Hi All, I am a female vocalist currently running one tower 2 x B1`s tonematch and play mp3 backing tracks through my notebook.
I use a wireless Line 6 mic.
Ok the sound that I now have is fantastic as it has taken a lot of time and persistance to achieve what I now have.
now the problem I have is that I now play to very large rooms 500 people plus and feel as if I need more oomph: (A louder more fuller punchier sound). My intention was this weekend to buy another L1 Mk 11 and run them dual mono.
Now after doing a bit of research would it just be better and easier to add 2 more B1`s and a packlite?.
I dont want to run the system other than dual mono as it sounds too complicated to run the vocals through one system and backing through the other! and i dont want to mess around with volume levels etc on my laptop.

Or would I just be better off buying an EV 800watt powered speaker to run alongside the L1???

Hi Katy Jay,

I think the general rule of thumb is, you will gain 3dB by doubling to two systems. While this is not insignificant, there is the possibility you will lose some clarity and fullness up the middle where you can expect some interference when running dual mono.

When you say a louder more fuller punchier sound it makes me wonder are you talking about your vocal and tracks or do you just need to pump up the tracks?

This is the kind of question that I wish had a definitive answer from the engineers at Bose, but if it exists I am unaware of it.

My thoughts are that the Model II should be enough to amplify a stereotypical female voice (or male for that matter) and fill a room of 500 without additional equipment. Making the tracks sound louder more fuller and punchier is another question.

Do you currently run your tracks through the T1? Can they be run directly to a Model II from the notebook? Once you had things set, there would not be any real complications in a two system, divided setup. That would allow a bit more headroom in each system over what you have now, but it doesn't neccessarily answer the question of whether or not you would get that louder, fuller, punchier, sound you are looking for.

My first step, if I were you, would be to try to borrow a couple of B1s and a PacLite to see if that worked for you. It would certainly be the simplest solution if it worked.

I think you need to discover the range of frequencies you want to hear more of. It would not help to add a speaker that reproduces 90Hz to 17k Hz if what you want to hear is 40Hz to 250Hz.

I have used a Classic and a Bose 402II / MB4 system together a few times. It works as far as adding more sound to the mix, but it also takes away from the L1 experience, probably more so for the audience than the performer. Now that I have multiple L1s It would take some extreme measure to make me go that route again.

I don't think you could fill a room evenly with only one conventional speaker added to the L1. Wherever it was aimed would be a hot spot compared to the area around it.

So no real answer here just some points to think about.

O..

Hi Oldghm, Well I have taken the plunge and decided to buy another L1Mk2 plus another B1. Total setup is now 2 x L1Mk2 T1 plus 3 x B1.
I did demo the two systems and 4 bins some time ago and I thought it sounded awsome, the towers were only about say 12 foot apart and with the sound cranked up it sounded really meaty and professional. i tried the same set up in a smaller venue and the sound was no where near as good as just having the one system.
I wish I had demoed the 4 bass bin and 1 tower, but never had a paclite on demo!.
As far as connecting my lap top straight to one tower, would I not lose the quality I am now getting using the usb cable?.
Its an interesting idea tho.I also cant quite get my head round the fact that I would only be gaining an extra 3db with the extra system surely it will be making twice as much noise ??.
Also I thought bass bins were omnidirectional so it wouldn`t matter where I placed them. Also as far as noise cancelling goes, with one system the sound is bouncing off all surfaces anyway isnt it?. Also a traditional pa I always found that the sound sounded metter once I angled both speakers in towards the middle of the stage?. Its all a bit confusing as so many people are using so many different setups!. I think tho that on the occasions that I will be using the 2 systems I will be able to get the towers 20 foot apart so hopefully that will eradicate any noise cancelling problems.
ST did give me some great advice about running the system in stereo but I dont really want to start adjusting volume etc off my laptop.

Hi Katy Jay,

How 2 sysems only get 3dB louder is a mystery to me as well. Sound is like the wind and because we can't see it I think makes it harder to understand.

