The band hears itself,
the audience hears the band.
A concert has two sound systems that have nothing to do with each other: the one for the audience and the one on stage. The first decides how the night sounds. The second decides whether the band can play together at all. Plan only the first and you get musicians drowning each other out — and you hear that out front.
How big the system has to be
The number of guests on its own says very little. What matters is how far the person at the back stands from the stage, and whether the sound meets any walls on the way. Outdoors it disperses; in a hall it comes back. Two events of the same size therefore need different systems. Tell us the room or the area, the guest count and the kind of music — the rest follows from that.
Monitoring: wedges or in-ear
Wedges are robust, everybody knows them, and they make the stage louder — which carries out front. In-ear is quieter on stage and more precise for the musicians, but it needs more preparation and a separate mix per person. Both are right; which one fits depends on the band and on how much time there is for the soundcheck.
Stage, roof and rigging
The moment something hangs over people's heads, it stops being a matter of taste. Truss, roofs and motors have load limits, and outdoors there is wind on top. We plan structures so that they hold, and we say clearly when something needs a structural sign-off. Better an inconvenient answer beforehand than an argument on the build day.
Soundcheck and schedule
The most common reason a concert starts in a panic is a schedule that leaves too little time for the soundcheck. Several bands in a row need changeover time, and that is rarely in the first draft. We go through the running order with you before it is fixed.
- ▸A PA for the audience, calculated for the room and the area
- ▸Monitoring for the stage — wedges or in-ear
- ▸Console and control position with a view of the stage
- ▸Stage, risers, truss and roof where needed
- ▸Lighting design for the stage — mood rather than just brightness
- ▸Microphones for drums, amplifiers and vocals
Every setup is cut to the venue, the guest count and the running order — this list is a starting point, not a packing list.
What we get asked most often.
Many bands bring somebody who knows them — that is ideal. If not, we take the mix. Tell us early which it is, because it changes the schedule on the day.
That depends on the stage and the rigging, not on the PA. A sound system goes up quickly; a roof with truss takes considerably longer and more hands. We will give you the times once we know what is being built.
Often yes, particularly outdoors and in residential areas. The limits come from the authority or the venue. Tell us what applies — we plan the system around it.
Amplifiers, drums and instruments are not our main business. Tell us what you need and we will say honestly what we can supply and where you are better off hiring directly.
Tell us about
your event.
Send us the basics — you get an honest assessment and a quote shortly afterwards. No obligation, and nobody chases you about it afterwards.
We usually reply within 24 hours.