DriveRack PA2 Review!

Here we take a look at the DBX Drive Rack PA2 in depth!

[@mm-2018]

One of the best reviews I've seen of the dbx so far.. thanks

[@IpfxTwin]

I'm putting all the electronics together first before building a BFM system and am completely sold on getting the PA2. Great review!

[@janthonydrivenpatien]

Thanx for the introductory help on this unit. It was very complete. Great job explaining and sharing.

[@kevinbeckenham3872]

Thank you very much for informative documentary on the DBX drive rack

[@janegoodall3862]

Thanks for helping clear up some confusion I had going on . After your video the neighbors now to love me and love SLAYER! Who woulda ever guessed lol

[@UOttawaScotty]

Seen a couple of your videos now, excellent content, and I'm working with this exact piece of gear right now so this video helped a lot, cheers from Ottawa Canada

[@DJDynablend]

Thanks man this video has helped me heaps, I cant wait to set up my new drive rack!

[@callmebigpapa]

RTA starts a 25:00 , got one and will be using for a home triamp setup big thanks for sharing your knowledge! JBL2365h, 2123, 18" (2245H-subs)

[@MrGuitarmike2222]

Great job ~ Thx for your time sir !

[@jibds2323]

You are AWESOME!!!! I learned so much!!!!!!

[@robowebowe]

You are very good. Making good sense and practical.

[@mohammedsalman-hp6iz]

A very knowled video, great done well explained this kind of video's should be be supported .....

[@WilmarBoer]

Very good walkthrough!

[@iamtalltee]

This has really helped me, great tutorial here. (From Nigeria)

[@rickbendel]

Gonna be throwing this into my xr18 setup. Had the drive rack pa2 for years, still brand new.

[@peterschiff_was_right5464]

How did it go? Interested as I have that mixer and ekx speakers 😊

[@Teddy-lg8qg]

Great walkthrough

[@michaelagyemang9639]

I really enjoyed it bro. Great work

[@superchickensuperchicken7939]

Code, your pa speakers do you have 18s and 15, JBLs? you are pretty smart dude you are the first to really explain the driverack in detail, DBX corporation needs hire you!

[@discokillers8674]

Sounds GREAT!

[@Jasper-fl3ev]

Thank you very much for this video 🧡

[@drycoconut5898]

Awesome Vid! Thanks!

[@jimmccall2689]

I like your whole easy going careful explanatory tone - makes a lot of sense. I have a different kind of music and wonder whether you might advise me whether a drive rack might be good for my needs. We are a bluegrass band with Bag End passive mains and monitors. We use the crossovers in the speakers - no bi-amp wiring. It's a different type of music so I wonder whether our sound would benefit from adding a drive rack into our setup. We don't use subs. When we play at bars, we will sometimes use a Behringer Feedback Destroyer box in the PA, but I have been thinking that using the RTA mic would be a really useful tool. I also like the option of saving the venue settings for future gigs. I'm a bit worried about running the Feedback tool with the whooshing sounds at the venue when there are people in it. Thanks for your ideas!

[@daled.m.4512]

This is a really good review. Please consider an in depth review of the app if possible? Great job!

[@fwillemsen1]

what he does on the pc is the same app on your phone or tablet.

[@rmccain99]

Use two Acoustic 810 or STV 810 cabinets for your mains. You will need a separate Hi frequency driver setup, but that should be easy. The pay off is clean clear and powerful mids. You will have array-like performance at a fraction of the cost

[@carlsparrow5190]

so helpfull thanks buddy

[@johngajmer2836]

Explanation level 100 out 100 💯 thanks 😊

[@pauljosse]

I just ordered one ..hope it's good

[@thibaultvanhove8552]

Great review, could I use this as a 6 way mono management system

[@jambitch]

Love it.

[@matthewfox2959]

Great video! I used driverack's years ago when using rack amps and passive speakers... and love 'em! Like many, I've been using powered speakers over the last decade. Do you think the PA2 will have an impact and get the results working with powered speakers... as you would with passive speakers? I ask because the tech and crossover points are built into the powered speakers themselves and want to make sure it'll make a difference before purchasing. Appreciate any feedback you have. Cheers, DJ GUNZ, Key West, FL

[@Code_mov]

So typically the crossover points in powered speakers are very "vague". you usually get one or two selections (80hz, 120hz, etc), and it cant be very customizable. I like being able to quickly get my crossovers set for a room or venue, and getting it tuned in exactly, rather than relying on preset points that speaker manufacturers set. I use my PA2 with powered systems all the time, and i feel like they sound exceptionally better than using the built in ones.

