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[Eno60]

Hello, I have a loud box mini that I use around the house,in the near future I want to go out and play,small places, I am afraid that the mini will not be enough in some cases, so I thought about using a small powered speaker a 10 or 12 inch to put on a stand and then use the mini as a personal monitor, will my idea fly? Anyone doing this or has tried this setup? A lot of small places do not have a pa system to plug into, or maybe I should have bought the Artist. And if this is a good idea ,what do you recommend?
     Thanks..

[DennisG]

When you say "small places," what size rooms are you talking about?  How many people do you expect to be there?  If the places are small enough (book stores, coffee shops, etc.), it's very possible your Loudbox Mini alone would be sufficient.

[Earl]

The Loudbox and Loudbox Mini get great reviews, but I don't have much experience with them.  I don't see why the Mini would not work as plenty of stage monitor while something else handles front-of-house (FOH) coverage.  It might even work for the whole room too.

I used to have a pair of Mackie SR-450's.  They are very clear and accurate in tone, kinda like overgrown studio monitors, but are bigger than you mentioned.  I like the 450 sound better than the smaller SR-350's, as much as I really wanted the smaller speakers to work.  These days, we mostly use a Roland AC-60 and / or an AC-33 (battery powered) box for small to medium venues like a coffeehouse.  The newer Roland AC-90 has a bit more power still, but we've never felt the need to upgrade.  It depends on your needs and the size of the room you intend to fill.

For large venues and outdoors, I have a Mackie PPM 408 powered mixer driving two pairs of Carvin PM5 passive monitor bookshelf speakers.  http://www.carvinaudio.com/products/pm5-b-program-reference-monitor-black
The Carvin's are light and sound good too, and with four of them spread out we've successfully covered a 300 seat re-purposed movie theater - with a balcony.  One of the four can be turned back toward us as a stage monitor if needed.

Between all this equipment we can handle anything that we are likely to encounter, including outdoor weddings and up to a 300 seat theater.  Venues that are larger would have their own PA system and stage monitors, and sound tech.  We are generally an acoustic guitar, one voice, and a mic'ed flute.  Sometimes we have an extra guitar player or a bass too, but not often.  Hope this helps.

[azslacker]

Loudbox Mini is a pretty potent little amp. If you are in a place where people are listening to the music, it will handle a fairly large space. Trying to compete with 20 different loud conversations, going bigger/louder is about all you can do. I usually play thru a friends Bose L1 when we do little gigs, but once I used my Mini and the others were on the L1. I could easily be heard in a big room with 75 people. I'd suggest trying it out before investing in more equipment. One thing that helps is getting the amp off of the floor. I use a little folding wooden table.

[Eno60]

When you say "small places," what size rooms are you talking about?  How many people do you expect to be there?  If the places are small enough (book stores, coffee shops, etc.), it's very possible your Loudbox Mini alone would be sufficient.

Yes book stores,coffee shops small places like that, yes the mini will most likely work,and I will be fine.. I just wanted a back up plan just in Case I get a larger gig down the road, just coming out of the XLR on the rear of the mini to the powered speaker on the stand ,sort of a half a PA set up and the little mini would be my stage monitor..

[Earl]

That sounds like a good plan, Eno.  Wait until the mission defines your need.  In the meantime, the Mini will work just fine, especially if raised up off the floor.  You could even put it to the side of the stage aimed at an angle, so some spillover becomes your "monitor".

[guitarsrsoawesome]

I have a Loudbox mini, which I love.  It's very loud for it's size and as others have stated will do great in smaller environs which are relatively quiet.  It's also a great stage monitor for when you're playing through a PA.  It helped me hear myself so much better in this capacity.

In line with your question, my next goal is to get a QSC K12 powered 12 inch speaker, which also SOUNDS phenomenal.  You should hear the ES2 plugged straight into it.  You can get so much girth of tone, and so much bass, that your Taylor will blossom!

My plan is to get one for the purpose you've addressed (when I need more than the loudbox mini), and then add a second for larger venues.  I will still use my Loudbox mini to run my guitar through as I like how it sculpts/DI's the tone a bit when playing through a PA. 

Hope that helps.

[PaulWood]

Hi. I'm not familiar with the Loud Box Mini but have used a single Mackie SRM150 in a small space to good effect. I've now got 2 of them which double as a small PA (for small space)s or as monitors for my Souncraft + Mackie SRM450 PA system (for larger spaces). Out of interest, I'll check out the Mini.

[guitarsrsoawesome]

Out of interest, I'll check out the Mini.

Me predicts ye shall like it!

[gscratch]

We have a pair of Samson Expedition XP106 for about two years which we've been happy with.  Easily filled a small room and we've used them outdoors as well.

We've used them as powered speakers driven by a mixer board and just as they are; each has a XLR and a 1/4in line-level input, and you can tie them together so that the input to each comes out of both.  We always have a mic in each and a dulcimer with a pre-amp in one and a Taylor ES2 into the other.

Battery recharge time is a little long (>4 hours) but they play at full volume for at least 8 hours

[nhbiker1961]

I play out of a loud box mini too, but even the small places where I gig, they can get loud when they fill up. So I run a powered mixer with a couple of 12 inch speakers on stands and then run a line out of the mini because I like the effects on it to a channel on the mixer. That way no matter the size or the background noise, I have enough power to be heard.

[Craig]

I agree with Guitarawesome,  the soul band I play in use 4 QSC K12's with subs and we the can fill almost anywhere. In your case I'd probably look at the K10 though.

I've got the van at home so I might try plugging into a K12 when the wife goes out :-)

Craig

[Earl]

One thing to keep in mind when choosing amps is that more power is NOT always a benefit.  For example, a 100W amp has to be at idle (1 or 2) to avoid blowing out a small room, whereas a 30W amp can be turned up to 7-8 and sound good.  It can also go to 10 when you are in a large space.  My Mackie 450's had tons of power, but in most settings they were never turned up above 3-4, even at outdoor festivals.  Best to fit the tool to the job, and use a different tool for a bigger mission.

[Markb914]

I'm on a budget, so can't afford a lot of the things being posted about, but I've been doing small winery type gigs for years using Powerwerks 50w powered speakers, with a small sub. 1 for tiny gigs, 2 chained for slightly larger, and I have 1 I use for a monitor. Just my .02

[easynote]

Look into the EV ZLX12P  powered speaker/PA, I own one and it is awesome and will fill your needs for, monitor - PA - sound enhancer .
It has two inputs with separate volume controls for each so it is a mini mixer as well. This is all the power and volume and venue filling sound you will need.