Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

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Evan F. Hunter

Junior
Jan 11, 2011
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Houston, Texas
Hey all, Im curious of the acceptability of a properly powered and processed Turbosound Floodlight rig for a small-medium sound company. Think 800-1000 people for various genres indoors and outdoors, Most likely B and C level acts with a few nationals now and then and Mid level digital or larger analogue FOH with some nicer outboard. I know they are dated but they are becoming more and more affordable. Its personally one of my favorite rigs and I have a lot of experience setting them up and mixing on them. While there are many new options that may sound better or weigh less, I still think it is a pro level rig that can take a beating, come back for more and still sound fantastic. Ive always personally enjoyed the capabilities of a floodlight rig when properly setup.

The exact rig I have in mind is:
1 LMS700 Loudspeaker controller
8 TFL760H Tops
4 TFL760HM Downfills
8 TFL721L Subs (I prefer 2 subs to each top so this would increase with time)
Enough bumpers chains and clips to properly fly the whole rig
 
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Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

I don't see a problem with it. The flash and flood rigs probably sound better and get louder than 90% of the junior varsity level line array systems out there. Of course you are always going to have the one picky BE that wants the latest and greatest, but for the level of shows you are dealing with, having a properly deployed system with factory presets and no blown up or miswired boxes should go a long way.
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

Tom Manchester said:
I don't see a problem with it. The flash and flood rigs probably sound better and get louder than 90% of the junior varsity level line array systems out there. Of course you are always going to have the one picky BE that wants the latest and greatest, but for the level of shows you are dealing with, having a properly deployed system with factory presets and no blown up or miswired boxes should go a long way.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom. Thats pretty much what I was thinking. I havent heard to many budget lines/traps but I can still setup this rig for 1/4 of the cost as the new ones.
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

Turbo Flash/Flood are some of my favorite boxes. They will really get up and go and they can sound really good doing it.

The TFL721s are good in numbers. I would definitely up that number or move to a different sub that has more output. Although, matching a sub to the Flood/Flash can be tough because they only go down into the 150-180 Hz region. I think the Flash goes a little lower because of the deeper horn of the LF section.

Of all the older "trap" (though not really a trap) rigs out there, that is what I would want to own personally. Look for the rigging/deployment manual that is out there on the interwebs, and make sure you get the actual chains that are meant to hang these boxes.

One thing to look out for with those 21s and I think some of the components in the tops - drivers made by Precision Devices and re-cones are hella-pricey. I think the HF driver is a cheap EV though.

P.S. Stock up on turbo blue paint. Though I've heard other shades of blue will "work" ;-)
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

The Floods are cool. They don't really do much below 160hz though, so sometimes you'll be missing that Low mid grunt. Though, with enough boxes it's not bad at all. I prefer flashlights if you can get enough of them. The MF/HF takes a little love, but they can sound really good. I've done a bunch of shows on them, and they do get quite loud!

Im really not a fan of the 21's though. They're a dated designed with limited output and are expensive as hell to recone. Any "modern" dual 18 will be worlds better. I remember doing a show a few years ago with 12 21's. It was good, but 4 Lab subs did an equal job at the same venue later that year.



Evan


Evan
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

Nice rig. Properly powered and using Turbo settings it should be virtually bullet proof. I am guessing you can buy Floods in the $750/$800 range these days? At that price it would be nearly impossible to beat the rig you have described in terms of performance and ROI. I am betting it would sound better and be more acceptable than anything you could buy new for twice the price.
I think you've got a solid, money making plan.
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

Steve Payne said:
Nice rig. Properly powered and using Turbo settings it should be virtually bullet proof. I am guessing you can buy Floods in the $750/$800 range these days? At that price it would be nearly impossible to beat the rig you have described in terms of performance and ROI. I am betting it would sound better and be more acceptable than anything you could buy new for twice the price.
I think you've got a solid, money making plan.
Click to expand...

and mr. payne should know...

how much purple paint are you still stockpiling? :)
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

Steve Payne said:
Nice rig. Properly powered and using Turbo settings it should be virtually bullet proof. I am guessing you can buy Floods
in the $750/$800 range these days? At that price it would be nearly impossible to beat the rig you have described in terms of performance and ROI. I am betting it would sound better and be more acceptable than anything you could buy new for twice the price.
I think you've got a solid, money making plan.
Click to expand...

