Overview of a PA System

Although it might look complicated, a sound system is really just a collection of simple parts with the aim of taking sound in from various sources, mixing it to sound nice, amplifying it and outputting it to speakers and a other places.

What does a 'PA System' mean?

Technically a 'Public Address' System this is now becoming a bit of a misnomer as it covers everything from a train station system to a single speaker with a microphone connected to the kind of thing an International Band would use.

That said all those examples have the following key components in common:

Sources (Microphones, Instruments, CDs, iPods, etc)
Connections (Cables and wireless from Sources to the Mixer)
Mixer/Desk (Sometimes inbuilt to a speaker, but some means of changing the volume and often other parts of the sound, like increasing low frequencies)
Outputs (Speakers, Recording Machines, etc)

Simplest Possible Setup

The simplest example of a system can be imagined like a home sound system. You put in a CD (a source), it goes to the amplifier (mixer) which amplifies the sound and then sends it out towards the speaker (output).

Typical Portable Sound System

A typical portable system might be the following setup:

Sources

4 Microphones and cables
3 DI boxes for instruments (Keyboards, Guitars, etc)
1 Wireless Handheld Mic and 1 Tie-Clip Mic
DVD player that can also play CDs

Connections
3 Instrument Cables
7 XLR Cables (for microphones and DI boxes)
1 16-channel Multi-Cord/Snake (connects microphones to the back)
2 Speaker Cables
3 Monitor/Foldback Cables

Mixer/Sound Desk

16 Channel Mixer (outputs for main speakers, recordings and monitors)
2 Wireless Receivers (for the mics)
1 MP3 Recording Device (eg. to record a talk)

Outputs

1 Amp with two channels (to amplify the Mixer output)
2 Main Speakers (for the audience)
3 Monitor/Foldback Speakers (for musicians to hear themselves)

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