QSC K-Series Powered Speakers & Yip Deceiver
As any band or musician will tell you, their humble beginnings usually led them to a crossroads when it came time to pick a PA system for practice and gigs. A number of questions begin to surface as to what type of PA system to get. Active or passive? How many watts do we need? How loud can we get? Today there are so many choices when it comes to picking the proper PA system that it can seem overwhelming. The advantage to the growing marketplace is that you now have companies that are making loudspeaker systems more portable and sounding better than ever before. One of those companies is QSC and their latest line of powered speakers, the K-Series. We asked the band Yip Deceiver out of Athens, GA to come and use the K-Series for a performance to really put these speakers to the test. Yip Deceiver are currently out on tour promoting their album Medallius as well as touring alongside the band Electric Six. Abandoning laptops and other computer based programs, the Yip Deceiver duo opts for an all analog setup with an MPC 1000 being the main control surface for performances. They predominately use analog synthesizers as a way of staying true to the vision of the band, but also because it's the palette of sounds they feel most comfortable working with. I have to say it was endearing seeing a return back to the machines that have been modeled by so many software programs in an age where every "electronic" sounding artist has a laptop within arms reach at all times. We had Davey and Dobby of Yip Deceiver take it back to the place where all started for a lot bands: the garage. While the QSC K-Series sounded great in the garage, they can also sound great for any type of gig you have whether that be a DJ at a wedding or a rock show in a local club. There are three different sizes of speakers in the K-Series line including the K8, the K10, and the K12. Each number corresponds to the speaker's woofer size. If a pair of PA speakers can't get you the bottom end you desire, you can bring in the K-Sub which is a 1000 watt active subwoofer that really packs a punch. Additionally the K-Sub has a slot for an included pole for mounting the K8, the K10, or the K12 so you have a nice compact and nice looking PA setup. One thing that sets these speakers apart are their rugged construction. They use an ABS molding material as opposed to the typical polypropylene used on many other loudspeakers on the market. Not only does this help with handling the rigors of transport, but it also adds to a high quality level of low end sound that modern musicians crave. You also have protection features on these speakers so you can be assured that your speakers won't blow if they are being pushed too hard. The great thing about the QSC K-Series and newer powered speaker systems is their incorporation of inputs. You have the ability to connect a microphone or line directly into the speaker. There is also an RCA input so you can connect an external audio device like an iPod in between your sets. One of my favorite features is that the power supply has a locking socket meaning that you have to push down on a yellow button to remove the power supply. Any gigging musician will tell you that this can be a lifesaver when you have an intoxicated or oblivious audience member who likes to roam around your stage setup. There are also things we have been seeing a lot of on powered speakers like a smart EQ with selections for flat or vocal boost for high frequency control, and deep or normal low frequency control. You can also use the main speakers as powered monitor wedges should that be what your performance heart desires. So when you are looking for your next PA system for your rehearsal space or to take to the gig, the QSC K-Series is certainly a system worth looking at. I can already hear the bemoaning from many a cash-strapped musician telling me it's too expensive. It is true that the QSC speakers do carry a high price tag but each speaker has 1000 watts of continuous power and that's not common on a powered PA speaker at this price. When you consider what you are paying for, the QSC K-Series begins to look like the last powered speaker system you will ever have to buy. They can hold up well for years with their sturdy construction and give you serious volume in a low-profile design. Check out the video above with Yip Deceiver and if you like their music be sure to head on over to their website where you can purchase Medallius and see when they are coming to your city. If you have questions or comments about the QSC K-Series or powered PA speakers, be sure to leave them in the comments section below. SLAM!! Transcript
Hey I'm Davey. I'm Dobby. And we're Yip Deceiver. We've toured with Turquoise Jeep, The Wild Moccasins, and we're about to go on tour with Electric Six and all in support of our new album Medallius. We kind of play a mixture of like indie, pop, R&B, punk, fun, dance music. Electronic without being electronic and punk without being punk. Well we opt for hardware over laptops and VSTs and stuff like that. We use the analog synthesizers and the hardware sequencers and everything and it's uh. It's a crutch but we love it. You know we get to talk about it a lot to everybody that sees it and they go, "Why are you doing that," and we're like, "Well it's because that's the fun stuff." Our choice of gear does influence us a lot simply because of the limitations. We work with things that you can't do an infinite amount of things with. Like you don't have every option available to you. You can't just be like, "Well I kind of like how it sounds right now but what if it sounded like this completely other totally different synth that I don't own?" It's like, nope that doesn't work. If you can't get it out of that one then don't get it basically and it makes us have to work for it a little bit more. We get flack because people call us an electronic project but it's like we're really just a band. Since we don't use the VSTs and stuff we don't have the infinite options of things so we get people going like, "So it sounds like they only have like four synts." And if you look, we only have four synths. It's our palette, that's what we work with and we're ok with it. I grew up listening to a lot of punk music and then forayed into smoother R&B. Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis sort of stuff. Yeah what did you like when you were a child. Madonna, Prince, UTFO. UTFO? Really? Yeah. Nice that's good. I like UTFO. This is the best PA you could ever hope to buy. It will not feedback. I mean no matter the volume. Like turn it up for me. Turn it up. Nothing. No feedback. That's one selling point. Dobby what's another one? Pocket PA. Pocket PA. Just roll it in and pull it out of your pocket. I don't know if they trademarked the pocket PA name yet. I think it sounded great. We have an issue being an electronic band where low end is an obvious issue with our performance. Something this size that you can wheel into a club, it's basically what we have been looking for the whole time. I mean there is literally wheels on the back of it. I know that sounds weird but that's a big selling point for me because I hate carrying things. It's surprisingly powerful and loud for the size of it. You wouldn't expect something like this to be able to actually move air like it does. I mean nothing against the house systems of many of the clubs of the United States and beyond, but some reinforcement can be helpful sometimes. For one, coming from the background of having a drummer and playing in bigger bands and then being a two piece now. Having something behind us that can push low end is a really nice thing and then in some clubs that just don't have a sound system, we can do our own thing. We do tour a lot and we have very limited space because we tour in a very small vehicle and it is actually impressively small for what it is. Anyone who's ever carried power amps around in racks or whatever, it can be a nightmare. So having integrated power in this size is tremendous for what we do. We are Yip Deceiver. This is the QSC K-Series and you are watching UniqueSquared.com.