norty303

From the website they say that the Enttec Pro driver is in development for DMXcontrol, so it might be worth hanging on for it if thats what you want to use. If not the Enttec Open USB is already supported but you're relying on the PC for the DMX generation. All depends on how critical your application is really. I thought the Pro was worth the money. I use Chamsys MagicQ. Its the software off their high end desks, running on PC and is excellent if you can get 'under the hood'. It functions like a 'proper' lighting console like Avolites Pearl or Fat frog desk, so it sets you up well i

If you're looking for a gneric well supported interface, the Enttec Pro is hard to beat. Obviously it won't work with specific manufacturers software who also produce a proprietary box, thats where their sales come from! :) Depends on your strobe and how it handles its triggering. If it resets the time clock on triggering then simply set up the strobe time to be longer than the the beat time. You'll get only one flash per beat then, and if it resets on each trigger, you'll get the flash on the beat (you may have to set scene on, 1 scene off, 1 scene on, etc and then tap d

Don't be put off, they were taken over by Precision Devices who were in turn bought out by Eminence Europe or Eminece UK (I forget the exact name) which was simply a European company set up to distribute Eminence, not ACTUALLY owned by Eminence. There is simply no reason why quality should suffer once they get their manufacturing facilities back online. Here's a press release from the PD website

If you're buying scanners, get at least 4. Any less than that and they tend to not look as good as multibeam effects. Any of the Eurolite or Stairville scanners/rollers will be your best option pricewise, although you might be better off with the 150w discharge versions if you work a lot. After 100 hours or so they've paid the difference and they have a much 'whiter' white. Lots of lights have well programmed stand alone modes. If you want to go for DMX then you really want to be looking at a desk that has effects generation capability. In the low range that'll be either a PC bas

Also, use diesel rather than petrol as they give a much steadier run, with less surging when under dynamic loads

Yep, this is why resurrected threads from over a year ago don't really cut it!! :S My opinions on H&S have changed significantly since then (see my recent posts on clamps, etc) Now, everything gets secondary fixing regardless, using a properly rated safety bond (not chain as the chain end fixings are not often tested and are potentially 'the weak link')

I think the comment about 'electrically savvy' is a good one, however as most PA gear is aimed at the pro market, it suggests a level of knowledge is required to use it properly/safely. therefore, regardless of passive or active, some training and supervision should probably be provided to anyone using the kit, including basic awareness of electrical issues and hazards. That said, an active speaker is likely to be safer on a pole than an amp sitting in the mud. As for makes, I'd consider getting something decent as the kit will invariably be abused, so you'd want something that can take

You can also get ones which screw up from the back like a regular g-clamp. these make it easier when using tri-lite or box section truss as you don't have to get 'inside' the truss to screw them up.

Wind up stands/lifts and g-clamps or trigger clamps on the truss.

2 words.... Behringer Ultradrive ;) Fantastic piece of kit, if you own a multiway system you should have a digital processor, and the Behringer is a LOT of processor for the money.

The subs themselves are dual 18" bandpass designs by Beyma, loaded with Beyma 18LX60 drivers (700w AES rated each) and i use a Matrix STR3000h which gives 1500w at 4ohms and 1000w at 8ohms. The subs actually drop to under 3ohms at the port frequency so it presents a fairly difficult load at that point (~40hz) The plans are available as a download on the Beyma website and there's bit of info about my build and experience on speakerplans. I moderate speakerplans.com forum and we're lucky enough to have Andy from Matrix as one of our members so we get a lot of info about them. They'r

There are a number of amps on the market now which are happy running a 2ohm load quite happily, FFA, Void, Crown andothers all make products that'll do it, however you've looking at the wrong side of £1500 for most so out of the reach of most mobile outfits.

