I am new to this but I am eager to learn. My daughter is the one with the musical talent, she is the frontwoman for a band. This is a HS aged band and they are doing it for fun at this point. Also of note this is not a "typical" situation, this is an Expat school overseas and the students will all move on after graduation. My daughter is an exceptional singer and she "has the bug". They have an opportunity to play an outdoor gig with a couple hundred people. This event is not a concert but more entertainment while people are moving around and such. picture a small town festival with people waiting in line for food booths and game tables and such. They currently do not have a PA system. I am looking into finding rental options, but am also considering an investment. I am wondering if a pair of JBL EON 615's can do the job along with a Yamaha MX20XU (or similar) mixer. I am picturing being able to expand to the subs in the future and do add ons, but want to limit my investment for now. Any suggestions for best bang for buck.
The Band currently has Drums, 2x guitar, Bass, occasional keys, and vocals. They play pop / rock music. (Cranberries, GnR, to Adele)
Thanks for the input
Greetings, Peter, and welcome to SoundForums.Net
Expat school band? Hmmm. Sounds like a fun project and they'll have these memories forever. It's very cool you're helping out.
Are you and daughter re-locating after graduation? If so, owning small things like microphones makes much more sense than owning loudspeakers. If you are the remainers then there are a few other questions mixed in with some observations. Here goes...
1 - Buying your first microphone is a "gateway drug" purchase. Soon you'll be attending 12-step meeting for "Gear Acquisition Syndrome" and parking your car in the drive because the garage is either warehouse or rehearsal space (or a bit of both). You'll have anxiety before purchasing and the relief is brief and fleeting. Can you say "Hi, I'm Peter and it's been 8 days since my last gear purchase..."? /satire
2 - If your daughter is really into popular music performance I think the best thing you can do for her is help find the best vocal coach/teacher in your region. Gear can be fun because we know it's an extender of the performance; it's a tool used to represent the talent to the audience... but what goes into the mic is more important than what the mic is, at least up to a point. Your SM-58 gift is highly appropriate - she may move on/up to other microphones but *every* singer knows what to do with a 58 because of their ubiquity. Again, find a voice coach who understands both technique and idiom. It's about properly developing a young singer's voice without causing damage or ingraining bad techniques into the muscle memory.
2a - Singing is 90% physical, and the physical aspects of singing are: breathing, phonation, and diction. How a singer does those 3 things determines their tone, stamina, and useful range. The 10% of singing that isn't physical? That's space for the craft and artistry of the singer, it's the part that makes most singers average and a few, outstanding. It, too, can be developed. /my college education finally paid off, Mom!
3 - If your daughter isn't moving after graduation, the small flexible system mentioned up-thread is great (see item #1). Really it is. Here, try the apple...
4 - Planning on providing equipment and technical support if she decides to put another band together in 6 months?
5 - Should you decide to jump into loudspeaker and mixer ownership there is a whole lotta other stuff necessary to make all the bigger parts work and play nice together. See item #1. Again.
The advice for Mike, Rob and Caleb above is spot on (Caleb's suggestions are a bit on the pricey side but you'd have a very capable system with ability to cover more than a pub or bar).
Have fun, good luck.
Tim Mc
