18th birthday parties
Sound for debutante balls (puestas de largo) in Seville
A puesta de largo (debutante ball) starts as a formal dinner and ends as a nightclub. Both have to be set up at once, and the switch from one to the other has to go unnoticed.
- Moments
- Reception, dinner, dancing and the early hours
- Ambience
- DJ booth, lights and haze
- Control
- Volume limit and agreed finishing time
- Collection
- When the party ends
How the night unfolds
Dinner, the guest of honour's entrance and the dance floor until the end
The night has three very different stages and a single installation has to cover them all: a reception with background music, a dinner with speeches and a dance that lasts five or six hours.
Reception and dinner
Background music spread across the room at conversation level, plus a wireless microphone for the parents' words, the photo video and the surprises. During this part people are seated: if the sound is badly distributed, some tables can't hear and others can't talk.
The entrance and the first dance
This is the big moment of the night. The track, the edit point and the level are prepared in advance and coordinated with the lighting: dim the room, a spotlight on the door, and bring it up as she walks in. If there's a choreography rehearsed with friends, we rehearse the start of the song, which is where it always goes wrong.
Nightclub atmosphere
From then on, the dance floor is in charge. A system with subwoofers, a DJ booth with a monitor, moving heads or LED bars and a haze machine, which is what makes the light beams visible. An LED dance floor completely changes the feel of the room and shows up in every photo.
Volume control
At eighteen, the volume people ask for is always more than is needed. We set the system with a ceiling: it sounds powerful on the dance floor, but doesn't blow out the room or trip the venue's sound limiter. The finishing time is set by the venue, which almost always has a licence with fixed hours.
What gets set up
One set-up for both the dinner and the dance floor
Two sound zones, one installation
Distributed speakers for the dinner and a main system aimed at the dance floor. Switching from one to the other is an adjustment, not a new set-up.
A booth ready for any DJ
Players, mixer and monitor. If the DJ brings their own controller, the input is ready and waiting. The usual formats are covered by our CDJ equipment and XDJ.
Lighting that follows the music
A light show programmed in blocks: warm light for dinner, colour and movement on the dance floor, and one effect saved for the entrance.
A microphone always on hand
For speeches, toasts and the cake moment. Two channels are better: there's always someone who wants to speak as a pair.
Agreed volume ceiling
It's set with the family and the venue before the party starts. It avoids arguments at three in the morning.
Take-down without disturbing anyone
When the party ends, we dismantle and remove everything. If the venue allows it, we can pack up the next day.
What to plan for
Venue, sound limiter and timings
If the venue has a sound limiter, we need to know beforehand. It doesn't stop you having a great party: it means working below the threshold with a well-distributed system, which also sounds better than an overdriven one. We explain it in when a sound limiter is mandatory.
If the party is at a private plot or a villa, everything changes: there are neighbours, the available power has to be checked and a finishing time has to be set. The approach then becomes that of a private party.
If it's a year-group party for a whole class, it's closer to a graduation followed by a dance, and it's best to book both parts together.
If there's a surprise act (a band, a singer, a show), tell us when you book so we can plan enough stage monitors and channels on the desk.
Function room or private plot? How many guests?
Give us the venue, the date and the venue's finishing time, and we'll propose a complete sound and lighting set-up.
Frequently asked questions
Questions from families
Do you provide the DJ?
We rent out the equipment and the DJ booth. If you need a DJ, this guide will help you choose one: how to choose the perfect DJ. We agree with them what they bring and what we provide.
Which lights are worth it for an 18th birthday party?
The best value for transforming the atmosphere: a few colour LED bars on the dance floor and a haze machine. If the budget stretches further, moving heads and an LED dance floor.
Can you set up in the morning if the party is at night?
Yes, and it's what we recommend. Everything is set up with time to spare and tested calmly, so when the party starts nobody is working in the room.
Do we need a technician all night?
If you've booked a DJ, usually not: we leave the system configured and they take over. If there's a live act, configuration changes or a large system, then it's a good idea.
How many people can the system handle?
The system is sized to the number of guests and the size of the room, not the other way round. Tell us how many of you there will be and we'll tell you which system fits without overpaying.
Quote
Get a quote for your debutante ball
Date, venue or estate, number of guests, whether you've booked a DJ and finishing time.
How it looks
Set-ups for this type of event
Examples of the equipment and set-up an event like yours usually needs.
