 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
Engineer Guide
1. Select The Range:
Value
Professional
Ultimate
Value Sound Engineer
There's a lot of live-music-industry humour based on the experiences of roadies and sound guys. But when you're at the gig balancing the conflicting demands of performers, venue management, limited technical resources and time constraints - it's no joke.
Audio production people treat speakers like tools in a tool box - they understand that to get the best results you need the right tools for the job. In the old days that was a truck full of gear and a stack of crew. Today that option is too expensive and time consuming and nobody wants to see a big ugly cluster of speakers with a pile of spaghetti making it work. Not only that, most production people want to load-out and be in bed well before 5:30am.
There is no “one size fits all” here, but the RCF Art series can cover a wide variety of tasks without being too big, heavy or complicated.
That's why audio people naturally are attracted to the style, performance and practical features of RCF speakers.
There is no “one size fits all” here, but RCF has an “audio solution” the RCF Art series can cover a wide variety of tasks without being too big, heavy or complicated.
If you are on a budget, or looking for something to get started, here are some options;
- Art 310a 2-way 350 RMS watt 10” + 1” polymer horn powered speaker system
- Art 312a 2-way 350 RMS watt 12” + 1” titanium horn powered speaker system
- Art 315a 2-way 350 RMS watt 15” + 1” titanium horn powered speaker system
Professional Sound Engineer
The Art 322a and 325a are the 'Tradesman's Ute' of the Australian audio rental industry and were the first plastic speaker system to be taken seriously by the PA industry. Ten years later, there are still many original Art 300a models in use by rental and production companies around Australia.
The Art 322a and 325a are popular because they have the output and performance of an expensive compact production speaker without the $4,000+ price tag. Not only that, the Art boxes have plastic casings and lightweight components, which makes them super 'back friendly' at 3:00am.
To outperform the Art 322a/325a, you have to spend a great deal more and you are well into the high-powered (and high cost) production league.
The RCF Art powered speakers most used by Pro audio companies are:
- Art 310a 2-way 350 RMS watt 10” + 1” polymer horn powered speaker system
- Art 322a 2-way 400+ RMS watt 12” + 2” titanium horn powered speaker system
- Art 325a 2-way 400+ RMS watt 15” + 2” titanium horn powered speaker system
Ultimate Sound Engineer
A 750W full range powered speaker box that weighs under 20 kg? Yo Baby!
RCF is a world leader in driver technology and they have teamed up with a cutting edge Danish hi-tech amplifier manufacturer to produce the most notable giant leap forward in speaker box technology we are going to see for some time. The only other powered speakers with this kind of technology cost upwards of $10,000 each and are usually only purchased by big production companies with big budgets.
The acoustic output of these boxes is around 131dB and for the non technical, that is about the same output a big concert PA box puts out per box when it is in an array of 30 or 40 other boxes and powered with 100 amps of 3 phase power. The amplifiers in the new 522a/525a boxes are 95% efficient and produce almost no heat so you can get all this output from a domestic power outlet in a box light enough to be easily stand mounted or flown by one person.
Thinking all this power will cook the speaker drivers? No chance – the drivers are manufactured from hi-tech materials built to handle massive power. Not only that, everything is protected by digital system controllers that optimise the performance without making it sound over-processed.
This doesn't mean that you want to blow the paint off the walls at every gig – it just makes for a system that has lots of reserve and can handle a big dynamic range without stress.
If you want the best in a plastic powered PA system, you'll be waiting a long time before you beat this.
- Art 522a 2-way 750W RMS watt 12” + 2” titanium horn powered speaker system
- Art 525a 2-way 750W RMS watt 15” + 2” titanium horn powered speaker system
Select a speaker size below..
10”
When it comes to the load out, and truck pack, size is everything.
Not just for small gigs and rehearsals, 10” speakers can pack a real punch if used correctly. RCF 10” neodymium speaker drivers have a small cone area compared to the size of the motor driving them. This means fast response, clean bass and a defined mid-range, ideally suited for voice, sax, trumpet, keyboards and stringed instruments.
Stick a sub bass under a good 10” speaker box and you have a very versatile full-range PA system for small to mid sized rooms.
12”
The one size fits almost all solution
The 12” speaker system can produce as much bass as the 15” speaker but with better mid-range. For size and weight, a 12” system can be the best compromise when you want a system that can do a bit of everything and still be carried up a flight of stairs.
15”
More weight, more punch, but do you need it?
15” speakers are good for bass but they need to be in a box big enough to really get them moving air.
The 15” Art speakers are similar to the old 'J Bin', which produces a sound with loads of bottom end – a sound that engineers often try to simulate digitally. The 15” speaker packs a lot of punch but isn't as strong as the 12” speaker for vocals. Some will say the compromise is worth it - it all depends on what you're using it for.
…Match it up with a 15” speaker in a dedicated sub bass box - now we've got a really big sounding system for high horsepower productions.
