Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Jump to content

Another FRFR contender?


cclement
 Share

Recommended Posts

Just heard about this... and very curious how it might work for those of us who do the FRFR thing. The demo video is all singer/acoustic guitar stuff.. so no real idea of how it might work with Helix/other modelers. The 180-degree dispersal does look appealing.

 

https://www.lrbaggs.com/speaker/synapse-personal-pa-system

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting.  Well there are a few different issues here......

Firstly the basic question - does it sound good with a Helix going through it?

Then there is a totally different issue - how do you want to use it?

1- If it's live on stage with a band.........

Is 180º dispersion what you want?

Generally the answer is no.  But that depends how you put your live sound together.

If you play small gigs with almost all the sound coming from the stage, I can see benefits.

But mostly what an electric band does live (and it is going more this way as great sound at reasonable levels becomes an aim) is head towards a "studio" setup.

What I mean is that each person just monitors their own sound either from their amp- mostly because that guitar and amp interaction is something guitar players love) or through foldback.  That foldback also lets them hear as much or as little of the rest of the band as they want/need.

So Isolation is good - it lets you build a stage mix that lets each player hear what they need to hear, and it lets that guy/girl out front control the overall mix without fighting sound coming directly from the stage.  That's actually one reason why I have a Helix - it lets me feed monster sounds to FOH while being almost unheard past the first few people.

So 180º spread is kind of fighting that! Yes, before that technology, you would often find yourself on a stage where you could hear bugger all of the other side of the stage and I think that desire to hear everyone is often confusing a great stage sound and a decent mix out front.  But even in the 80's we had side fill for exactly that problem.  All stuff that is going the way of the dinosaur.

And spill into vocal mics is definitely a problem on any stage.

So what I think the LR Baggs system is is a solo or duo sound solution for small venues.  It is the PA - not FRFR.(which is your personal monitor.

2- what about other applications like studio?

I don't know - if the system is actually full range not tuned to the sweet spot of vocals and acoustic guitar, then it might be a great solution.  I'm guessing that from their promotion it's a tuned solution, but definitely worth auditioning.  And if you use your Helix in say a duo situation, it again has a strong probability that it will be a great solution.

There are other players in that space though like the Bose L1 and Maui systems - different technology but meant to be portable "one man band" sound systems for filling small venues.  

3- what about for home?

Seems overkill to me, but if it sounds great...........and you don't have a problem with the dollars...........go for it!  I suspect in that application it might win over some FRFR boxes in that a lot of speaker systems need to "get going" before they sound good.  As in be loud!

As a system designed for smaller venues and acoustic music, it is likely to sound good quieter - so that might be a place it wins out.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...