Photo: digitaldjtips.com
Photo: digitaldjtips.com

Question: How do I figure out the speaker power I need for each venue I play?

Most of us walk into a venue and want to play it loud. But, there’s actually kind of a formula for determining how much speaker wattage you need for the venue and event. Here’s what you need to consider (via digitaljtips.com):

  • type of gig
  • venue size
  • venue shape
  • what the client wants
  • inside or outside venue
  • speaker location
  • types of speakers
  • music genre
  • estimated crowd numbers

Those are a lot of factors, and you just have to work through them one-by-one. As a general rule, you should work toward 5 watts per person for an indoor venue. Double that for an outdoor venue, particularly if you want an EDM feel.

Are you playing songs with a lot of heavy bass? Aim for a 2:1 ratio of subs to tops, and have extra subwoofers, too. Try to do a thorough sound check before you play. Lots of times the solution isn’t to turn up the volume or add more speakers, it’s to fix amplification. If your speakers aren’t amplified evenly, nothing you do will sound good.