If I was doing that gig I'd either rent out a highend system like a big SRX7xx rig or use at least 2 KW152 type tops and at least 4 KW181 type subs. And thats really pushing it. Idealy you would want closer to 8 KW181 type subs. If you can rent, look for Yorkville LS2100Ps or similar. 2-3 of those should have the building crumbling.

Yeah I keep hearing about the Yorkies but the weight that comes along with them whoa...Normally Im gigging by myself no rody...thats why I was trying to stay compact. My goal is to have really good sound in the dancing area but not have it so loud tgat people in the back cant talk to each other without screaming.

I guarantee you will need at least 4 subs. Depending on how much the gig is paying, it might be worthwhile to pay a muscly friend to come be a roadie to help you move stuff. IMO, the best option would be to rent out a large system (4-8 subs, 2-4 nice tops) unless you plan on doing these gigs often enough to justify the cost of a really nice rig.

thanks for all the advice..I own a pair of the kw181 and k12s now Im really considering buying another pair of both...and hopefully I wont have to buy anymore sound gear. The QSC stuff seems to hold up really well. I could rent 2 kw181 and 2 k12s for about $250..but planning on really going after some gigs so it may be worth just buying them. Im not a full time DJ by any means ..but I do like to gig out sometime.

I would recommend only buying more subs and not getting more K12s. This is because once you have more than 2 of them, the dispersions interfere and cause the sound to be wonky when not setup properly. IMO, I'd look into selling your existing K12s for a set of Yamaha DSR112s. They will provide you with a significantly higher amount of volume which would be needed for big events like this. As for the subs, the 181s are workhorses, but they just lack in output. If possible, you could look into selling them and getting something like Yorkville LS801Ps (fantastic output but bulky). If you got 4 of them and the DSRs you could really rock that party. If money is a concern, hit up Joee or pdidy as they always get really great pricing on any kind of gear.

hmm..are u saying u think 4 kw181s and 2 of the yamahas would do it? Or u think I still need 2 more tops? The size of the Yorkville kills me..if I only had those then I would have to lug them big jokers around anytime I needed subs were the qsc are not bad and still hit pretty good but offer the portability those Yorkvilles to ke are not really for a mobile dj...but I have heard they bang hard and cost is the same.

Six or eight KW181 would be much much better :) Depends on the layout and volume you want. Hotel ballrooms tend to have good acoustics but your going to have to fight the desire to overdrive everything with only four of each. I would think ideally you would have two clusters of four KW181 and a single K12 at each corner.

Here is a photo of six KW181 and four KLA12 which would be a better arrangement for such a large crowd. Even in this photo the dancefloor looks to be about 1/3 of the room
www.passionforaudio.com

I feel you on the yorkvilles. Not a one man job moving those things.

Here's a crowd I DJed and provided audio for of about 1200 with only two KW181 and two EV SX360As (budget was limited). It was plenty "loud" but the bass was not what I would have liked. People didn't seem to mind but as a DJ I was wanting more.

dakotafine.smugmug.com

So with only 2 of those EVs the volume was enough? I have a pair of Yamaha DXR 12s. I like the way they sound better than the K12s. Most of the hotel rooms I have been in sound was really good....so I'm hoping thats the case here. So basically as is I have 2 dxr 12s 2 k12s and a pair of KW181. If I could do this with just getting another pair of KW181 that would be great. Those Yamahas when set the hp too 100hertz seem to get pretty loud. Trying to avoing buying or renting more tops as I won't be playing crowds this big often...but I wouldnt mind having the extra subs.

You should NOT use more than 1 pair of tops. Using more can easily screw up your sound. What you need is only more subs. The DXR tops will probably be loud enough

cool...I will focus on the subs....thanks for helping me with this.

No problem. IMO I would shoot for 6 subs as that should be pretty adequate.

It was too loud at one end of the room, great in the middle and much lower volume at the other end of the room. For functions like this that worked because people want to talk at one end of the room anyway but if everyone had been dancing it would have been a bad set up.

To scully's point about not using more than 1 pair of tops, that is only if you don't delay and balance over large distances or try and run stereo. Every club, stadium, bar, concert hall... in the world has more than a pair of tops, it works.

