Sound system setup with RCF line arrays and a Soundcraft console for a large event - Event Video 22

Stage Left Audio Productions, LLC is back to mix for the Unirumba 2019 event (hosted by Univision40 - Durham, NC). Stage Manager Dennis and A2-tech Craig provide exceptional help with this event!
We are honored to be back again to mix for some great Latin bands! Last year, a hurricane passed by the area, which caused the event to be cancelled. But, we are back this year!
This video covers more of the setup and configuration of the event, which means the video is longer than what we normally produce.
There is some video of the bands, though, we were unable to get much of any video of the console/outboard.

[@davestaats7396]

General rule of thumb.... unload your gear as close to the stage as possible by parking the truck/trailer closer to the stage so you don't cut into set up time moving gear around. Gear should be moved directly into place once it's off loaded. Time is money as well as or in this case physical strength because you will be on your feet most of the day and you tend to get tired very quickly. One more point, winding cables around your arm is incorrect! ALWAYS coil up ALL cables under and over. This further reduces the individual conductors inside the outer jacket to become wrapped each other tighter thus preventing cables from shorting out. This includes mic, speaker and power cables. I've been a touring engineer for 30 years and improperly wound cables is never permitted on the job site or in the shop. LEARN TO WIND CABLES THE RIGHT WAY!!!

[@victorvalleytv1]

I completely agree with the winding of the cables. When I saw the first guy winding it around his arm I about sh1t myself!

[@Shoujan]

This video is so cool. I do small set ups for my own band but love learning this advanced stuff.

[@aaronm9353]

Oh, dear. Do I see some elbow cable winding at the end there? 😱 Over-under every time!

[@BOTTLEDCHEESE]

Freaking LOVE THIS CONTENT I run sound for my church and this is so cool to see how you guys setup and run event systems. Instead of dealing with a system like mine that has few changes from week to week

[@englishbaby8677]

I enjoy watching your videos. I am a live sound engineer from Nigeria. It's quite educative watching ur workload. Not so much different from what we do over here. Keep it up☝🏾

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you for your comment.

[@perrycalder6483]

Just thought I'd say I'd say I have watched this vid before and thought I'd take another look. I noticed you have a GB-8-24. I have a GB-8-32. The only thing I don't like about an analogue board is the need for a whole rack or two of outboard gear. ie. (compression and gates.) Now 31 band EQ is available on all outputs. Your mid/high hanging arrays are RCF. Very good line array cabs. I have old Yorkville EX 2000's which were loaded with RCF drivers factory. I've kicked the crap out of these and they still deliver. When it comes to subs, dispersion is important as you can get " Power Alley " effect if not placed correctly. ( I know you guys already got this down) Hanging arrays, vertical dispersion and horizontal dispersion with your RCF hangs seem to be superb. Rock On Guys. Absolutely love this industry. (You might know. I'm a Drummer who owns the PA.) Thanks Guys.

[@stageleftaudio]

Thanks for the comment! We still use analog gear for some shows... and digital for others.

[@comment2009]

Nice to see the GB8. I used one in sports production for 10 years. Maxed out the inputs. Matrix very handy for some special mix minus feeds. Digital boards of course have advantages, but the GB8 is a versatile analog board. I use a wicking type shirt during set up, then change to production shirt.

[@manuel1969able]

Thanks for sharing your videos. Great job.

[@haroldchristian5212]

H Christian I have a seven piece band in the Norfolk/Va.beach area. I'm the sax player and equipment person. this is the second video i've seen for this latino Festival. Awesome job with the levels and the whole setup On your Subs I think I saw two JBL's dual 18's not sure of the other two. I would love to be there next year.

[@paultodd3497]

15 Hours of work in one day Hope you guys got paid well for the work you put in

[@DJSHaKa]

And i thought setting up a 150 person wedding with 2 speakers and a sub was a pain in the ass LOL. Nice work guys!

[@avproductions850]

It’s not about quantity it’s all about quality

[@3dprint-tech787]

I noticed that all your equipment is well marked in this video. A video on how you go about marking your gear would be nice. Greetings from Belgium!

[@stageleftaudio]

Thanks for the reply. I have considered doing a video about the case markings. Maybe in the near future!

[@dennisbeckwith5654]

always a fun and challenging event. nice video, as always, sir!!!

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you for your continued support!

[@hsalg1972]

Love your work sir.Very profetional.Keep up with the good work.

[@kimhansen8072]

Hi Bob, thanks for another great video. Great you write what equipment you use. Learning so much from your videos, I look forward to more. Greetings Kim from Denmark.

