playing along with PA speakers

bulletproof_funk · **Posted:** Wed, Aug 21, 2013 9:04am

Does anyone play their amps along side a PA speaker/amp with backing tracks? I'm thinking about getting a reasonably affordable one to connect my iPhone or computer to it for drum beats, songs to play to, etc. I'm looking at the Alto TS112W with Bluetooth for $400. Anyone use this before or Alto's other PA speakers? Would a 12" woofer doing drums and bass keep up with a 2x12 and a 100W head with the MV around 10-11 o'clock?

bulletproof_funk · **Posted:** Fri, Aug 23, 2013 7:41pm

Friday evening bump!

PA speaker suggestions, anyone? Anyone?

petejt · **Posted:** Tue, Sep 03, 2013 12:04am

bulletproof_funk wrote:

Does anyone play their amps along side a PA speaker/amp with backing tracks? I'm thinking about getting a reasonably affordable one to connect my iPhone or computer to it for drum beats, songs to play to, etc. I'm looking at the Alto TS112W with Bluetooth for $400. Anyone use this before or Alto's other PA speakers? Would a 12" woofer doing drums and bass keep up with a 2x12 and a 100W head with the MV around 10-11 o'clock?

I do, and honestly it's been shitting me off!

I'll work on my guitar sound and it will sound great on its own (both from the cabs, and mic'ed up and through the mixing desk & out of the PA speakers- and yes plenty of midrange.

Then if I play along to some backing tracks or just off the music player through the PA speakers, my tone will be either flat and dull in comparison, or boxy depending on the guitar tones in the song. It's really frustrating me.....

bulletproof_funk · **Posted:** Tue, Sep 03, 2013 10:17am

How loud are you playing? Also what size is the PA speaker driver, 12"? Is it powered or do you run a separate power amp? Maybe it's a projection thing where you might have to reorient your PA speaker.

rockinchippy · **Joined:** Thu, Jan 05, 2012 8:34pm **Posts:** 994

bulletproof_funk wrote:

Does anyone play their amps along side a PA speaker/amp with backing tracks? I'm thinking about getting a reasonably affordable one to connect my iPhone or computer to it for drum beats, songs to play to, etc. I'm looking at the Alto TS112W with Bluetooth for $400. Anyone use this before or Alto's other PA speakers? Would a 12" woofer doing drums and bass keep up with a 2x12 and a 100W head with the MV around 10-11 o'clock?

I want to do this too! Curious to hear recommendations.

dirtyfunkg · **Posted:** Tue, Sep 03, 2013 12:05pm

I have been practicing for a Faith No More cover band and ran into the problems you mention, Pete. And I found solutions. Depending on what music you're playing to, the guitar generally sits in the mix at a certain point. Use the graphic EQ for your PA and notch those frequencies out. Depending on the frequencies in question, you may lose a little bit of vocal or bass and certain drum sounds may be a little diminished, but your guitar will sit in there a lot more clearly.

Remember that a polished mix is supposed to have a good amount of balance on all frequencies, so each instrument has it's own bands or set of bands. It comes to diagnosing which frequencies to cut out. It's a very noticable difference when you cut the right frequencies. Then set up your amp to sit in that band and, voila, you sound like you're a proper part of the mix.

BYTOR · **Joined:** Tue, Dec 28, 2010 3:12pm **Posts:** 888

Basically just like on most recordings if you isolate the guitar tones they don't sound that great. If they did then the song with guitar in the mix would sound like shit. Just like many local bands without a good soundman sound like shit live if they allow the guitarist to "dial his amp the way he wants."

You have to dial your guitar tone to have way less bottom end & top end than you would like if you want to sound good with the backing track/band

Tons of amps are sold because dudes love that bitching tone they get while jerking off to the sound of their amp/cab by itself.

moltisanti · **Posted:** Tue, Sep 03, 2013 1:33pm

Alex i think your torpedo live and selection of amps should mean you find something that will work with PA speakers, i used to use the Axe FX like this and often i found that my standard patches weren't the ones that worked well with backing tracks, i would try every cab IR in the torpedo, even weird shit that you think would never sound good and see what sticks

bulletproof_funk · **Posted:** Tue, Sep 03, 2013 3:21pm

So what speaker sizes are you guys using in your PAs? I just want to know if they're keeping up volume wise with a moderately loud tube amp.

petejt · **Posted:** Tue, Nov 26, 2013 11:33am

bulletproof_funk wrote:

How loud are you playing? Also what size is the PA speaker driver, 12"? Is it powered or do you run a separate power amp? Maybe it's a projection thing where you might have to reorient your PA speaker.

I try to match the volumes. Yeah the PA speakers are 12", same as the speaker cabs. They are powered speakers.

I guess it could be a projection thing- the room I play in has stone walls and sharp corners- pretty bad acoustics actually! I try to buffer it with mattresses and egg crate foam, but need to work on that.

Shark Diver · **Posted:** Tue, Nov 26, 2013 12:10pm

I always run a full PA with backing tracks to ultimately set my guitar tone. Pretty much what BYTOR said. What sounds good to me isolated is not the best tone for a band mix.

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playing along with PA speakers

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