WELL.... although i love the Bose at moderate volumes....over time... I just find when you REAL loud.... it doesnt BREATHE... its JUST LOUD... so I think i'll add the new QSC K12'S to the rig.. and see if that smooths things out. Use the Bose for monitor.... i just kinda hit a wall with mono volume. IVE tweaked my brains out.. it just feels harsh after a while. Guess Im trying to make a rock s how out of a one man band. lol... but for restaurants and small lounges the L1 will be fine. There must be a way of getting lots of VOLUME. without '''scream'' levels.

Hey, mysticradio ... how many B1's are you using when you want to get LOUD?

If only 1 ... then get a 2nd B1. A single B1 can't even come close to "keeping up" with the output of the column when getting loud.

For normal wide-range sounds at moderate-to-loud volumes in many places, I always recommend no fewer than 2 B1s.

If you really want to get loud, and/or bass-heavy music, then you might even consider adding the Extended Bass package (Packlite + 2 B1s) for a total of 4 B1s per L1. Having said that ... indoors, our church only uses 2 B1s per L1 -- and the teenagers never have complained about not having enough bass! Outdoors is now the only time I really consistently set up 4 B1's each for some of the L1's.

i have 2 B1s... why should i carry 4 b1's.. kinda takes away the PORTABLE concent doesnt it. 2 QSC K12'S at 40lb each seems more compact.. only 2 peices .. with 4 B1s the bose rig now is 7 peices..... everyone is raving about the new K12s.... and i get my STEREO back... but one wish list item for the T1 is is a feedback eliminator... i like the sound of the compressor but when turned up its squealey mc nealy.... And I find the bose system on say 9 o'clock almost non existent and not that legible sound wise. I REALLY think this system is best for what its designed for... A BAND.... where stereo becomes natural by placement. Theres loud smooth and loud harsh.. and bose cranked with piano becomes harsh.... in my view... but it is a great system for certain applications no doubt.

not looking for more bass... just smoother at higher volumes. Been told the K12's were stunning.... and sad to report the new Mackie HD (high defs) are very disappointing. The HD's are 90lb.... the K12's 41 lb ....

Hey mysticradio --

Your heart seems set on the K12s, so give them a try. And let us know how they work out for you!

--Rick

if you listen to them you'll see what i mean.... or HEAR what I mean....its not like im changing churches.. lol I just want S T E R E O .... NOBODY gets that.

and i will let you know. I dont think speaker boxes are going away for a long long time. But think about it.... if a band goes Bose... and each man has his own system...and most have two B1s .. some have up to 4 B1s .....thats a total of of up to 30 pieces of gear on stage just in Bose gear. The saving grace is. each man takes care of his own stuff.. but sometimes.. they use one truck to haul it. So it can get crowded.
14 B1's dont tuck away neatly in the glove compartment. FOH type systems are becoming more efficent and lighter. So, actually it will be interesting how Bose will innovate in the future.... future gear in all areas will be changing and evolving... so it should be something to see as time goes by. Nobody hauls around a B3 and Leslie unless they are BIG acts on big stages. Software is becoming more and more believable, so are the leslie sims.
THANKS FOR LISTENING

Hmm... I think Mr. Mystic brings up interesting points and ideas...

Stereo... Band... Solo...

I absolutely agree that one sound source per player in a band or ensemble makes a ton of sense, and works great, as Bose intends. I LOVE mixing ourselves.

I also go with the single sound source when I perform solo, and most places are configured so that works well. I rarely play very loud solo either, myself. BUT... I can also understand interest in some form of stereo, and/or two sound sources for a solo performer. There's likely some value in considering this. I have heard Kova on this forum with his strong opinion that he needs stereo and dual sources for his performances and volume level. On another forum there's a fellow named Aloha Chris with a similar opinion, more adamant than Kova if you can believe :-) I am pretty sure these good guys, and others, are not just being argumentative - they believe what they believe and know what works for them, and I respect that. Worth consideration...

