› Forums › Music › Sound Equipment › small outdoor parties could a portable PA system work? advice would be great!
- This topic has 1 reply, 1 voice, and was last updated August 27, 2014 at 3:34 pm by General Lighting.
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August 24, 2014 at 4:40 pm #1057521Anonymous
hey, so me and my friends want to throw a few small outdoor parties next year. Limitations: we don’t have a car or van (but we are many & strong!), we know nothing about sound systems, and we don’t have much money. So… what, if any, are our options? would something like this: Malone Wireless Portable PA System USB SD Card at the Best Price! be any good to start out with, bearing all that in mind? how loud/how good would the sound be? xoxoxo
August 27, 2014 at 3:34 pm #1278145TBH that one doesn’t give enough proper info on what power it uses/how long the accu (storage battery) lasts; and it will be bulky for one person to carry without a motor vehicle. It is not even possible with the lack of info to guess at how loud it could be.
You would be better off building the system in separate parts using the high power amplifiers modules such as the ones Kemo Electronics in Germany sell (they can be obtained in the UK); transporting the lot via bicycles, using solar panels to charge the accus (if those of sufficient size/power can also be transported – as they are fragile and large flat objects) – and encouraging those who attend to also ride their bikes to this area (which presumably is not too far away from where you live).
It would to some extent also restrict the hours of the event, in what weather conditions it could occur (although it is possible to get enough sunlight during daytime all year round in Northern Europe) and the numbers who would put in the effort; but that could be turned to your advantage; it can be then pitched as having far less environment impact and risks than a traditional EDM event. Some years ago (when I lived in SE England) a policeman who turned up as a rave my group of friends had organised (a Sargeant in Roads Policing Unit) said that the what the cops were genuinely worried about with raves (licensed or otherwise) was the amount of young people who drove long distances to and from them; often new drivers and less than sober/sleep deprived; as his colleages had to deal with the resulting crashes (he later turned up on the TV programme Road Wars as part of the élite “Tango Victor” unmarked traffic units)
You can get the TENS license which would mean you don’t need to be paranoid about cops; and many in authority would even encourage a young woman to hold this sort of event (a friend of mine held a bicycle related event which although was in a pub rather than outdoors she didn’t have too much trouble getting it licensed, this is in Ipswich where it is extremely difficult to hold night time events nowadays). If there are female Councillors from left wing/green parties in your area they are likely to be supportive, even if the last time they went to any music event was a benefit disco for the peace women in the 1980s (you may not have been born then).
Building the system may seem daunting but you have a whole year to learn (and winter is a good time to do this when it would be too cold to hold outdoor events). There is no cultural reason why girls as well as boys cannot or should not learn about electronics / sound systems, and work together on these as equals (a lot of girls and boys from other cultures and religions do just that, in spite of stereotypes); girls are actually better than boys at correctly wiring up equipment and making the whole lot look decent as well as work correctly.
This site gives some pointers (good to see Nick is still active, I think he was in his late 30s/early 40s when I first saw him (nearly 20 years ago!) – coincidentally working at a similar day job to what I do nowadays). If you live in SE England he is based around that area..
He must be well into his middle years by now so at least hauling all those accus and associated bits and pieces keeps you fit…
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› Forums › Music › Sound Equipment › small outdoor parties could a portable PA system work? advice would be great!