I feel Like this is a decision making post! Thats more what I was going for. My QRX rigs are great little rigs, but I want something for the larger shows without having to spend a genuine fortune. Another Plus is that the specific system Im looking at was bought new, and installed into a church. They still basically look new, and likely have very little abuse. The rig that I use almost every night back home is a floodlight/721 install in a 500 cap venue. I love it. The club has been beating on it for 10 years and we have never replaced anything but the highs, and that may have been an amplifier issue. It always comes back for more.
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

Evan Kirkendall said:
The Floods are cool. They don't really do much below 160hz though, so sometimes you'll be missing that Low mid grunt. Though, with enough boxes it's not bad at all. I prefer flashlights if you can get enough of them. The MF/HF takes a little love, but they can sound really good. I've done a bunch of shows on them, and they do get quite loud!

Im really not a fan of the 21's though. They're a dated designed with limited output and are expensive as hell to recone. Any "modern" dual 18 will be worlds better. I remember doing a show a few years ago with 12 21's. It was good, but 4 Lab subs did an equal job at the same venue later that year.



Evan


Evan
Click to expand...

Thanks Evan, sometimes depending on the show Im glad they dont. In multiples it definitely gets better. I have actually never used flashlights, There are a few out there for sale now but most of them look like they have had a tough life.

I find it strange about the 21's. I personally have always loved them but I guess I haven't heard too many pro level subs that are out now.
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

Ryan Lantzy said:
Turbo Flash/Flood are some of my favorite boxes. They will really get up and go and they can sound really good doing it.

The TFL721s are good in numbers. I would definitely up that number or move to a different sub that has more output. Although, matching a sub to the Flood/Flash can be tough because they only go down into the 150-180 Hz region. I think the Flash goes a little lower because of the deeper horn of the LF section.

Of all the older "trap" (though not really a trap) rigs out there, that is what I would want to own personally. Look for the rigging/deployment manual that is out there on the interwebs, and make sure you get the actual chains that are meant to hang these boxes.

One thing to look out for with those 21s and I think some of the components in the tops - drivers made by Precision Devices and re-cones are hella-pricey. I think the HF driver is a cheap EV though.

P.S. Stock up on turbo blue paint. Though I've heard other shades of blue will "work" ;-)
Click to expand...



Thanks Ryan!
Yes I will be adding more 721s. Like I said in my reply to Evan, Ive always like the performance of them BUT havent heard newer subs so it could be night and day! The components are expensive as all get out, and the HF in the floods are an EV. But It seems as long as you have Turbos settings they last forever under normal circumstances.

I will take a look for some paint!
 
Re: Acceptability of Turbosound Floodlights

I know there was some gnashing of teeth a while back over the erroneous message that Turbo was going to stop making the blue paint available. 99% sure that AM&S (US distributor) has some in stock. As I mentioned, part number is PBL-10. As far as TSW721/TFL780 subs (exact same sub) you just need to keep in mind that they were designed from the get-go to be used in multiples for larger systems. One is pretty useless, 2 not much better, 4 blocked with the mouths coupled is pretty much the minimum to start getting a sense of what they are supposed to do. 6 really start to come alive. The difference between 4 and 6 aside is pretty surprising. Of course, even more is better, depending upon your needs - think Pink Floyd. :-) I do think there are better subs out there today (Turbo TSW218 for one), but there are a lot of pluses for the 21s. At under 200 lbs. they are pretty easy to handle and stack. Their sonic character compliments the Flash/Flood well. As has been mentioned, rec-oning a 21" is not for the faint of heart and it is expensive. As has also been pointed out, with proper power and Turbo settings, I find that surrounds simply wear out before I experience any other failure. I ran an 18 Flood/24 721 rig for many years with great success before I moved into newer generation Turbo systems. I still have 20 of the 721s working everyday.
 
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