Absence of Ocean Puts the Galaxy Audio GPS-8 Personal Monitor PA System Through its Paces in Their Final GEAR TEST REVIEW & TESTIMONIAL
We were surprised (and stoked) to find out we were going to receive a pair of Galaxy Audio GPS-8 PA speakers (a full system) to test out. While we have been a band for several years, a PA system has always been on the back burner in terms of gear purchases. We have always found ways around using a PA system. We ran our programed drum tracks and synths through a standard receiver/home audio system – which never seemed to have enough EQ control or portability. We ran our effected vocals through an extra (noisy) amp we had handy after our guitarist upgraded. These worked for our band at the time, but never did our beats, synths, or vocals justice.
Being a shoegaze band with electronic elements, our practices and live shows get loud. We have two guitarists usually running combinations of overdrives, fuzzes, modulations, delays and reverbs at any given time. We have bass guitar which can be clean to fuzzy. We have Andrew and Audrey running their vocals through processors and pedal boards. We also have programed Ableton/Logic drums, synths, and samples. Our drums, synths, and vocals always tend to get buried under our heavily effected guitars. To be honest, we were worried that the GPS-8 PA System might not be able to cut through our walls of sound, but when we first plugged them in we were blown away.
First of all…the Galaxy Audio GPS-8 speakers are incredibly portable and lightweight. They have a built-in handle, lockable stand mounts, and sturdy rubber stands for placing on the floor. One of the best features of this PA is that you can place it on its side to be used as a monitor – perfect for practices or that venue that doesn’t have the best floor wedge game. We’ve definitely played some venues in the past (house shows/DIY venues) that have not had adequate sound system monitors. Not being able to hear ourselves and knowing our mix to the floor is off = not good vibes. But with the GPS-8 from Galaxy, we could finally hear ourselves! We could run our drum tracks, synths, and vocals through these and the output was amazing. With 200 watts of power these things get loud without sacrificing clarity. The XLR or 1/4-inch instrument cable inputs were perfect for direct-in vocals and audio from our mixer. With a little bit of tweaking, we were able to send our vocals from pedalboards or our audio interface to the GPS-8s, which were still able to cut through the mix with the volume control and bass boost.
With the output connectivity, you can chain multiple GPS-8 PA systems for more monitor or PA usability. There were multiple times when we thought we may have overloaded the GPS-8s, but the limiter warning light let us know if we were sending too much to the system. These Galaxy Audio units have changed the way we practice, perform and have helped us immensely in writing our new material to record. These are perfect for the solo acoustic performer who needs more volume or monitor at their open mic gig, or loud bands who need a PA/monitor that can cut through a live or practice mix. The Galaxy Audio GPS-8 packs high sound quality and functionality into a small, portable, easy-to-use, and affordable package. Just use an audio interface, mixer, or go directly into the GPS-8 to take your live performances and practices to the next level!
