Nick, give us a recording with your playing included, if I could offer any input after that, I would be honoured to offer my 2 cents. 
PA for backing tracks
- Thread starter NickC
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I think you’re right about the vibraphone. That was a track from Band in a Box. I would prefer if it wasn’t as busy. I might edit it down or take it out altogether. Here is a quick demo of the tune with the melody:
both sound good, excellent playing. I’m actually working on a very similar waltz right now. The vibes do add something and with the accordion they are buried enough in the mix they aren’t as distracting as before. I think the percussion sound (woodblock?) works well and fits the song but could possibly be distracting if too many songs on the set use the same.
I am in agreement that both sound good, and I lean towards the track with the vibes as setup on the second last posting, adds an interesting extra touch of flavour to the background. I would also like the accordion 2-3 DB louder. On the ending the trailing off is distracting, having it end with your accordion as the last sound we hear makes you the "star of the show", not the effects.
Lots of good stuff there!!
Lots of good stuff there!!
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Thanks for commenting. All good ideas. I have 4 tracks that are in this same stage. They are pretty quick to arrange in Band in a Box, but the style sets are pretty limited for this genre. I am trying to get creative to make them sound different. Things like the vibes give them some individual character. I’m working on a string track for one. I have a drum machine that I will probably have to pull out, or maybe BIAB has more styles that can be purchased. I am enjoying the process.
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Valski
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I own a nice little PA system and it has most of the attributes that I wanted. It's a Lucas Nano 300 by Hughes and Kettner of Germany. The total weight is 10kg or 22lbs and is designed to be very portable. The subwoofer puts out 160 watts and each of the satellite speakers puts out 35 watts so it's quite loud. The speakers can be mounted on seperate microphone stands and this gives good stereo separation. I also looked at various Bose speakers but didn't want to invest in two of them due to the added weight and expense as well as Bose's reluctance to publish specific data regarding performance.
My Lucas Nano also has a basic 4 port mixer which works fine for me when I plug in my FR8X and BK7M and a Shure microphone. When I want to get fancy I bring my 8 port Mackie mixer with effects. The main downfall of this little unit is that my version has only the basic mixer although other models have the better capability I decided to get this one because there was no sense repurchasing something that I already owned.
I haven't seen these for sale in the USA but know that they are widely distributed in Europe and are also sold in Canada. My setup cost me a little less than half of the price of a Bose L1 compact and to me it's more versatile. When used in a room for 120 guests it seems to put out enough sound to carry and because that's the upper limit of the groups that I play for it does its job nicely without the loss of stereo separation. This is why I can definitely recommend this setup for someone with a digital accordion.
My Lucas Nano also has a basic 4 port mixer which works fine for me when I plug in my FR8X and BK7M and a Shure microphone. When I want to get fancy I bring my 8 port Mackie mixer with effects. The main downfall of this little unit is that my version has only the basic mixer although other models have the better capability I decided to get this one because there was no sense repurchasing something that I already owned.
I haven't seen these for sale in the USA but know that they are widely distributed in Europe and are also sold in Canada. My setup cost me a little less than half of the price of a Bose L1 compact and to me it's more versatile. When used in a room for 120 guests it seems to put out enough sound to carry and because that's the upper limit of the groups that I play for it does its job nicely without the loss of stereo separation. This is why I can definitely recommend this setup for someone with a digital accordion.
Very impressive Nick, you're on the right track. Imho too, the percussion seems too loud relative to the rest of the mix.
Sounds good Nick and very well played. I'm with Tom on this and think the percussion becomes a tad intrusive after a while.
Methinks I may have to pirate this for my own (at home) use!!
Methinks I may have to pirate this for my own (at home) use!!
Thanks Valski. I’ve heard of the brand from their bass guitar line. I will research them.
Tom and Pipemajor, you are 100% correct about the drums. I found a better beat and lowered it.
I also cut out the sustaining chords at the end.
Tom and Pipemajor, you are 100% correct about the drums. I found a better beat and lowered it.
I also cut out the sustaining chords at the end.
It's funny, I open a file solely to adjust the drum levels and 2 hours later I'm editing a new guitar part and recording live bass. It's fun, though I wonder how long it will take me to get 12-15 tracks.
