Written by the team at Angels Music Productions, Valley Village, CA. We have rented and set up sound, lighting and projection at more than 1,000 events across Los Angeles since 2015. Updated November 2026.
Most people rent AV equipment once or twice in their life: a wedding, a company party, a backyard birthday, a school fundraiser. The questions are always the same, and most rental websites never answer them. This guide does. It covers the things people actually type into Google before they book: how many speakers, how many uplights, how bright a projector, whether you need a technician, and what changes when the event is in Los Angeles.
If you only want prices and packages, go straight to our audio visual equipment rental in Los Angeles page. If you want to understand what you are renting first, keep reading.
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| How many speakers for 100 guests? | Two powered 12 inch speakers on stands for speeches and background music. Add a subwoofer if people will dance. |
| How many uplights for a room? | One uplight every 8 to 10 feet of wall. A typical 100 to 150 guest ballroom needs 12 to 20. |
| How bright should a rental projector be? | 3,000 to 5,000 lumens for a dark small room. 8,000 or more for a ballroom with the lights on. |
| Can a projector work outdoors in daylight? | No. After dark, yes. In daylight you need an LED wall. |
| Do I need a technician? | Not for a speaker and a mic. Yes for live video, multiple mics, or lighting that changes during the event. |
| Can I pick up the gear myself? | Yes, from our Valley Village or Van Nuys locations, by appointment. |
| How far ahead should I book? | 4 to 8 weeks. 3 months or more for May, June, September, October and December weekends. |
Sound: speakers and microphones
How many speakers do I need for a party of 50, 100 or 200 people?
Think in rooms, not head counts. Sound has to reach the farthest guest without being painful for the closest one.
- Up to 50 guests, one room: one or two 10 or 12 inch powered speakers. One is enough for speeches. Two spread the sound so nobody sits next to a blasting speaker.
- 50 to 150 guests: two 12 inch powered speakers on stands, placed on either side of the “front” of the room (the DJ, the head table or the stage). Add one subwoofer if there is dancing. Without a sub, dance music sounds thin and people turn it up until it hurts.
- 150 to 300 guests, or a long room: two 15 inch mains plus a subwoofer, and often a second pair of smaller speakers halfway down the room so the back half hears clearly without the front half being too loud.
- Outdoors: go one size up. There are no walls to bounce sound back, so you lose volume fast. Two 15 inch speakers and a sub is the normal outdoor setup for 100 guests.
Our Essential PA System (two speakers, a mixer and a wireless mic) covers the first two cases. The DJ Sound System adds the subwoofer and a second mic for parties where people dance. Everything we rent is listed on the audio and sound system rental page.
What is the difference between a powered speaker and a passive speaker?
A powered (active) speaker has the amplifier built in. You plug it into the wall and into your mixer and it works. A passive speaker needs a separate amplifier rack. For almost every party, wedding or meeting, powered speakers are the right rental. They are simpler, lighter and there is less to go wrong. Passive systems make sense for concerts and large installs with a sound engineer.
Do I need a mixer, or can I plug my phone straight into the speaker?
You can plug a phone into one powered speaker with the right cable, and for background music at a small gathering that is fine. The moment you add a microphone, a second source or a second speaker, you want a small mixer. It lets you set the mic louder than the music, cut the music when someone speaks, and send the same signal to both speakers. Every sound package we rent includes one.
How many microphones do I need for toasts and speeches?
Two wireless handheld mics is the sweet spot for most events. One is live while the other is handed to the next speaker, so there is no dead air. For a ceremony, add a lapel (lavalier) mic for the officiant and a handheld for readings. For a panel or a conference, plan one mic per speaker plus one for audience questions. Wireless mics need fresh batteries; ours go out with new ones and a spare set.
What size speakers for a backyard party with a DJ?
Two 15 inch powered speakers and one 18 inch subwoofer. Point the speakers toward the house, not toward the neighbors, and keep the sub close to the dance area. Check the next section on Los Angeles sound rules before you plan a late night.
How loud is too loud? Will the neighbors complain?
Most Los Angeles neighborhoods expect amplified sound outdoors to stop around 10 p.m., and some venues and HOAs set it earlier. Plan speeches and the big dance set before the cutoff, then move to lower volume or indoors. If you tell us the event is at a private home, we size the system for the yard rather than for a hall, which keeps it clear without being loud enough to carry down the street.
Lighting: uplights, dance floor lights and effects
What is uplighting for a wedding or event?
