What makes a good club PA system? There are several aspects to creating a PA system for in-house use, but they are not so different from any other sound system setup. It is mainly a matter of keeping in mind that your system will be for live performance and standard club DJ performances. It may also be used both by the in-house sound person and occasionally by someone from the outside who is assisting an act performing live. So it needs to be capable of handling your workload, but not so complex that it cannot be explained to a new user who has some experience.

Any adequate club PA system will have these basic components as part of a complete setup.

Mixers are either powered or analog to meet different sound quality needs. Powered mixers are usually the choice for smaller microphone setups, like acoustical artists, open mics, and coffeehouse venues. If you are staging live rock bands or a dance club you will want to invest in an analog mixer. Some clubs may want both options at their disposal.

Microphones are essential to having a live performance setup. Both dynamic and condenser microphones are used in different applications. So it is advisable to buy a few of each and have them on hand. Multiple mics should be stocked because they do breakdown more easily than some equipment.

PA speakers are either actively powered or passively unpowered. This means either they have amplifiers built internally or not. Passive have a higher power capacity and are perfect if you already have power amp devices.l If not then it maybe advantages to go the active speaker route. If it is a first time investment, you should take some time and shop around for opinions by professional sound tech services in your area. Many clubs choose to rent PA equipment to save the cost in maintenance.

Monitor systems are varied in complexity. In a club PA system it is not necessary to have an expensive wireless monitor setup usually. Basic unpowered stage style wedge monitors are simple to set up and use. They can be straight wired for club use, but are available with wireless options. The number of monitors will depend on the size of your live performance area.

You will have to think about investing in a real power amplification to keep your system sound from becoming distorted at higher volumes. If you don\’t invest in signal processing units you will be limited greatly. The average club at least needs a couple of chioces for graphic equalizers, a reverb unit, a delay controller, compressors, and a limiting processor. These will need to be optimized for the best performance when in use and set up presets for easier setup. These are just some reasons why most clubs want to own their own signal processing and not rent the effects processors. With all this equipment you will need to build or buy a rack mount set up for everything to be put in.

Keep these ideas in mind for your club PA system.

Author Bio: Edward Kendricks writes for Edisav, suppliers of audio visual equipment.

Category: Advice
Keywords: PA system, audio, visual, public address, PA installation, AV installation, club, sound, audio