Configure DR PA w/ Peavey Impulse

jujubeadz

I'm having a problem figuring out what settings and freq I need for the Driverack PA. Here is what I have

Mackie 32 board
2 Peavey Impulse 1015 8ohm two-way
Peavey CS2000 Amp

All I have is the 2 impulse speakers no subs, running 1 speaker on side a of the amp and the other speaker in side b.

The driverack has 3 imputs High Med Low, if I'm only running 2 speakers, where do I plug in.

Also, I'm not sure on the custom settings, what to enter for the Peaveys, I've looked through the manuels with not much success.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Also, this is a small church setup with a full band and several singers, but the church is in a temp building until the main church is built.

Dra

Set up custom speakers and subs as \"none\" and custom amp.
You will use the Hi outputs. Be sure to go into the crossover after and raise the Hi-Pass (low limit) to 60hz or so. Be sure to set you gain structure and set the limiter, as you are underpowered for the speaker.

DRA

jujubeadz

What about all the other settings, or just leave them blank? I'm running the speakers full range. Also, I'm really lost on the gain and limiter settings.

I have no pink noise, besides the dbx, do you need pink noise for the gain setting or just a cd playing music?

Kyle Abel

Contact Peavey or DBX to see if they have PEQ and crossover specs for your speakers in the DriveRack. You can leave the delay off since you are only using these speakers. Leave the subharmonic synth off. Use the feedback surpressor as needed at the venue(s). Use the auto-eq as needed at the venue(s) - if you have an RTA mic. Leave the compressor off, but you will use the limiter per your gain structure.

Refer to the back of the manual on how to set your gain structure. There are also numerous posts on this forum and the former forum on techniques to do this. You will need a CD of pink noise, which you can download in the old forum (searh for Binks CD).

Hope this helps you get started!

Dra

Click on \"Former Forum\" above and search \"Binks\". The first post from Lee has a link. Go there and download the CD. Has pink noise, sweeps, tones, etc.

1- Set up your board, DRPA, and amps. (You don't connect speaker for this proccess)
2- Turn every thing on, but turn amp(s) all the way down.
3- Connect CD to a channel. Turn input gain all the way down. Set channel fader to -0- (unity). Pan to -C-. Set master (L/R) to -0-. If you have to assign channel to a group make sure that the group is also at -0-.
4- Play the Pnk Nz and turn up the input gain knob until the output meters are hitting -0-.
5- Raise the master faders until the meters show a clip state (hitting the red or igniting the clip light consistantly but not constant).
6- Raise the amp levels until they clip consistantly but not constant.
7- Go into the DRPA, limiter section. Select OverEasy & 4.
8- Raise the limiter threshhold until the amp stops clipping.
9- Turn off the limter. (amp will be clipping again)
10- Turn down the amp level until the amp stops clipping all together.
11- Turn limiter on. Your done.

Now what you have is an amp that won't clip except under the most extreme and improbable of situations and a limiter that won't limit (much)unless your into the red at the board's outputs.


DRA

Gadget

No one provides PEQ or Crossover points for speaker that are used passively, or in the fullrange mode. There is no need for them...If the speaker isn't ostensibly flat and the manufacturer admitted that by publishing a PEQ for the speakers no one would buy them. Truth is that many NEED some PEQ since a passive crossover isn't cost effective if it is elaborate enough to deal with the speakers characteristics, and when they are they can exhibit some other problems so it's often a tradeoff. Flattening the speaker using multiple PEQ's in an active matrix is a far better crossover, but is also more expensive and requires multiple amps.. again tradeoffs. Just thought I'd clarify that point.

Gadget

Kyle Abel

Gadget - great clarification. So the PEQ for a passive full-range system should be set via the Outdoor Auto-EQ process described in the former forum - adjusting the PEQ to counteract what the auto-eq does?

Dra

Gadget is correct, about passive crossovers and the need for PEQ. Most ratings are xx hz - xxxxx hz +/- 3 db, so you do have 3 peq's available to work on areas that you want to move closer to flat. You can also use them to add warmth, brightness, vocal pressence, punch, etc But always remember, FOR EVERY ACTION THERE IS AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION.


HEY GADGET!
From a theoretical flat state (0 db), how many additional db is required for feedback at a given frequency?

DRA

Gadget

Wow.. thats a very very deep subject...
First off lets examine Kyles question. Actually Kyle the higher the frequency the more you need to do the opposite of what the Auto EQ does because the reflected energy that arrives out of phase cancels that sound, BUT... the exact reciprocal isn't going to be right either... and this is where our ears come into play. Now someone a whole lot \"SMAART\"er than me Mikey Kovach (and I.. to a lesser degree) wrote the \"user submitted white paper\" that suggests that you only let the Auto EQ do the section from 170hz through 700 hz. this is because anything above 700 hz reflects around so much in a room that cancellations are not only inevitable but problematic and are the direct reason why the sound is so tinny in highly reflective rooms. The below 170 hz area is where standing waves and modes cause the Auto EQ to KILL the bass and thats why that portion sounds so anemic. Thats why the outdoor method or the new indoor method work so well as a \"reference\". It provides something for you to compare what the room is doing to the sound of the speakers... that is why a \"flat\" preset is so important. The RTA based Auto EQ takes nothing other than frequency dependent volume into consideration. The REAL way to do it is with FFT based systems that take not only frequency dependent energy into consideration but time and phase coherent info into the picture as well.

Now lets look at feedback, There is no magic number but I can tell you this, I have a system that typically runs in the 115-125 db range and I have idiot singers standing RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SPEAKERS, SCREAMING at the top of their lungs... and I NEVER! EVER! have feedback from this or any other part of my system. Its those frequencies that are boosted that cause these kind of problems. If your system is flat, and has no hot spots you will be able to get LOUD before any feedback will occur..
ANY bumps in the response will eventually feed... NO question about it, and ANY system will eventually feed if it's pushed, Even the best system starts to get non linear the louder it gets. The harder you push the system the less linear it will become. The better the speaker, like the Tom Danley speakers, stay flat farther into the volume spectrum but even thy will fall apart if you push them hard enough... you just won't be able to hear anything for a week or so at that volume...maybe ever...(chuckle) So to NOT answer your question (since there is no one answer) ANY peak in the system will GLARE at you as the volume increases... thats why we increase the volume in the FBX till the first freq latches... that IS the first peak you could look at if you had an XTRA PEQ ...or notch filter.. as in the 260 which again the 260 has more of.. and the DRPA has NONE of (Notch filters) Remember... the better the system is tuned the louder you can get before feedback.. this includes making 100% sure that ALL the drivers are moving in the same direction at the same time! (phase coherence)

Ok Dra, Kyle, Wolfie, Cory, Glennjammin......and all you contributors.. thanks, it's good to have you all around. It's obvious you have read and learned and it does my heart good to know that all my efforts haven't fallen on deaf ears. Keep up the good work!

Be well!

Gadget
Gary Perrett
Twilite Zone Productions