What Makes Up a Basic Sound System for Band Music?
Maybe you take some music lessons or just pick up an instrument and teach your self to make some music. Then maybe you run into some friends that have learned to play some other instruments. You get together to jam. It all works well and you learn some songs. Maybe you jam for some friends at a party.
By this time you know that you need at least a basic sound system. Drums are loud and amplified bass and guitar, and maybe keys, are also adding to the level. If there are to be vocals with the music there will need to be some means of amplifying the singer to keep up with the amplified music.
The basic minimum would be a microphone, a pre-amp (mixer), a power amp, and a speaker. Several of these parts may be packaged together. There are powered speakers that are capable of taking a microphone input and producing a sound output. The more traditional way for a compact system has been to combine the mixer with the power amplifier in a combo unit.
None the less, the sound system for your bands music needs to have the input devices (mikes or DI's), a mixer with enough channels to handle the inputs for your band, a power amplifier to boost the line level signals coming out of the mixer to the level needed to drive your speakers, and, of course, some speakers.
There are other items that will add to the capability and functionality of the sound system, but these are the basic building blocks for all sound systems for amplifying band music. This applies to the garage band as well as a concert sound system. It is just a matter of scale and complexity that differentiates these sound systems.