News & Advice
Choosing The Right Sound System For Your Event

From concerts to conferences, the impact of a good sound system is often underestimated. Audio quality is fundamental to the success of any event – get it right, and your event flows seamlessly, engaging your audience on every level. Get it wrong, frustration mounts, messages are lost, and the event becomes disconnected and the audience becomes disengaged.

Selecting the right event sound system involves a careful balancing act between the type of system, the specific demands of your event, and the integration of supporting equipment like speakers, microphones and mixers. Ultimately, the goal is seamless, clear, and impactful audio that supports your event’s objectives rather than detracting from them.

Speakers

Arguably, the PA system’s most prominent or visible element is speaker selection, which depends on venue size, crowd size, and whether the event is indoors or outdoors. The two primary configurations you’ll encounter in professional audio equipment are Point Source systems and Line Array systems.

1. Point Source Systems

A point source speaker system operates on a radiating sound principle. Sound emanates from a single speaker enclosure (or a tightly clustered pair) designed to cover a specific area, often in a conical or wedge-shaped pattern.

Point Source System speakers typically contain one or more drivers (like woofers for low frequencies and tweeters/compression drivers for high frequencies) coupled with a waveguide to control the directionality (dispersion) of the sound. The goal is to provide relatively even coverage within their intended dispersion angle.

• Fast, easy installation and set-up
• Cost-effective option for smaller events
• Provide excellent clarity and detail at closer distances
• Ideal for smaller venues, breakout rooms, stage monitoring (where performers need to hear themselves), background music systems, and speech reinforcement in moderately sized spaces.

Typical Applications – Small to medium conferences, presentations in boardrooms or hotels, breakout sessions, team meetings, small club gigs, theatre productions (as main speakers or fills), background music installations, houses of worship (depending on size/shape), and crucial as stage monitors for performers.

2. Line Array Systems

Line array speaker systems consist of multiple identical speaker cabinets stacked vertically and flown (hung) from rigging points or sometimes ground-stacked for smaller set-ups. When working together, they create a more focused and controlled beam of sound that travels further.

Line array speaker systems work by arranging multiple speaker drivers in vertical lines. Line arrays leverage the principles of wave propagation and constructive interference. This creates a more cylindrical wavefront pattern that spreads widely horizontally but is tightly controlled vertically.

• More consistent and quality sound over longer distances, projecting clear, powerful sound to reach the back of large crowds.
• Better directivity – tight vertical control minimises wasted or distorted sound from ceilings and floors, improving clarity, especially in reverberant venues like arenas, large halls, and outdoor events.
• More adaptable to different audience sizes and venue dimensions.
• Can generate significantly higher sound pressure levels needed for large concerts and festivals.
• More expensive as systems are complex to design, set up, and tune, and also sometimes require specialised rigging. Also requires skilled audio-visual technicians for optimum set-up. Not practical or necessary for intimate gatherings or small rooms.

Typical Applications – Large concerts (indoor and outdoor), music festivals, major corporate events in arenas or large convention centres, large places of worship, outdoor public address events, and any situation requiring consistent coverage over significant distances.

Don’t Forget Subwoofers Too!

Neither point source nor line array main speakers are typically designed to effectively reproduce the very lowest frequencies (think the resounding thump of a kick drum or bass guitar). This is where subwoofers come in. These specialised speaker cabinets are dedicated to handling the low-frequency spectrum (usually below 80-100Hz).

Subwoofers are essential for any event featuring music (live or playback) to provide impact, warmth, and the full sonic experience. Subwoofers are used in conjunction with both point source and line array systems, often placed on the ground (sometimes in specific arrays for directional control) or occasionally flown alongside line arrays.

Microphones

A great sound system is more than just loudspeakers. Several other crucial components contribute to the final audio quality, including microphones! High-quality microphones appropriate for the application are essential for quality sound. Microphones are used to capture and ‘translate’ sound waves into electrical signals. These electrical signals are projected to the audience through the sound system. Microphones are necessary for every event, your choices will usually come down to wired or wireless. Wired mics work well for stationary use, such as at conferences or places of worship and offer greater reliability but do restrict movement. While their wireless counterparts allow for greater mobility for events such as vocal performances and presentations, however frequency interference can be an issue. There are also instrument-specific mics that ensure proper sound capture for musical performances. Handheld, lapel, headset and lectern mics are all available depending on the event requirements. Choosing the right type impacts both sound quality and user comfort.

Audio Mixers

Professional sound systems always include an audio mixer, which processes and combines audio signals before sending them out to the speakers. Mixers are used where there are multiple audio sources, such as different microphones, video feeds and music tracks, allowing the sound engineers to adjust sound levels, apply equaliser technology to shape the tone to suit and utilise scene recall (save settings). Mixers have become industry standard due to their flexibility and advanced routing capabilities.