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you for your comment.

[@bongtirao1649]

That's great! I'd like your equipment sir...

[@RobMLyon]

Great job!!

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you!

[@musicman27606]

Very good video.

[@user-nl2tf6kz4n]

hello，u guys are so amazing! I want to know what’s the brand name for ur speaker hanger, in our country I haven’t see this hanger before

[@stageleftaudio]

Speakers are RCF NXL-23A Thanks for your comment.

[@anthonyvillanueva4500]

LOVE THIS CONTENT

[@victorvalleytv1]

You guys did an excellent job with just the right amount of PA for the gig. The only thing I would change is going to a digital console. The main reason for this is to cut down on the outboard gear, thus moving less overall equipment. And wind the cables correctly, the last time I had a guy wrap a cable around his arm ended up walking home.(Not really, but that's not acceptable). I would like to inquire about the stands used to support your FOH speakers please? Any information would be appreciated. Great job Gentlemen.!

[@stageleftaudio]

Thanks for your comment. We actually use digital consoles (Presonus, A&H) for some shows. For us, analog has other advantages over digital for certain events (just like the event in this video). The added weight and space of the outboard is negligible to the total of the deployment... but, I understand exactly what you mean! The speaker lifts were manufactured by Penn-Elcom. They support 600 lbs. and when taken apart, they both fit in our cargo van. The lifts are no longer manufactured by Penn-Elcom. They may have sold the design to another manufacturer. Hope this helps.

[@jessecoonen7881]

Great work! Would love to know how you pay your crew. I own and run a production company myself and I’m always trying to find a happy spot where my guys are taken care of but the business and gear still making the money it needs to be able to be self sustaining. Let me know your thoughts or if you’d rather discuss via direct email.

[@robertaycock3251]

On your monitor amps pld4.2 when running all four ch how many speaker can you run 1 per ch or 2 per ch thanks for the help

[@stageleftaudio]

We usually run only 1 speaker per channel (a single 8-ohm load on each channel), but will occasionally run 2 speakers on a channel. When we run 2 speakers on a channel, we set the amp to a 4-ohm load on the channel that has 2 speakers. This ensures the amp produces the power needed to support 2 speakers. The amp should support 2 speakers per channel.

[@ELSSAUDIOELECTRONICS]

i love your very big sub

[@fantazykory]

How many ft apart are the sub woofers.?

[@stageleftaudio]

For this event, I think we had them 6ft (1.8m) apart on center. This allowed for broad coverage out front and bass cancellations on the sides of the stage.

[@PassiveProPH]

What is the model of the crank lift for arrays

[@stageleftaudio]

Those lifts were made by a company called Penn-Elcom. They no longer manufacture them. It's possible another company has taken over the manufacturing of them.

[@joshcofer]

Hey what brand of speaker lift do you guys use?

[@stageleftaudio]

Those lifts were manufactured by Penn-Elcom. However, they no longer make them. I'm not sure if someone else is making those types of lifts.

[@herowillrose3198]

It was great work effort from three men crews. The vocals were very crystal clear, but I like to hear more of Drum, and other instruments in the mixed... I am not sure your intention, but I really looking to hear more from the Subs you have setups. I have done some type of works long ago, I'd built many type of live connectors and electrical connections for my systems, but your system are more advance than 20 years ago, I like to get back into this again. Please indicating your systems models or product names that you were used during this recorded show. Thank you.

[@stageleftaudio]

The camera microphone does not pick up bass that well. There's plenty of bass during this event. The camera mic compresses all audio, therefore, if one instrument is loud, the entire audio will sound quieter (as it compresses due to the one loud instrument); which means instruments that are "backing" will be very quite. Some of the gear for this event is RCF, JBL, Soundcraft, Audix, dBx, Crown

[@peteryousef5177]

hello please can you make a video about speakers line array ( active and passive ) please and explain the system

[@stageleftaudio]

We will try to have a video covering this topic.

[@peteryousef5177]

@@stageleftaudio ok please i hope that

[@amintasfranco]

I missed something ?Or you guys forgott to mention the type of boxes on PA? I really like the way americans deal with tone and volume!!!! Sounded good to me!!!!!!

[@stageleftaudio]

The boxes are mentioned in the last part of the video. Thanks for your comment!

[@vankiu]

How much would all that work be worth for this event ?

[@alexandermundia-xk9jn]

Good Job. How do you handle feedback from drumset Mics?

