Sound System Hire Guide: What Size, What It Costs and How to Book

What size sound system do you need?

Start with the headcount, then adjust for the room. This is how our PA packages line up:

• Up to about 50 people, speeches or background music: the Silver PA Speaker Package, one QSC K10.2 on a stand. Good for smaller rooms, courtyards and rooftops. From $87 per day.
• Up to about 100 people: the Gold PA Speaker Package, two QSC K12.2s on stands. Good for office parties, speeches and DJ playback. From $176 per day.
• A dance floor or DJ night: the Platinum PA Speaker Package, two K12.2s, two KS118 subs and an Allen & Heath ZED-10FX mixer. From $549 per day.
• A live band: the Band PA Sound System Package, built around an Allen & Heath SQ5 mixer with subs, mains, three QSC K8.2s for foldback and a full mic kit. It's generally supplied with our crew, from $1,024 per day.
• Outdoor ceremonies and talks with no power: the Bose Battery Speaker Wireless Mic Package, which runs for up to around 8 hours on battery. From $165 per day.

If the room is large, awkward or full of glass, ask us before you book. Hard surfaces make any PA harder to control.

How much does it cost to hire a sound system?

At Creative Kicks, sound system hire starts from $87 per day for a single powered speaker. Two speakers for a room of about 100 people are from $176 per day. A full PA with subs and a mixer is from $549 per day, and a band system, generally supplied with our crew, starts from $1,024 per day.

A few things change the total. There's a security bond or card hold, from $200. Damage Waiver is optional, at 10 per cent of the hire subtotal with a minimum of $25 plus GST. For most gear you can also collect after 3pm the day before and return by 10am the day after, charged at the one day rate. We confirm it when you book. That means a Saturday party doesn't cost you three days of hire.

What comes in the package?

Our speaker packages come with stands and the cables to run them. The Gold package adds an aux cable, so a phone or laptop plugs straight into the speakers. The Platinum package adds a mixer for more than one source.

If speeches and music both need to be heard, you need a mixer and a mic. The Presentation Audio Package is two QSC K10.2s, an Allen & Heath ZED-10FX mixer and a Sennheiser wireless mic, from $369 per day. For panels and audience questions, the Panel Q and A Mic Package has three wireless handhelds and a bodypack, from $730 per day. It's mics only, so pair it with a PA. Single mics are in wireless microphones.

Do you need a subwoofer?

For speeches, background music and presentations, no. For anything people dance to, yes. Speakers on their own play loud and clean, but they can't give you real low end. If you want bass you can feel, add subs instead of asking the speakers to do everything. Subs also take the heavy lifting off the tops, so the whole system stays cleaner at volume.

How much power do you need?

Less than the box suggests. Watt ratings aren't measured the same way across brands, so a bigger number on one speaker doesn't mean it's louder than another. Doubling the amplifier power only adds about 3 dB, which most people hear as a small step up, not twice as loud. What covers a crowd is the number of speakers, where they point and whether subs are taking the low end.

Outdoors needs more. Indoors, walls and ceilings bounce sound back and help fill the room. Outside, nothing comes back, and the level drops about 6 dB every time you double the distance from the speaker. Size up a step for an outdoor event, and check power and noise limits before you book.

How do booking and pickup work?

• Book online and pick your dates. Not sure what to book? Send us the room and the headcount.
• Before release we need full payment, booking approval, an ID and address check, the bond or card hold, your agreement to the hire terms and a named collector with original photo ID.
• Pick up from our Footscray studio, or book Melbourne metro delivery. Interstate freight is available too. The pickup, return and delivery page has the details.
• Test it before the day. Plug everything in at home or at the venue the day before, so a missing cable is a quick fix, not a crisis.

When should you add a technician?

When there's a band, lots of open mics or nobody on the night who knows the system. Several live mics in one room is where feedback starts, and having someone run it is the smart move. Our live audio production team handles system design, front of house and monitors for events, festivals and conferences.

Common questions