Sound System Hire Questions
The things people actually ask us before booking, answered properly. If yours isn't here, call or send a WhatsApp and we'll tell you.
Booking and availability
What to sort out first
How far in advance should we book?
For a Saturday between May and September, as early as you can manage, because peak season weekends go first. Outside that a few weeks is usually plenty, and we can sometimes take a booking with a couple of days' notice if the diary allows. Asking costs nothing.
What do you need to know to give us a price?
Four things get you a useful answer: the venue, the date, roughly how many people, and what time you have to finish. If you also know whether anyone is playing live and whether the venue has a sound limiter, we can be more precise still.
Are you available seven days a week?
Yes. We work every day of the week, typically between 8am and 10pm, which covers morning church services through to evening receptions. Later finishes are fine where the venue allows them.
Do you take a deposit?
For most bookings yes, with the balance settled around the event. We'll be clear about the amount and the timing in your quote, and there are no charges in there that you haven't seen.
Delivery, setup and collection
What happens on the day
Do you set the equipment up, or do we?
We do. Delivery, setup, testing and collection are part of the price on every booking. You should not have to touch a cable, and we'd rather do it ourselves than have somebody guess at speaker placement an hour before guests arrive.
How early do you arrive?
Around 90 minutes before doors for a straightforward room, and about two hours where the venue is further out or the load-in is awkward, such as a barn or a marquee. We'd rather be waiting than still working when the first guest walks in.
Do you stay for the event?
Only if you want us to. On most bookings we set up, show you how to control the volume and your playlist, then collect afterwards. If you'd rather have somebody on the desk for the whole evening handling the mixing and any problems, we can supply a sound engineer.
When do you collect the equipment?
Same night or the following morning, whichever suits your venue. Nearby, a same-night collection is easy. Further out, a morning pickup is usually simpler for everyone, as long as the venue is happy for the gear to stay.
Equipment and rooms
Getting the size right
What size system do we need?
As a rough guide: up to 60 guests needs two speakers on stands and a microphone; 60 to 120 needs those plus a subwoofer and a small mixing desk; 120 to 200 needs a full PA with subs and monitors. Above that we spec it to the room. Treat these as starting points. A hard-floored hall behaves very differently from a carpeted function room.
What equipment do you actually have?
Speakers and subwoofers, wired and wireless microphones, mixing desks, monitors, stands and all the cabling that goes with them. We also offer live piano and acoustic guitar as a performance service alongside the hire.
Can we connect our own playlist?
Yes. Bring the phone, tablet or laptop your music is on and we'll connect it and show you how to use it. Most people run their own playlist and it works perfectly well.
Can you supply sound for a band or a DJ?
Yes. Tell us what the band needs, or what your DJ is bringing, and we'll make sure the system and the monitors match. Bands generally want to hear themselves on stage, which is a monitor question rather than a main speaker one, and it's worth sorting in advance.
Outdoors, marquees and power
When there are no walls
Can you do outdoor events and marquees?
Yes, and they're common for us. Outdoors needs more thought than indoors, because there's nothing for the sound to reflect off. We bring the speakers closer to people and set them lower, which holds the coverage together.
What about power in a field or a garden?
Tell us how far the nearest socket is and whether there's a generator. We plan the cable runs before the day rather than working it out on the grass. If the supply won't carry a full system we'll say so up front and suggest what does fit.
What happens if it rains?
Electrical equipment and weather don't mix, so we need cover confirmed before we set anything up outdoors. A marquee, a gazebo or a solid awning is fine. If there's no cover and the forecast turns, we'll talk to you about moving indoors rather than risking the gear or anybody near it.
Venues and practicalities
The things venues ask about
Our venue has a sound limiter. Does that stop us hiring a system?
No, but tell us early. A limiter cuts the power if the level goes over a set threshold, which is how a first dance ends in silence. We set the system up to sit under the limit during the sound check, so it never trips during the event. Ask your venue what the limit is set to and pass the figure on.
Our venue is asking for paperwork before they'll let you in. Can you help?
Tell us exactly what your venue has asked for and who to send it to, and we'll get it over to them ahead of the date. It's much easier to sort a fortnight beforehand than on the doorstep, so raise it as soon as the venue mentions it.
The function room is upstairs. Is that a problem?
Not usually, but we need to know. Let us know whether there's a lift or stairs and roughly how many flights, and we'll bring the right number of hands and a rig sized to what can realistically be carried up.
Do you travel outside Southampton, Winchester, Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford and Fareham?
Often, yes. Those are the areas we cover as standard, but we regularly go further into Hampshire and beyond for the right event. Give us a call with the location and we'll tell you honestly whether it works.
Have a look at your area
Or the type of event
Question not answered?
Call or WhatsApp and ask. We'd rather have a two minute conversation than have you guess.