Ok, I'm not a disco so its moot, and i don't have 'per channel' as it's often a mono rig, but it breaks down as (all power is amp output at the relevant loading, not the rating of the speaker) 3kw subs (30hz to 80hz) 2x1500w at 4ohms 3kw bass (70hz to 160hz) 2 x 1500w at 2.66ohms 1.1kw midbass/low mid (160hz to 800hz) 1x1100w at 4ohms 1.1kw everything else 1x110w at 4ohms 1.5kw on monitors 2x750w at 8ohms That sounds very bottom heavy but in terms of actual frequency response it gives a fairly flat response from 40hz up to 18khz. Mids and tops are long horns giv

Ok, to be clear here, if you attach 4 8ohm speakers to 1 channel of the amp you present a 2ohm load (2 x 8ohm speakers in parallel = 4ohms, 2 x 4ohm loads in parallel = 2ohms) This will kill a lot of amps, even amps that are rated for 2ohm loads will run hot and the damping factor decreases significantly, and if you're using thin speaker cable (

Also, any electrical connections outside of the marquee should be a minimum of IP44 rated.

But as the majority of pots used on amps are log pots, how does your theory work there?

Notice that i said 'full power of the amp' Having the pots at 1/2 does not guarantee you only getting half the power. Try it for yourself, put the pots at half (with no speakers connected if you like) and turn up the mixer as far as it'll go, you'll be able to make the clip lights flash.

How do you know you were putting out 75w? Also, as Andy says in his post, the gain controls only control what gets fed to the amp stages, so you can clip the amp on 1/4 turn of the pots. If an amp can't run at it's stated load, with less than 1%thd, at full chat all night then you really want to be looking at another amp (imo) Nope, absolutely not - but it's the twist on that thought that gets thrown about by people - i.e. underpowering drivers is damaging - but they don't quantify what they mean by it. It's often regurgitated from a half read forum thread with little u

Nonsense. 50 watts will be barely discernable to the speakers. You could damage the speakers as easily with 250w as 200w IF YOU ABUSE THE AMP. Just make sure that the amp doesn't clip and you'll be fine. You could use a 400-500w amp under those conditions and be fine. And remember that whilst you can control the amps gain, it is still possible to put the full power of the amp through the speakers by driving the input harder (i.e. turning up your mixer) People have their own opinions on what is/isn't safe to drive into a speaker however this is their opinion and the way the

Just about every (half decent) amp when running in stereo mode should be capable of running one channel on its own. Also, most amps when in bridge mode only make use of the channel 1 input and feeds it to both of the outputs (with one channel reverse polarity, thereby making the +ve terminal a -ve) The second gain control is either redundant or in some cases used to feed an audio signal out of the channel 2 inputs for providing signal to other devices. You need to check your particular amps manual for clarity Are you suggesting parallel mono or bridge mono? I'm assuming br

It's about common sense and risk assessment. Anything hung overhead should be double secured, using a proper clamp (not wire or gaffa tape as i've seen in the past) and an adequately rated safety bond. In the case of speakers i tend to work on the basis that if i can push it off by grabbing hold of it and giving it a good shake then it needs better security. I tend to use ratchet straps which have been SWL (or equivalent) rated. Don't need to be massively heavyweight, 800kg or so should cover it. I would run from the handles on the subs to the handles of the tops, or go right

I'm sorry, regardless (or even more so, because..) they (speakers) are so big and heavy they should be strapped. All lights should have a primary mounting (in the case of yours that would be gravity) and a secondary fixing mechanism. On any gig where we were supplying PA for that involved a system of that size we wouldn't be allowed to open until they were secured.

Nice setup. Do you strap the tops to the subs, and how do you secure the heads to the speaker?

Unless you absolutely HAVE to have a moving head for specific reasons, buy a decent scanner. They will last longer, require less servicing and generally have a better feature set for the price. As so many places are no longer allowing smoke try to get a 250w discharge lamped unit (MSD200, MSD250, MSD250/2) as they are so much brighter and whiter light.

I've got some omnidirectional speaker cable that'll improve your speakers better than that, only £1,500 per metre. Snake oil anyone....?