Valski
Well-known member
I was only reporting on what I had ended up with. My decision to purchase this PA came after much trial and error and I feel that my system is exactly correct for me. Based on your original posting, it seems to me that you might benefit from this. Unlike others on this forum, I don't have an unlimited budget to purchase gear that will end up in a dusty corner. I have seen performances with the Bose L1 compact and think that it's great however at $1200 Canadian, two of them would cost $2400 which is beyond my means. I also really want stereo separation so that would be the only way to achieve that with the Bose. I ended up paying about $600 for my equipment and also have enough power andhas great fidelity for the rooms that I play.
Multi track recording is great fun but it can definitely be a bit of a time vacuum. I have taken commissions in the past for people to use my studio and it always ended up with the budgeted hours being exhausted prior to completing what they wanted (though I told them their recording schedule was really optimistic). I stopped taking the commissions because I got tired of being stuck with the decision to either give away my free time to finish their project unpaid or have dissatisfied clients with unfinished tracks.
I think I'm going to start with basic tracks. I can do the BIAB charts very quickly, then overdub bass and guitar. I know that they will all sound similiar at first, but I will at least have something usable. Then I can go back and edit/layer non stop to give them a different vibe/drum tracks/ basslines/edits/ornamentation/hits/pre-composed background parts/backing melodies....see, I'm doing it again....
Valski
Well-known member
Hughes & Kettner - Lucas Nano 300 Compact Stereo PA System
Hughes & Kettner - Lucas Nano 300 Compact Stereo PA System
Here's the link for the PA system. Just to show you what I described. They describe it better than I can but this setup ticked off a lot of my requirements. You should find this interesting.
I checked out one of these systems a few months ago, one of my local shops carry HK Audio. It’s a real good sounding modestly sized system and I probably would have bought it if I didn’t have Christmas shopping yet to do. The shop owner was saying the model was being discontinued (after it sold he could only get the larger systems from HK audio) not sure if he was just trying to make a sale or not.Hughes & Kettner - Lucas Nano 300 Compact Stereo PA System
Hughes & Kettner - Lucas Nano 300 Compact Stereo PA Systemwww.long-mcquade.com
Here's the link for the PA system. Just to show you what I described. They describe it better than I can but this setup ticked off a lot of my requirements. You should find this interesting.
The specs are really disappointing:
Power: 35 W @ 8 ohms
Frequency response: 190Hz - 20kHz
Max. SPL@10%THD: 112 dB
You can pretty much go to a local BestBuy and get computer speakers that spec a bit better and likely sound better for less, if it is for home use only. For gigging in really small locations the HK may be the better choice and do pretty well, just don't expect a lot of volume or clean sound.
Power: 35 W @ 8 ohms
Frequency response: 190Hz - 20kHz
Max. SPL@10%THD: 112 dB
You can pretty much go to a local BestBuy and get computer speakers that spec a bit better and likely sound better for less, if it is for home use only. For gigging in really small locations the HK may be the better choice and do pretty well, just don't expect a lot of volume or clean sound.
That’s the spec of the mid and high frequency drivers. The low frequency driver is amped separately at 160 watts. That being said it is a modest sized compact system and may not have comfortable headroom for every application.
Published specs for audio systems are often misleading as speaker sensitivity/efficiency can vary widely and marketing departments have various levels of integrity compared with others (I’ve seen wattage claims on systems that were not even close to possible based on their source power). I think this is why Bose is less inclined to publish their specs, they want to be compared solely on their sound performance. It’s better to hear the systems live than to rely solely on the specs.
Valski
Well-known member
Yes, the specs are what they are, however most non-profesional players don't need a huge system to overpower a room. I like to use mine with the gain turned down because I only need a little added sound and also connect my Bk7m and a microphone so when it's paired with my external mixer seems to do the job well. I wear corrective lenses and don't expect to see every pixel on the 4K televisions and also my wife says that I'm a bit hard of hearing so I don't pay too much attention to specs.
My whole point was that this is a purpose built very portable system for a musician much like me who plays to small rooms with limited expectations and also a limited budget.
Valski
Well-known member
Had I wanted to play a larger room, I could have purchased two of these little PA's and connected them together and still achieve stereo sound with more power. These days many venues have sound systems for musicians and DJs to use so this eliminates the need to own a large sound system.
Most members on the forum are old enough to remember when a few hundred watts of power was considered extreme.
Most members on the forum are old enough to remember when a few hundred watts of power was considered extreme.
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