[@FantasticF113]

Awesome video and I appreciate your enthusiasm. However, always remember sound is a pressure wave. What we 'hear' isn't related to the frequencies your subs can actually reproduce. Although you can't hear it, you can still 'feel' the sound. You could be missing out on half the fun! Clipping the low frequencies isn't always a great idea. But great job!

[@user-cv1li9co7l]

😮 2:43

[@robertgunter7230]

Don't agree at all ,he is dead right at 30 and if he's pushing up to super blast Vol you would roll them off up higher.....how many subs have you fried ?

[@drod5157]

Nice, Thanks!

[@hhaarmann]

Great explanation, clear and straight to the point. Love the part about using the RTA mic. Just one question, I have 2x ZLX-12P and 1x ELX200-18SP should I put all active speakers at 0 dB on the speaker itself and then start configuring the drive rack or set them at a lower level.?

[@Code_mov]

I always leave my speakers on 0db, that way I can adjust the levels on the drive rack from the listening position. That way I don’t have to keep walking back and forth from the speakers, to the dance floor or what not.

[@pauljosse]

@@Code_mov theres a thing in the manual about setting speaker gain, i have powered speakers, do i need to do this? i often just dial up the speakers plus 5db and then lower the main fader down so if i get to unity gain it offers more headroom vs running out, or is that the wrong way to do it? im kinda new.

[@djfoxhype758]

Is There A Way To Save Or Lock My Custom Settings After I'm Done Setting Up The DriveRack PA2 ???

[@robertwaite837]

Great walk through vid.👍 I truly want some more education skills in working the dbx drive rack. One question.. Do you know the best wireless router out their that’s an inexpensive brand? And do you link it out of your usb out, or your link out to your router? Hope my questions aren’t too confusing, thanks!

[@Code_mov]

So the usb on the drive rack is only for firmware updates. You have to use the Ethernet output and hook to a switch or router to control it.

[@crud118]

Hey, great video! I'm probably getting one of these and wonder: once I make a preset with a connected device (like crossover and delay), can that preset then be recalled from the screen on the driverack without me reconnecting the external screen? Thanks, Doug

[@Code_mov]

Yes you can! You can control everything from the front screen, that you can from a device. Presets are easy to recall right on the display.

[@jacobmcclinton7163]

we don't do the same kinda gigs, but regardless, your explanation of the system regards you as knowing what's up. great review and I feel waaaaay better about buying this system. love the honesty in the cabs you have. killer vid man. do you throw straight subs forward or do you use a cardioid design to be behind the mix?

[@andyk9685]

Thanks !!

[@owolabisamuelayomide4436]

Thanks bro

[@indiraboodram6599]

Hi I would like to know if my 8 band EQ on my pa2 have to set orderly or random and a little information about the compressor and limiter

[@superchickensuperchicken7939]

Code, too bad the RTA doesn't show frequency numbers like a peak analyzer Code, is the auto eq the same thing as a graphic equalizer or you should have an graphic equalizer too?

[@MiltonPinheiro]

Oi amigo. Durante uma reinicialização de fábrica, minha energia Pa2 foi perdida, todos os LEDs estão acesos e eles não respondem aos comandos no painel, apenas para o wi fi. Pode me ajudar?

[@johnsmith-qz4bv]

great video you can do a whole lot with this.....im thinking of buying one to use as a dsp just for a pair of 18 inch subs powered by a crown xli2500 amp in my hometheater setup ....what do you think ..?..

[@pauljosse]

can i leave the RTA mic plugged in and use it to measure the room on the go while the band is playing without it causing mayhem in my tops? i had an accident using an rta mic plugged into my mixer no pa2, and i eqd the room then left it in and it picked up the music and i think it damn near blew my speakers up! will this happen if i leave it connected to the dbx?

[@johnsmith-qz4bv]

great video can u use all the inputs for subwoofers in a hometheater setup ..?..i just got my pa2 what song was that you were playing..?..

[@smartass6071]

(For DJ's) When your mixing a variety of music, the low end can be quite different source to source. Some have great base and some don't. I have a different way to manage the tops and subs that works great with any type of xover that makes it easy to adjust the tops and subs in real time. I run the tops from the main out on the mixer to an EQ and roll off the lows with the EQ then to the (top) amp and speakers. Then I run the subs from the zone out or if you don't have a zone out you can use the booth out or record out from the mixer to your xover to the sub amp and speakers. By doing it this way you can adjust the subs to match the tops in real time from the mixer. Now you can use the zone out or booth/record out volume to turn the subs up or down to bring up the base or bring it down. Working with the PA2 and a note pad (I have 2 of them) you can also make that adjustment very quick on the pad if you have the right window open. But if your working without a note pad its harder to make that adjustment because you have to do that at the unit itself. If you can come off the mixer with 2 outs for tops and 2 outs for suba, you can make those adjustments from the mixer very quickly.

