Blog
Guides to putting on an event that sounds right
The questions clients ask us on the phone, answered calmly and in writing. Regulations, power, equipment and lead times, explained by the people who actually set up the events.
What this is about
Articles written from the van, not from a template
Almost everything here started with a phone call. Someone asks how many watts they need for two hundred people, whether the council will require a sound limiter, how long a stage takes to set up, or why the price of two speakers varies so much from one company to the next. Instead of improvising the answer every time, we wrote it down.
There are two kinds of article. The regulations and permits pieces explain the general framework and tell you which door to knock on; they are no substitute for your local by-law or a lawyer, and they say so. The technical pieces deal with specific set-up decisions: how much power, active or passive, how many kW of generator, how to avoid microphone feedback in the middle of a speech.
If you are looking for prices or specific equipment, the place for that is prices and quotes, the catalogue or the fixed packages. Here we explain the why; there, the how much.
Regulations and permits
What the council is going to ask you
Noise, hours, authorisations and copyright. The topics nobody looks at until there are ten days to go, and the ones that cause the most headaches.
Regulations
Simultaneous Interpretation in Seville: A Guide for Congresses
What you need to provide simultaneous interpretation in Seville: booths, receivers, language channels and set-up. A practical guide for congresses and events with an internat…
View details
Noise
Sound for Zambombas in Seville: Christmas 2026
Christmas lights from 20 November, zambombas (Andalusian Christmas parties) still to be announced and a calendar filling up fast: what you should know to organise the sound for your zambomba in Seville.
View details
Regulations
Plaza de España in Seville: New Bylaw for Events
What changes with the draft bylaw for Seville's Plaza de España for concerts and events, and how it affects planning sound, stage and set-up.
View details
Noise
Noise regulations for events in Seville
How national law, the Andalusian regulations and the municipal by-law fit together, and what happens if someone files a complaint.
View details
Limiter
Sound limiters: when are they mandatory?
What it is, how it works, who installs it and why it sometimes cuts the music without warning.
View details
Permits
Permits for events on public roads and spaces
Use of public space, road closures, insurance, self-protection (emergency) plans and how far in advance to apply.
View details
Copyright
SGAE and music copyright at events
When you have to pay for the music, who manages it and how a private event differs from a public one.
View details
Technical guides
Set-up decisions explained without jargon
Power, speaker type, electricity, feedback and riders. If you understand this, you understand 90% of a sound quote.
Power
How many watts of sound do I need?
A rough guide by audience size, indoors or outdoors and type of music, and why watts can be misleading.
View details
Speakers
Active or passive speakers: which to choose
The real differences in cabling, weight, breakdowns and cost. When each one makes sense.
View details
Feedback
How to avoid audio feedback
Why the microphone squeals, what to do on the spot and how to prevent it at set-up stage.
View details
Rider
How to read a technical rider without being a technician
What an input list is, what a patch is, and what can and cannot be negotiated.
View details
Power
Generators for events: how many kW?
How to add up power consumption, why you oversize, and what happens if you share a circuit with the kitchen.
View details
Stage
Stage, platforms and LED screen
When you need height, how much load a stage platform can take and how to decide on the screen size.
View details
Price and booking
What you are really paying for when you rent sound
The equipment is the easy part. What sets the price is everything around the equipment.
Quote
What sound rental includes (and what it doesn't)
Transport, set-up, technician, deposit and overtime: where the price differences hide.
View details
Response times
How far in advance to book sound
Seville's real seasonality: the Feria, May, spring and autumn weddings, and Christmas.
View details
DJ
How to choose the perfect DJ for your event
Five criteria that really matter and the questions worth asking before you sign.
View details
Weddings
The best sound system for weddings
What equipment each part of the wedding calls for, and why the ceremony is the hardest part.
View details
Seville
Putting on events here has its own rules
Heat, courtyards, casetas (fair marquees), haciendas and a calendar packed into a few weeks.
Guide
Sound rental in Seville: the complete guide
The pillar article: what you can rent, how to decide, what costs more than it seems and who to call.
View details
Experience
How sound shapes the guest experience
Intelligibility, volume and speaker placement, moment by moment.
View details
Feria
How to set up sound for a Feria caseta
Canvas, neighbours, the limiter and the challenge of putting sound into a fabric space.
View details
Can't find your question in any article?
Call us and we'll answer it in two minutes. It's quicker than searching.