You have two ears. I remember in the olden days, REALLY being able to hear the difference in mono and stereo recordings, and stereo sounded SO good. You could so distinctly HEAR individual guitar parts and voices, and the overall sound was so cool. Fast-forward to today's surround sound... even more impressive, and also very enjoyable.

ALSO... a couple of band thoughts... Our drummer plays a high-end Roland e-kit, and for some big deals he sets up with TWO Bose L1's on either side of him, with two B1's each (plus a powered JBL 18 sub) - and man does that sound great! Our lead guitar guy sets up far right, and it's difficult to hear him well on the other side of the stage, so we line him out either to the Bose on the other side or a separate smaller monitor. I know that defies the band-mix-thyself theory, he could play louder but does not want to over-play. I, in-between, probably play somewhat too loud, but I feel like a rock band needs to be at a certain overall level to really rock the room. Both of these things contradict the single-source cocktail-effect concept, but reality they also are...

I guess I'd summarize to say that there's not necessarily ONLY ONE WAY to do all this stuff... Fortunately we have some outstanding gear with which to ply our trade, and it's interesting and informative to me to hear how we all choose to get it all done.

Respectfully, Mike

What I don't get is, what part of a solo act needs to be in stereo?.

Two speakers with the same signal is dual mono.

If you have a couple of pickups in your instrument or choose to split between a dry and a processed signal, that could be stereo, and possibly effective.

I don't see the advantage for doing anything in stereo or dual mono, with a single vocal if, clarity is very high on ones list for things to accomplish in a performance.

I have experimented with these ideas many times in the past and nothing worked for me any better than a single, carefully processed, signal.

Mike is correct, in the end each of us chooses how we want to sound, I guess the real question is whether or not the 'audience' gets it.

O..

Hello mysticradio,
I am not into using stereo,but 2 QSC K12's would be a great FOH for larger places.They go down to 45hz,light weight,compact,plenty of power and I'd have my trusty Bose Compact sound behind me.I am going to give them a listen. Thanks - J.D.

Excellent question O.. and I don't have an answer, but I sure like the idea of the exercise. I guess it's like if you made a solo record - that would likely be stereo, how would a master recording be done, and could that be adapted to a live setting? You're probably right, especially if you have already done the experimentation - the best live sound for a solo may be a single mono source...

As O said, two pickups in your guitar or perhaps a stereo chorus can be effective using 2 L1s. I've done that before, myself. As a proud owner of a classic, a model II, and now a compact, I could run it that way at every gig. Do I? Nah, I just love the sound and portability of using one system.

I'm using the compact for almost all of my gigs now.

Rick

heres an FYI.... you guys are all assuming im using guitar, in a nice 'light' lounge show.
Im not.. im using STEREO SAMPLES which were designed for stereo.. and I have no TC Helicon VOICELIVE 2 which in double mono sounds blicky.
Cant get enough 'spread' with the bose. For some reason some instruments dont DECODE.. properly.
If i had just an acousitc doing Peter paul and mary.. im sure Bose L1s are overkill. Something work for some and not for others...Compact is wonderful for nice light-hearted solo act. Im wanting Mini-concert SOUND. Anyways Im glad I could spark some discussion. After all its what this place is about. I may add a K-sub with the K12's... although theres a switch that makes the 12's go lower... and theres always those DBX processors that expand the dynamic range and add sub harmonic this and that.
Thanks for the feedback fellers !!

but theres another point rwj.... you have two systems... you're not COMPACT anymore.. K12's are $799.00 how much is another L1 syatem..?? Hmm?
you're most likely up to about 10 pieces .... again two K12s at 40lbs each is in my view COMPACT. CHEERS

SHOULD HAVE READ..... I NOW have a TC Helicon voicelive 2 and the stereo samples i referred to were on my yamaha piano synth

Hi Mystic,

Obviously the sound of stereo makes you happy. Cool!! I love the concept up on stage and when I push my L1 out front, for various reasons, a good monitor on a stick is also great. The key point is there is no one perfect way to make all players happy.
Whatever works for you is the best thing at the time. I know you have voiced frustrations with various setups, I hope you can get the sound you are looking for. For what it is worth, I still have challenges from time to time and I have tried a lot of variations.

