I have a band, and we would like to perform at an outdoor boardwalk area. In the spaces that are allotted for this, there are no power outlets, so we would have to supply our own power. We are looking for something that is quiet, preferably not a gas-powered generator, cost-effective, and able to supply power to four amplifiers and a synthesizer for about two hours.
I’ve asked around at music stores, but they don’t seem to have any idea how to advise me on this, so I turned my trusting eyes to the good people of the Dope. Help, please?
I don’t know how much power you need. We use the XPower 1500 to power one speaker for a two hour marching band rehearsal. Maybe one or two of these would provide your power requirements. Except for a small fan, they are silent.
You really need to figure out the wattage you’re going to need and then find an appropriate generator. Too little can be bad for your equipment. So I’ve been told.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’m not sure how to figure out the wattage I’m going to need. The amps have watts printed on them, but the keyboard does not. Any suggestions for this? Do we just add up all the watts for all the equipment and then make sure the generator has more than that?
The keyboards’ power draw is probably almost small enough not to matter, compared to the amplifiers.
Honda is still the leader in quiet generators. They are unfortunately not cheap, but they do a good job and just purr along. With a long enough extension cord(s) you should be able to put the generator behind something to further reduce its noise. I think their 2000 watt model goes for about $1500, so be sure to bring along a chain and lock so it doesn’t wander away.