Bose L1 Model 2

[RickT]

I've had my Bose system for and had a chance to use it in a couple of different venues. First, let me say that one of the biggest obstacles to overcome is the skepticism of the band members, myself included, that feel like you've got to have these massive speakers in front of the band to push sound out to the masses. And, you need monitors pointed at you so you can hear what is going through the microphones, even though it sounds nothing like the sound going out to the audience. And then there is the sheer bulk and weight of the PA speakers, monitors, amps, mixers, and effects.

After doing what research I could on the Bose systems, decided to take the plunge and spend the money on a Bose L1 M2 system with the ToneMatch engine (their version of a 6-channel mixer). I originally purchased only 1 bass module but added a second one last month to get a bit more "punch" out of the system.

The first outing with the Bose was an acoustic gig with just two guitars and two mics. It wasn't much of a test of the system except for the loadin, setup, tear down, and loadout. However, the sound was excellent and far superior to our standard acoustic gig set up which was typically one floor monitor for us and one mains for the audience. With the Bose we were able to cover much more of the room at an apparent lower volume which seemed to work well for that particular venue. So, score one for the Bose.

The next gig was the full electric band. We've got a drummer, two electric guitars (Swart AST and Maz 18 Jr), and electric Bass (Phil Jones with extension cabinet). The venue is one of the bigger clubs we play so the singer and bass player were a bit apprehensive on running just the Bose. So we ran a pair of mains for the FOH and used the Bose as a monitor system for the vocals. I think the Bose were actually louder than the mains and the overall sound was ok. It was impossible to tell how we sounded in front of the mains because we couldn't hear it. However, we did mix everything in the ToneMatch engine and sent that output to the mains as well as the Bose system so in theory the vocals should be been balanced to what we heard. Because it did a good job as the monitor, score another one for the Bose.

The last couple of outings were done using only the Bose system as both the monitor and the mains. I added the second bass module at that point so the system is maxed out. The way we set up is to have, from left to right as you are facing the band, Swart AST -- Maz 18 Jr -- Drums -- Phil Jones Bass rig. And just in front and to the left of the Swart is where the Bose sits. This club is one of the smaller rooms we play and probably would be hard pressed to put 50 people in there. The vocals on both gigs were clear and "in front" of the music. We were actually able to hear exactly how it was going to sound to the audience. On a subconscious level, the dynamics of the instruments were in sync with the vocals because we were able to hear the mix. We usually have people come up and tell us that we did a particular song really well or they liked some guitar part, but now they were complimenting us on the sound of the band. I'm pretty pleased overall. The Bose scores again.

Some other benefits:
- there are no cables to run across the stage for speakers and nothing in front of the band so we look more "inviting".
- set up and tear down time for the system takes about 6 minutes and that includes messing with the included Bose covers
- the heaviest pieces are the two speaker towers but together they weigh less than one speaker cabinet

For anyone that is thinking of taking the plunge but has apprehension, I say go for it, you won't regret it.

RickT

[GDub]

Ditto! We have two (each with a bass module). Love them!

[bassman]

We've used a Model one for 5 years in my band. It's been great. We only run vocals through it but not having to use monitors really cleans up the stage.
we on occasion, supplement it with a Carvin amp and speaker but usually we use the one L1 and one bass bin for our PA.

bassman Bill