I am new to pd but have plans to use it solo and alongside acoustic instruments in small to medium sized venues (no electric guitars or other amplified instruments). I know little about the requirements for performance so need advice on what to look for in an active speaker (or is my question the wrong one?) So far I only seem to be able to find info on guitar and keyboard combi speakers. I realise the guitar ones are no good and for some keyboard speakers I have seen references to compression being used for connection to laptops. Using the home speaker systems and my hi-fi I can tell that the frequency range of pd is quite challenging, so I expect a fair bit of power and large sub-woofer is necessary. What criteria are important?

as a venue sound engineer, id advise to let the venue deal with the speakers. what is too big (whether physically or way more than necessary loudness potential) for one venue might be too small for another.

not to mention transportation. sure, bands transport a lot of stuff, but do you really need to?

if you *have* to have something, get something decent and active (built in amplifier), but bear in mind that nothing you can likely afford to will give you proper bass if it gives you mids and highs. You will need a tripod stand, unless you like listening to the highs with your feet instead of your ears. Prices range from a few hundred for a plastic looking and sounding speaker, to thousands for something that sounds and feels like a proper audio tool.

Thanks for the advice. I would much prefer to leave amplification up to the venue, but I am a member of a local contemporary composers group that organises concerts in a variety of venues lacking their own equipment, often churches, so if I am to use pd I will need my own active speakers.

actually, while it is in many ways easier or more practical (or, for me, the only option) to leave amplification up to the venue, I have had horrible experiences with concerts being compromised because of venues equipment and sound techs. Also I have friends who tour extensively with their own equipment, one uses a small but good PA, and while this requires a car, it guarantees that once you understand how to use your equipment, you will be able to get the sound you want in a particular space at a particular moment.

Another option, outside of a small active PA, is even to use two small guitar amps. I have had pretty good experience with the Roland cubes (not the tiny ones, as those are incapable of producing much bass), the medium sized ones. They are not cheap, however.

I think it is a good direction to explore, being self contained is extremely powerful and might even ease the logistical stress of performance. It isnt always necessary to bring your own PA with you either of course...

why not go to a shop where you can play some sounds through different systems and see if you can find what you are looking for. In my experience it is less about raw volume and more about whether the systems can be used to create a sense of even response across the freq range
J