Equpiment Needed to GIG

Ok, so I'm really stupid. I've never heard of them, so did I quick google search and went to their web site. The picture looked strangely familiar, which is because I have five of them sitting right here on my desk. :oops:

Ok, so I'm really stupid. I've never heard of them, so did I quick google search and went to their web site. The picture looked strangely familiar, which is because I have five of them sitting right here on my desk. :oops:

:lol:

thanks... i guess most cases 2 acoustics and a fiddle... maybe drums but probally not.. ive heard a PA will suffice and a couple nice mics.. anything else?

Ok - I'm assuming you guys do bluegrass and/or folk. With that instrumentation, Your simplest option is a powered PA mixer with 6-12 inputs and a fair amount of power. Yamaha, Mackie, Alesis, and Carvin all offer excellent inexpensive powered mixers in that range with up to 1000 watts of onboard power.

Why so many inputs with only 3 instruments? Flexibility.

For a small bar or coffee house where you're not going to need or want a whole lot of volume, simply put a good omnidirectional mic on the stage and gather in a semicircle around it. If someone takes a solo, they take a step toward the mic and step back when they're done. This one's also good for outdoor gigs where you don't have to worry about room reflections causing feedback. Pros: dead simple setup - slap the mic up there, set the level and go. Cons: NOT good at all if you need more indoor volume. Omni mics will pick up reflected sound and feed back easily.

For larger venues where you need more volume, you'll want to use directional mics for each vocal and instrument (if the guitars are electric/acoustic you can go direct into the PA, but mics still sound nicer). You'll probably want to have at least one monitor set up to insure that you can hear each other. Pros: more feedback resistant, more volume. Cons: More complex setup, for best results you'll want a pre-show sound check and someone to operate the mixer at the front of the house.

So what would my recommended PA equipment list be?

Powered mixer (recommend 2 inputs per person)
Pair of 2 way cabs that can handle whatever power sent by the mixer
Stands for the cabs
1 omni, 6 directional mics (one mic for each instrument and vocal)
Appropriate cables and stands for the mics
1 floor wedge or 2 "hot spot" stand mount monitors

I forgot to mention duct tape. How on earth could I forget to mention duct tape.

Never, never never never never never gig without duct tape.

There are few gig'ing emergencies that can't be solved with a sufficient amount of duct tape.

I forgot to mention duct tape. How on earth could I forget to mention duct tape.

Never, never never never never never gig without duct tape.

There are few gig'ing emergencies that can't be solved with a sufficient amount of duct tape.
Never leave home without ducttape there are few life emergencies that can't be fixed with it

I forgot to mention duct tape. How on earth could I forget to mention duct tape.

Never, never never never never never gig without duct tape.

There are few gig'ing emergencies that can't be solved with a sufficient amount of duct tape.

If you can get it and are willing to pay a bit more, get the real stuff -- gaffer's tape -- unless you really like gooey adhesive mess stuck all over your cables and equipment.

I knew a roadie who used to carry two spools clipped to his utiltiy belt one on each side, he could rip off a length faster than you could see him do it. He somehow got the nickname "Doc Holiday" . ..

Good one.

I knew a groupie who kept two ... uh, here come the moderators -- nevermind.

I met her!

Man she had the best pair of . .oh .. Hi Nick!

Thanks for all the good help.. all the acoutics plug up and the fiddle with have to be miced.. thanks again for all the help