[@stageleftaudio]

Thanks for the comment. Feedback is managed through proper gain settings, mic placement, gates and EQ.

[@trevorglaum6203]

Where do you get power for the boxes prior to sending it to your personal power distribution system? Does the venue run a line out to the stage? 100amp? Thanks for the video!

[@stageleftaudio]

The power comes from an onsite Diesel generator provided by the organizers. The generator for this event produced about 35KW (if I recall correctly). We requested two 240volt/50amp service boxes to be run to the stage.

[@bobbyholman3491]

what brand are the speaker lift stands,and where can they be purchased?

[@stageleftaudio]

Those lifts were originally manufactured by Penn-Elcom; however, they no longer manufacture them. I'm not sure if anyone does.

[@SMLsoundlights]

Did you process the rcf nxl23a? What frequencies did you cut?

[@stageleftaudio]

We used the DSP on the rear of the cabinets. Each cabinet was set as "array" and the cluster-size was set accordingly. From what I recall, they were crossed over around 100hz. We rarely cut FOH frequencies on outdoor shows; I'm sure there were no cuts for this event.

[@johnmitchell91]

Do you recommend these lifts still for this type of event? I am on the fence and have the opportunity to get a pair, I do basically the same style events locally. Thank you.

[@stageleftaudio]

These lifts have been great. They don't weigh much and can be transported rather easily. Make sure your speakers aren't too wide for the support poles.

[@johnmitchell91]

@@stageleftaudio Thank you!

[@alexandermundia-xk9jn]

How much did you charge for this event? We do about 4k Usd in Kenya.

[@stageleftaudio]

We never discuss our service rates. All events we do are different and usually require different gear between them, therefore our rates are never the same.

[@aj5752000]

I hate that manufacturers think the best way to move and store line arrays is on the dolley with a cloth cover. I had custom road cases built for 2 units in each case, still manageable but if it takes a hit while moving or while in the truck, the grilles and speakers are protected.

[@soundfreak8892]

that soundcraft console sounds good.. but its time to get a midas m32!

[@avproductions850]

Because you said so??

[@soundfreak8892]

Well there is many reasons why. Especially in today's world carrying all of that analog gear is a pain in the ass sometimes, the soundcraft sounds great. Even soundcraft has digital consoles like the si expression line of consoles. Having a digital console makes mixing easier and makes the soundcheck process faster. Not because i say so. I just highly suggest switching over to a digital console doesn't have to be a m32 it can be any digital console

[@BjorgenEatinger]

What kind of lifts are you using for your line-arrays?

[@stageleftaudio]

They were manufactured by a company called Penn-Elcom. Though, they no longer make these lifts.

[@robertaycock3251]

What kind of array lift do you have for your FOH speaker thanks

[@stageleftaudio]

Those were manufactured from a company called Penn-Elcom; however, they no longer produce those. These lifts are lightweight (compared to most all other lifts) and can be easily transported in most any standard cargo van. I think another company took over the manufacturing... not sure.

[@emeses1985]

No front fills for this event? I didn't see any.

[@stageleftaudio]

Not for this event. The main FOH speakers were able to cover the close audience area (at the crowd-control barriers). If the barriers were any closer, front fills would have been used.

[@davestaats7396]

If the line arrays have a wide dispersion and the distance between the left and right arrays is 50ft or less often front fills are not often needed, plus front fills have to be delayed and eq'd differently then the left and right mains. Remember for smaller events more is not always better.

[@cjramseyer]

What is the line array that you are using in this video?

[@stageleftaudio]

RCF NXL-23A

[@BigHeartedMan65]

When will you be teaching Craig How to Roll a cord up the right way ???

[@deejayduy]

i was thinking the same thing.. LOL

[@djtitanik]

Anyone knows who makes the Speaker lift

[@stageleftaudio]

It was originally made by Penn-Elcom. However, they no longer manufacture lifts.

[@DJRickSTL]

Hello Currently living in the Area and wanted to see if you guys needed a stage had or roadie once in a while. Trying to keep myself busy on the weekends. BTW also fluent in spanish.

[@georgesnow]

At 2:43 I thought that case was going to slide out the side door ...!

[@stageleftaudio]

There seems to be something always rolling around in the trailer.

[@THEREALDJREDD]

Love it

[@EzraVasqueznathan]

Can i apply as your helper crew

[@shaynekant8959]

Great video !! The line array tower stands really caught my eye and it looks great... What would be the specific name for those types of tower stands I tried looking for it couldn’t find any, Any idea where I could get a pair ? Thanks

[@stageleftaudio]

Those lifts are manufactured by Penn-Elcom. They have offices throughout the world. I believe they call those lifts "Speaker Stands". The ones in the video are the 4-meter height and 36-inches across. They weigh about 100lbs (50Kg) each and are very portable. They've been great with the events we do.

