Outdoor events: power, cabling and safety

Outdoor events rarely fail because the sound system was too small. They fail because the power was shared with the kitchen, the cable run was too long, or nobody planned for rain. Sort those three and the rest is straightforward.

How much power, and from where

The question is not how many sockets exist but how many separate circuits. A sound system sharing a circuit with catering equipment will trip it at the worst moment. Ask the venue for a dedicated circuit for audio, or budget for a generator.

If you are using a generator

• —Size it with headroom. A generator running at its limit produces dirty power and audible hum.
• —Put it far enough away that guests cannot hear it, then check the cable run is still workable.
• —Fuel for the whole night plus a margin. Running out at midnight ends the event.
• —Start it and run the system on it before guests arrive, not as they walk in.

Cable runs

Long runs lose signal and become trip hazards. Plan the shortest sensible route, tape or mat anything crossing a walkway, and keep power and audio cables apart where you can — running them together is a common cause of hum.

Weather

Even in dry season, plan cover for the gear and the power distribution. Equipment under an open sky is one shower away from being someone's expensive problem. A marquee corner or a simple canopy is enough.

The soundcheck matters more outdoors

Sound behaves differently with no walls. What is loud enough at the booth may be inaudible thirty metres away. Walk the space during the soundcheck rather than judging from behind the decks.