How hard can I push?

[Benny Smyth]

So my active sound system consists of two RCF 905 subs with either the 408s or the 712s as tops. I have the dial on my subs set at 12 o'clock and at 1 o'clock on the tops. 90% of the time, I don't hit the limiter but on the odd occasion it happens, I dial back the signal on the mixer.

Now here's where the confusion kicks in. I have a mate who 'peaks' into the redline on his sound system (which, incidentally, is pretty much the same as mine) all night and has done for as long as I've known him. Is he riding his luck, or do I have a bit more 'room' to push if I need to?

[funkymook]

So my active sound system consists of two RCF 905 subs with either the 408s or the 712s as tops. I have the dial on my subs set at 12 o'clock and at 1 o'clock on the tops. 90% of the time, I don't hit the limiter but on the odd occasion it happens, I dial back the signal on the mixer.

Now here's where the confusion kicks in. I have a mate who 'peaks' into the redline on his sound system (which, incidentally, is pretty much the same as mine) all night and has done for as long as I've known him. Is he riding his luck, or do I have a bit more 'room' to push if I need to?


With RCF speakers it’s OK for the red light to be going on and off in time with the bass, you need to pull back when it’s on constantly. (was told this by a head honcho at RCF at a demo day).

(I’m assuming when you say he peaks into the redline you mean his speakers, not his mixer - all bets are off if you start sending a distorted signal to your speakers).

[Benny Smyth]

With RCF speakers it’s OK for the red light to be going on and off in time with the bass, you need to pull back when it’s on constantly. (was told this by a head honcho at RCF at a demo day).

(I’m assuming when you say he peaks into the redline you mean his speakers, not his mixer - all bets are off if you start sending a distorted signal to your speakers).

I did mean that. Apologies for not making that clear.

[Shaun]

With RCF speakers it’s OK for the red light to be going on and off in time with the bass, you need to pull back when it’s on constantly. (was told this by a head honcho at RCF at a demo day).


I was told the same by AMPman, RCF's authorised repair guys.

[Nakatomi]

Yup. Redlining the mixer is bad news. Also bad news is redlining your playout. Somebody tell Morales, Tong et al....

The limiters on the actives are to help stop momentary peaks. Once the limiters are on constantly, yer average level will increase. Sustain that for too long & something is going to go pop.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I was at the same RCF demo day as Martin and I bought my subs that day too.
It doesn't stop me looking down at them every now and then and I must admit, I have my volume switches on them set to around 11 o'clock and they hardly ever flash red.

[Benny Smyth]

Ok. It seems like I have a bit of wiggle room to play with. Assuming that I'm brave enough to do so, of course - my sensei instilled into me that they didn't put the red LEDs on mixers and amps because they ran out of green ones...

[Nakatomi]

Ok. It seems like I have a bit of wiggle room to play with. Assuming that I'm brave enough to do so, of course - my sensei instilled into me that they didn't put the red LEDs on mixers and amps because they ran out of green ones...

You had a sensei? I just had a crapload of blown up amps & speakers in my wake til I learned...

Kidding. To paraphrase the ever predictable ProMobile mag editor intro... "In the words of Billy Ocean...."

[yourdj]

It makes me despair when i see DJ's redlining mixers. Especially 'professional' club DJ's as they should know better.
Its the ones who buy really great sound systems and redline or ride the mid making the sound terrible :)

They would be better off buying a crap brand and running in the green with all the dials at 12 o'clock.

[ukpartydj]

It makes me despair when i see DJ's redlining mixers. Especially 'professional' club DJ's as they should know better.
Its the ones who buy really great sound systems and redline or ride the mid making the sound terrible :)

They would be better off buying a crap brand and running in the green with all the dials at 12 o'clock.

In normal circumstances I would agree. However I'm pretty sure the very clever guys who control the volume at the bar more often than not they set the volume so that when the mixer is at maximum - that's the loudest they want the music to be ... meaning that I would need to put it into the red to get any volume out of it!! running at 0db is normally background music for example... GRRRR!! Having said that ... Pioneer mixer and traktor soundcard don't distort the music half as much as my denon mc6000 - you know when the denon isn't happy.. poineer I couldn't notice it until right near the top - I know they're just lights but at the same volumes denon would be screaming whilst pioneer/ traktor setup may have a slight crunch. My point of course is that clubs always have poineer or A&H mixers.

Back to the OP though I was thinking last night I wonder how loud my speakers can go ... as I was being defended by them in an awkward position.
My RCF 310as have never seen a red light that I know of. My RCF705as does get a nice little red light flicker on the right track though - one day I feel I'll have to crank them right up and see what it'll take to see the little red lights.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

HK rep was at a meet up here a while back and I asked him a similar question about my Nano 600s and he said it's fine for them to go into the red on the bass hits.

It very rarely happens but it's nice to know you can do it if you need a bit more air moved.