[@johnmitchell6243]

Once again I have returned to your videos to get me through a day off! Do you guys ever do southern rock style bands or maybe already have? If so any chance you could post one? Stay safe my friends and thank you so much for the vids!

[@dustinthiessen]

Any reason in particular you've not used a monitor desk on this gig? Makes life at a throw'n go in particular much easier!

[@stageleftaudio]

The size of the event and that only one band was going to perform. We've used a separate monitor console for some events; it depends on the size of the gig and number of bands.

[@NghtHwkk]

Why do you always remove the front branding on the speakers? (the monitors in this one) To make it look clean or is it custom made by you guys?

[@stageleftaudio]

Yes. The branding hardware is removed to present a clean non-descriptive setup. Also, branding hardware is most always the first item to become broken, marred, or trashed due to handling. Having broken pieces of hardware attached to speakers does not present well to customers and guests!

[@NghtHwkk]

stageleftaudio Hmm.. makes sense. Thanks for fast response. Great service.

[@FloRian-vb1lt]

Crazy to see that construction you guys used for lifting the PA. It's just put on the floor, is it? No ballast being added or something? Or is it somehow attached to the floor?

[@stageleftaudio]

Those lifts are professional and specifically designed to elevate speakers. They just sit on the ground/stage (no floor attachments needed). No ballasts needed.

[@FloRian-vb1lt]

​@@stageleftaudio I'd love to see the technical documents for these. I doubt they are rated to be used outdoors without added ballast.

[@stageleftaudio]

For this particular event, ballasts were not needed (no wind). If wind was present (up to about 15 mph), ballasts would have been used. The lifts are rated to 30 mph, however, if the wind was more than 15 mph (or forecasted at more than 15), the speakers would have been ground stacked.

[@FloRian-vb1lt]

stageleftaudio Sorry guys, but setting up such kind of lifts outdoor without applying proper ballast to withstand windforces the stage itself is rated for is nothing one should do. Does the manufacturer really allow you to use them outdoors without ballast, even if there’s no „wind in sight“? Can’t imagine that

[@jnfe]

Pretty cool:) Are you guys going to update to a digital board, maybe an Avid Venue? I couldn't even imagine going back to an analogue desk.

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you for your comment. We use a Presonus Studio Live Series 3 console for some shows. We also use a first generation Presonus 16.4.2 for smaller shows. Actually, for multi-band events (as in this video), we find analog consoles to be much easier to mix on than digital ones; there's a lot less button pushing with them. We do have a few other videos on our channel using the Presonus consoles.

[@fitness5]

Hi, Coming From Your PDU To Your Spider Box, Are You Using Cams From A Generator To The Box? Thank You. By The Way The Name Of The Array Lift Is SAS Lift. Thanks Again.

[@stageleftaudio]

There were Cams in use directly from the generator to a breakered PDU (behind the stage). From here, the breakered PDU provided 2 x 50amp break-outs -- spider boxes -- (240V) that fed each side of the stage. The entire sound system was run from 1 x 50amp spider box. This 50amp service is the spider box shown in the video where I connected the 50amp twist-lock to our Motion Labs. Amplifier efficiency has made it possible to use much less electricity at these larger events. Ah yes... and you are correct... they are SAS lifts!

[@unrestrictedhumanbeing9799]

May I ask how much your company got paid for this event? Im living outside of USA and trying to make a research on prices outside of my country.

[@stageleftaudio]

Hello, unfortunately, we are unable to discuss service rates on public forums.

[@williamjordan1534]

Brilliant video as always! Out of curiosity - is the footprint of the speaker lifts not too small for the amount of weight? They seem to be very top-heavy and leaning forward a little. We all know some of the idiots that will walk into these structures. Did you anchor that bases down somehow?

[@stageleftaudio]

The speaker lifts are engineered/designed to safely elevate speakers. The base of the lifts are large (the video doesn't depict their size). The size and spread of the feet/legs provides plenty of stability. Depending on how much wind there is (or forecasted), we will ballast the legs (70lbs to 140lbs per lift). The lift is wind rated; though, If the wind is close to half its rated speed, we don't fly the speakers; ground-stack only. The lifts are designed to be temporary, therefore there's no mechanisms to make them "permanent" to a stage. Thank you for your comment.

