PA Hire
My PA is perfectly suited for small events, such as Open Mic Nights, acoustic gigs or live performances, whether it’s just an evening’s entertainment or a full-length all-dayer. I can also cater for children’s parties, village fetes – and even wedding receptions!
Ideal for use as a vocal PA and for amplifying acoustic instruments, keyboards, drum machines, MP3 backing tracks, etc., the 180W power amp and pair of compact full-range loudspeakers is all you need for small venues, such as pubs, bars and village halls.
The system comes with an 8-channel main mixer, a 6-channel sub-mixer, a small reverb unit, and a graphic EQ for addressing any potential feedback frequencies in your room, as well as 6 microphones and all the cables, adapters, stands, clips and power sockets you’re likely to need.
Live Sound Engineer
If you need a PA, but you don’t know how to set up and run the equipment, don’t worry!
I’m available to provide my live sound engineering expertise for your event. I have over a decade of experience in live sound, running PA’s of varying capacity and complexity. I have been in charge of the sound systems for numerous venues in a range of sizes and locations, both indoor and out.
I have worked with full bands, solo acoustic artists, singer-songwriters, multi-piece musical groups and more, consisting of vocals, drums, bass, acoustic and electric guitar, cello, violin, double bass, woodwind and brass instruments, sitar, harp, didgeridoo, synths, drum machines, keyboards, pianos, organs…
The list goes on… Suffice to say that I have plenty of experience in the world of live sound engineering and can manage almost any situation I encounter.
On the day of your event, I’ll arrive early to set all the equipment up and carry out a full soundcheck, then I’ll engineer the whole event for you and pack everything down at the end.
Recording
When you’re running a live event, featuring music performed by one or more musicians, it’s nice to have a record of the performance(s), whether it’s an open mic night or a full gig with booked artists.
I can record the whole event for you, chop up each artist’s performance into separate tracks and provide you with a final mastered CD. You can then use the music to promote your next event by uploading the best tracks to your website, giving each artist a copy of their live tracks – or even selling them or giving them away as promotional CDs.
I only charge an additional £10 per hour of recorded material for this service, which includes all recording, editing and mastering, as well as the final CD and MP3s provided as a download. So, that’s just £30 extra for an Open Mic Night, between £10 and £50 for an Acoustic Gig or Live Performance, depending on duration, or just £120 for an All-Dayer.
Marketing Design & Publicity
If you’re thinking of starting a new event, such as a regular open mic night, it can sometimes feel a little daunting when considering how best to promote it.
With my contacts in the local music scene, I can help you to launch your new live music event in style. I’ll put the word out with the right people, attracting performers and punters alike, ensuring your event the best chances of success. Combine that with my experience of live music event-planning, eye-catching Designs for printed and online Marketing – as well as Publicity via social media – and your event will get the boost it needs.
I can produce all the marketing materials you’ll need to grab the attention of local musicians, as well as avid listeners, including online ads and web banners, as well as printed flyers and posters. In fact, I can help you plan, launch and run a full series of events, from concept to completion, taking into account every aspect, including budget and profit targets, venue and stage layout, event structure, marketing, publicity and more…
So, if you’re interested in getting your new music night off to a flying start, please drop me a line – I’ll be happy to meet you for a free consultation to discuss all the details and provide you with an accurate quote and payment schedule.
Rates:
Here’s a breakdown of my rates for both PA Hire and Live Sound Engineering:
PA Hire:
Half day = £50
Duration = Up to 16 hours
Collect from 9am-5pm – Return by 10pm same day
Collect after 5pm – Return by 9am next day
Full day = £80
Duration = Up to 24 hours
Collect from 9am-5pm
Return by the same time next day
Two days = £140
Duration = Up to 48 hours
Collect from 9am-5pm
Return by the same time, day after next
Deposit = £100
Your deposit will be refunded upon the safe return of all equipment at the agreed time.
