Every festival organiser eventually asks the same question.

“How much PA do we actually need?”

Usually about three weeks before the event. Usually after booking the bands. Usually after discovering that generators, fencing, toilets, security and toilets again have eaten half the budget.

The problem is that most people start by asking the wrong question.

They start looking at wattage. Or speaker brands. Or what another festival used last summer.

In reality, the best festival PA system is not necessarily the biggest. It is the one that gets clear sound to the audience without blowing the budget or making the front row feel like they have been personally attacked.

We have seen small festivals overspend massively on audio they did not need. We have also seen events try to cover thousands of people with a system that was realistically designed for a wedding marquee.

Neither ends particularly well.

First things first: How many people need to hear it?

Forget wattage for a second.

Forget what your mate on Facebook reckons.

Forget the bloke online shouting that everything needs to be “massive”.

The first proper question is simple:

How many people actually need to hear it?

The aim is not to make the front row feel like their eyebrows are being removed.

The aim is to make sure the people at the back can hear the vocals clearly, while the people at the front are not being flattened by the system.

The Wattage Trap

Let’s get one thing out of the way.

Big wattage numbers look great in brochures.

They also create some of the worst buying decisions in live events.

We have all met the bloke who says:

Brilliant.

Can anyone hear the vocals?

Audience members do not care about wattage. They care whether they can hear the singer, understand announcements and feel the energy of the performance.

Coverage beats power every single time.

A properly deployed professional system will almost always outperform a badly planned system with bigger numbers on paper.

Point Source or Line Array?

This is where the conversation usually gets interesting.

Point source PA systems

Point source systems are your more traditional loudspeaker setups. They can be brilliant for smaller festivals, outdoor stages, food festivals, beer festivals, community events and local live music.

They are usually quicker to deploy, easier to set up, more affordable and better suited to smaller audience areas.

For a lot of smaller festivals, a good point source system is not a compromise. It is exactly what the job needs.

Line array PA systems

Line arrays are what most people picture when they think of bigger festivals: speaker boxes flown either side of the stage, designed to throw sound across larger audiences more evenly.

Used properly, a line array can give strong, consistent coverage across a larger site. Used badly, it can sound worse than a decent point source system. Lovely bit of kit, but it still needs someone who knows what they are doing.

For larger outdoor events, you will often see systems from brands such as L-Acoustics, d&b audiotechnik, Meyer Sound, Martin Audio and JBL Professional.

Do not forget the subs

Everyone remembers the tops.

Everyone forgets the subs.

Until the DJ starts and the whole thing sounds a bit polite.

Subwoofers are not just there to make things loud. They add weight, energy and the physical feeling people expect from live music.

If your festival includes DJs, electronic music, dance acts, modern pop or anything bass-heavy, your sub system is not an optional extra. It is half the experience.

The three things festival organisers always underestimate

After audience numbers, there are three things that catch people out time and time again.

Think about the type of festival

A folk festival and a dance festival do not need the same PA. Obvious, yes. Still ignored far too often.

What about monitors, mixing consoles and control?

The main PA is only part of the setup.

If artists cannot hear themselves properly on stage, the front-of-house mix is going to suffer. You may need wedges, in-ear monitoring, monitor consoles, stage boxes, splitters and enough channels to handle the acts on your bill.

You also need to think about the mixing console. A small acoustic stage might not need much. A multi-band festival stage absolutely does.

Used digital consoles from brands such as Yamaha, DiGiCo, Midas, Avid and SSL are popular because they are widely used across touring, rental, theatre, broadcast and live event work.

Should You Buy New or Used PA Equipment?

Here is where used equipment starts making a lot of sense.

Festivals are expensive. Staging, power, fencing, crew, toilets, security, artist fees, insurance — it all adds up very quickly.

Buying quality used professional audio equipment can give you access to better kit than buying new budget equipment for the same money.

Professional PA systems are built to work hard. That is why the used market is so active in live events. Good equipment does not become useless because it has done a few seasons. If it has been looked after, tested and priced properly, it can still be a very strong investment.

So, what PA system do you need?

Annoyingly, there is not a magic answer.

Anyone telling you there is probably wants to sell you something.

The right festival PA depends on audience size, site layout, stage position, music type and budget.

What works brilliantly for a food festival might be completely wrong for a dance event.

What works for 500 people might fall apart at 5,000.

The goal is not to have the biggest PA on site.

The goal is to have the right PA on site.

Because nobody leaves a festival saying:

They leave saying:

And that is really the whole job.