Driverack PA+ info required

Mally

I am a freelance engineer and work on mainly on corporate events doing speech reinforcement for a few hundred up to 3,000 delegates depending on venue, and a mixture of bands for the evening functions. I have been looking at the Driverack PA+ to assist me in what can be a quite quick turn around from the day to the evening sessions. Can anybody help me with a few questions that I have ref the PA+.

Do the 6 x outputs from the rack all run in full range? I do frequently run a PA with multiple speaker positions on truss down the length of the room and would like to have control off all speakers from one unit rather than using aux sends with inline eq units to balance the room.. The question really is can I run all outputs at full range and use the PA+ to flatten the room in one go with pink noise for the speech element of my day?

Does any one have any experience with using the PA+ with NEXO speakers? I tend to use NEXO PS10, PS15 Full Range, PS15 Bass & NEXO Sub's and would love to get the best from them when they are used as Stacks. I really have to adjust the EQ on the 15's when doing speech to lose some of the low end to achieve a crisp sound then usually have 15 minutes to rebalance the room before the sound check is done for the band.

Unfortunately being a freelancer I do not get to choose the equipment that I use and would really enjoy a unit that could help when I am given less than adequate equipment to carry out a job. This for me would be a 'As a I have and can do box'. There are so many times I have arrived on site to find no EQ, Reverb, Delay etc supplied because they are on other gigs and will arrive when the other has finished. To have this as back up in the jeep could get me out of a lot of holes.

I currently use a Phonic PAA3 to help balance the room, but others in the room tend not to be impressed when I am playing pink noise loudly while taking readings around the room and am very often told to stop, and to do it off the cuff (corporate logic that all you have to do is plug in a mic and it works, easy, and not the actual nuts and bolts of it all).

Any advice and pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Dra

Do the 6 x outputs from the rack all run in full range? Yes they can. You just open up the filters (bandwidths).

I do frequently run a PA with multiple speaker positions on truss down the length of the room and would like to have control off all speakers from one unit rather than using aux sends with inline eq units to balance the room. Do you mean like delay fills? If yes, then the DRPA+ does not have enough delay. The 260 does.

The question really is can I run all outputs at full range and use the PA+ to flatten the room in one go with pink noise for the speech element of my day? I have not used a DRPA+, but Gadget says it works "better" than the other Driveracks, but should still be used with wisdom.

For band set-ups, do you leave the speakers in place and just add subs? If that is the case, you definately need a 260. Build a preset for each at set up. One for speech and one for entertainment, then select the one you need. Generally takes 5 seconds or so for the change to take place.

Did that help any?

DRA

Dennis

It definitely sounds like you need a DR 260 to accomplish what you need to do. I have one that I use for the exact same purpose. It still does not cure your pink noise problem. When possible, I will go to the sound company that is supplying the gear on a quiet day and take some readings of the "system du jour" out in the parking lot. It will give me a clean starting point and it won't take long to dial it in at the venue. Since you can save your settings, it won't be long before you have all of your regular systems and venues set as programs in the 260 and you will be able to just plug and play.

Dennis

Mally

Thanks for the reply.

I would run the truss speakers on independant delay lines so no need to worry about that factor.

The subs would be in place from the word go, I would for the sake of argument run them independantly from an aux for the speach element however, I only tend to bring them in slightly for VT playback to fill out the sound. Once we move on to the entertainment they would then be run from the crossover, and the room rebalanced.

Gadget

By "re-balance" do you mean Re-EQ? because you cannot EQ a room...you can only eq the system with respect to the room. The DR260 would, as the guys have said here.. really be the one for your application. You would have delay and 4 Peq's per output and can reconfigure the ins and outs any way you want. AND you can control it via a GUI, and working from that tiny screen is tough at times.

The Peq's make it easy to make broad stroke eq changes during performance or spoken word that can really enhance the sound, or tame a spurious room mode or ring, and using the GUI you can read the RTA in real time and watch the changes affect as you are making them.

The 260 also sounds better.

The one thing I can say is that the PA+ (if you simply MUST Auto eq) ,even on medium precision, takes only a few seconds,( like less than 10) and sounds better than before the Auto eq sequence "no matter where you put the mic" (within reason)

Thats my take.
Gadget