School & Teen Events Best location for speakers?

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IceBurghDJ

DJ Extraordinaire
Apr 17, 2015
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Western Pennsylvania
iceburghdj.com
Doing a school dance and have 3 options for setup...used 2 in the past, not sure what's best, or distance from the wall.

Setup is for 200 kids (so they always say), cafeteria (all hard surfaces, 9' or so ceiling).

Which wall and how far off the wall?

Gear is 2 18" powered subs and 4 12" powered tops - I usually spread them out - me in the middle, then top then sub then top, about 30' across, light truss over me in the middle.

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I would setup on the left brick wall with the subs in the center and 2 tops in the top/botom corners angled in slightly. I'd put a second set of tops about midway on the top/bottom walls facing back to me and delayed properly to the middle of the dance area. I'd run things at a slightly lower level than normal to minimize reverberation/reflective sound.

This makes a dance and a talk/sit areas and keeps the issues down .. just my opinion.
 
I don't have delay capability.
Kids ALWAYS want it loud.

Last dance I was in a HS gym, 400 kids or so, and I was nearly maxed out and they wanted it louder yet...never ever played that loud before.
Loud and glass walls don't go well together, so keep as much of the sound off the wall as possible. If all of the tops are the same, you can somewhat get away with no delay if they are all focused at the middle of the dance area.
 
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I don’t get the layout. Where are you being placed And where is the dance floor.
That's what he was asking opinions on.
 
I don’t get the layout. Where are you being placed And where is the dance floor.
I'm placed where I want - hence the question.

it's a long rectangular room - the right half is tables and chairs, the left half completely open. dance floor is there.

What wall do I want to set up against?

I've do the window wall and the table wall, which I dind't like all the tables and the sound goes out to the tables directly. ON a 'side' wall the sound will reflect off the far wall.

As for distance from the wall behind me..3'? 6'? something else?
 
Id be along the brick wall. Subs coupled for maximum bass, 2 speakers per side, next to each other, but angled out from each other so theres minimal to no wave patterns crossing each others paths. I've done this set up a number of times for teen dances and has worked very well for me in terms of getting the right volumes. The kids will absorb the sound bouncing for them most part if theres 200 of them
 
Kids want it loud. Used to crack me up when I brought in my big system and would crank the shit out of it and they would ask for louder. I knew the DJs in my area and I knew NOBODY had what I had and NOBODY was louder.... they just say that to be idiots. LOL
 
Brick wall with folded tables, speakers spread wide as possible angled slightly in and subs coupled in front of me. Avoid glass the best you can