How many watts per square foot for a party?

[zwak]

so I'm going to throw a party in about 6 weeks. as of right now there are four of us who are going to spin and by the end of it id say 6-10. I'm making it an open deck style party, just for friends. if people show up i don't even care because the main purpose of it is to spin on quality speakers.

the room is roughly 33'x17' so 550-600 square feet.

i have tried googling this and i have noticed that nobody has a firm answer. i understand that the physical aspects of the room will effect the sound quality.

i will attempt to explain the room as best as possible.

the ceilings are 12' high, other than a staircase on one side of the room it is pretty much a box.

i figure that i can fit between 100-200 people in here no problem

i want this to be legit, like an actual club. not a house party. I'm renting lights and renting professional speakers and multiple lights as well as playing my projector on the wall. also, I'm only inviting people i know who love dance music, who aren't going to be there just to be there smoking bongs in my garage

what i need to know is how many watts, how many speakers, how big of a sub etc.

i know nothing about this stuff and the package i was looking at online for speaker rental didn't include a subwoofer, my friend said that it was pretty much necessary.

a local music store quoted me at $175 for a sub, two speakers and whatever.

i have a pretty decent apple speaker that i got years ago, i could hang that up towards the back of the party to have some sound back there rather than wasting extra money on a speaker package i didn't need

what are some suggestions? i know its hard to guess without seeing the room but its pretty much the size of a tiny club that I'm sure a lot of us have seen. those one room places that only sell 100 tickets to a show because its just too small. i love those spots, its where all the creepy crawlies go to play

suggestions?


ONE MORE THING if anybody reading this is in souther ontario and would like to attend or spin DM me.

[Stephen Nawlins]

Why don't you work with a professional Audio-renting Company?

Professionals know the best, maybe they even send a Sound Engineer for Setting up and a short Soundcheck.

Maybe the guy who rents you the Room can help you out 'cause he works with this Kind of companies? Working with a Company that knows the Location is always best.

This may be more expensive as the 175USD but will be worthy the "non-stress" for you and you will maybe make a good Connection with a Partner for future Events.

[zwak]

Why don't you work with a professional Audio-renting Company?

Professionals know the best, maybe they even send a Sound Engineer for Setting up and a short Soundcheck.

Maybe the guy who rents you the Room can help you out 'cause he works with this Kind of companies? Working with a Company that knows the Location is always best.

This may be more expensive as the 175USD but will be worthy the "non-stress" for you and you will maybe make a good Connection with a Partner for future Events.

It's at my house but I guess that would probably be the best idea. I remembered there is a newer music store in the area that has a reputation for being the most knowledgable. I'm just going to go there.

The room isn't that big so I'm sure it'd be fine whatever I get. I'll most likely pair what I rent with what I can gather from friends and the speakers I already have so chances are it's going to be too much anyways.

Thanks for the reply !

[soundinmotiondj]

Welcome the the forum.

Congrats on your first outing as a promoter. It will be hard, but try not to let your excitement overrun your capability.

the room is roughly 33'x17' so 550-600 square feet.

The "planning number" in my area is 10 sqft per person - and that is also close to the "fire limit" in clubs, hotels, etc. So you are looking at 55-60 people. With 100 people in a space that small, that's a mosh pit (or whatever the kids are calling it these days). Maybe you're into that kind of thing, maybe you're not.

i have tried googling this and i have noticed that nobody has a firm answer. i understand that the physical aspects of the room will effect the sound quality.

Small room (any room with dimensions less that about 60ft per wall) acoustics are HARD to visualize...but unless you are installing a home theater, most of the details do not matter enough to worry about.

what i need to know is how many watts, how many speakers, how big of a sub etc.
...
a local music store quoted me at $175 for a sub, two speakers and whatever.

Sound levels are not measured in watts. Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is measured in decibels (dB). A speaker cabinets ability to produce SPL is based on how efficiently it can convert watts into sound.

That said, given reasonable gear (anything used for rental duty will be OK)....two tops and one or two subs will be sufficient.

Get a pair of tops with 10" or 12" drivers, placed in the corners of a short wall. Get stands that are tall enough to place the center of the tops 1-2ft over the heads of the crowd. Get one or two subs with 15" or 18" drivers. Place them in either corner of the short wall with the tops.

Set the crossover however the person renting the gear tells you - in fact having them setup the crossover for you would be best. If you do not get any other advice, set the crossover point between the subs and tops at 100Hz, and high pass the subs at 40Hz.

[deevey]

So you are looking at 55-60 people.

No way you'll fit 100 and not a hope of 200 !! Any more than around 60 is going to be ridiculous to the point of dangerous, and have you included space for the DJ box, lighting stands, cable runs, bar etc ....

Fire reg back home was 1 person per sq meter (9 sq ft appx) I believe in the USA its around 7 sq ft per person.

The place is only a tiny bit bigger than my Apt, and theres no way in hell more that 50 is feasible in that space.

2x12"s and a 15 sub should easily cover it, $175 sounds bloody expensive though.

i have a pretty decent apple speaker that i got years ago, i could hang that up towards the back of the party to have some sound back there rather than wasting extra money on a speaker package i didn't need

I really hope thats a joke right ?