Can we plug a laptop in for music?

Yes. The mixer has an input for a laptop or phone, and you can run microphones at the same time and balance the two.

How many microphones can we use?

A few — enough for a compere and a couple of speakers. If you need to mic a whole cast, you want a radio microphone system and a bigger desk, and we can quote that instead.

Is it enough for a school hall?

Usually not for a show. It will cover speech in a hall at a push, but for a musical or a dance show in a full hall the Full-Range package is the honest answer.

Home Services Equipment Hire PA System Hire

Small PA system hire

Two speakers on stands, a small mixer and the leads to connect them. Enough for a classroom, a studio or a modest hall, and simple enough that whoever is free on the day can set it up.

Most events do not need a big system. They need speech that carries to the back row, music that does not sound tinny, and something that goes together without a diagram.

The speakers are active, so the amplifier is built in — each one takes a mains lead and a signal lead and that is the whole story. They sit on stands at head height, which is where they need to be to reach past the front row.

The mixer gives you a few channels for microphones and a socket to plug a laptop or phone into for playback. There is enough control to balance a voice against a backing track without needing to know what you are doing.

If you find yourself wishing it went louder, or the music sounds thin, the Full-Range PA Package with subwoofers is the step up.

What you get

Two active speakers

Two speaker stands

A small mixer with microphone inputs and a playback socket

Signal cabling between the mixer and the speakers

Mains leads throughout

A technician for the get-in if you would like one

Good for

Classroom presentations, assemblies and small performances

Dance and drama studios

Village halls and church halls

Speech days and prizegivings in a smaller room

Rehearsals, where the main PA is not needed yet

Meetings, AGMs and open evenings

What you need to know

How big a room

A classroom, a studio, a small hall. For a full school hall or a sports hall, look at the Full-Range PA Package.

Power

Two ordinary 13A sockets, one each side.

Playback

The mixer has a socket for a laptop or phone, so backing tracks and playlists work without extra kit.

Microphones

Not included. Wired mics and radio mics are hired separately — tell us how many voices and we will advise.

Who runs it

Straightforward enough to run yourselves. A technician is available if you would rather not think about it.

Alternatives

Full-Range PA Package — adds subwoofers and coverage for bigger halls, dance nights and shows with music at their heart.

Common questions

Yes. The mixer has an input for a laptop or phone, and you can run microphones at the same time and balance the two.
A few — enough for a compere and a couple of speakers. If you need to mic a whole cast, you want a radio microphone system and a bigger desk, and we can quote that instead.
Usually not for a show. It will cover speech in a hall at a push, but for a musical or a dance show in a full hall the Full-Range package is the honest answer.

More pa system hire

School Musical Sound Package

Twelve headworn radio mics, desk, stagebox and floor mics — the musical, mic'd in one hire.

£350 / day

View & check dates

Full-Range PA Package

Tops, subs, stands and cabling — a complete PA for bigger halls.

£70 / day

View & check dates

Alto TS210 and TS315

Active speakers singly or in pairs — plug in and go.

from £10 / day

View & check dates

See the rest of our pa system hire stock, or browse everything available to hire.

Talk to us

Tell us the venue, the dates and what the show needs, and we will confirm availability.

Call 0333 404 0621, email sales@1stintheatre.co.uk, or send us the details of your production.

Related: Theatre production · Dance shows