I am heading to my uncle's lakeside home this weekend as all of the extended family on my mother's side will be there to celebrate my great aunt's 90th birthday. She loves to dance, and many others will certainly join her. I've offered to bring some audio gear for outdoor music, but I have never really done this before. I have 2 different pairs of full-range speakers that I could bring (or I could bring both sets) and I have a sub-woofer and plan to cross it in with my miniDSP.
What are the biggest challenges/caveats that go along with this? I suspect bass might be better if the sub is located next to a structure?
What about treble? Will I be losing a lot of treble due to distance/dispersion?
I am not expecting true "hi-fi" from this, and SPL will not be extreme, but at least relatively balanced sound would be appreciated. I don't want to embarrass myself.
Any thoughts at all would be appreciated. I need to load the gear into my truck by 5pm Pacific time, or my wife will be wagging her finger.
What are the biggest challenges/caveats that go along with this? I suspect bass might be better if the sub is located next to a structure?
What about treble? Will I be losing a lot of treble due to distance/dispersion?
I am not expecting true "hi-fi" from this, and SPL will not be extreme, but at least relatively balanced sound would be appreciated. I don't want to embarrass myself.
Any thoughts at all would be appreciated. I need to load the gear into my truck by 5pm Pacific time, or my wife will be wagging her finger.
Relax, it's not like you are putting on a concert. Canned music can be as simple as you like. How large an area do you want to project the music over? How many persons do you expect? People absorb sound so you may want to turn it up if there are a lot. You'll also want a little volume for after the drinks start flowing. If you are at a lake, are there others around you that might be disturbed by the volume? Yes, the bass unit can be against a wall for reinforcement. Raise the mid high units above the crowd for better coverage.
Thanks for responding, Cal. The property between the back of the house and the beach is about 100'x200' , but I do not expect to fill the entire area with music.
Between 30 and 35, I figure. Good point. I'll bring both pairs of speakers and wire them in parallel. My amp likes a 4ohm load, so this will work well.
Yes, this is a distinct probability.
Possibly, but we are all wise enough to keep it reasonable and reduce the volume by a decent hour. This isn't going to be a rave.
I also suspect the neighbours may just join the party.Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I can figure out the rest. I'll have most of the morning tomorrow to set it up and try different configurations.
Many years ago, I was asked to provide music for a wedding at my mom's place, outdoors. All I had was my bedroom system, (Infinity 2000a, and a dynakit st 120). I was somewhat concerned it wouldn't do well, but the sound was far better than expected, and it covered the area very well. Yes, I backed the speakers up against the garage, and everybody danced and enjoyed the music.
.
I have to a agree.
I n the past,..back in the '70-'80s..... I have been to many outdoor parties where the hosts just brought their relatively end stereo out doors. Nobody cared about the perceived sound quality..... it was a Party after all..
Indeed. I get that. I'm actually a lot more concerned about the music selection than the sound quality at this point.
Great Aunt likes to Two Step, and I have nearly zero country/two-step music in my collection.
Hahhaa.
Volume knob is an easy one, as my pre-amp has a user-configurable limit
(which only I know how to access).Music selection: I have lots of stuff, but with any luck, wi-fi reception will extend far enough that we can also stream Internet radio or youtube (worst case scenario). I plan to have a 3.5 to RCA cable available for people's iPods, phones, etc, too. People just love to play "their music" at parties.
That reminds me, the audio equipment should be on a GFCI circuit. Especially near pools and ponds. The audio system can have a different idea of what ground is, as compared to the water.Years ago my cousin used to wire his receiver chassis hot so if anyone touched the volume knob...
hehe
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.