[@elyonsheirsassembly765]

Hell Code, this is a newbie question 🙋‍♂️, do I still need a crossover and a digital mixer if I purchase a drive rack in My PA system for a small church setting .. our current basic equipment acoustic drum, keyboard, base guitar , amp, analog mixer, full range speakers , a sub woofer and an equalized.Our goal is to have a much more immersive sound with deeper bass. Any help will be much appreciated

[@dennisnbrown]

Thank you

[@Lauriemine]

Hi mate, can the mid outputs on the crossover be configured as extra sub outputs, for example setting different limiters for active cabinets?

[@Code_mov]

Yes! I have actually used them in that situation before. Just copy over the crossover to the mid output.

[@classicgold988]

🔥🔥🔥💯💯

[@user-wn2ri9xz9y]

What to do to set up a feedback destroyer in sir pa2?

[@superchickensuperchicken7939]

Code, what's the difference between driverack pa2 and driverack VENU360?

[@faeholakeituai3333]

Great info! Would I be able to connect an Ethernet cord from the driverack to my laptop and control the app from the laptop? Thanks in advance.

[@danielriggs7336]

I personally haven"t tried a direct connection but typically you can connect a device directly to a computer without a router if you have a crossover cable. It's basically the same as the standard Ethernet cable but has some of the wires inside crossed to allow direct connections.

[@Barbaratio]

Still curious? I'll give it a try for you when I get mine.

[@kelvinhicks6912]

I have Bose 802 III with the 502 subs. I was thinking about adding more subs. Either JBL or Yorkville. The Bose come with its own controller ( cross over). Could I use a drive rack for all of the speakers or do the Bose only work well with the Bose controller?

[@Code_mov]

The drive rack will work well with any speakers, passive or powered. The main things you are after, are cleaning up any odd resonances, and eliminating the subs from getting higher frequencies that you don’t want them to reproduce and so forth.

[@kelvinhicks6912]

Code thanks!

[@jayj2702]

Hi, does anyone know why am am getting a slight clicking noise when I tip the dbx driverack pa2 up and down side to side its coming from the top vent area, if you put your ear next to it you can hear it more, if anyone could check yours, the dbx is brand new. Thank you

[@allanaquino4813]

How far the RTA mic from the speaker??

[@georgeogrady449]

Look good system

[@WinstonPusey-mt1xr]

My question do all drive rack program the same

[@joeryannnnnnn]

helo bro gud day... can we use it on fm ..is there an fm mode?

[@pauljosse]

In a band will this make you sound better. Peavy pvi2100 amp Peavy 215 speakers Alto mixer is all we use so far.

[@thibaultvanhove8552]

helpfull! could I use it as a 6way mono management system?

[@Code_mov]

Sadly no, it’s stereo bound between the three outputs.

[@fabiandavid1390]

Nice to see QSC PLX 34002! It's an amazing amplifier! Rock solid build, power over the specs, very nice sound! PA2 is a nice piece of DSP on the price! Nice review! But I don't understand usage of those crappy Behringer AMPS! False specs, crappy sound, cheap build, ticking bomb units. Why not another PLX3402 for those 2 18" subs?

[@Code_mov]

So I have worked on that since the video, my subs run 3 - 3402’s now! The reason for the behringers, are the price. If you need something “quick and dirty” , and less than half the cost, then they will get you by. I never reccomend them, but if you need something to “get you started” then they work.

[@fabiandavid1390]

@@Code_mov This is something else!

[@mm-2018]

Do you run the driverack at +4 or -10?. Mixer is from a numark Ns7 controller

[@Code_mov]

You should always run +4 on any pro level hardware. The NS7 is included in that. The only reason you should run -10, is if you are coming from some older equipment that does not support pro level outputs

[@georgeogrady9205]

Dose it have qtx build in

[@bismarkowusu9082]

Can you use this drive rack PA+ for powered speakers?

[@jacobmcclinton7163]

yes you can, if you open the PDF manual it outlines if its a mono sub or stereo rig, but it supports powered speakers

[@carlotheatheist]

Hey i have a question. About low output. Can i do a dual mono subwoofer??

[@Code_mov]

So the outputs are linked left and right, what I use is an XLR splitter on the left output to run multiple subs as mono. I haven’t looked, but I don’t think there is a way to make the sub outputs “mono”

[@rmccain99]

You may want to cut those 810s down into eight, two ten boxes, four on each side. This will give you more versatility for room size. These are sealed boxes. Do not exceed your ohm load. each speaker is 32 ohms. the secret is out.

