CARVIN PA1200 / PA800 AMPLIFIER MIXER.
CALL WILD BILL'S DRUM SHOP AT . AS A DRUMMER, THIS IS THE PERFECT 12 CHANNEL AMP/ MIXER TO USE ON YOUR MIKED DRUMS PLUS YOU CAN RUN 6 SPEAKERS OFF IT. HIGH FREQUENCIES FOR YOUR CYMBALS, MEDIUM FOR YOUR DRUMS AND RUN SOME 18" SUBS FOR YOU FLOOR TOM AND BASS DRUM. SET IT BEHIND YOU ON A GIG AND CONTROL YOUR OWN SOUND. EASY TO USE AND YOU DON'T NEED A BIG MIXER BOARD. THIS BAD BOY IS INDEED BAD. BE THE DRUMMER YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE. BE HEARD, TAKE NAMES AND KICK ASS. WHY SETTLE FOR LESS WHEN THIS IS JUST WHAT YOU NEED.
THIS MIXER HAS BEEN TESTED AND IS IN GREAT WORKING CONDITION. FOR NON-DRUMMERS READ THE FOLLOWING REVIEW.
This month's product review is of the new Carvin PA 1200 Powered Mixer. My good friends at Carvin were considerate enough to send me a unit to check out, so check it out we did! Utilized this bad boy at an acoustic gig. I have been shopping and comparing for the last month for a powered mixer to upgrade my current system for acoustic shows, so the Carvin arrives just in time for consideration.
The Inspect:
As I unpack the PA 1200 and lift it out of the box, I am very surprised at how compact this mixer is. For some reason, at least to me, it appeared much larger in the catalog photos. This I consider to be a good thing for I do not prefer to haul around a big bulky mixer. Especially when space can be in short supply at acoustic jobs, where often we find ourselves nestled into a corner between the dart board and the foosball table! This model is equipped with the "Road Warrior" Anvil style road case (way cool) with removable front and back lids. At first view, the PA 1200 is a compact, professional looking mixer, that is portable and most importantly only 28lbs. so it's a breeze to transport.
Features:
Front panel layout of the PA 1200 is user friendly and logical. Channels 1-12 feature a three-band EQ, effects 1 & 2, pan, monitor, main level, gain switch, all in a color coded sensible design. Each channel features a balanced XLR input as well as a standard 1/4" unbalanced input.
Master section includes dual nine-band eq's (stereo mains or selectable main/monitor), (2) 24 bit effects processors that are fully adjustable, main output, monitor main output, tape input master level control, master effects return control, phantom power switch supplying phantom power to all 12 channels for direct boxes and condenser microphones. Routing options include both balanced and unbalanced output connectors for utilizing outboard power amps, external effects, send with stereo returns, (2) pre-EQ insert jacks, RCA tape inputs and outputs and effects footswitch jack to be used with optional FS 22 footswitch, to select between the effects processors and to bypass effects. Led's are supplied phantom power, three segment leds for each of the three internal power amps, effects peak, yellow protect to activate speakers saving compression and main green power led. Rear panel routing includes separate dual speaker outputs for each of the 333w internal power amps, rocker style on-off power switch, power cord input and fan cooling. For a compact mixer, the PA 1200 has all the bells and whistles and ample routing flexibility. But now comes the real test.
Sound check:
Fortunately I received the PA-1200 two days before an acoustic show, so I had time to thoroughly check out all the bells and whistles this bad boy has to offer. I initially test with 2 Community Sx-35 15" two way monitors. With a variety of ways you can utilize the three internal power amps (all with dual outputs per amp), I set up this gig in stereo, by using the two main power amps, each running one speaker. I plug a headset microphone, a Crown CM-311 into channel one, setting the three band EQ pretty much flat. I adjust the main nine-band graphic EQ to conservative smiley face setting, but generally flat with small boosts in the low and high registers, and dipping the mids. My initial voice test is done dry. I set the master output at three and the channel output at five. Pan is set to the middle (0) position. The initial sound I get is great, punchy and clean even at conservative EQ curves and modest output settings. I further tweak the main EQ to boost a bit more low end in the 60, 125 and 250 range, as well as modest boosts in the highs 4K, 8K and 16K to add some high-end sparkle. Channel EQ is still primarily flat. High end at +3, mids at 0 and bass at +3. I increase the channel level to six and there it is! Full, rich sound with plenty of punch. I roll off the high end a tad to overcome a hint of feedback and I'm there!
Effects:
My next step is to dial in a short delay from one of the two 24 bit internal processors. Now this is where it can get a little cheesy with lower grade heads, but I'm tellin ya, not with the Carvin. The main send is set to six and on the channel you can pan right or left to select processor one or two, as well as controlling the dry to wet mix. I pan left for processor #1 and set the mix level at +9. I then adjust the parameters. Set to echo for FX selection. This rotary knob selects the decay or repeats of the echo. I then adjust the parameter to about six, this controls the
delay time. What I am after here is a slap back echo around 160ms with just one repeat. Not only do I find this setting, I find it quickly. That's what I want, and that's what I found. I experiment with different wet to dry settings but at the end of it all this is as good as many rack processors that I've heard.
My next step is to plug my acoustic directly into channel II. With the EQ set flat, adjust the channel output to six and I'm up and running with thick rich acoustic tone. Again a small adjust in the EQ.hi +3, mids -3 and bass +3. This is where the way cool "Gain" switch is an awesome feature. I punch in the gain switch and this gives me an instant 20 db boost in input gain. I back the output level down to 2 and this allows for me to increase headroom without adding distortion. Now my quest is to dial in verb for the guitar. For this I experiment with processor #2 so that I do not have to sacrifice my vocal delay that I've dialed in. So I'm looking for a larger hall type of reverb that will hopefully add depth to my acoustic sound but does not wash it out. Guess what? I found it! By tweaking with the decay I achieve this quickly and without scrolling through endless presets and parameters
Location: WEST ODESSA/WILD BILL'S