Im kinda aiming to have the music really solid around the dancing part of the venue and hopefully talk level towards the back or other areas...I dont want the entire place to sound like a club.

Keep in mind that not all 1200 kids will be on the dance floor at once. You can put a lot of sound on the floor with what you have. To fill the entire room, then you might need more subs, but for a prom... you want areas of the room that are NOT pounding. I think 577er was getting to this idea as well.

yep thats what I was thinking just really focus the sound on the dance area. Thats normally how I try and play. I have never heard 4 of the kw181 subs at one time but I imagin they should do pretty good.

Mrhillcity , to be honest (no insult intended) you are totally out of your lane and depth of understanding here.

You're basically asking is it ok to show up to a gun fight with a sling shot. The fact that you think your system is adequate simply means this job is not for you.

The reality is you can show up with just 2 k12's and 1000 kids will still try to have a good time. But will it actually sound good ? hell no but you got away with it and still got paid right ?

So I guess the real question is.......

How mush can you get away with cheating them out of good sound quality before anybody really complains about it sounding bad ?

If I sound check and I dont think its enough..then I will go right out and buy more subs or whatever is needed before the gig starts. Im setting up in the morning gig is not until later that night. I don't do things half way. But I have been to some gigs where the music was just to loud and I have always been complimented on my sound. I just was not sure how many subs would be needed pretty much made up my mind that I want to stay with the kw181s...and will use my Yamaha dxr 12 tops. But if I went 4 tops and 6 kw181s...I just cant imagine how that would not sound good as I use 2 subs and 2 tops m9st of the time and it sounds great. I really focus on the sound...but the lights I master slave them and let it ride.

FYI thanks all for the info...keep it coming...Once I get a gig schools or whatever they normally use me over and over with that said I want the same results here. I don't gig out alot but I have my repeat customers 10 gigs or so that I do every year. This just happens to be a new customer.

..... Have you listened to anything that has been said???

? not sure what you mean above u said 2 kw152 and 4 kw181 and that would be cutting it close so I figure 6 subs and 4 tops may would work....QSC said 1 kw181 for every 150 -200 people. I have about 2 months before this gig but wanted to go ahead and buy whatever I needed this week. If someone wants to give me a call feel free 434.444.7198. Im not really new to sound but I have only done 1 gig before this big... it had about 750 people and this was when I used passive gear and I killed that gig with 2 peavey sp6 and 2 sp18 full size subs powered by 2 QSC 3602 amps.

Why not rent? If your aren't doing gigs this size regularly it doesn't make sense financially or business-wise to purchase a system this big. Plus you can rent the right amount of rig for the gig.

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe that 2 SP6 and 2 SP18s killed if for a crowd that large.

This makes no sense. Aside from some comb filtering issues, which the students probably wouldn't notice or care about, how could he screw up the sound?

Thought about renting..but Im like hell if I put out the cash now Ill have the subs I need for whatever in the future. I don't live off of DJing. Its more of a hobby and I work full time so Im like hell I got some extra cash why not get something I want. But no lie man the gig with 750 people was rocked....that school booked me for every gig the next 2 years after that one. It could have of been a thing where I thought I rocked it and I come to one of you guys events and Im like nah they rocking it...but the school and students loved me. Only reason I stopped doing that gig was because they started tripping on the music...because the students were basically going in on the dance floor...so they wanted me to play country and stop the music every other song..to tell them to clean up the dancing...it kust was not worth the hassle.But damn the checks were good...lol

using multiple tops and not having the speaker angles correct does create a harshness in sound ....I think the degree of the horn on the k12s and dxr 12 is 75 so you have to have that spectrum right or it sounds like crap the spacing has to be correct and positioning has to be correct.

This means you did a good job as a DJ. Not that the speaker system rocked. Honestly if you have decent sound and are a good DJ then everything will be fine.

I will say rent. Planning for "what ifs" is not a smart business move regardless if you got extra money or not. Put the money in the bank and save it for a house, family, retirement, etc.