Amplifiers

An amplifier boosts audio signals from the mixer to the speakers, amplifying live sound. They take the electrical signal the sound system produces and push more power into it, the higher the watts, the more intense the amplification. However, they must be correctly matched to the speakers’ power handling capabilities otherwise, distortion can occur. The larger your venue, the more wattage you’ll need.

PA Systems

A PA or Public Address system is essentially the complete package – a combination of microphones, mixers, amplifiers, and loudspeakers designed to amplify and distribute sound to a larger audience than could be reached by the unassisted human voice.

4 Factors To Consider When Choosing Your Sound System

Understanding the elements that make up a professional sound system is just the first step. Selecting the right one for your event will  depend heavily on the specific context of the event. Here are the top 4 crucial factors to keep in mind when choosing a sound system.

1. Audience Size/Coverage Area

A pair of well-placed point source speakers on stands is often perfectly adequate for small speech-focused events of less than 100 people. Larger format point source systems, potentially with additional ‘fill’ speakers for wider or deeper areas or a small, ground-stacked line array could be considered ideal for medium-sized audiences of up to 500 people covering large halls or conference centres.

Alternatively, a flown line array system is almost always necessary to achieve the required coverage consistency and throw distance. For large audiences or 500+ people. The size and configuration of the array will be determined by detailed acoustic modelling. Delay towers (additional speaker systems placed further back in the audience area) may also be required for very large outdoor events to maintain clarity and timing for listeners far from the main stage.

2. Venue Acoustics

The controlled vertical dispersion of a line array can be highly advantageous in circumstances with reverberant spaces (sports halls, churches with high ceilings, atriums etc.) where directing sound towards the audience and away from reflective ceilings is necessary as these spaces are prone to echoes and sound bouncing off hard surfaces, muddying sound clarity.

Alternately, outdoor events where a lack of reflections present their own problems (as sound dissipates very quickly) and wind can also be a factor affecting sound propagation systems need sufficient power and throw to overcome these challenges. Unusual room shapes can also have an effect on sound quality. Long, narrow rooms or wide, shallow spaces require careful speaker placement and potentially multiple zones or fill speakers to ensure consistent sound quality across the room.

3. Type Of Audio Content

There are four main types of sound requirements for most events these fall under the following classifications:

• Speech-Focused – For example, at conferences, presentations and meetings. The system must clearly reproduce the human voice without distortion. Even coverage is the priority here, so attendees at the back can hear as clearly as those at the front. Well-placed point source systems often suffice in these occasions.
• Live Music – for example, bands, orchestras, and DJ-driven events. Requires a system with full frequency response (good highs, mids, and lows via subwoofers), high dynamic range (soft and loud), and the ability to handle significant volume levels without distortion. Line arrays are typically favoured for these events.
• Background Music – for example, at charity dinners or wedding receptions. Even coverage along with pleasant tonal balance, take precedence here. Quality point source systems are usually the preferred options.
• Mixed Content Events – for example, events featuring presentations, video playback with audio, awards evenings combining the need for a versatile system capable of handling both speech intelligibility and music reinforcement effectively.

4. The Core Requirement – Professional AV Expertise

Arguably the most critical factor in any sound system set-up, experienced Audio Visual professionals are the key to reliable and quality sound for any event. You can have the best audio equipment rental gear in the world, but without skilled AV technicians, the full potential of the system won’t be realised.

Experienced audio technicians are experts in system design, using prediction software to model the venue and determine the optimal type, quantity, placement, and angles for loudspeakers to achieve even coverage even before arriving at the venue. They set up rigging for flying line arrays or positioning point source speakers with experience and precision while adhering to safety standards and carry out fine tuning to analyse the room’s acoustic response and apply precise EQ and delay adjustments to optimise clarity, tonal balance, and coverage throughout the audience area, compensating for the venue’s acoustic imperfections.

Sound engineers also provide live mixing services during the event, balancing audio source levels, adjusting EQ dynamically, managing feedback, and ensuring the sound remains consistent and appropriate for whatever is happening on the stage, anticipating and troubleshooting any issues that arise.

For events in Christchurch or anywhere across New Zealand, don’t leave your sound system to chance! Partnering with experienced lighting, audio, staging, and audio-visual professionals like TES ensures you get the right equipment and the very best expertise. Ready to discuss the perfect sound solution for your next concert, conference, or special event? Contact Technical Event Solutions (TES) today for expert advice and professional audio equipment tailored to your needs.