When planning an event, it’s important to make sure the attendees will be able to hear and understand the proceedings. Too quiet at the back and sides, and those tables will begin discussions of their own. If the microphone is cutting out or is otherwise difficult to understand, your guests may lose interest. If the music is too loud, or even damaging to your guests’ hearing, they may leave altogether. SoundAround can guide you through and make the process simple!
Here are 4 factors I encourage clients to consider when planning the sound for an event:
- Equipment: The best sound system for a small speaking event might not be the best for a 200-person dance party. Quality equipment and care in operating it makes a huge difference. Large speakers by a small stage distract from the main focus of the event, while small speakers without enough power will struggle to reproduce a voice or music naturally which can make a speaker sound brash and strained.
- Audience: Are your listeners sensitive to the sound level? A good sound engineer will account for audience demographics and adjust the sound differently for a dinner party than for a late-night dance party.
- Coverage: Do some listeners want more sound than others? Is the speech clarity at the sides and back the same as in the front? A good sound engineer will “walk the house” and hear the event from many different angles. A perfectly dialed-in mix at the soundboard means nothing if the audience is hearing it differently!
- Venue: The size of a room and the materials in it affect the sound we hear. For example, reflective surfaces can be used to enhance apparent volume and clarity. Without proper attention to reflection points and speaker placement, the sound can become muddled and confusing to a listener.