Hi guys,

I now have my first gigs lined up. I was planning to use only my Mackie SRM 450's, but wanted to know what you guys though.

One of the bookings though is for aa 21st b/day for up to 150 guests in a medium size Civic centre. Do you think the Mackie's would be ok on their own, or would I need a sub to go with them?

I do have a sub which is currently in for repair (DB12) but Im not sure if it will be ready on time, and I would prefer not to take it unless you think it would be neccesary.

All of these gigs have a large age range, so I doubt they will want deaffening base.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Cheers, Mark.

heya Mark,

I'm currently running on Mackie 450 v2's... and find I don't require a sub for small to medium size halls.

I would say upto 200 guests, depending on the music selection, you should be fine :)

Granted if it's heavy drum+bass and stuff like that, then I would possibly bring in the sub :)

Thats just me though...

Alex

I rarely use a sub even in bigger venues as I often find people are asking you to turn it down anyway. I use 15" 400w cabs, which would be only a little louder than the mackies I would guess. I do mainly weddings and parties and people in the crowd won't dance for the entire night and will spend alot of time chatting and catching up with relatives etc. The last thing they want is deafening bass making it impossible to have a conversation. I reckon for any small-medium sized venue two mackie srm 450's should be just fine. Large hotel venues with 300 or so guest is a different story but my gigs rarely go above 200 people. Some DJ's will tell you that a sub is vital for a full sound but us DJ's take alot more notice of these type of matters than the customers we play to in my experience. In 10+ years of Dj work nobody has ever told me my sound was poor and I should add a sub(s).

Hi Mark,

The Mackies should be fine on their own - but as it's a young crowd it might be a good opportunity to test the DB12 under gig conditions where if there are any issues (that hum gets worse for example) there's no major impact if you turn it off but where the extra bass shouldn't cause an issue.

You'll also get a good idea for future reference what the sub adds to your sound.

Run Mackies full range along with the sub, sound check all around the venue in case there's phasing issues - you'll notice a lack of bass at some points in the venue if there is, there's a little phase switch on the back of the subs (take something thin and pointy to set it - safety pin work for me) I usually try it in both positions and see what sounds best, sometimes there's no difference.

Position of the sub can make a big difference too - up against a wall or in a corner really increases it's output.

I do find that I get a better sound if using subs.. I run the Mackies with the Low-Cut switch in, leaving the subs to cover that area.
This gives a true 3-way sound system.

Don't run the mackies full-range, it will sound very boomy.

The main reason for not taking the subs is really down to set-up time/access - I don't wanna be lugging the subs upstairs for an 80 guest 50th.
For a downstairs venue with easy access, I may take them for better sound quality and a neater (IMO) setup.
However, I do have a roadie (Carmen :-) to help with set-up.


So, for the 21st, you will be fine. Get them high on stands. I personally enable the "profile" switch on the Mackies to give a final bit of EQ tweak, but then run my mixer flat.

Remember, you only really need to fill the dance floor with sound, and the venue may even have a sound level monitor (where a sub would only cause you problems!)

Post a few gig pics if you get time!!!

Good point - didn't realise fthe mackies had a low cut switch, much easier then, my tops haven't so was trying to avoid Mark faffing about with leads trying to change them back to full range while playing.

Questions that come to my mind are:

The DB12's have an automatic non adjustable crossover output (don't think there's an option for a full range signal to go through them) - so would you still use the Mackie Low-Cut switch and go from the Mackie to the Sub - or use the Subs crossover and go from the sub to the Mackies without using the Low Cut?

Also as only one DB12 (though it does have two channels) - is it best to only put one mackie through it? Or would you run both and use both channels of the sub - bearing in mind the Sub12 has a 12" speaker and is rated at 400w.


Mark, you may well know the answers already - but thought I'd pre-empt the set-up configurations now, rather than trying to work it out on the night. And going back to your original question - may well be easier to leave it at home!

My LDSystems subs do have a full-range pass-through, but its worth thinking about the cross over frequencies - where do the DB12s fall off, and where do the Mackies Low-Cut switch cut to...?

Ideally, no gaps, but also no overlap - but in practice, probably not going to happen!

I've used my Mackie's SRM 450 for4 years mostly without subs.

For general use if it's a small tomedium sized venue with say up to 120 people they are fine. Above 120 I find they lose it a bit. THe DB 12 sub would give you a bit more bottom end, but it's not a powerful sub.

Hi guys,

Many thanks for the good feedback, really useful!

It sounds like I would probably not need the sub for this type of gig, which is what I wanted to hear really as I dont like carrying around more than neccesary. However the 21st is really local to me (only a mile from my house) so I think I will take funkymooks advice and take it along on this occassion and test it out, as I have not used it "live" before and I dont think my neighbours would appreciate me testing it in my house ;O)

I checked and the sub has both high out, and full range pass-thru, so I can connect up and run the Mackies (full range) with the sub turned right down, then turn it up to see if it makes a worthwhile difference.

With the sub on, I guess I can switch the low cut on the Mackies and see if it sounds better. As the sub is only quite small (350w I think) I dont think I will get too much rumble, but I will try both options and let you know my findings!

Of course, will post some pics and reports once done. All 3 bookings are for May!

If you have any more ideas of advice, all feedback is appreciated ;O)

Thanks again,

Mark

I would use a sub in your situation at the end of the day it is only one more item to carry into the venue and it would improve your sound, and take some heat off your tops.

Phil.