Uplighting is the simplest lighting upgrade there is. Small LED fixtures sit on the floor along the walls, aimed up, and wash the walls with color. A plain hotel ballroom turns deep blue, warm amber, blush pink or any color you want, and the room looks completely different in photos. The fixtures are wireless and battery powered, so there are no cables across the floor. A full charge runs 4 to 6 hours. Uplighting starts at $29 per light, and a package of 10 starts at $595. See the event lighting rental page for packages and colors.
What is DJ uplighting?
Same fixtures, different job. DJ uplighting usually means a handful of uplights placed around the DJ booth and the dance floor, sometimes set to change color with the music. Room uplighting lines the whole room in one steady color. Many events use both: steady color on the walls for dinner, then color changing lights around the dance floor once the party starts.
How many uplights do I need?
A good rule: one uplight for every 8 to 10 feet of wall you want lit. Measure the perimeter of the room and divide by 9.
- Small room or restaurant private dining room: 6 to 10
- Typical ballroom, 100 to 150 guests: 12 to 20
- Large ballroom or tent, 200 or more guests: 24 to 36
Pillars, alcoves and a head table backdrop each take an extra light or two. If you are unsure, send us a photo of the room and we will count it for you.
What is the difference between uplights, wash lights, pin spots and moving heads?
- Uplights color the walls. Mood and photos.
- Wash lights throw broad, even light over the dance floor or stage so people and video look good.
- Pin spots are narrow beams aimed at centerpieces, the cake or the head table.
- Moving heads pan, tilt and change color and pattern on their own. This is the “concert” look on a dance floor. They need a controller and a program or an operator.
- Gobo projectors shine a name, date or logo onto a wall or the floor.
Our event lighting guide goes deeper on each one, and the DMX lighting guide explains how one controller runs them all.
Can I rent uplights and set them up myself?
Yes. Uplights are the easiest rental to do yourself. They charge overnight, run 4 to 6 hours on a full battery, and you set the color with a remote. For a long reception, keep them plugged in to charge during dinner and unplug for the dance floor. Pick them up from us, place them along the walls, turn them on, done. Moving heads and anything on a truss are a different story. Those we deliver and set up.
Do fog machines and cold sparks set off smoke alarms?
Low lying fog (the cloud that stays at ankle height for a first dance) is water based and usually does not trip alarms, but some venues still require a heads up to the fire department or a fire watch. Haze, which makes light beams visible in the air, is more likely to set off detectors. Cold spark machines are not pyrotechnics and are allowed in most LA venues, but the venue has to say yes in writing. Ask before you book, not the week of. Our special effects rental page lists what each effect does and where it works.
Projectors and screens
How bright does a rental projector need to be?
Brightness is measured in lumens, and it is the number one thing people get wrong. Match it to the room:
- Small meeting room, lights dimmed, up to 50 people: 3,000 to 5,000 lumens.
- Ballroom with the lights at half, 100 to 200 guests: 6,000 to 10,000 lumens.
- Big room, big screen, lights up for dinner: 10,000 to 16,000 lumens.
- Backyard movie night after dark: 5,000 lumens is fine on a 10 to 12 foot screen. Bigger screen, more lumens.
A 3,000 lumen office projector that looks sharp in a conference room looks gray and washed out in a lit ballroom. We rent projectors from 3,000 to 16,000 lumens, starting at $395, on the projector and screen rental page.
What size projector screen do I need?
Two rules cover almost every case. First, the farthest viewer should be no more than six times the screen height away, so a 7.5 foot tall screen works to about 45 feet back. Second, the bottom of the screen should sit at least 4 feet off the floor so people past the third row can see it. In practice, a 100 inch tripod screen covers up to 40 people, a 150 inch fast fold screen covers 100 to 150, and a 180 to 220 inch screen covers a ballroom. Screens start at $100. Our projector screen size guide has a chart by room size.
Can you use a projector outside during the day?
No. Sunlight is far brighter than any projector made. Even in shade the image looks faded. For a daytime outdoor presentation, a product launch at a park, or a fan zone, you need an LED video wall, which makes its own light and stays sharp in full sun. See LED screen and video wall rental. After sunset a projector works great outdoors.
How do I connect my laptop to a rental projector?
With an HDMI cable, which we include. Newer laptops may need a USB C to HDMI adapter, and we bring one. The things that go wrong are almost always these three: the cable is too short for where the laptop sits, the laptop is set to “duplicate” instead of “extend” (or the other way around), and the presentation was made in a different aspect ratio than the screen. Tell us where the presenter will stand so we bring a long enough cable, and send a test slide the day before if you can.
Lamp projector or laser projector: which one should I rent?