[@scottstewartar]

@@stageleftaudio what brand are the speaker lifts?

[@quentincollins7033]

Cool

[@HunterShawMusic]

Why do you have your subs so far apart? That looks like it would just mangle your coverage. Are you applying delay to the outside subs?

[@stageleftaudio]

The subs were separated by close to 6'(ft) between them (on center). This was to ensure the bass energy was focused forward, and to keep the bass energy (through wave cancellations) off of the sides of the stage area. There was no need to delay the outside subs.

[@HunterShawMusic]

stageleftaudio that’s not how that works. All you’re doing is creating giant holes in your LF coverage at weird spots in the coverage area and smearing the time domain because of the different arrival times from each sub. 6ft apart is gonna give you all sorts of phase problems. If you want to focus energy off of the stage, you could do end fire, slot end fire, or cardioid setups. Without doing anything fancy, you’d be better off just coupling everything together in the middle.

[@stageleftaudio]

There's going to be holes at certain frequencies, but certainly not all. The sub setup for this event was to allow a stronger ~50hz out front (as well as the rear). Also, this setup greatly reduced the sub levels on the sides of the stage (outside of the stage area - where guests were freely to move around). Center clustering all the subs can mitigate some issues, but introduce others. An end fire setup was considered as well as cardioid, however, the performers were not opposed to having more bass on stage.

[@HunterShawMusic]

stageleftaudio there will be massive holes down to about 55hz. Don’t understand how end fire (two lines of two) right in the middle wouldn’t get you the same result (no energy on side stage) while at the same time summing better at all frequencies out front.

[@lamkasoundreinforcements2853]

Sir can you please tell me the processor that you used for your drums??

[@stageleftaudio]

No processor used on the drums. The drums only had gates and compression applied to them. Good drum sound comes from the quality of the drums, mics, mic placement, proper gain and any EQ (cuts in EQ only).

[@kaiulrich6185]

I am a live sound engineer for over three decades now and I would not want to do a show where I am out of breath all the time.

[@smplykje1720]

How many crews do you have?

[@stageleftaudio]

We have one (very dedicated) crew and the occasionally volunteers.

[@jessecoonen7881]

What’s the size of your trailer?

[@stageleftaudio]

6ft x 12ft

[@PRODUCCIONESPROEZAS]

more lessons from your speaker lift please, thanks

[@scottstewartar]

Following

[@ELSSAUDIOELECTRONICS]

i think the language of the band is all spanish

[@jmac6832]

I'd leave the coil for those monitors sends at the monitor end, so when the band wants to move the monitors around they have some excess cable to work with. It's too bad that they didn't get a stage that has flybars, like an SL100.

[@king_djwalex9997]

hello，u guys are doing amazing work! I want to know what’s the brand name for ur speaker & the arrey hanger, in my country Africa I haven’t see this hanger before

[@stageleftaudio]

The FOH mid/high cabinets are RCF NXL 23A. The fly gear is from Penn-Elcom (out of Canada); I don't recall the model. Thank you for your comment.

[@danielvjneciosalazar3503]

SAS Speaker Stands

[@user-rs2bd5fp9j]

Hi how do I get a line array holder?

[@stageleftaudio]

You may need to contact the manufacturer for any needed parts, including flybars.

[@user-rs2bd5fp9j]

@@stageleftaudio What's your manufacturer name?

[@stageleftaudio]

RCF (from Italy)

[@user-rs2bd5fp9j]

@@stageleftaudio I want to know the stand model

[@stageleftaudio]

The lifts are actually manufactured by Penn-Elcom (out of Canada). I don't recall a model number for them. Take a look at Penn-Elcom.

[@ruhihifidjbajalta2596]

I can't take that much pressure

[@jdkramer5835]

How are you an events company when your crew cant even coil cables properly. disappointed in Dennis and Craig.. :)

[@stageleftaudio]

The method of coiling cables is personal... as long as all the gear makes it back to the shop, it's all good ;)

[@jdkramer5835]

@@stageleftaudio how they're coiling cables is how you break cables.

[@stageleftaudio]

If the cables break just being coiled, those cables should not be used. None of our cables break because of how they are coiled.

[@dylandylan11731]

DB25 as I/O on FX/Drive racks 😱 very easily damaged plug and hardly road/touring suitable. Use link/Soccopex/burndy or some form of decent connector. In fact the impedance of the pins in the db25 connectors is 110ohm - suitable for digital aes/ebu digital signals and the like - but most certainly a weak point in your cabling. But once, cry once!!!!