[@mb24777]

can't you do all of this in the xair app? im trying to find the purpose of buying this but dont see the point if I know i can do all of this crossover features in the xair app.

[@iamtalltee]

Those this mean that feedback noise can be completed wiped off with this device??

[@robertgunter7230]

Yes

[@adi.sax.ardelean]

The imput switch is in +4 dbu or -10 dbv? How is more good?

[@Code_mov]

Less noise, higher signal to noise ratio

[@adi.sax.ardelean]

+4 better?

[@vj2lightsandsounds364]

do you perform autoeq at every venue you set up?thanks

[@Code_mov]

Honestly, no. We typically will run an auto EQ in a controlled environment on a particular set of speakers to get a “baseline”, then we have a known starting point for each venue. If we are doing a permanent install, then we usually will do one for that venue.

[@vj2lightsandsounds364]

@@Code_mov thank you very much for your reply.

[@bondo1955]

You ought to try laying those subs down Just a idea 👍

[@Code_mov]

Their response is nearly the same up and laid down, typically if we don’t need to use them to get the mains in the air, they are laid down with the port along the floor

[@DeeJayAARonYT]

Question: when would input delay be useful?

[@Code_mov]

So the time I used it, was when I had a set of powered speakers as delays in a hall, I had the processor running only the powered delays, so I delayed the powered speakers via the input of the processor, and ran the main system on a separate processor

[@earthling808]

When using this live, some people like to delay the main speakers to the backline of stage amplifiers, since the main speakers are usually in front of them.

[@carterchan5295]

on the auto EQ, can i change the target line ?

[@Code_mov]

Once it’s done, yeah, you can adjust it all, but you can’t really set a target ahead of time.

[@carterchan5295]

@@Code_mov thanks for the reply, how about system alignmeng, do PA2 haw auto alighment function ?

[@samirpurohit5064]

How you manage PA2 app at event place?

[@Code_mov]

So they have both an iOS and Android app, I just connect my phone to the router in the rack, and then I make adjustments as needed on the go.

[@Selecta500]

I can’t even get my PA2 to update the firmware smh

[@georgeogrady9205]

80 hz -120 hz build in amp on speaker

[@djmannyleon9204]

Travis Scott's music has alot of bass frequencies below 30hz. I have my Dual 18 subs HPF at 28Hz at 18db Slope

[@Code_mov]

For sure! I wish my subs could handle lower than 30, but the ones I have just aren’t efficient that low. I need some of those BassBoss subs that are fully efficient down to like 24

[@djmannyleon9204]

Unless you're rich, No need to spend over 4k for a single sub. I use Cerwin Vega ViS218 subwoofers that have Italian-Made B&C woofers, and they SLAM HARD!!! Plays 34Hz louder than all other bass frequencies without EQ. Plays down to 29Hz at -3dB. Not -10

[@djmannyleon9204]

@@Code_mov The bad news is that they're very hard to find. So I would strongly recommend JBL SR4719X. Excellent bass

[@Code_mov]

djmanny leon not bad!

[@pocketpoolboy]

Hmmm I have K series…

[@georgeogrady9205]

Lo pass beep bass by pass is high same with hi pass

[@nanabarfour7541]

Is there anyway to talk to you personally? Please get back to me if you can. Appreciate it

[@nounix]

Does the app now work on Catalina and Big Sur? (32 bit apps are ancient history for some years now and will not work on “ nowadays“ Macs...) Has this PA2 control app been released in a 64-bit version yet, or is it still completely useless unless you are running a very very old operating system?)

[@Code_mov]

It works fine on windows 10, and my new iPhone 12. Not sure about the macOS

[@nounix]

@@Code_mov i haven't used windows since 07 (and haven't looked back lol). I know it works on ios but i dont have an ipad and even the iphone 11 pro screen is way too small to use the app (dragging level handles etc). So no it won't work on macs unless they're still stuck on the pre-previous os (mojave and earlier). Only the new silicon.arm macbooks would be able to run it on big sur (as only the arm macbooks will be able to run... ios apps...). So dbx is just not supporting their existing mac users by upgrading their PA2 app to 64 bits... Good to know that harmon is not sot a company that will support you tomorrow, if you buy their hardware today. Lessons learnt.

[@vuongtran-ei3dr]

Tôi là người việt nam.tôi không hiểu tiếng bạn.tôi đang dùng pa2 xin được bạn giúp đở.thank you

[@georgeogrady9205]

No bass

[@molotulo8808]

Another useless video I thought this was a review of...I forgot why I'm here. I have a micro phone...