A lamp projector costs less to rent and is fine for a short meeting or a slideshow in a small room. A laser projector turns on instantly, holds its brightness and color all night, runs quieter, and cannot fail from a blown lamp. For a wedding slideshow, a Bar Mitzvah montage, a keynote, or anything where the picture is the centerpiece, rent the laser projector.
Do I need a projector or a TV?
For a photo loop in a lobby, a sponsor logo by the bar, or a slideshow for 20 people, a 65 or 75 inch TV on a stand is simpler and looks sharp in any light. Once the audience passes about 40 people, or the room is wide, a projector and screen or an LED wall wins. Our guide on video wall, TV or projector walks through the choice.
Renting in Los Angeles: pickup, delivery and the local details
Do you deliver and set up, or do I pick up?
Both. Our crew delivers, sets up, tests everything before guests arrive and picks it up after. Delivery is quoted by distance from our Valley Village office and Van Nuys warehouse, so Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Burbank, Encino and the rest of the San Fernando Valley get the fastest, lowest cost service. Or you pick up smaller orders yourself by appointment: speakers, mics, uplights, projectors and screens all fit in an SUV.
Do I need an AV technician at my event?
You do not need one for two speakers and a mic, a slideshow in a small room, or uplights. You do want one when content is shown live, several microphones are passed around, a video and a laptop and a DJ all need to switch on the same screen, or lighting changes during the night. A tech is also worth it when the event cannot be redone, like a wedding or a product launch. We quote a technician as a separate line so you can decide.
What should I ask my venue before I rent AV?
- Is there an in house AV company I am required to use, or an outside vendor fee?
- What time can vendors load in, and is there a freight elevator or a loading dock?
- Where are the outlets near the stage and dance floor, and are they on separate circuits?
- Is there a sound curfew or a volume limit?
- Are fog, haze and cold sparks allowed?
- Can anything hang from the ceiling, and does rigging cost extra?
The answers change the quote more than anything else. Our AV equipment rental cost guide explains how each one affects price.
Do I need a generator for an outdoor event?
A normal house circuit runs two powered speakers, a mixer and a few uplights without trouble. Add a subwoofer, moving heads, a projector and catering equipment on the same circuit and breakers start tripping. For backyard events we check the panel first. For parks, beaches, parking lots and large tents, plan on a quiet generator. We rent them with the distribution and cabling. See truss, rigging and power.
What happens if something breaks during the event?
Every delivery order goes out with backup gear sized to the order: a spare mic, spare cables, and for bigger setups a spare speaker or projector. If a technician is on site, they swap it in minutes. If you picked up the gear yourself, call us; we keep a phone on during events and can usually get a replacement to you in the Valley and most of LA the same day.
How far in advance should I book?
Four to eight weeks is comfortable for most events. Weekends in May, June, September and October, and the whole of December, book out two to three months ahead, and the most popular items go first: large fast fold screens, laser projectors and 15 inch speaker sets. Last minute is possible, but the choice shrinks and rush delivery costs more.
Is a card on file required?
Yes, on every booking. A deposit reserves the date, the balance is due 7 days before the event, and we keep a card on file as backup for the balance only. Other charges, like overtime or damaged equipment, are billed separately when they apply, and you always see them before they are charged. You can still pay by Zelle, check or ACH.
Common mistakes we see, and how to avoid them
- Renting one speaker for a room of 150. It will be too loud up front and too quiet in the back. Two smaller speakers beat one big one.
- A 3,000 lumen projector in a bright ballroom. Ask for lumens, not just “a projector.”
- No subwoofer for a dance party. Music without low end sounds like a phone speaker.
- Uplights on one wall only. Light the whole perimeter or the room looks lopsided in photos.
- Forgetting the cable run. The laptop is always farther from the screen than you think.
- Not asking the venue about in house AV. Some hotels charge an outside vendor fee. Find out before you sign.
- Booking the big items late. Screens and laser projectors are the first to sell out on peak weekends.
Ready to rent?
Send us the date, the venue, the guest count and what you need shown or heard, and we will size the sound, lighting and projection for your room and send a clear quote, usually the same day. Browse packages and starting prices on the audio visual equipment rental in Los Angeles page, or go straight to sound systems, event lighting, projectors and screens or LED walls. Need a DJ with the gear? See our DJ services.
Angels Music Productions, 12647 Burbank Blvd #206, Valley Village, CA 91607. Call or text 949-394-2572 or email office@angelsmusic.net. We serve all of Los Angeles County, Orange County and Southern California. See all areas we serve.
