DJ PA System Setup Help

Hi all,

I was hoping that I would be able to find some help and advice on the setup I have created for small house parties and events. I may have missed something very obvious to someone who is experienced on the matter, but as someone who has very limited experience on PA systems in general, this setup was put together through many hours researching on DJ PA systems.

So, my plan was to create the setup below;

Attachment 28011

This consists of;
- Numark Mixtrack Pro II DJ controller
- Behringer CX2310 Crossover unit
- Peavey CS800 Power Amplifier
- QTX Powered (Active) Subwoofer Speaker
- 2 x Peavey 200W top speakers

Now, the main question I have is that do I need a preamp mixer somewhere in the setup? I presumed that I can control the Bass, Mid and Treble through my DJ controller and that would be sufficient? - If this is not the case, what would be a good option of a mixer for someone with a small budget? (Would prefer to buy 2nd hand, good quality gear)

Thanks for taking the time to read through my forum post, and look forward to hearing your replies.

Joe

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Originally Posted by JoeC

Hi all,

I was hoping that I would be able to find some help and advice on the setup I have created for small house parties and events. I may have missed something very obvious to someone who is experienced on the matter, but as someone who has very limited experience on PA systems in general, this setup was put together through many hours researching on DJ PA systems.

So, my plan was to create the setup below;

Attachment 28011

This consists of;
- Numark Mixtrack Pro II DJ controller
- Behringer CX2310 Crossover unit
- Peavey CS800 Power Amplifier
- QTX Powered (Active) Subwoofer Speaker
- 2 x Peavey 200W top speakers

Now, the main question I have is that do I need a preamp mixer somewhere in the setup? I presumed that I can control the Bass, Mid and Treble through my DJ controller and that would be sufficient? - If this is not the case, what would be a good option of a mixer for someone with a small budget? (Would prefer to buy 2nd hand, good quality gear)

Thanks for taking the time to read through my forum post, and look forward to hearing your replies.

Joe

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You are going to want a controller that actually has balanced outs.

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Originally Posted by the_bastet

You are going to want a controller that actually has balanced outs.

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So would you be able to get away with not having a mixer between your controller and crossover?

honestly any little crappy band mixer off of craigslist will work. i use to lug around an old denon mixer just for my controller that didnt have balanced outs

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JoeC

So would you be able to get away with not having a mixer between your controller and crossover?

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If you plan on using a mic in your gigs (mobile DJ?) it's a good idea to have a small PA mixer after the controller. Majority of cheaper controllers have sub-par mic controls and gain staging can be tricky.

But, unless you already own some of the gear you mentioned I would not go with so many separate pieces. A good quality powered subwoofer with integrated crossover and powered tops is all that's needed in 99% cases. And of course, as bastet mentioned, a mixer/controller with balanced outputs so you can connect it with subwoofer.

If you don't already own it, why did you choose a separate crossover and passive tops for your setup?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SlayForMoney

If you plan on using a mic in your gigs (mobile DJ?) it's a good idea to have a small PA mixer after the controller. Majority of cheaper controllers have sub-par mic controls and gain staging can be tricky.

But, unless you already own some of the gear you mentioned I would not go with so many separate pieces. A good quality powered subwoofer with integrated crossover and powered tops is all that's needed in 99% cases. And of course, as bastet mentioned, a mixer/controller with balanced outputs so you can connect it with subwoofer.

If you don't already own it, why did you choose a separate crossover and passive tops for your setup?

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Yes, so I probably should have mentioned that it has been a development over a few years, so started out with the DJ controller and a mixer amp with the peavey speakers (I realise now that a mixer amp is the wrong thing to use for a DJ PA setup, as we soon blew this up)

I have purchased the cs800 to complement the speakers that I already own and bought the sub for a really good price on eBay just to add a bit more bass into the setup.

The crossover is in there to split my freq to tops and subs.

The question is now, can I run this setup, or do I need to add anything in to make it right?

Apologies if this sounds like a bit of a throw together PA system - maybe it is due to the tight budget I have been working with! - it is only for small friends house parties etc so if I can link all the things I have up properly, it should be more than enough for what I need it for!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JoeC

The question is now, can I run this setup, or do I need to add anything in to make it right?

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Grab a little Behringer Xenyx 502 for $40 - a small mixer with balanced outs is going to be the best item for the Job. It'll cut down on RF interference, You can control the master properly and you can plug a phone/ipod into the extra channel as backup if the laptop crashes.

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So would you be able to get away with not having a mixer between your controller and crossover?

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Quick answer is: Most probably yes.

If the cables are short enough between the numark and the crossover (less than 3m) you'd "probably" get away without anything other than a couple of RCA to TRS cables. You might get some ground hum however and you won't have the safety net of a backup.

Back when I used to do sound hire there was pretty much no mixers available (except mega expensive ones) with balanced outputs and they were paired up and sent out with RCA>TRS or RCA > XLR cables plugged straight into an amprack and sent out with massive rigs every week without any problems or complaints.

Everyone will tell you that you MUST have balanced outputs - and sure it cuts down on potential issues, but you can get away without them 99% of the time in a pinch.

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Originally Posted by deevey

Grab a little Behringer Xenyx 502 for $40 - a small mixer with balanced outs is going to be the best item for the Job. It'll cut down on RF interference, You can control the master properly and you can plug a phone/ipod into the extra channel as backup if the laptop crashes.



Quick answer is: Most probably yes.

If the cables are short enough between the numark and the crossover (less than 3m) you'd "probably" get away without anything other than a couple of RCA to TRS cables. You might get some ground hum however and you won't have the safety net of a backup.

Back when I used to do sound hire there was pretty much no mixers available (except mega expensive ones) with balanced outputs and they were paired up and sent out with RCA>TRS or RCA > XLR cables plugged straight into an amprack and sent out with massive rigs every week without any problems or complaints.

Everyone will tell you that you MUST have balanced outputs - and sure it cuts down on potential issues, but you can get away without them 99% of the time in a pinch.

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Thanks for the advice Deevey, much appreciated!

I have ordered myself a Behringer Xenyx 802, should give myself a bit of extra control over the EQ balance too.

Will let you know how I get on - thanks again!