PA2 with QSC KW181 & KLA12- recommended amp settings

funkafize

Hi everyone, first time poster and user of driveracks.

Just installed a PA2 into a system for it's tuning and protection/limiting features. Really happy with unit so far.

This is from memory as the system was installed very quickly interstate, but;
During the early stages of the wizard, it recommended I set the QSC KW181 amp attenuators @ 22% and the KLA12's @ 19%.
I'm just wondering is that where I should set and leave the powered speakers amps for proper gain structure as figured by dbx? Or is that just where the PA2 wanted them for that stage (think it was RTA rooming), of the wizard, and should I re check and set my gain structure at the end of the wizard process?

System is:

Mackie onyx 1640 stereo out
into dbx 1231 (venue insisted on user accessible graphic as musos mix themselves from stage)
into PA2 as stereo system
into 2x QSC KW181 subs (per side)
and 2x QSC KLA12 tops (per side)

Stage and system are in the corner of an L shaped room, but rotated to fire down the longer length of room. So it's not the perfect equilateral triangle.

Cheers for your input

Dra

Set the speakers (amps) where recommended by the PA2. If they (speakers) limit before the PA2 or the mixer hits into the red, turn them down to force more input. If they are quiet at idle, good. If they are way loud with no limiting, good. If both, great.

DRA

funkafize

Thanks for the reply DRA.

I seem to be getting the later description of both quiet at idle and achieving "way loud" without hitting amp limiters. Which is what I was aiming for haha! I'll investigate a bit further on next visit to said interstate venue. What had me questioning the setup/settings was when I originally did gain structure on the system pre PA2 install (3 weeks before release date in oz), my amps were at 12 o'clock, not 9 for tops and 10 for subs.

Dra

The main thing to remember is that the position of the amp gain has nothing to do with reaching max output. It only has to do with how much input it takes to get there. So whether at 9 or 12, the speaker can go into limit, but at 12 the speaker may limit with mixer at -20db. At 9, maybe +10db.
The difference in the 9/10 settings and the 12/12 settings simply means you prefer a little heavy low end. "1 hour" is likely not a big difference in output.

Curious.... what is the relative gain difference in the x-over section between tops and subs?


DRA

funkafize

Again thanks for the reply DRA.

Yes amp dials- one of the first things i clarify with venues/customers/musicians who have access to my gear. They are NOT "volume knobs" they are attenuators that tell the amp what to expect as the strongest input it will see, and then reach maximum output.

What had me wondering was previously when the mackie onyx 1640 clipped at +28, only then would i begin to see limiting on the QSC's with their attenuators at 12 o'clock. Now with no other change to the system apart from the addition of the PA2, I'm being told to set attenuators "harder" at 9ish. So am I right to think that I'm having to attenuate more as the PA2 is sending a hotter signal to the QSC boxes? Something to do with the A/D and D/A in the PA2 perhaps?

Either way system sounds good. I just like to have a full understanding of whats going on and the reasons why. But I do need to revisit the install to tune/adjust more. The PA2 is doing very little of it's capability at the moment.

Not 100% on what the crossover gain are at (system interstate). I think from memory after selecting the models in the wizard, the PA2 is sending full range to both tops and subs and letting the boxes do their own thing as far as crossover.

Dra

Since you don't have access, it makes it hard to suggest much.

The wizards have always been suspect in the Driverack series. Who did the configs? How did they do them? Theoretical or actual testing? Math or real world analysis? An engineer or an intern?