Just five years ago the sale of sound reinforcement gear was cyclical. Bands bought new PA gear every few years when new technology was developed. Maybe, it was a more powerful amp, a mixing board with more channels, or lighter speakers that attracted the new purchases. With the way technology moves forward today, we are experiencing a spike in Sound Reinforcement sales-- most outside of live band use. The advancements in technology the past five years are mind blowing. The power of laptops, phones, even the dashboards in our cars, is all very remarkable. The music retail industry is heavily benefiting from these advancements.
The Band - Digital boards, amps, and even speakers, have shed not
only weight but also the learning curve for what it takes to run a sound
system. In the past world of analog gear you needed racks, and racks, of
heavy and expensive gear to modify and mix your sound. On top of all of
that, you had to have an understanding of wiring the system together and the
skills to troubleshoot issues, if one would arise, during a gig. You also
needed to have a very good ear to get the sound out of your gear. Today,
a complete system can feature just two components; a digital mixer and a
powered speaker. A digital mixer is the backbone of a good sound
system. All of the instruments are plugged into the digital mixer which
holds an enormous amount of processing power, just like a large desktop
computer. You can now mix, EQ, compress, gate, limit, add effects, and
even record, all from one piece of gear. Since the creation of the
digital power supply, solid state power amps have become lighter and more
powerful than ever. This has created an amazing boom in the powered
speaker market. For the first time ever, manufacturers are making
self-powered speakers containing light weight, high-powered amps.
Combined with the front-end processing power of the digital mixer, you can
create a serious sound system that can meet the demands of the biggest bands
and venues. The “weekend warrior” bands are jumping on this trend. Why?
It is lightening their load, and cutting set-up, tear-down and sound check times in half!
The Non-Musician - All over America tailgating at sporting games is a huge
event! In south Louisiana we hold claim to one of the largest tailgating
events in the country, LSU home football games. Over 100 thousand fans
will party, for hours, prior to game time. What’s a party without
music? With the new powered speakers, like the ones available from Peavey
and Electro Voice, setting up your tail-gate party with sound is easier than
ever. Simply grab your speaker, plug it into the wall outlet or a
generator, connect one cable from your iPad, and you are ready to ROCK!
The Electro Voice ZLX line takes it one step further and offers the user a
pre-programmed setting to help quickly ensure the best sound results.
Some speakers are now available with Bluetooth technology for wireless audio
streaming.
