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Sina172 wrote:I can name a few:

Some of them are NOT cheap, but amazing in sound and portability

The Bose L1 System with 2 subs and the ToneMatch. These run at almost $3000 but they are amazing in sound! They are feedback FREE. The ToneMatch Module has a built-in Stereo Mixer, Effects Unit, EQ, Compression, Separate Line and Mic Inputs, PreAmp Outputs, Master Outputs, Secondary Aux Ouputs and it's also a USB Audio Interface!

There are some accessories you will need as well. But this system will give your keyboard an unbelievable sound!

This is my TOP choice if you want the best you can get in portable PA Systems.

A cheaper choice would be the Fender Passport 500 PRO. Incredibly feature packed, great sound and it all comes together into its own case. It's really amazing how good this thing is. This is $1000.

Now of you want the BEST value money can by with the features and benefits of the two above systems I just mentioned:

I'd have to say the Yamaha StagePAS 300 or the 500. The mixer is amazingly clean for a powered mixer (which is also your amp for your speakers). and the speakers in BOTH models pack a very clean punchy sound. This is a GREAT alternative to the Bose in sound and makes it a very good value.

I'd stay away from Behringer as they tend to break down a lot. So do Mackies. The quality just isn't there in either of them, IMO.

JBL is now all marketing so they make a LOT of overpriced crap and claim that they are the best.

If you want a good high-end pair of PA Speakers and use your current gear, you need to have a listen to QSC. They make some of THE BEST PA speakers out there. The K12's are phenomenal and blow away just about everything else in the same or higher price range. I have yet to hear ONE person say that their QSC Speakers have broken down or failed on them. They are amazing in quality, sound and reliability. I can't say enough good things about them.

I LOVE QSC speakers and anyone who asks me about PA Speakers I take them for a treat with this brand.

PA Systems are Yamaha Fender and Bose. Most of the others either suck, or are just too expensive in comparison to the above systems. Peavey is cheap plastic sounding crap these days. Samson is crap, and so are many other brands.

The Bose is NOT cheap but its worth every last penny and can potentially replace an entire TRUCKLOAD of gear because of what it offers. When I take my OASYS to other places or gigs sometimes, I have TWO Bose L1 systems with 4 Subs and 2 ToneMatch Modules. They are SO compact and are SO EASY to set up that you wouldn't dare use anything else anymore. In 15 minutes I am up and running with the Bose L1 Systems. Any other system, such as a set of QSC Speakers and a Mixer, would take me a half-hour or more because, I then need a whole other rack of signal processing and a crap load of cables and snakes to get everything set up. Then I have to do a sound check as well for another 15 minutes just to make sure everything is good.

The Bose gets rid of all that INCLUDING the soundcheck! In 15 minutes MAX your up and running! It's really an AMAZING system!

Sina

Sina172 wrote:Kat, the absolue BEAUTY of the QSC's are the fact that they ARE powered! You plug them in, connect the monitor outs from your mixer into them, and you're good to go! BUT! If you just do that and you connect your keyboard into the mixer, you may not get the sound you want because the EQ may not be right, feedback might be an issue if you're using mics, etc. That's actually why in a GOOD PA rig, many people use external EQ's, PreAmps and Compressors. They also use Digital Monitor/PA Controllers (some of them are NOT cheap) which do two things: one you can calibrate your speakers to the digital crossovers built-in to them and separate the frequencies so you get a cleaner sound, but also control the overall volume of the speakers so you don't overload them, or blow them in case something happens. You see what I'm saying here? Even if you got the Yamaha or the Fender systems, you will be running into these issues, but they'll be much less prevalent as everything is self- contained in those systems.

So in the case of the two brands I just mentioned, a speaker controller is not really needed. But with the QSC's they are highly recommended. T.C. Electronic makes one called the X024 which is around $800. AMAZING unit for the money! One of Samson's good products are their Monitor Controllers which are actually very good and you won't have to spend a crap load of cash for them. And then there's DBX. HUGE range of products for just about EVERY need and if you want the BEST, it's DBX when in comes to monitor controllers.

For EQ's, Behringer is a GREAT brand. Low cost, incredibly low noise, and they give you a GREAT sound. If you got 2 single-channel 31-band EQ's, you'll get a tremendous amount of flexibility and they have a model with a built-in feedback eliminator so if your mic is too close, you won't blow your eardrums.