+Rebelguy...thanks for the advice man really appreciate it. This forum is a great resource. I actually just brought my 1st house 8 months ago but I dig what you are saying...I can't lie I'm a bit of an electronics junky. I love my toys...lol. I think I just might revisit renting the rest of what I need...as the system I currently own normally is enough for my average gigs. If I buy all of those extra subs I will for sure lose garage space as I would need to store them in there. Thanks again man!!

Buy two more QSC subs, rent two better tops. If you are going to use 4 top speakers they must be 60 degree horizontal dispersion or lower. You could use your current tops for fills at the far side of the room if they are time delayed properly.
Optimal setup for a gig this size with this range of mid level equipment - 6-8 subs, 4 60 degree tops that can go 130db.

90 degree tops are useable. There will be some
Comb filtering but for high school kids it's not mission critical.

Just wanted to follow up on this. Did the gig last year they say it was 1100 students. End up using 6 KW181 4 Yamaha DXR 12 tops. Gig went great sound was great. School just signed a 3 year contract with me. Of course I had to give a little price break for the multi year which schools normally don't commit to. Thanks all for the advice. The QSC subs don't pound as hard as some of the others but one thing for sure the quality is 2nd to none. Being a one man show size and weight was a key factor.

Congrats on getting this client! I am pretty sure the kids are very happy to have you!

Good job bro! Keep it up.

get 4 DXS18s instead :)

Or 2 Danley TH-118s.

4 DSR112s over 4 DXS18s would be an awesome and pretty compact system considering its capabilities.

I feel the DXR12s are probably at the limit of what they can do for that amount of students. The QSC subs as well...

Al

2 JTR Orbit Shifters?

Or one Bertha with a Levan horn...

1 x peavey impulse 200

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OH-KAY That's what I'm talking about. That and some pawnshop gem sound stacks with the pizeos...

Good thinking! Should be more than adequate!

I think I have a different idea of what sound should be. My goal is to have the sound full on the dance floor were the action is and taper off in other parts of the room. People should be able to talk without leaving the room. I go to so many events and the sound is just way to loud and it seems the DJ or whoever is entertaining is more concerned with volume and not quality of sound. Almost as if they pile a bunch of speakers in there and think more is better and sometimes thats just not the case. I have another gig here in the next week with 600 students or so... will see how this one goes. As I mentioned before I hear about all these other speakers that suppose to pound harder than what I use but I'm a one man show and really like to work alone so size and weight are big factors. Honestly though the Yamaha and QSC sound really good... really clean and looks awesome. I know looks are not major concerns at some events but the big money gigs like weddings and even some school functions a compact and sleek looking system is key. As we all are I'm a gear junky and look for any excuse to purchase something else. If anyone has experience with a DBX drive rack let me know. I hear people talk about them but after reviewing it not sure if it's something needed in pre-recorded music like I play. I could see were it would be very useful in live sound.

I think two would be adequate and would give good bass for the dance area in front of them. I think 4 would be optimal for 1000 people, would be great quality bass throughout at club like levels and wouldn't have to run them as hard.

You don't need a DBX Driverack. Sure, they're almost essential for live music, but not DJ application. If you like the QSC look, then go with that. They make great speakers and subs for a reasonable price. Also a reputable company.

@Al Poulin I thought about the Yamaha Dxs18 but I have never seen them or heard them in person. Watched a youtube video guy had both said it was a toss up for him between the kw181 and the Yamaha. Being I had heard the kw181 before I went that route. Eventually will add 2 more. Not completely sold on the DSR tops over the DXR's. When crossover is engaged on the dxr12s they get way loud and still sound awesome. Being I'm already heavily invested in these models and I have ocd to keep everything the same probably end up buying more dxrs as well if needed. 1100 people is the max I'll probably ever do and I don't gig outside so I'm hoping this will be the system for the future and won't need upgrading anytime soon.

I think the big thing about the DSR vs the DXR is the larger high frequency voice coil that will produce more clarity and throw.

@dj_soo point taken. I am hoping to find somewhere local with the dsr speakers in stock so I can hear them. I am a total fan of Yamaha and if the sound is justified I will pick up a pair. May need 2 so I can run 4 of the same tops at larger gigs. For whatever reason the Yamaha dxr and dsr don't seem to be stocked in the stores in my area.

Are those waveforms on the mixer??! Shut up and take my money