Hi folks . . .

Like I said in another post, I'm looking pretty seriously at getting an L1 Compact for confeehouse-size solo/duo gigs with vocal, keys, and drum machine.

It's a big investment right now, and I would be happy just using, say, a small Yamaha mixer with the Compact for mic preamps, eq, etc.. Something I can throw in a backpack with the drum machine, not too much $ if it's damaged on the gig.

To those of you who have used the L1 Compact with and without the T1 -- what are the pros and cons?

thanks for your thoughts.


Edit L1c → Compact
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quote:

To those of you who have used the L1 Compact with and without the T1 -- what are the pros and cons?

HI Percussion Boy

WE own a compact and do a vocal due with keyboards. I own a tone match and love it. IF money is tight I would suggest that you buy an Allen & Health Led 10 fx mixer which I also use. It in my opinion is the best bang for the buck You can buy it on line for around
$250. You won't be sorry. This mixer is awesome!

Glad to help!
AJ
ClassicEntertaint
Music is neither new or old ....it just "is"

Hi Percussion Boy,

The T1® has several things that most other mixers don't.

ToneMatch® Presets ⇐ follow this link to see What is the concept behind ToneMatch® presets, and what are the benefits?

and

Four discrete signal chains complete with separate EQ, ParaEQ, Compression / Gate, Modulation Effects, Delay, Reverb. (reverb type is shared but reverb parameters are applied separately).

and

You can store all your settings as Scenes. A Scene is basically a snapshot of all the settings for all the channels (excluding volume and trim). The means that you can have Scenes for different combinations of instruments or for different venues, and you can call these up instantly when you need them.

The T1® is absolutely the most musical piece of gear that I've ever owned. It never gets in the way of the music.


Here is a related discussion Just got a Compact (and thinking of getting a T1)

Hi percussion boy

It's me again AJ......look...if you can't afford a tonematch right now then all the features in the world won't help you. If you can afford a Tone match then by all means buy one , but I was under the impression that money was a factor right now considering start up costs with the compact. That's the only reason I recommended the Allen and Health Led 10 fx. gezzzzzzzzz.........now I feel like i got to go to confession?

AJ

quote:

Originally posted by percussion boy:
Hi folks . . .


To those of you who have used the L1 Compact with and without the T1 -- what are the pros and cons?

thanks for your thoughts.

The Compact has a vocal preset on channel 1 and a guitar preset on channel 2.

If you have a small mixer that has stereo sends you can separate your signals to be able to take advantage of the Bose presets.

In your case you are not using a guitar but you can still separate your vocal from the other sound sources and take advantage of both Compact channels, and the guitar preset can be turned off.

One has to be very conscious of setting gain when running a line level signal to Compact channel one, but it will work that way.

The T1 is a complete companion to the Compact, but it is not absolutely necessary for great sound. After all, Bose designed and delivered the Compact without a ToneMatch port for the T1.

If I were making the decision, and planned on buying the T1 at some point in the near future, when I was over the financial shock of buying the Compact, I would buy a mini mixer, something under $100, that would do the job right now, and save my money for the T1 later.

Have you had an opportunity to try the Compact with your program material? Anyone with the name "percussion boy" should make sure the Compact will deliver the necessary drum sounds with the desired mix proportions.

O..

Hi Percussion Boy,

I believe that the T1® provides incredible price point value and functionality. Using a lower cost mixer would work fine at lower sound levels but I would miss the clarity provided by the T1® and the ToneMatch® Presets (the other bells and whistles would be missed as well). Should you need to use your system at louder sound levels, then I feel that the T1® would outperform most other mixers.

If you only have one vocal microphone, then you should be able to connect it along with a keyboard and a drum machine to the inputs on the Compact provided you can control the output volume of the keyboard and drum machine.

I your budget absolutely won't allow the purchase of the T1® at this time, AJ has provided a good suggestion. But at $250 you would be half way to the price of the T1®. There less costly options for small mixers available; sound quality will vary, features will be limited so you should consider what minimum features you would not want to be without.

AJ,

I feel that it is always healthy for any community to think outside the box. Of course, I'm a diehard fan of the T1® and own one. I also recognize that everyone's financial realities vary and one should also weigh their options wisely. This is where input like yours and of other members of this community have tremendous value and should always be appreciated and welcomed.

More than one road leads to Rome. We each have our own path and choices on our journey. Shared wisdom that is offered as gift rather than imposed can ease the burdens faced on ones journey, opening one to much more potential for joy...

Thanks folks! That's all very helpful.

Anyone else got thoughts?

I'm still real curious to hear from people who have used the Compact both with the T1 and with a different mixer.

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I agree with Mark(Le5).
If you can afford a T1 - buy one, but I've done plenty of gigs just using the provided inputs.
Hint: The headphone out of your keys through the rca inputs on the Compact can sound great if you have EQ onboard yer keys(something about little speakers and headphone signals makes sense to me and it works!).I run a balanced trs to trs with a female 1/4 " stereo to rca adaptor.
This leaves a quarter inch in for whatever, a vocal XLR in( best sound for vocals IMO, if you don't want to get loud, is that mic channel on the Compact. Actually amazing reproduction.),and another 1/8 inch stereo in for drum machine (also better if DM has EQ & volume control) --> Headphone out, again, is worth a shot! This time 1/4" female stereo to 1/8 stereo adapter on the balanced cable. Easy to make a snake with the two stereo balanced cables.(or buy it premade)

I know some folks think it's silly but.., the headphone send concept rids you of a lot of phasing issues with keys,and panning issues with Drum Machines if they don't sum mono properly...and a lot don't! You also can make efficient use of the Compact's existing inputs.
AND AGAIN,the Compact likes that signal level.

Sorry 'bout the ramblin', just sayin'...