Live Sound Engineer / Recording:
Basic Rate = £15/hr
(Up to 8 hours duration)
Overtime Rate = £20/hr
(Over 8 hours duration)
Recording Rate = £10/hr
(Any duration)
PA Hire & Live Sound Engineer + Recording:
Here are a few common events, with a breakdown of the costs – plus recording, if you’re interested in this option:
Live Acoustic Gig:
1 hour = £95
(3 hours Total)
PA Hire = £50
Engineer = £45
+ Recording (£10) = £105
Open Mic Night:
3 hours = £125
(5 hours Total)
PA Hire = £50
Engineer = £75
+ Recording (£30) = £155
Half-Day Event:
6 hours = £170
(8 hours Total)
PA Hire = £50
Engineer = £120
+ Recording (£60) = £230
All-Dayer:
12 hours = £290
(14 hours Total)
PA Hire = £50
Engineer = £240
+ Recording (£120) = £410
Marketing Design, Printing & Publicity:
Getting a new live music event up and running can seem a daunting task, especially if you’ve never done it before. That’s why I offer a number of services to help you to get your event started and to ensure it runs smoothly:
Marketing Design:
Single-sided Designs:
1 x Template = £60
2 x Templates = £110
3 x Templates = £140
Double-sided Designs:
1 x Template = £100
2 x Templates = £180
3 x Templates = £240
Update Template:
Text = £10
Images = £20
Layout = £30
Printing:
Posters:
A3 = £5
A4 = £3
Flyers:
A5: 250 = £80 / 1000 = £95
A6: 250 = £60 / 1000 = £80
Publicity & Promotion:
Social Media Posts:
5 Posts/month = £50
9 Posts/month = £80
13 Posts/month = £110
Social Media Ads:
Quote upon request
Marketing Design & Publicity Packages:
Below are a few package options for my Design and Event Promotion services. These packages cover all you’ll need to successfully promote the launch of your event. One of the following could be a perfect fit for your budget, but don’t worry if not – I can provide you with a quote tailored specifically to your needs:
Essentials = £129
1 x Single-sided Design Template = £60
A single design template can be used for printed flyers, posters and online ads, simply adjusting the details for repeated postings and future events.
2 x A3 & 3 x A4 Printed Posters = £19
These can be posted in and around your venue to promote the event to your regular customers.
5 x Social media posts = £50
Posting your event on Facebook and other similar platforms once a week for a month before the start date can be highly effective.
Premium = £280
2 x Single-sided Design Templates = £110
With two separate designs, you can tailor one for print and the other for online marketing to achieve the best result.
3 x A3 & 5 x A4 Printed Posters = £30
Put these up around your venue where they’ll be seen by customers and passers by.
250 x A6 Printed Flyers = £60
Flyers are great for handing out to interested enquirers in your venue.
9 x Social media posts = £80
More posts on social media means more views – and well-targeted posting means effective promotion to the right eyes.
Deluxe = £445+
2 x Single-sided Design Templates = £110
1 x Double-sided Design Template = £100
Having unique poster, double-sided flyer and online ad designs will allow for a very flexible marketing approach, as all designs can be used online.
5 x A3 & 10 x A4 Printed Posters = £45
The more posters you have around your premises the better – and if you can put a few up on local notice boards, too, all the better!
1000 x A6 Printed Flyers = £80
Armed with a good supply of flyers, you can give them to potential attendees in the local area, passing them out a week prior to the launch day.
13 x Social media posts = £110
Ensure your posts are seen by the right people at the right time; twice a week for a month prior to the launch day and a couple more posts the day before.
Facebook Advertising = Quote upon request
The final piece to the puzzle when launching a successful event is targeted advertising, which will ensure that people within your catchment area who have an interest in live music will see your ads.
Event Management & Artist Booking:
Event Type:
Live Acoustic Gig:
Open Mic Night:
Half-Day Event:
All-Dayer:
Event Management:
1hr Event = £30
3hrs Event = £60
6hrs Event = £105
12hrs Event = £195
Artist Booking:
1 x Artist = £20
3 x Artists = £50
8 x Artists = £120
16 x Artists = £225
Artist fees NOT included
Quotes provided upon request
Book your PA Hire NOW!
Book your PA Hire NOW!
Book your PA Hire NOW!
Book your PA Hire NOW!
