Key Considerations When Hiring a Sound System for a Small Event

Planning a small party or gig is less daunting than organising a large scale event, but for your event to run smoothly the right sound system and great sound is still key. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when booking a system for those more intimate events.

The Venue

The size of the venue and the number of guests expected are great things to consider when selecting the right sound system. Generally for small parties 10 - 40 guests require a pair of speakers on stands, 40+ require subwoofers. We stock a multitude of different sized speakers to cater for all sorts of events. From 8” powered speakers to double 18” passive subwoofers. It’s also important to consider the acoustics of the room, or the landscape of the area for an outdoor event -  we can work with you to find the perfect placement to eliminate any ‘dead spots’ or areas that are far too loud. The final consideration is power. Knowing the power sources in comparison to the location of your stage or performance is hugely important as it allows us to equip you with all the correct cabling to go where you need to go.

Type of event 

Application of the sound system and content you expect to be played through the system are critical. Bass heavy music requires more subs and a focused sound on to the dancefloor, whereas a conference requires almost no subwoofers at all, but clear coverage over the whole room. As well as this if you have a musician or DJ on stage they will need monitors of some description so they can hear themselves. We can cater to a number of different scenarios: from talks and lectures, intimate live band set ups and DJ set ups to punch through until the early hours. It’s key for us to know what you are scheduling so we can ensure we tailor our set up to your needs.

Power

The bigger the soundsystem gets the more power we require to install it. Modern switch mode amplifiers and powered speakers are very efficient, however most small party systems only require a 13a plug or two. Larger venues should be able to provide heavy mains power directly. Outdoor events such as marquee weddings or small festival stages are usually run from a generator into our distribution system and then onto the amplifiers. Knowing the power sources in comparison to the location of your stage or performance is hugely important as it allows us to equip you with all the correct cabling to go where you need to go.

Timings

Finally, it should be considered how and when the sound system would be set up, and what expertise would be required to do this. At Nomad we offer a range of services from dry hire of audio equipment and party speaker hire to full festival set ups or other outdoor stages. We offer pre and post production alongside experienced technicians and audio engineers to set up the equipment and monitor the event for you. We are aware that smaller events can have tight budgets, and are here to work with you to find the best solution to fit your budget and requirements. 

These are some of the major considerations that we commonly come across after 10 years of supplying equipment for small events in the South West and across the country.