That key issue remains: "What if I tried this"?

Best to you Mystic, good luck in your search.

I had an Ovation Adamas & a Yamaha acoustic that each had different stereo systems that I used live into two speakers in the past. The Ovation went left - right - left - right - left - right for strings 1-6. The Yamaha went from string 1 at left to string 6 at right & the rest panned in between. I used to play the Ovation with some songs set up to play a duet with myself on pairs of strings left & right. It was cool, but in the end it was just a gimmick & just wasn't me.

I even support mono in recordings sometimes.

Hello mysticradio,
I believe I understand where your at with stereo.You have built your sound with the dimension that your synth stereo samples provide.Some of your vocal effects are also in stereo giving you that dimensional sound that is 'your sound'.I just play guitar and sing,therefore my style,or my sound has evolved in mono.
I've heard keyboard musicians using settings that provided brass section on right side and strings on the left.Sounded amazing.So much dimension.I can certainly see how mono would kill that effect you've grown used to.Keep your stereo sound and do what makes you happy.Your audience will get a much better performance from you when your within your spatial zone. - J.D.

More "stereo" experience ...

I have, at times, used L & R out of a keyboard into two L1's ... but now-a-days I generally prefer the one-instrument-per-L1 -- but the kicker is that I run two instruments from one keyboard!

Specifically, the setup I use at church is a Roland RD700 keyboard with a MIDI out to also control a GEM RP/X piano module. The mono output from the RP/X goes to one L1 (the closest to the keyboard) -- it is the "primary" sound. The mono output from the RD700 goes solely to a second L1; I have two layers set up on the Roland -- but I turn OFF the primary layer (because that duplicates the RP/X channel). So, I can play the RD700 with the RD700's volume completely off and only hear the RP/X. Then, by selecting different voices on layer 2 (of the RD700, such as a pad, or a Rhodes piano, or organ, or ...), I can bring up the volume of that 'layered sound' on the RD700 -- which comes out of the 2nd L1.

So that is my use of "stereo" -- it is really to move a 2nd instrument to a different place on the "sound stage" ... but, in the sense that the notes are all controlled from one keyboard, it's stereo -- but with 100% separation between L & R.

theres no doubt in my my .... that my L1 system for a nice moderate CLEAR-TO-THE=BACK-OF -THE-ROOM application..... theres not a better system out there... but what i was thinking about that. is some people sit at the back so they dont have to have the sound coming at them from FOH systems... they still can hear.. but they can talk... and the peeps up front get the magic... one day i may go semi quad....or even 5.1 ....I just find stereo is TEMPERED better.. IMHO ... Bigger boxes to me sound better at low volumes as I dont find the bose sound good till about 11 o'clock... even 10 o'clock is pretty good... 9, well.... kinda lack lustre.
Im keeping my L1 system.. for monitor with only one half of the tower, and other times. renting the system out to lounge guys.
thanks for all the great feedback.

I used to use a stereo delay for "Another brick in the wall" set at 480ms on the right channel and 490ms on the left. I played in time with it. The effect was stunning to people...even though they didn't understand it when I tried to explain it to them. The same delay on the T1/L1 doesn't even come close, but... I love my BOSE L1MII/T1 too much to even think about replacing it. "The Wall" just simply isn't worth it. It works on mono too... the T1's delay is not bad at all, just... not QUITE there.
Also, a nice stereo reverb with ER's slanted a bit...or s wide stereo chorus can be very tangible for the audience, even if they can't understand or know WHAT exactly they are hearing.

Other benefits, Like having an amazing vocal clarity...outweighs the stereo by FAR, however!