FM9 not allowed?

My keyboardist just bought a Headrush. It sounded fabulous for its size. I have a other buddy who uses a ZT lunchbox amp and mics it. I've had mixed result plugging into a random PA. For instance The EV ZX sounded great PA monitor, the Yamaha setup was crap. Unless you can know the system and tweak a bit head of time, it's hard to predict. That being said our PA handles my guitar direct to FOH, we run IEMs, but I still use a QSC Aviator Amp behind me for some air and body but not for FOH.

I've also been told nothing but vocals into the PA. Many idiot sound guys know nothing about gain structure or even how dangerous phantom power is to our equipment. It's a crap shoot.

It's funny because in places like Nashville every bar I went into on my last trip was direct feed to the PA
 
xrist04 said:
Chances are, some previous customer ran their modeler / direct box into the "house PA," cranked to insane levels and blew some drivers in the speaker enclosures.
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Wouldn't that fault be with whomever was running/monitoring the house PA? The modeler can only be as loud as the FOH allows.

But yes, the club will always point back at the band.
 
If there are cabs on stage with mics I always tell the FOH tech that I will be using the XLR cable from this mic. Just give me a line-level feed. It is just like using the mic. Sometimes no questions are asked. Sometimes it take a lengthy explanation.

But at the end of gig the FOH techs and bar owners are always happy.
 
Reading through all the comments, I can’t see justification if they’re allowing keys, electronic or mic’ed acoustic drums and bass, etc to plug in. The percussive transients of these instruments can blow speakers easier than a guitar, which sit right in the most covered range of most speaker systems. Even a bad vocalist can be hard on equipment if extreme volume is combined with sloppy plosives and feedback from poor mic handling.

I tend to agree that, as it is in most all rehearsal spaces, it’s likely a base-line pieced together cheap PA that they’re trying to keep functioning. Any PA of even decent quality that already has the aforementioned things plugged in and turned up can handle a guitar at the same volume.

Keep the FM9, get a better rehearsal space. ;)
 
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I am the opinion too.
Either they have a small PA that only should be used for vocals - but in this case, as said here, no keyboards should be allowed too.
Or the sound- or responsible guy for the PA has no clue what he is talking about or is still stuck in the 80s.

Sure, on small locations, like bars, it make sense.
I will have a gig this month where we take our own equipment with small PA.
And myself has told the guys to keep it simple and that we have enough free channels on the mixer for the other bands (Sax, Vocals and so on) it makes no sense to use PA for guitar and bass at this small bar.
I take my Class-D poweramp and a cab with PA speakers and this ok and more than enough there.

But I also really think the told reason to prevent damage is simply because of ignorance and may that theese people are not ready to learn new things or taking care about what is actual equimpent theese days.
 
hedonfire said:
Some of them are fine with bringing our own speakers, and I'm considering some options now. However, some have literally told me to "use a normal amp". They might as well have just told me to go fuck myself XD
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Don't be quick to write off using a 'normal' amp. It could be a great no hassle solution without really compromising. I've run the FM3 into my Brunetti Pleximan and Orange OR-15, both set to a bold/just before breakup clean and they both sounded great using the amp modeling in the FM3. Of course turn the cab block off or disable globally for the set.
 
Rick said:
Ignorance.

Unfortunately, it’s often incurable.
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Ignorance, indeed. If keyboard players are allowed to use the PA, the frequency range of a synth has more chances of blowing the speakers than a guitar. Guitars can only have transitory peaks on mid frequencies, while synths can hold a killer subsonic frequency for as long as they want.
 
Habuman said:
Wouldn't that fault be with whomever was running/monitoring the house PA? The modeler can only be as loud as the FOH allows.

But yes, the club will always point back at the band.
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Maybe, but having a true audio engineer at these venues is a crapshoot. When you're shuffling a bunch of different bands and needing to keep the show going, the chance of making a mistake isn't worth the risk to them.
 
hedonfire said:
I'm considering some options, but don't want to drop another thousand dollars on a speaker (here in Ontario, the pxm-12mp retails for 1199.99. Any thoughts on the ev zlx12p?
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I’ve been using Yorkville NX10C’s for years and am very happy with them. Like the EV it’s a coaxial design but a 10” speaker instead of a 12” and imo it’s the coaxial design that makes them a good match with a modeller. The new NX10C-2 has a bit more juice than the original but otherwise is much the same. The specs and description are available here. They are available at L&M for CAD $799.00 and typically available to rent if you wanted to try one out. They often have them used at a more reasonable price. It’s how I bought mine. They are built like the proverbial brick shit-house and L&M sells an extended warranty for nominal $’s. Might be worth a look.
 
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Someone may have surprised them once with a +4db signal instead of the -10db they are used to - turned it up, and blasted away. That happens all the time in my church - I'm the only guitarist who runs +4, so, I remind the soundman before I start raising the vol pedal, and do it slowly... if too oud, remind them to hit the pad button, and then it's fine.
 
"We have a vocal-only PA"

I play a lot of gigs in places like that, so as long as you bring a powered speaker for your Fractal you are always covered. Sometimes I play in small venues that will take my Fractal in the PA, but unless everyone else is doing that, it can be more trouble than it's worth. One recent gig I played in a small room, and they were happy to have me go direct, but since the other guitar player used an amp, he ended up overpowering me on stage, and I overpowered him in the mains. It was a PIA, even though it is a great room, decent PA and good sound person.
 
geetarplayer said:
Someone may have surprised them once with a +4db signal instead of the -10db they are used to - turned it up, and blasted away. That happens all the time in my church - I'm the only guitarist who runs +4, so, I remind the soundman before I start raising the vol pedal, and do it slowly... if too oud, remind them to hit the pad button, and then it's fine.
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Whenever I'm running sound and see people with anything that provides a powered signal, I always mute their channel first have them turn down their output, plug in, unmute then have them slowly raise their OP. I've never had an issue doing it this way!
 
Habuman said:
Wouldn't that fault be with whomever was running/monitoring the house PA? The modeler can only be as loud as the FOH allows.

But yes, the club will always point back at the band.
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Yes, it is the fault of the engineer (and I'm using that term loosely).

The only answer to the original question being asked here is - ignorance.
MANY people that own/operate Pro Audio systems, have very limited understanding and instead operate by what they 'think'.

I had a recent debate with a house sound engineer when they said that I could not plug a line level source into MY mixer (which runs into MY amps...and are not yet plugged into anything), without their house PA 'popping'. It was an absurd conversation and I could not comprehend why they didn't understand the basics of connecting components together. I stopped myself mid debate and said to myself: this conversation is pointless and I'm an idiot for participating. If they don't understand the basis of wiring a PA, then me telling them they are wrong is not going to get me anywhere.

People now a days don't want to learn, they just want to be right.
 
Sixstring said:
Whenever I'm running sound and see people with anything that provides a powered signal, I always mute their channel first have them turn down their output, plug in, unmute then have them slowly raise their OP. I've never had an issue doing it this way!
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Right. So as Fractal users we always have to explain our setup, wait until the sound person is ready, and THEN turn the Fractal output up. Messing this up one time, and they will remember it! Never assume anything going into a venue.
 
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