Example Events:
Here are a few examples of the kind of events for which my PA would be suitable:
Open Mic Nights:
A typical Open Mic Night will usually run from 8pm to 11pm. I’ll arrive at the venue at 7pm to unload all the equipment, then set it up and do a soundcheck on all channels, tuning the EQ to the room, ready for the first artist to set themselves up to start at 8pm.
I will then run the desk, helping all artists with their set-up, including vocals, guitars, keyboards, etc., as well as playing backing tracks, as needed, monitoring the levels throughout the evening. Once the last artist has concluded their set around 11pm, I’ll pack everything down and load it all up again, usually finishing by midnight.
That brings the average duration of a standard Open Mic Night to about 5 hours; £50 for the PA hire and £75 for the engineer for a total of £125.
Acoustic Gigs/Live Performances:
If you’re a solo artist or part of a group performing acoustic music, you may want to arrange your own gigs, sometimes just for yourself, but often along with other artists to support you with their own sets.
Or, if you run a pub, bar or even a restaurant, you might want to set up a similar event to entertain your patrons, with relaxing acoustic music playing live in the background or a crooner performing classic jazz numbers throughout the evening.
These kinds of events can last anywhere between 1 and 5 hours, with an hour each for set-up and pack-down before and after the event. Therefore, the total cost could be anywhere from £95 for a 1 hour gig (3 hours Total, including set-up and pack-down [£50 + £45]) to £155 for a 5-hour event (7 hours Total, inc. set-up and pack-down [£50 + £105]).
All-Dayer’s:
All-Day events, such as planned gigs, with several booked artists playing 20- to 30-minute sets, 15 minutes apart throughout the day can create a real buzz and party atmosphere.
This kind of event usually lasts about 12 hours, with people coming and going all day and night. There could easily be between 15 and 20 different artists performing during that time, making it quite hectic and hard to keep to the schedule.
I have extensive experience of running a PA during such events, most of which start at 11am and finish at 11pm. My PA is perfect for providing amplification for vocals and acoustic instruments, as well as synths, keyboards, drum machines and backing tracks.
I would arrive at 10am to set all the gear up and soundcheck the room, eliminating any unwanted frequencies or feedback, making sure everything’s ready for the first artsist to plug in, soundcheck their instrument(s) and go at 11am.
I would then run the desk throughout the day, swapping between artists, monitoring their levels, adding reverb, etc., and ensuring they all have the best possible sound for their set. At the end of the night, I’ll pack everything down and be ready to load it all up by midnight.
That would be a 14-hour day, altogether, with the cost of the PA Hire being £50, my time as a live sound engineer coming to £210, making a total of £260 for the whole day.
Children’s Parties:
Most children’s parties last about 2 hours from when the guests arrive until the end of the party, when it’s time for everyone to go home. I’m a dad myself, so I have first-hand experience of how they tend to work.
I would arrive an hour before the start of the party to unload and set up all the equipment, including connection to the device you want to play the music on, such as a Mobile Phone, MP3 Player, Laptop streaming Spotify, CD player, etc., as well as a microphone or two for announcements and for the use of the entertainer you’ve booked for the party.
At the end of the party, I’ll take down all the equipment and have it all packed away within the hour. So, that would make the average party booking about 4 hours in total; £50 for the PA hire and £60 for the engineer, bringing the cost to £110 altogether.
Village Fetes:
These events usually run for a good few hours, from about 11am ’til 5pm. My PA is perfect for a little background music, karaoke, live acoustic acts and announcements.
I would arrive at 10am, set everything up and help musicians plug in and soundcheck, play music in-between, from whatever device you want to use (MP3 Player, Mobile Phone, Laptop, CD Player, etc.) and essentially run the system throughout the event.
Once your Fete has come to a close, I’ll turn off, disconnect and pack down all the equipment, usually being ready to head off in an hour. So, the time required for an average Fete would be about 8 hours altogether; £50 for the PA hire and £120 for the engineer, reaching a total of £170 for an average event of this type.
Wedding Receptions:
Most Wedding Receptions will have some kind of entertainment planned for after the meal, such as a band or DJ – or both!
But before all that kicks off there’s the wedding dinner, during which you might like to have a little light music playing in the background, perhaps an acoustic duo, performing some live jazz or classical guitar, for instance. Then, after your guests have finished their meal, there’s the speeches, which will need some amplification in order to reach the back of the room.
