase tops that are even higher performing than that? I have to keep the db's below 100 outside the park are too.
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At 70x50, the Mitus are fine (I thought they were 90 deg horns) and are a damn good speaker (though a bit pricey for the intended use). The FBT subs, IMO, are still shy for outdoor use (indoors they are among the best). I would still consider renting the subs (unless you plan to do these often).

If the bands were jazz or acoustic, the FBT setup would be great (I'd also suggest the Yorkville Unity tops). For rock, I think the EV and JBL speakers handle the needed ranges a bit better, but that's subjective.
 
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Another thing to think of .. If you plan on doing this kind of work more often, you may need to consider rider needs. Most small bands don't have them, but some C listers do and you may not find FBT or RCF on them. Enough to sway a decision .. depends on what you plan on doing.
 
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DJStevieRay said:
Right now I am focussing mores on corporate events, and maybe some more small concerts like this as I get my feet wet on live sound events.
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If they are indoors, then I would focus on getting the equipment that works best there and limp along in the outdoor stuff. As I said, maybe buying a good set of tops and some floor monitors and renting a pair of double 18s might be a good compromise.
 
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