In some of the Bose advertisements you have probably seen color representing the dispersion of sound from the L1 as compared to a conventional speaker. I think the reason to be more concerned about dual mono interference with the L1, has to do with the dispersion pattern from two L1s relatively close together having more interaction than two conventional speakers. On the other hand this interaction / interference mostly takes place in the audience area and may not be noticed by the performers using this method.

Because the L1 has almost 180 degrees of dispersion with a sound field 7 feet tall, angling them does not reduce the interaction the same way it would with a conventional speaker with only 90 degrees of cone shaped dispersion.

If I were going to run dual mono I would get a couple of longer B1 cables and place all my B1s together at the back of stage center. In my experience the low tones suffer the most whether it be dual mono cancellation or cancellation from reflections off the walls. Placing them together will eliminate the chance for dual mono interference from the B1s.

When dual mono interferrence does show it's ugly head it will usually sound like there is either too much bass or not enough bass. In either situation the most common response is to attempt to make it right with eq. But it is not an eq problem and eq won't fix it. It takes experience, a good ear, and thoughtfull patience to recognize when the sound problem is caused by interferrence. Experimenting with speaker placement can sometimes help but because of the even room distribution of sound from an L1, it becomes harder to separate the sound fields one from the other.

Although I have multiple L1s, I haven't used them in a dual mono setup. I think If I were going to do so, I would run them both from the T1. Use the digital line for one and the Master Out for the other. This will produce a little bit of latency, or different timing from source to speaker between the two units but that is often done intentionally for effect, so I don't think it will be a problem. Keep it as simple as possible, it saves time and effort.

Should you run into a sound problem that is readily recognizable, you might consider a small mixer from a different Mfg for the tracks, if the tracks are stereo. Running the tracks in true stereo might help in a worst case scenario. In this setup you would probably run your T1 Master out with vocal only to a line level input on the extra mixer and pan that channel to the "other" L1.

If you do not recognize anything problamatic, then don't worry about it. Should you get comments that are of a negative nature about your sound, think through what people are saying to determine if it is a real issue or not, and how to remedy if it is.

Keep your eyes and ears open for someone with a PackLite and extra B1 to borrow sometime. As Roy said in the other thread an L1 with 4 B1s make a BIG sound. A PackLite and extra B1 in your future will give you options, and that is a good thing.

Good luck with your new setup, I hope it gives you exactly what you need and no issues.

Come back and let us know after a few gigs. It's always interesting to hear how one deals with the "unconventional use" of the L1.

O..

Hi Oldghm, really, thanks so much for your reply.
I think I will have to get to the venues a bit earlier than normal and listien out for any lack or increase of bass and try to reposition as required.I think I have a number of days grace if I want to return the gear. I was very nearly going to go down the 4 bass bin and paclite route, but was concerned about too much bass. At the end of the day I am a solo singer!
I have to say tho the time I did demo the 2 x L1 and 4 bins the sound won me over immediately really. Plus the guy from Bose who lent me the equipment said the system sounded good with one and superb with two!!. Yes I`m a salesmans dream hahah.

quote:

Originally posted by Katy Jay:
Hi Oldghm, really, thanks so much for your reply.
I think I will have to get to the venues a bit earlier than normal and listien out for any lack or increase of bass and try to reposition as required.I think I have a number of days grace if I want to return the gear. I was very nearly going to go down the 4 bass bin and paclite route, but was concerned about too much bass. At the end of the day I am a solo singer!
I have to say tho the time I did demo the 2 x L1 and 4 bins the sound won me over immediately really. Plus the guy from Bose who lent me the equipment said the system sounded good with one and superb with two!!. Yes I`m a salesmans dream hahah.

Hi Kay Jay. What did you end up doing? Here's another option if you've not decided: Get an Apogee Duet to go with the T1. It is a little AD/DA converter half the size of the T1 with a large volume knob. (Connects to your laptop via firewire). I've A/B'd it with the tracks going into the laptop via the usb-into-the-T1 and it sounds even better than the T1 routing! You can either send the track output of the Duet into your analog inputs on the L1's, or plug it into the 4/5 channels on the T1 and set up the T1 for stereo tracks--this would allow stereo operation without having to control the track volume via the computer. Stereo tracks with the Bose stuff is amazing.