My PA is perfectly suited for both these purposes. I would arrive an hour before the start of the reception, set everything up, soundcheck the musicians’ instruments and mics and be ready to roll when everyone starts arriving. I’ll monitor the levels throughout the performance during meal and turn on and off the appropriate mics when it’s time for the speeches.
Most reception meals will be about an hour and a half, as will the speeches, after which I will descreetly pack down all the equipment and be ready to leave within about an hour. So that’s £50 for the PA hire and £75 for the engineer making the total £125.
Equipment List & Specifications:
1 x Stereo Power Amplifier + PSU
(90W/side @ 8Ω)
2 x Loudspeakers
(80W @ 8Ω)
1 x 8-Channel Main Mixer + PSU
(4 x mono Mic/Line Channels, 4 x mon/stereo Line Channels, 2 x mono Sends, 2 x stereo Returns, 2 x stereo Outputs)
1 x 6-Channel Sub Mixer + PSU
(2 x mono Mic/Line Channels, 3 x mon/stereo Line Channels, 1 x mono Send, 2 x stereo Return, 3 x stereo Outputs)
1 x Stereo Graphic Equaliser + PSU
(15 frequency bands per channel)
1 x Stereo Reverb FX Unit + PSU
(256 algorithms; reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, etc.)
3 x Shure SM58 Microphones
(Dynamic mics for vocals, instruments and amps, 3 x clips)
2 x Shure PG48 Microphones
(Dynamic mics for vocals, instruments and amps, 2 x clips)
1 x t.bone EM-500 Microphone
(Condenser mic for acoustic instruments and ambience, 1 x clip)
2 x Speakon to Jack cables
(Speakon to 1/4″ Mono jack, 5m)
1 x 8-way XLR (Mic) cable Loom
(Male XLR – Female XLR, 5m)
1 x 4-way 1/4″ mono Jack (instrument) cable Loom
(Male TS to male TS, 6m)
6 x Microphone cables
(Male XLR to Female XLR; 4 x 3m, 1 x 5m)
2 x 1/4″ mono Jack (instrument) cables
(3m)
10 x L+R Phono (system set-up) cables
(Various lengths from 0.4m to 5m)
Numerous Phono – Jack adapters
(Female Phono – Male Jack)
4 x 1/4″ Jack extension adapters
(Female – Female Jack)
4 x Phono extension adapters
(Female – Female)
1 x 2-way power extension reel
(10m)
1 x 4-way power extension sockets
(1m)
2 x Speaker Stands
(Suitable for support of up to 25Kg load per stand)
4 x Microphone Boom Stands
(3 x Vocal/Instrument stands, 1 x Instrument stand)
2 x Vertical Microphone Stands
Full contact details (Individual’s and Event Venue’s Name, Landline, Mobile, Email & Address) must be provided upon collection, including the Hiree’s signature, whether they are hiring the PA for their own use or on behalf of a third party, such as a Venue or any other entity or individual.
The appropriate payment will be taken in cash or by card upon collection of the equipment, including £100 deposit.
Deposit will be refunded upon safe return of all equipment by the agreed deadline.
If any equipment is missing or damaged, or is not returned by the agreed deadline, then partial or full deposit will not be refunded.
All due care and attention must be taken by the Hiree and/or Venue staff when setting up, packing down and using the equipment.
All those involved with the set-up, pack-down or actual use of the PA must read the supplied PA Equipment User Guide in advance and must strictly adhere to all Precautions.
The owner of the PA equipment, Dan Hewett (trading as Sidrat Studios) accepts no responsibility for any injury or damage to property incurred while the equipment is in the care of the Hiree/Venue.
Use of the hired equipment is at the Hiree’s and/or Venue’s own risk and all responsibility for injury or damage to property caused through the use or misuse of the hired equipment is solely that of the Hiree whose signature is on this agreement and/or that of the Venue, entity or individual who paid the hire fee.
You can download the 4-page PA Equipment User Guide by clicking on the image below. A printed version will be provided with the PA upon collection.
You can download the PA Hire Agreement by clicking on the image below. Feel free to print and complete the form in advance, or you can be provided with one to complete upon collection.