Respect, O

Sorry I've never tried the compact with the T1 but I've been on the forum long enough to read reports from many users who do. I'll save you looking it up, they all love it and I doubt any of them would ever use anything else after getting the T1.
That said, I've read from a number of users who have been happy with different mixers. If money isn't too big of a factor get the T1, it's not just great for Bose products its one of the most ingenious mixing devices I've ever used. But it is pricey, quality costs and keep in mind you need to buy the power adaptor separately. This is a rare Bose Fail IMO, anyone please tell me another product you have bought that didn't come with a power adaptor (that isn't also battery powered). It's like "Hey buy our mixer, it's 500 bucks and really awesome, you can't turn it on though, unless you spend more money!"
It's like buying a Mercedes and they charge you an extra $3000 for the keys. And I have model IIs so I can power from them but there are times I'd like to use the T1 without dragging out the power stand, I also don't think it's fair for all the compact users that want to expand their systems.

I would have to agree with Oldghm. I have and use Allen & Heath Zed, Behringer Xenyx and Peavey mixers. The T1 is in a class of its own compared to these. I scored a used T1 on ebay pretty reasonable and could not be happier, but if money is a concern and you plan on spending more than $200.00 I would hold off and save for a T1. I understand you may need something right now and I think Behrringer offers some great little mixers at an awsome price point with alot of bells and whistles. If you have something to get by for now or could borrow, I would hold out for the T1.

Sorry, I should add that I used the T1 with my Compact for an open mic night that I run with great success. The place that the open mic night was held is a average size ma & pop, bar and grill. Guessing pobably like 2500 square feet with up to 100 people at times. Some of the companies like Line 6 and Mackie are coming out with some interesting mixers. Much more than what you are looking for, but still interesting none the less and most likely will be coming out with their smaller brothers before long. Curious to know if Bose has another on the horizon. The T1 is greatly loved by myself and others around me though, and has changed the game alot, in what I do.

Thanks again everyone. Sounds like the T1 has some nice features but is not mandatory when using the L1 Compact.

Real tough call which way to go on this purchase. The Bose stuff is such a different paradigm versus a conventional powered cabinet.

If I look at getting an L1 Compact versus say, a QSC K10, I get the same portability but I'm actually paying more to Bose for less volume and less bass. On the other hand, the tweeter array of the L1c will probably give greater clarify and more coverage in a small room -- help put the vocals over.

Anyway, thanks again. Good community you've got going here.


Edit L1c → L1 Compact
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Hi percussion boy,

I don't want to get in a war of specs, for many reasons, but I think the Compact will produce as much if not more Low end than the QSC K10. If reading specs alone the QSC might win in the max SPL dept, but if we only consider usable volume in real world venues, I think the Compact will provide more people with quality coverage than the QSC.

You do pay a bit more for the Bose, but you don't need a stand nor do you have to store, transport, and setup/tear down the stand. The Compact weighs 11 pounds less than the QSC.

Depending on your location, you might also try the Compact risk free for 45 days. Check with your retailer.

O..

quote:

don't want to get in a war of specs, for many reasons, but I think the Compact will produce as much if not more Low end than the QSC K10.

Interesting. What's your experience with the K10?

LIke I said before and I usually don't chew my cabbage twice but here goes. This is all quite simple. The man wants to spend the less he can for a mixer "right now" He does not care about spec's or features right now. We are only trying to help him but we are bombarding him with our "expertise". Please spare him. We run 3 mic's, keyboard, and laptop thur both Bose Systems......that's why I settled for the mixer I chose after trying out 4 different types. I still love my Tonematch but now it has become my backup because I simply need more imputs than the Tonematch provides.

That's my story and I'. stickin to it!

LOL!!!!!!
AJ

Hi percussion boy,

I have no hands on experience with the QSC K10. My thoughts are based on a lot of use with the Compact and many years of use with conventional equipment having 8, 10, and 12 inch speakers.

The Compact bass speaker sits on the floor and has an advantage of coupling that a stand mounted speaker does not.

The printed specs are similar enough for me to say "I think" .... "as much" the coupling effect allows me to say "if not more".

Bose Compact printed spec

http://worldwide.bose.com/pro/...n/tds_l1_compact.pdf

QSC printed spec found at QSC online

http://www.qscaudio.com/produc...s_specifications.php

O..

Morning AJ,

Perhaps while chewing that cabbage you didn't notice percussion boy had offered a comparison of the Compact to the QSC K10.

O..

quote:

Perhaps while chewing that cabbage you didn't notice percussion boy had offered a comparison of the Compact to the QSC K10.

Hi Oldghm.

I was not referencing that but it is important that you mention it. Thanks! Hope all turns out well for him.

AJ

This from the original post:

quote:

I'm looking pretty seriously at getting an L1 Compact for confeehouse-size solo/duo gigs with vocal, keys, and drum machine.

Hence lack of inputs isn't an issue!

Compact alone can handle what he's talkin' about.

The T1 would be nice icing if he can afford it, and it only uses one input of the four provided on the Compact.

The Compact should sound better , be easier to use and result in less "complaints", in the venues he mentions, than the QSC K10.( IT REALLY DOES!!)

OS

Thanks for the additional thoughts . . .

The K10 vs. L1 Compact comment was my thinking out loud. Since the Bose has an 8" woofer and doesn't seem to be recommended by anyone for loud band situations, it's natural that I'd also loook at powered full range cabinets with a 10 or a 12 that fall in the same price range (QSC, Yamaha, whatever).

I agree with what's been said above about the problems with using one powered cabinet in a small venue, though -- sseems like the loud and soft spots in different parts of the room could cause problems for both audience and performer. That's where an array like the Bose should have a big advantage.

Anyway, thanks again. Great commnity here, I'm impressed.