New auditorium, new setup.

ATCnGA

So, I have mixed sound at a portable church for a few years and we have just purchased a new auditorium.

The old setup we used a presonus studiolive 24.4.2 to the drpa2 to stereo setup using a pair of danley audio 12" full range speakers powered by an amp (can't remeber that particular amp brand and model) and two 18" JBL's powered by a borrowed amp (that we returned with thanks).

The new auditorium has a center cluster with three community ( I believe one or more of them were replaced with JBL's but I'm not exactly sure) 12" speakers run through one channel of a QSC 2450 and a community 2x15" run through a bridged QSC 2450. This cluster is flown in the center of a square room about 25 feet high.

We ran the center cluster with the presonus -> DRPA -> QSC -> community center cluster speakers. Sound was ok, but had some hot spots and the first couple rows were awful because they were literally in front of the center cluster.

I would like to consider a stereo setup using the danleys and one of the 18's to add some low end clarity and even out the sound throughout the room... ....Oh and bring back a stereo image for the audio.

I temporarily set it up running the danley's through a QSC (2 channel amp) and an 18" sub through our (can't remember the name) amp running from the DRPA (stereo with mono sub setup) & presonus. I set up two aux out's two run the center high's and another to run the center sub. It definitely sounds more pleasing throughout the room.

Is this the best way to set this up? I just fed little of the band and a good bit of vox and the pastor's channel through the center cluster aux's. Ideas? The board does have a mono out but I don't really know what to do with that. There is about a ten or fifteen foot front to back difference in placement. And the center cluster is flown while the danley's are on stands.

Dra

A stereo image from a center cluster is a no win situation. Only the very center-seated people can hear the left & right.
Will the Danley's cover the room alone? What is the sound quality comparison between the Danley's and the Community's?
You have stated that the Community's alone gives severe mis-coverage (especially in the front rows).
Can the Community's be accessed to re-aim? Are the Danley's flyable?
The 3 Community's combined on one half of the amp is a mistake. The center speaker should be on one channel and the left & right speakers should be on the other. This allows (if needed) the center to be turned up or down. This might fix your hot front rows. With equal power, the center speaker being closer to the audience, would be louder. Many times the center speaker is turned upside down so the horn can cover the front rows more easily and near center and the side speaker horns can cover the middle and far. If inverting the center speaker is not possible, then more down tilt on it may be helpful, along with tweaking the sides.

Which Danley's do you have?

Hope this helps.

DRA

ATCnGA

Dra, first, thanks for your response. The danleys definitely can cover the room alone, but I thought I could use the center cluster for the pastor and to rienforce vox's. The Community's sound a bit flat and are kinda boomy in the low mid range and then fall off again around 300 hz. The danleys definitely have more presence and brightness but may be a bit much for the room. The danleys are Sh-95's. The 18's offer the sweet deep tones with good clarity but can quickly overpower the room.

I would need to rent scaffolding to reach the center cluster, but I would rather someone bonded and insured do that because they hang over heads and I'd rather someone else on the hook for that.

One of the first things I did in the room was to assign the center speaker its own channel and run the other two in the center cluster to the other channel in the same amp. The sub in that cluster is facing the rear of house. Kinda goofy, but at least it's just the sub.

I'm not trying to get stereo from the center cluster just using that to keep the vocals on top of the band during worship. I think the stereo set up from the danleys is the (from an audio perspective) better way to go, but I have to convince pastor and church staff of this. I'm not too worried of that because there is an obvious audible difference.

My main question is this, if I go with the "dual" system set up, is the best way to run the center cluster through the two aux's? The mono output from the board, is that just the sum on the right and left channels?

Dra

If you intend that the Danley's will be the "main" system and the cluster to be "fills" or "turbo", if you will, then I would have the Danley's be on the left & right main outputs, and have the cluster on the mono output. Not sure of the Presonus routing, but the mono should be fed by the main. So the L&R must be up to get anything from the mono output.
Using the aux's could be problematic, unless they are post fader.
Are you using the DRPA for the mono (cluster), and the Danley's straight off the board?

DRA

ATCnGA

Precisely what I was thinking. The danleys would be the main system and the center cluster will fill in for certain sounds (mainly vocals and the pastor).

The aux's are post fader.

The DRPA is running the danleys and one of the 18" subs. And the center cluster were coming from the aux's post fader.

Again thx for your input.