The onboard 3-band mid-sweep EQ is quite handy. On many gigs, we run a monitor or loudspeaker on delay via a small analog console’s aux send, and there’s no onboard or outboard EQ onboard available. I think having built-in phantom power, delay and a feedback notch filter are also great additions to the onboard processing.
Electro-Voice also sent along the PXM12-MP-CVR covers for the monitors. They’re quality form-fitting padded units made from water-resistant nylon designed to protect against moisture, dust, and dirt, as well as guard against dents and dings. The covers also have a cable pocket that closes with Velcro, along with Velcro tabs to keep the covers in place.
An Actual Gig (!)
Like most production companies at present, most of our gigs have gone away this summer because of the pandemic, but I had a chance to take the PXM-12MPs out for a 2-day live performance recording session for a webcast at my a colleague’s church. It was decided that we would use the PXM wedges as the downstage units because they’re quite low profile and compact, and they’d also look great on camera.
The performers would do a few songs each in an empty room, but were multitrack recorded for mixdown later, with a slew of cameras capturing plenty of video. One day 1, the first act was a piano player who also sang, and I placed a wedge to his left and just ran a little vocal back to him with a touch of reverb. He complimented us on how great the wedge sounded.
Next up was a female guitar duo who also both sang, so we gave each a wedge fed by a separate mix. They were ecstatic at the sound of both their instruments in voices.
The final act before lunch was a trio consisting of two male guitarists/singers joined by a percussionist who also sang. Having only two wedges, we gave both boxes the same mix and placed them so all three musicians could hear. They immediately noticed how much more attractive and compact they were compared to the church’s own large two-way 15-inch carpeted cabinets.
At lunch, the director also complimented the look of the PXM-12MPs and asked if I could bring a few more for the next day with when the larger praise band would be recorded. Because we only had a pair of the EV boxes, I offered to instead supply some of my company’s own smaller coaxial boxes.
After lunch a few different singers performed to tracks and we decided to set the monitors on tripods outside the camera shot at the stage wings and use them more in a “side fill” configuration. Without ever having seen the control panel or instruction manual, my colleague easily set the DSP to the TRIPOD setting. The performers really liked the sound quality as well as how they could move around and still hear themselves and the tracks.
Further Investigation
After the recording session ended, my colleague and I took some time to work further with the loudspeakers. Like me, he was really impressed with the numerous DSP options, the sonic quality, and how loud they could get for being so compact. Grabbing a smaller 18-inch subwoofer the church owns, we played with the crossover feature and were both impressed at how well it will perform as a small front of house system, easily filling the gymnasium-sized room with coverage.
Day 2 was all about the big praise band with different singers and solo musicians featured on various songs. We set the wedges downstage center about six feet apart and splayed in toward each other, creating a nice, large “sweet spot” of coverage for the soloists and lead singers. The “Thru” output made it easy to wire the pair on the same mix.
It seemed that almost every performer who played or sang through them commented on the sonic quality and how much better they looked than the church’s bulky monitors.
Suffice to say that the PXM-12MP is a versatile box. With the wide coverage pattern, I can see performers needing fewer wedges on stage, which can come in very handy considering just how many stages are small. Guitar and bass players can use them as practice or gig cabinets, and as monitors or mains on shows. DJs can use them as monitors or mains and production companies like mine benefit from a versatile box that can be deployed in numerous situations.
I think Electro-Voice knocked it out of the park with the PXM-12MP multi-function loudspeakers. They sound great, are versatile, offer a load of features, look sharp, are compact and lightweight, and come in at a great price.
U.S. MAP: $799
Go here for more specifics on the new EV PXM-12MP.