The better EQ's are definitely Ashly, Rane, Yamaha, BBE and DBX. The BEST EQ's I think are either gonna be Rane or Ashly.

Peavey makes on OK EQ, but on the other end of the spectrum (and this may surprise you), I think Behringer has a MUCH better value.

The Bose on the other replaces ALL of this. ESPECIALLY if you got TWO units, with all the necessary accessories, you will NEVER need another PA System! If money is tight, I say get one system to start with and 2 subs with the ToneMatch Module, and as you get more money, get the second one. Also if you DO get a Bose L1 system, get the ORIGINAL Model 1 version. The newer Model II and Compact Systems, while more compact, don't sound as good, IMO and don't have have as many inputs. I don't think the Compact even HAS any inputs and forces you to rely on the ToneMatch Module as your input device.

Hope that helps!

Sina

Sina172 wrote:Kat,

I sincerely appreciate your kind remarks. Thank you.

In regards to the OASYS I now have 2. I had one and it got stolen from me which literally put my entire life to a halt. I couldn't do anything, I wanted to just give up and say f**K it and as a result I couldn't get myself to move on. It was probably THE WORST downfall of my life that I had ever experienced. In May of '09 (the OASYS was stolen in November of '08), I was the best man at my friends wedding and I got a very generous gift card of $1200. At that time, I had a sufficient amount of gear to make a decent piece of music. But despite all that equipment, everything I had was rendered useless, because my entire world was in my OASYS. I was living my dream when I had it, it was the crown jewel to my studio and with it gone, I couldn't get myself to focus on what I still have. Many people told me that it's gone and to just forget about it, but I couldn't. Even when things got slightly better, they would fall apart very quickly because my dream was gone. My entire world that I had put my whole life of music was gone. I was a mess. I had severe anger tantrums, I went to therapy, I was looking for methods of emothonal healing which helped, but I KNEW that NOTHING was gonna help me unless I got my OASYS back. So when I got this $1200 gift card, I decided I wanted an M50-88. I gotta tell you, when I played the M50 at my local music shop, I was amazed! No it wasn't an OASYS but the mere fact that I was able to get a similar sound to it, made me very happy. Christmas comes by and my parents pitch in the rest of the money and I got my M50-88. I went with the M50 instead of the M3 (in case you were wondering) because I needed Sequencing, Program Mode and Combi Mode and that was it. I couldn't settle with an M3 because the interface and the screen is too much of a mediocrity compared to the OASYS and I would've HATED it because of it. The M50 was PEFECTION to the highest degree for me right next to an OASYS.

Then in Jan. of THIS year, a miracle beyond my wildest dreams manifested into my life and while I can't say what it is right now, I will say this: It was SO big that when it happened my music was continued from where I left off when my OASYS got stolen. I did not have to start all over again!

Now I'm back, amazingly happy, financial miracles have happened to me in ways to not even I was able to comprehend and on top of all that, I am having the grandest time of my life! My studio is expanding HUGELY, and I am loving it!

I few weeks ago I found another OASYS 88 at a price that would make you think it was a fraud, but was actually legit. It was LITERALLY BRAND NEW! EVERYTHING was included with it! ALL Expansions, KARO Libribraries, etc. It was a very secret sale because the price I paid for it was so low it would blow your mind as to how fantastic of a deal I got!

That's a brief story of what I went through in the last 2 years.

On to your Q's now:

Mackie Mixers aren't bad. I own a flagship ONYX 4880 and several smaller mixers by them as well. I have 4 DXB 200's and I also have a 8 d8b's now that I've always wanted becase of their flexibility that was unheard of when they first came out. They are complete with 2 HDR-2496's and the Remote 48 and all expansions.

I think Mackie is a great MIDDLE of the range brand. And I say middle because companies such as Allen & Heath and Soundcraft now offer Mixers at the same price class with a WAY better quality product and sound. It's amazing to me now how amazing of a mixer you can get at ridiculously low prices that are NOT from Mackie or Behringer, but from a HIGH-END Brand!

So Mackie is a great product, but compared to Soundcraft and Allen and Heath. the latter products are MUCH better deals.

And if you went with an Allen and Heath mixer you'll get fully parametric EQ's on EVERY channel! That's AMAZING to me! Plus the newer ZED Series mixers now have USB ports so they can now double as an audio interface/mixer to your Mac or PC!

Sina