First gig using BFM speakers -- THEY KICK ASS!!

[Matrix]

So I just did my first gig using BFM speakers and they absolutely kick ass!!

It was starry night in Georgia......

Seriously! 500 kids in a high school gymnasium VERSUS 4 x T39 (20 inch loaded with 3012's high passed at 40 Hz 24dB LR and driven at max 200W) and 2 x OT212 with the subs and tops crossed at around 125 Hz, dual Crown XLS802D amps -- one for tops and one for subs, DriveRack PA, and Traktor Pro software. I couldn't wall-load the subs but v-plated a 2x2 stack with excellent results. As predicted the pair of OT212's kept up well with the four subs.

The kids didn't have a chance . I asked several of them how they liked the sound and the universal response was positive. This was my first time doing this particular prom and it was much better than last year's DJ/system according to everyone I spoke with. The BFM cabs helped me load the dance floor all night!

The setup filled the entire gym effortlessly, covered all the bodies with ease, and the subs absolutely ROCKED -- Flo Rida never sounded so good!! (To the kids that is I played a little Def Lepard and Van Halen and they sounded awsome to these old ears.....

The only problem resulted from my having access to only one single 15-20 amp electrial circuit. With the amps at half power the voltage was dropping to critical levels (it pays to have a voltage meter running somewhere in your setup!). Lucky for the kids the BFM cabs were so efficient I could still achieve satisfactory SPL levels -- a feat which would have been impossible using commercial cabs and the necessarily huge amps!!

Kudos and many thanks to Bill as well as everyone on this forum for the wealth of information which helped me through the build of the cabs.

I've attached a few pics below.....
Doug

[Grey Owl]

Well done and congratulations.

Sounded like a great night for all.

Cheers

David

[Randall Dibble]

Great Pic!

BLack out the handle ports.

[Matrix]

Absolutely!! Got the handles of one pair blacked out but ran out of time on the second pair....... They sounded good anyway

Doug

[Tom Smit]

It looks good! Got a question tho'....would it sound different/better if the subs were on the floor? or are they close enough for boundary loading (looks to be about 20" off the floor)
Thanks,
TomS

[Matrix]

I wondered/worried about that very issue.....unfortunately I had not choice due to the layout and restrictions on my setup.

[RubiconProSound]

I think he might have been ok...at 20" the radiating planes were still outside of the dreaded "2~8" foot range, and I'm guessing the floor of the stage offered a little help as opposed to hanging in air 20" from the floor.

I'm not sure about facing the mouths away from the wall though. I think you would have gained a little more by loading them against the wall.

Sometimes the client just won't let you do what's optimal...

Nice looking set-up by the way.
Are those Revo III's and a few Derby X's I see hanging on the trees?

[puc]

did u do all the set up yourself? if so how hard was it to get the o212 on the speaker stands on your own?

[Matrix]

+1 on the light identification.....LED's sure are nice these days!! You're also correct about being less than two feet off the floor since it's support consisted of cinder blocks on end . I would bet the floor of the stage acted like the "bottom V plate". I would have had cancellation problems facing toward the wall since there was a gap of about 36 inches between the stage and the back wall....oh well!

I thought about setting up two set of two v-plated and 60 ft apart against the wall on either side of the stage.....I didn't because of the chaperones and because the wall in those locations was set 10 or 12 ft back under an overhang about 8-10 ft high.....I didn't know if being recessed like that would cause problems. Any thoughts?


10-12 ft balcony
----------------------
[
[ 8-10 ft vertical height
[
[
[ ____ opening -->
[ [subs]
-----------------------

I did, in fact, do the entire setup alone. The 212's were easy to handle (but I'm still a young 46 year old ). The T39's are a little heavy with the 3012's. Leland's interlocking corners are the best when it comes to secure stacking -- highly recommended!!

[David Carter]

The T39's are a little heavy with the 3012's.

I just got my kits for T39's and DR200's and I was amazed at the weight comparison between a 3012LF and a Delta Pro 8B. The 3012LF was ligther and by a longshot! It's also a lot lighter than the BP102's in my previous T39's. Must be those neo magnets...