How big of a generator do I need for a live outdoor event?

Andrew Beaty

Freshman
Mar 17, 2017
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I'm going to be holding an outdoor party with the following gear:

2 x QSC HPR122i (Class D Amp, 400 watts each)

2 x QSC K8 (Class A Amp, 1,000 watts each)

1 x QSC K12 (Class A Amp, 1,000 watts)

1 x TurboSound IQB15 (3,000 watts)

Mixer, lights, etc (maybe 300 watts)

Total of about 7,000 watts rated as per above...however, do I really need a 7kW generator? Seems excessive. Not sure how to properly assess or calculate actual need for this.

Thanks for any advice or help.
 
To calculate power consumption, you need to look at your equipment's power consumption, not the peak output rating of the amplifiers. Input power requirements should be marked on the equipment and in the user manual. And unless you're running heavily compressed audio close to limit, the actual power consumption of your amplifiers will be a bit less than the rated maximum.
 
And make sure you condition the crap out of it before it hits your equipment. Gas gennies output not as clean power as the bigger diesels. I have a slightly bigger rig, and when people ask for outdoor shows with no available power, I either tell them to hire a licensed electrician and have them install power with the exact specs I specify withing 50ft of the stage, or I quote them a minimum a 25Kw 3-Phase Whisperwatt diesel generator to rent.

I have had only two cases where this has happened and both of them opted to get electric installed near the stage, which saved me from a crap ton of more work.
 
I ran something like this off of a Honda 2000w inverter generator and it did OK. If you have a 3000 watter it would give you an extra margin of safety. Unless you are running EDM music balls to the wall, the likelihood of you drawing 7000 watts with that rig is remote. Definitely and inverter genny like the Honda EU series will give you clean, regulated power, better than a contractor model.
 
I provide the sound system for an annual ACS Relay for Life. My contract lists "two 20 amp grounded/dedicated circuits for stage use only". Well, they only provide a Harbor Freight Predator 4000 non-inverter generator http://harborfreight.com/# They have provided the above-listed generator for the past four annual events....and....surprisingly enough...it works.

My amp rack: one Crown IT6000, one Crown xti4000, one Crown xs4300. I bring a 3-way rig and my system fills the majority of the football field. (My rig probably draws more amperage than your set up.)

I mix digital these days but since the genny is a non-inverter I bring my analog (Mixwizard) board.

I just checked harbor freight's site and the predator 4000 generators are selling for under $300.00....a bargain in my opinion.














 
Condition the power? A cream rinse? Extra body? I'm curious as to how you "condition" your power.

Launder it. I'm a huge fan of double conversion or "online' UPS's for mission critical or sensitive loads. Essentially there is one inverter to charge the batteries and a second to drive the equipment plugged into the UPS. It's not completely isolated but darn near close, and different manufacturers models provide more compensation for poor power input than others (not always at a higher price either).

With the fluctuations in voltage and sine wave output in cheap generators there is no way I would plug an X32 into something like a harbor freight generator with at least something in between to attempt to smooth the power out.
 
To calculate power consumption, you need to look at your equipment's power consumption, not the peak output rating of the amplifiers. Input power requirements should be marked on the equipment and in the user manual. And unless you're running heavily compressed audio close to limit, the actual power consumption of your amplifiers will be a bit less than the rated maximum.

I'm going to disagree with you on this. While your average power draw is much less, when using shore power, you do have the ability to draw quick short peaks of power. If your generator is only sized to handle your average power draw, it does not have any reserve available for those peaks. Sizing a generator based on the full power rating of your amps, plus 20% is a good starting point for properly sizing the generator that you should be using.

Yes, you can get by with something smaller, but when you do, you're also limiting the capabilities of your system.
 
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Search on the internet but I guess that how bigger it is is better lol. This is the power of your party and I guess that you want to have the best party ever. But why do you take care of this? You know one of my friends once organized a big party and he wanted everything to be at the highest level. So he found high-quality outdoor mobile stage equipment and forgot about his problems. People came and installed everything and he took care of the program and the music. So I think that you can ask people for help and there is nothing wrong with that.
 
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I had a follow up question, I was thinking about powering a small booth with essentially just a tiny amp and a couple pedals. It's a little rig to pitch my record on the street, "a sing for my super" set up. Easy set up, easy break down, move the CD's. Would a small, non gas, generator/power supply work for a tiny amp and pedal set up? Thanks!!
 
I had a follow up question, I was thinking about powering a small booth with essentially just a tiny amp and a couple pedals. It's a little rig to pitch my record on the street, "a sing for my super" set up. Easy set up, easy break down, move the CD's. Would a small, non gas, generator/power supply work for a tiny amp and pedal set up? Thanks!!
There are some really cool solar powered battery bank options and more traditional AC charged banks too.
All depends on your budget.
 
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They were talking about conditioning the power through something like a Furman unit, I think it's essentially one ginormous capacitor.
Not really. See reply #5.

Most "power conditioners" don't do anything active. There is no transformation of electrons. They typically are rack mounted power strips with MOV-based surge protection.

Inverter generators charge a smoothing capacitor that is part of the inverter circuit, but that capacitor has nothing to do with "power conditioning." Inverter generators are popular (esp the Hondas) because they're very quiet compared to other small generators and can be placed nearer to the performance area.