Sound Hire for Sydney Venues and Outdoor Events: Power, Wind, Noise and Rain

Hiring sound for a Sydney event comes down to four questions: where's the nearest power point, how windy will it be, how late can the music go, and what happens if it rains? Surf clubs, community halls, backyards, beaches and parks each answer those differently. This guide covers what to plan for at each type of venue, from the Eastern Suburbs and the Northern Beaches to the Sutherland Shire, the Inner West and Western Sydney.

Sydney venues at a glance

Surf clubs and waterfront function rooms

Sydney's surf clubs, from Bondi and Coogee to Cronulla and Manly, and its harbourside function rooms are some of the city's most popular spots for birthdays, engagements and weddings. A few things to plan for:

• Glass and hard floors. Water-view rooms have walls of glass and tiled or timber floors, which bounce sound around. Use fewer speakers, aimed at the guests rather than at the windows, and keep the volume sensible. A smaller, well-placed system sounds clearer than a big one turned up.
• Feedback at speeches. Those reflective rooms also make microphones more likely to squeal. Put the speakers in front of where speeches happen (see our guide to stopping microphone feedback).
• The venue's own rules. Most surf clubs and function venues are licensed, with set finish times and sound conditions. Ask the venue for its music finish time and any volume limits before you book the sound.
• Access. Function rooms are often upstairs. Let us know about stairs or a lift when you book, so we can plan the load-in.

Community halls

Community halls across Sydney are affordable and flexible, but they're built for meetings, not music.

• Echo. High ceilings, bare walls and wooden floors make halls very reverberant. Point the speakers at the audience, raise them above head height, and turn the bass down a little. Speech clarity matters more than volume.
• Power points. Halls often have only a few outlets, and some share a circuit with the kitchen. Plug the sound into a different circuit from the urn, fridge and heaters, or the safety switch can trip mid-speech.
• Hire conditions. Hall bookings usually come with a finish time and pack-down deadline. Allow time to pack the equipment away before you have to leave.

Backyard parties

A backyard party is the easiest venue to set up, and the easiest one to upset the neighbours with.

NSW noise rules for backyard parties

Under the NSW noise rules, as explained by Legal Aid NSW, amplified music from a home should not be heard inside a neighbour's habitable rooms:

• between midnight and 8am on Friday, Saturday, or any day before a public holiday, and
• between 10pm and 8am on any other day.

Outside those hours, music can still be treated as offensive noise if it unreasonably disturbs neighbours, and police can direct you to turn it down. Your local council's noise page has the details for your area.

Keeping the neighbours happy

• Tell them in advance, with a finish time. Most complaints come from surprise.
• Point the speakers away from neighbouring houses, towards your own house or the open garden.
• Go easy on the bass. Subwoofer frequencies travel through walls and fences much more than vocals do.
• Move inside or turn down as the cut-off time approaches.

Power in the backyard

Run power from an outlet protected by a safety switch (RCD), using a heavy-duty outdoor extension lead. Unroll it fully, keep it off paths or tape it down, and keep all plugs and power boards off the wet grass.

Beaches, parks and harbour foreshores

Beach, clifftop and harbourside ceremonies are some of the best things about a Sydney event, but these spots come with their own rules and almost never have power.

• Book with the council. Most Sydney councils take bookings for ceremonies and gatherings in their parks, reserves and on beaches, often with a minimum booking time and a fee. Some need separate approval for amplified sound or generators, so mention your sound plans when you apply. Spots managed by state agencies, such as the Royal Botanic Garden or national parks, have their own booking rules.
• Go battery-powered. Our Busker Set runs on battery, with a built-in mixer, Bluetooth, an SM58 mic and a rain cover. Add a pair of battery-powered JBL wireless mics for $10, and you need no power at all.
• Generators. If you need full-size speakers away from power, a quiet inverter generator is the safest option. Place it well away from guests, and check with the council first, as generators may need approval.
• Keep it short and soft. Beaches and parks are shared spaces. Sound for a 20-minute ceremony and quiet background music is welcome. A dance party usually isn't.

Power: what you need to know

• One 10 A power point supplies about 2,400 W. Powered speakers draw much less than the peak wattage printed on them, so one outlet usually runs a pair of speakers, a subwoofer and a mixer.
• Lights and fog add load. A fog machine heater draws a lot of power while it heats up, so run it from a different outlet from the sound if you can.
• Share circuits carefully. Urns, kettles, heaters and coffee machines are the usual reasons a circuit trips.
• Use outdoor-rated leads, fully unrolled, and keep connections off the ground.

Wind: the coastal problem

Sydney's afternoon sea breezes can pick up quickly, especially on headlands, open beaches and harbour foreshores.

• Wind noise in microphones. Wind blowing across a mic grille rumbles through the speakers. Use foam windscreens, and turn on the mixer's high-pass filter to cut the rumble (see our vocal mixing guide).
• Sound blows away. Wind carries sound off and makes it uneven. Set speakers close to the guests and point them at the crowd, not out to the water.
• Secure everything. Tall speaker stands and gazebos catch the wind. Weigh stand legs and gazebo feet down with sandbags or weights, and take speakers off stands if the wind gets strong. A gust that lifts a gazebo can bring speakers down with it.
• Sand and salt. Blowing sand and salt spray get into connectors and speaker grilles. Keep equipment covered when not in use.

Rain: why the gear needs cover

PA speakers, mixers and power boards are not waterproof. Rain on mains-powered equipment can destroy it, and water and mains power together are an electric shock risk for guests and performers. Sydney summer storms can roll in within half an hour, so plan cover even if the morning forecast looks clear.

• Overhead cover is the minimum. A marquee, gazebo, veranda or covered deck.
• Add a side wall on the windward side. Wind-driven rain blows sideways under an open gazebo.
• Keep power boards and plugs off the ground, inside the covered area, away from pooling water.
• Watch the sun too. Black speakers in full summer sun get very hot. Shade helps the equipment as well as the guests.

Only our battery-powered Busker Set is made to be used in the open: it comes with a dust and rain cover, and has no mains lead to get wet. Everything else needs to stay under cover, so tell us about your cover when you book an outdoor event.

Outdoor event sound checklist

• Find the nearest power point, or plan for battery power.
• Check the venue's or council's rules: booking, amplified sound, finish time, generators.
• Arrange cover: marquee, gazebo or veranda, with a side wall for wind-driven rain.
• Bring sandbags or weights for gazebo feet and speaker stands.
• Tell the neighbours and agree a finish time for backyard parties.
• Keep a wet-weather backup location if you can.

Sound hire across Sydney

We hire sound across Sydney, with delivery, setup and pack-down across the Sydney metro area from $100. It's free on the Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore for bookings of $250 or more, or you can pick up from Manly Vale. Choose from a battery-powered Busker Set for the beach, a Party Set for the backyard, or a Dance Set for a surf club reception. Planning a wedding? Read our Sydney wedding sound checklist, or work out the right size with what size PA system do I need.