How to Cluster 1005: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Short Answer: Can You Use PA Speakers as Stage Monitors?

If you are wondering, can you use pa speakers as stage monitors, the answer is an absolute yes. In fact, the internal components—like the woofers, tweeters, and crossovers—are virtually identical between standard PA speakers and dedicated stage monitors. The primary difference lies entirely in the exterior cabinet design and the angle of sound dispersion.

As a live sound engineer with over 15 years of experience mixing Front of House (FOH) and monitor feeds, I constantly repurpose main PA speakers as floor wedges. This is a common practice for touring bands, mobile DJs, and small venues looking to maximize their audio gear budget. By understanding how to properly angle and EQ a standard PA speaker, you can create a high-quality, professional stage monitoring experience.

📌 TL;DR / Key Takeaways

• Yes, you can use them: Standard PA speakers and stage monitors share the exact same internal audio technology.
• The physical difference: Dedicated monitors have an angled “wedge” cabinet for floor placement, while PA speakers are usually trapezoidal for pole mounting.
• Positioning is key: You must prop up a standard PA speaker at a 45 to 60-degree angle to point directly at the performer’s ears.
• Beware of feedback: Because PA speakers often have wider dispersion angles, they require careful EQing and specific microphone placement to avoid screeching feedback loops.
• Dual-purpose gear exists: Many modern powered speakers (like the QSC K.2 series or Yamaha DXR) feature angled cabinets specifically designed for dual use.

Understanding the Differences: PA Speakers vs. Stage Monitors

To fully grasp how can pa speakers be used as monitors, you must understand what separates them physically. Acoustically, both devices are designed to accurately reproduce full-range audio frequencies at high volumes. However, their physical form factors dictate how that sound is delivered to the audience versus the performer.

A traditional Main PA Speaker (Front of House) is designed to project sound outward to a crowd. They usually feature flat bottoms for resting on subwoofers or pole mounts to elevate them above the audience. Their high-frequency horns are designed to cast sound wide, typically boasting a 90-degree by 60-degree dispersion pattern.

A Stage Monitor (often called a wedge) is built specifically for the performer. The cabinet is cut at an angle—usually 45 to 60 degrees—allowing it to lay flat on the stage while firing sound upward at the musician’s head. Furthermore, true stage monitors often feature a tighter sound dispersion pattern to minimize stage bleed and reduce the risk of microphone feedback.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Use a PA Speaker as a Stage Monitor

If you are running a tight ship and need to use your main speakers as floor wedges, you must follow a specific setup process. Placing a speaker flat on the floor pointing at a singer’s shins will result in a muddy, unintelligible mix. Here is my exact method for repurposing PA gear for stage monitoring.

Step 1: Secure the Proper Acoustic Angle

The most critical step is getting the speaker to point directly at the performer’s ears. High frequencies are highly directional, meaning if the speaker’s tweeter is not aimed at your head, the mix will sound muffled.

If your PA speaker does not have a built-in kickback angle, you must physically prop it up. I highly recommend using a sturdy amp stand, a specialized foam acoustic wedge, or a heavily secured road case. Never balance a heavy active speaker precariously, as stage vibrations from bass and kick drums will cause it to fall.

Step 2: Route Your Aux Sends

Stage monitors require a completely different mix than the main audience PA. You cannot simply daisy-chain your main FOH speakers into your monitor speakers. Instead, you must route your audio through your mixer’s Auxiliary (Aux) Sends.

Connect an XLR cable from the “Aux Out” on your mixing board directly into the input of your repurposed PA speaker. This allows you to create a custom mix—giving the singer more vocals and the drummer more bass—without affecting what the audience hears. Always set your Aux sends to “Pre-Fader” so that adjustments made to the main house mix do not ruin the performer’s monitor mix.

Step 3: Manage the Low-Frequency Build-Up (Acoustic Coupling)

When you place a large PA speaker directly on a hard stage floor, you encounter a phenomenon known as “half-space acoustic coupling.” The floor essentially acts as an extension of the speaker cabinet, artificially boosting the bass frequencies by up to +3dB to +6dB. This creates a massive, muddy low-end build-up that washes out vocals.

To fix this, you must aggressively use a High-Pass Filter (HPF) on your mixing console. I routinely engage an HPF to roll off all frequencies below 100Hz to 120Hz in a monitor mix. If your active PA speaker has a built-in DSP (Digital Signal Processing) menu, switch the EQ preset from “Main/FOH” to “Monitor” to instantly cut those problem frequencies.

Microphone Placement Strategies to Prevent Feedback

One of the biggest challenges when using a standard PA speaker as a monitor is managing microphone feedback. Because PA speakers often throw sound wider than dedicated wedges, they can easily blast sound right back into a live microphone. Understanding your microphone’s polar pattern is the ultimate defense against feedback loops.

Cardioid Microphones (e.g., Shure SM58)

Cardioid microphones are most sensitive at the front and completely “dead” at the rear (180 degrees). If your singer is using a cardioid mic, the PA speaker must be placed directly in front of them, firing squarely at the back of the microphone.

Supercardioid Microphones (e.g., Beta 58A, Sennheiser e945)

Supercardioid microphones have a tighter pickup pattern in the front but feature a small “lobe” of sensitivity directly at the rear. If you put a monitor directly behind a supercardioid mic, it will squeal instantly. Instead, place your repurposed PA speaker slightly off to the side, at exactly a 135-degree angle from the front of the mic.

Microphone & Monitor Placement Cheat Sheet

Expert Technique: “Ringing Out” Your Repurposed Monitors

When you ask, can you use pa speakers as stage monitors, the technical reality comes down to equalization. Standard PA speakers are tuned to sound full and “hi-fi,” which often means boosted lows and crisp highs. On a stage, these boosted frequencies are the exact culprits that cause agonizing microphone feedback.

To safely use a PA speaker as a wedge, you must “ring out” the monitor. This is a crucial sound engineering process where we intentionally induce feedback to find and cut the problematic frequencies before the show starts. You will need a 31-band Graphic Equalizer (GEQ) or a modern digital mixer with parametric EQ on your Aux outputs.

The 4-Step Ringing Out Process

1. Set the Stage: Place the microphones and your repurposed PA speaker exactly where they will be during the performance. Do not move them after this process begins.
2. Raise the Gain: Slowly push up the master Aux send fader for that specific monitor mix until you just begin to hear a faint ringing sound. Stop pushing immediately.
3. Identify the Frequency: Listen to the pitch. Is it a low rumble (200Hz – 400Hz), a nasal honk (800Hz – 1kHz), or an ear-piercing squeal (3kHz – 8kHz)? Use a spectrum analyzer app on your phone if you cannot identify it by ear.
4. Cut the Offending Frequency: Go to your EQ and pull down that specific frequency slider by -3dB to -6dB. The ringing will stop. Repeat this process until you have cut 3 or 4 of the most problematic frequencies, allowing you to achieve massive stage volume without feedback.

Can Studio Monitors Be Used As PA Speakers?

A very common follow-up question in the audio community is: can studio monitors be used as pa speakers? The definitive, objective answer is no, you should never do this. Doing so will likely result in thousands of dollars of destroyed equipment.

Studio monitors are designed for “near-field” critical listening at relatively low volumes (around 85dB). They are engineered with incredibly delicate drivers, silk-dome tweeters, and zero protective grilles. They are