Building a system for a warehouse rave

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   Me and a few buddies are planning a rave we plan to throw in an abandoned warehouse, advertised thru flyers and word of mouth but strictly offline like in the good 'ol days. Obviously this is illegal but if that doesn't rustle your jimmies please continue reading.

I'm admittedly more of a musician than an engineer but I have my share of experience building and understanding sound tech as a former roadie for a few bands. The system we need to build is catered toward techno and house and ideally could provide enough volume for a building about the size of a Home Depot back storage warehouse. 

I've looked mostly into the PD 1850 sub bass horns and the MT 102 mids. Some videos I've seen on youtube make it look like 4 of the PD 1850 bass bins and two of the MT 102s would provide a ton of volume, but I wouldn't be against rounding it out a bit. I'm figuring putting aside about $8000 USD in the next year for this, to account for buying an amp and other miscellaneous expenses. 

What do you experts think would be a good set of speakers to build, a suitable amp and anything else i need to know? 

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jr36654 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 28 February 2017 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote jr36654 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Building a system for a warehouse rave Posted: 28 February 2017 at 2:10pm
	Me and a few buddies are planning a rave we plan to throw in an abandoned warehouse, advertised thru flyers and word of mouth but strictly offline like in the good 'ol days. Obviously this is illegal but if that doesn't rustle your jimmies please continue reading. I'm admittedly more of a musician than an engineer but I have my share of experience building and understanding sound tech as a former roadie for a few bands. The system we need to build is catered toward techno and house and ideally could provide enough volume for a building about the size of a Home Depot back storage warehouse. I've looked mostly into the PD 1850 sub bass horns and the MT 102 mids. Some videos I've seen on youtube make it look like 4 of the PD 1850 bass bins and two of the MT 102s would provide a ton of volume, but I wouldn't be against rounding it out a bit. I'm figuring putting aside about $8000 USD in the next year for this, to account for buying an amp and other miscellaneous expenses. What do you experts think would be a good set of speakers to build, a suitable amp and anything else i need to know?

AM55 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Old Croc Joined: 16 August 2007 Location: Matlock Status: Offline Points: 1728	Post Options Post Reply Quote AM55 Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 28 February 2017 at 2:30pm
	MT102 will struggle to meet the 1850 at a good crossover point. I always saw it as MT102 with HD15, 1850 with MT122. 4 bass 2 mid/top is a good ratio. This website was started way back when the used Pro Audio market was strong, thus it was cheaper to build you own cabs. I am not sure about in the US but in the UK this is no longer the case and you can pick up ex rental kit for peanuts. It may cost you less and be a lot less hassle just buying something from the second hand market and you would get a turn key system. The illegal bit makes it all the more fun!

Sapro2 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Registered User Joined: 31 January 2015 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 354	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sapro2 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 February 2017 at 2:43pm
	Good previous advice. I have two points to add: 1) You will need more power than you think in a Warehouse. 2) When you set up your rig DO NOT set it up parallel with the far wall. Angle it, and reduce reflections. Reflections are a sod in warehouses. Enjoy!
	Splat Soundsystem Baby Sham pram Soundsystem Sapro - SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/sapro DJ Sapro. West country free party DJ and Producer.

jr36654 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 28 February 2017 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote jr36654 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 February 2017 at 2:45pm
	Thanks, you may very well be right. The drivers alone for the 6 units I mentioned could cost in excess of $3000, the scrap for building the cabs wouldn't be much but it's intimidating. I'm not sure about renting because I'm afraid of the liability issues, but I could get some second hand units, use them once or twice, then simply re-sell them under pretense of "only having used them once or twice." At least that way I may get a return of some sort. That said the DIY element was also part of the fun, I work 60 hours a week so I'll be able to save enough. EDIT: Re: power, the above mentioned units are like 1000W max i believe. I am not sure about technical specifics so i do not know if that is sufficient. Re reflections, would you also advise sound insulation in the spots where there could be an issue? Something like this would be enough - not sure how much something like this would cost to rig up though. Edited by jr36654 - 28 February 2017 at 2:47pm

bassenmass Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Old Croc Joined: 03 September 2009 Location: "unknown" Status: Offline Points: 4009	Post Options Post Reply Quote bassenmass Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 28 February 2017 at 3:00pm
	i bet there some "free party rigs" round yours aswell, why not "work" together with them instead of spending money on a one single event? Surely that would be more "old skool" aswell :)

jr36654 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 28 February 2017 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote jr36654 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 February 2017 at 4:21pm
	Absolutely, collaboration is a big part of it. Finding people passionate about the music is key, obviously there are risks involved but those who agree to participate are accepting them. Life's short lol. Going to try Craigslist > musicians but obviously am being careful about anonymity.

rosssss224 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Registered User Joined: 25 July 2012 Status: Offline Points: 447	Post Options Post Reply Quote rosssss224 Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 28 February 2017 at 5:02pm
	build 4 cubo 18's, 4 cubo kicks and buy some decent tops. Simple build and solid techno rig for cheap.

jr36654 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 28 February 2017 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote jr36654 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 February 2017 at 5:40pm
	That sounds reasonable. Figure about 3k for the drivers, a few hundred for lumber and add some more for a few PA spkr tops and an amp and I think a decent earth thumping rig could be had for ~5k