Medium Bands typically have one or two guitars, bass and drums, vocalist and maybe a keyboard. We'd normally recommend 12" speakers, but if your style of music is on the heavy side and you are planning to mike up the bass through the PA, then you should consider 15" speakers or look at our recommendations for larger bands. If you are playing at a reasonable level then we would recommend using stage monitors - this really does help you to sing in tune!

Large bands need a rugged, professional-quality set up at an affordable price. They usually have one or two guitars, keyboards, as well as bass and drums, plus two or three vocalists. Playing larger venues, there will probably be a need to mike up instruments and have the mixer at the back of the hall, connected to the stage via a multicore/snake.

If you're just starting out and not sure whether to get Passive or Active speakers we would recommend a passive desk and active speakers every time. An active speaker package is flexible, meaning you can add to it over the years as your band begins to play larger venues. 10" or 12" speakers you buy now can be used as monitors if you want to upgrade to 15" in the future, and you can add bass bins later for a fuller sound. You can also double your number of speakers in time, and still run them off the same mixing desk.

If you are considering miking-up lots of instruments, you need to make sure that your mixer has the right number and type of input channels - our What PA Designer will help you with this. If you play loud then miking-up allows you to have a lower stage volume level so that you don't damage your ears! We would normally recommend 15 inch speakers for a typical set up with a full stage monitor system.

Take a look at our Top Tips for getting the best out of rehearsal time, and remember you can advertise your gigs and find musicians in the Forum.

Carlsbro 500W PA Package with powered 10 inch speakers An entry level package for bands with just vocals through the PA. If you intend to use a keyboard through the PA we would recommend the 600Watt package with 12inch speakers. Gammas are the most rugged of the speaker cabs and the covers will give you additional protection when you're transporting them to and from gigs. Megamix 8 - 4 Mono 2 Stereo Channel unpowered Mixer with DSP + ABS carry case 2 x Gamma 10/250A speakers 2 x speaker stands & leads 2 x padded speaker covers OUR PRICE £654 inc VAT Carlsbro 600W Package with powered 12 in speakers This package is an ideal solution for medium sized bands and rehearsal rooms. It can be easily upgraded by the addition of a pair of 600W powered bass bins to give a large band system. It includes a 12 channel mixer with digital effects, ABS carry case, a pair of 12inch full range powered speakers (with covers- highly recommended) and all cables. Megamix 12 DSP - 8 Mono 2 Stereo Channel Unpowered Mixer with DSP + ABS Carry Case 2 x Gamma 12/300A speakers 2 x speaker stands & leads 2 x padded speaker covers OUR PRICE £793 inc VAT Carlsbro 800W Package with powered 15 in speakers This package is ideal for pubs and clubs and for larger bands. Consider adding Gamma 15/600A bass bins if you're miking up drums and bass to give a fuller sound, and an Alpha 10" monitor system to help the bands stay together and sing in tune! Recommended microphones are the CMW20s. Megamix 12 DSP - 8 Mono 2 Stereo Channel Unpowered Mixer with DSP + ABS Carry Case 2 x Gamma 15/400A speakers 2 x speaker stands & leads 2 x Speaker Covers OUR PRICE £880 inc VAT Carlsbro Alpha 10" Monitor system 10" 100W system comprising 1 x Alpha EM10 (passive), 1 x Alpha PM10 (powered). This cost-effective combination of one powered and one un-powered monitor allows the volume of each monitor to be controlled independently. A 12" Monitor System is also available, see online shop for details.   10 x 1.75" LF Driver Horn 100W Passive (8Ohm) 2 x Jack Connections Pole Mount Bar Handles 100W Active With External Speaker Output Mic/Line Jack Link Out Jack Volume OUR PRICE £200 inc VAT Carlsbro True Diversity UHF Receiver & Handheld Microphone True diversity wireless microphone system, as good as systems costing twice the price. Includes flight case. Switch between channels to avoid local interference. Frequency Response - 863-865MHz 16 preset channels XLR & Jack outputs Volume & channel controls RF bond & Signal display Hard bodied case OUR PRICE £110 inc VAT Visit the online shop for our full range of PA Systems and microphones

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