In-House Sound Systems 🤮
You might’ve heard that your wedding venue has or is getting an in-house sound system.
At Ross Productions, we’ve worked hundreds and hundreds of weddings and events since 2012, and we know the do’s, the don’ts, what works, and what doesn’t. We’ve had elevators break down right before set up, flooding at an outdoor venue, but now we’re seeing couples upset at venues because of their in-house sound systems.
Venues are installing these systems as both conveniences as well as a way to control the decibel rating to prevent neighbors from calling the police. Although this might seem like a great idea, it’s not.
So what’s the real problem?
A big part of a couple hiring a DJ or a Band for their wedding is the fun, exciting, and loud entertainment that gets everyone motivated, packing the dance floor, and singing along to the music. These in-house systems are cheap, quiet, no bass at all, and quite frankly just crap. We understand that noise ordinances are in place for the local residents who live nearby, but limiting the volume of a DJ or a Band takes all of the fun away from the couple and the entertainer as well as leaving the couple and guests with vibes that are not as high as they could be, which doesn’t create the desired life-lasting memories. In many cases, this can ruin a couple’s special day.
You might have heard this story about a couple suing a New York hotel for $5 Million after the in-house sound system ruined their wedding. In this case, the couple couldn’t hear the announcements nor could they hear the music over people at their tables, 30-40 feet away, talking at a normal dinner talking volume.
Another issue is that most of these in-house sound systems are sub-par for a wedding or similar event. A lot of venues we’ve worked at that have these systems have either purchased something on their own without any knowledge of a quality sound system, or they’ve gotten a recommendation from someone with a home theater system. Out of every venue we’ve worked at with an in-house system, there has only been ONE (1) venue that has a system that is actually very decent, but we were the ones who recommended, sold, and installed said system, so it doesn’t really count.
Here is one example of a venue that had a sub-par system that we had performed at. To start, the speakers were not loud at all, there was no bass to these speakers, and the highs would crackle and the lows would pop. We had several complaints from guests and the couple that they could not hear or understand the announcements or the music. When open dancing started and people started to pack the dancefloor, it honestly sounded like someone held an old iPhone in the air. People left after roughly 30 minutes of the dancefloor being opened which was 2 hours into the reception. Thankfully the couple understood that it was not our fault, and we still got a raving review, but we felt horrible because all this couple wanted to do was to celebrate and have a blast with their loved ones, but it ended up ruining their wedding. We noticed several days later that the venue received a 1-star review which is not what anyone wants to ever receive.
So as a venue owner, your question is… what would you suggest?
There is a simple solution that will keep us entertainers happy, but most importantly will keep couples happy who are spending thousands of dollars to celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime event. No matter what time your local noise ordinance starts, make your end time and music cut-off time the time that the ordinance begins. Don’t buy an in-house system that’s not loud enough, and consult with a real AV company that does this stuff for a living. Allow DJs and bands to provide their own system as well.
One venue we suggested this too sent letters to their close neighbors informing them of the noise ordinance, how they have a new cut-off time that they strictly enforce, as well as a short paragraph expressing their deepest appreciation for their small sacrifice of allowing newlyweds to celebrate their special day. We followed back up with the venue three months later and they said that everyone had been happy, all DJs and bands followed the venue’s guidelines, all of the couples had a blast, and better yet, the neighbors did not call the police, they did not complain.
