From Backyard Parties to Beach Weddings: How Battery-Powered PA Systems Can Transform Any Event
Your sound system can make or break even the most well-planned events. So it’s important to find the right audio solution to fit your needs and successfully transform your location into a vibrant event space.
In this article, we’ll explore why upgrading to a battery-powered PA makes a huge difference when planning an event.
Then we’ll examine how battery-powered PA systems can enhance events ranging from backyard parties and destination weddings to street performances and community and corporate events—all with unmatched convenience and superior sound quality.
Let’s dive in.
Why Upgrade to a Battery-Powered PA System?
PA systems have been around for decades. You may even have one lying around the basement or garage from the old college band days. So why not blow off the dust and use it for your next big event? Simply put, PA systems have evolved significantly to provide better performance in every possible way. Modern PAs deliver powerful, clear audio in highly portable housings, with some even featuring the incredible convenience of battery-powered performance (look ma, no wires). That means you’ll be able to set up and achieve professional sound at any location, whether you’re miles away from a power outlet or just using a space where the power is questionable. Battery-powered PA systems allow you to host events you never thought practical or possible.
At Mackie, we’re superfans of battery-powered PA solutions. We’ve been at the forefront of PA technology for decades, consistently innovating to meet the demands of modern events and performers with high-quality, reliable products. Battery-powered PA systems are one of the most important technological innovations for event organizers and audio professionals, and we’ve delivered systems with advanced features that make it easy to set up and sound great, all while running on rechargeable batteries. So if you’re interested in picking up a new battery-powered PA for your event, chances are we have the perfect one for you.
Battery-Powered PA for Backyard Parties
Backyard parties are a mainstay of the summer months, but they’re also famously underpowered in the audio department. Traditional PAs require running extension cords to the yard and dealing with convoluted cabling and setup, creating a pretty high barrier of entry for most hosts. That’s why you’ve attended one too many parties DJ’d with woefully inadequate Bluetooth® speakers, which lack the power needed to get great sound in a crowded outdoor space. Well, not anymore.
Battery-powered PAs make it easy to set up and get dynamic sound without extension cords, generators or cable runs. And since you aren’t tethered to one location, you can easily move the music wherever the action is.
A great battery-powered PA for backyard parties is the Mackie Thump GO. It features 12 hours of battery life, built-in Bluetooth® connectivity, and an intuitive onboard mixer for reliable, high-quality sound, anywhere. Thump GO also has built-in audio processing that optimizes your sound for different applications, all at the push of a button. Choose between indoor/outdoor modes and music/speech functions to get the most out of your PA and bring life to any party.
Battery-Powered PA for Weddings
Fact: Nobody should skimp on sound at their weddings. Unfortunately, getting great audio isn’t a given—even if you’re hosting the event at an indoor location with plenty of room for a traditional PA system. Now add on the challenges of providing wedding-worthy sound in outdoor or remote locations, and you have a five-star recipe for letdown. That’s why battery-powered PAs are a must for outdoor and destination weddings.
Battery-powered PAs allow you to transform any location into a venue and achieve amazing sound. Want to have a ceremony on a secluded beach? A battery-powered PA will get you there. Found the most idyllic farm with centuries-old trees festooned with string lights? Set it up anywhere, switch it on, and power up your favorite playlist. Mountain-top matrimony more your thing? Lightweight, portable designs make it easy to transport your tunes and get audio clearer than an alpine lake.
If you’re looking for a PA for weddings, we recommend the following two Mackie systems.
For Smaller Weddings
Thump GO is a “Goldilocks” PA that delivers the right amount of features, power and battery life for most events. It can handle a microphone during the ceremony, stream live music via Bluetooth® during the happy hour and produce dynamic sound for dancing. It’s all you need for small to medium-sized outdoor weddings—just add a microphone. You can even stream from your phone with Bluetooth®, through multiple speakers at once.
For Larger Weddings
For those needing a more powerful battery-powered PA system for large events, check out Mackie Thrash212 GO. This is the big gun of the Mackie battery-powered lineup, boasting an ultra-efficient 300W amplifier, a 12” woofer and up to 10 hours of battery life. Just like Thump GO, you can also stream with Bluetooth® and pair multiple speakers wirelessly to provide sound all around the venue, all at once.
Battery-Powered PA for Busking and Street Performances
Buskers and street performers have seen a rise in popularity in the last few years, with many starting to livestream their sets to thousands of fans on social media. The only drawback is that busking can mean carrying a lot of cumbersome gear that’s tedious to set up when the eyes of the world are upon you. With a battery-powered PA for busking sets, all that changes.
Battery-powered PAs eliminate the need to MacGyver a power solution for traditional PAs. That means no more expensive battery banks, hijacking power from a local shop or being limited to purely acoustic playing. Mackie PAs deliver up to 15 hours of battery life so you can perform all day without running out of juice.
They also streamline your busking and street performance rig, making it possible to carry everything you need in one trip. If you’re interested in learning more about how battery-powered PA systems make your life easier, check out the article How to Streamline Your Street Performance Rig. It provides some practical tips all performers can do to lighten their load and perform their best.
Looking for a PA system for busking and street performances? Here are two we’d recommend.
For an All-in-One Solution
Mackie ShowBox is the ultimate battery-powered PA for busking. Period. ShowBox combines 12 hours of battery life, a powerful 400W amp, a 6-channel mixer and built-in effects into one portable unit. It even has a built-in USB interface that makes it easier than ever to stream or record your performance. For any buskers looking for a no-compromise PA that elevates every performance, this is the must-have system.
For the Lightest Setup Possible
If you prefer a streamlined and highly portable rig that still packs a punch, the Mackie FreePlay LIVE is for you. Its ultra-compact design delivers 15 hours of battery life and 150W of power, making it ideal for busking in smaller spaces, like subway platforms and intimate venues. It also has an app for effortless mixing from your mobile device, and Bluetooth® pairing so you can play music while taking a break.
Battery-Powered PA for Corporate Events and Presentations
The strength and success of an idea depend largely on how well it’s communicated. And a key component of communication is how well you can be heard. That’s why clear, professional sound is vital for presentations and speeches. Additionally, anything that helps you set up faster and stay focused on your presentation or event is worth its weight in gold. After all, you’re a business professional, not an audio engineer. Things should be simple, streamlined and effective.
A battery-powered PA like the Mackie Thump GO is perfect for this setting. It offers wireless Bluetooth® connectivity, making it easy to integrate multimedia presentations without the fuss of cables. 12-hour battery life and swappable, rechargeable batteries mean you’ll never be without the power you need to be heard during even the longest events.
Thump GO also makes it dead simple to get pro-level sound with virtually no setup. A built-in feedback eliminator ensures your presentation is free of ear-piercing squeals that’ll send people running. A selectable ducking feature lowers the volume of music when you start speaking for effective transitions between intermissions and speaking sessions. And its dedicated speech mode will EQ the sound, so even you like the sound of your own voice. So if you want to enhance the overall professionalism and impact of your event, give a Mackie PA a shot.
Battery-Powered PA for Community and Public Events
If the last several years have taught us anything, it’s that the strength of local communities is essential. There are many ways to foster a sense of community, but something achievable for most people is volunteering at social and cultural events. Whether you’re getting involved in planning local festivals, farmers' markets and fairs, or participating in neighborhood forums and local government events, reliable, high-quality audio is a must. That’s where battery-powered PAs come in.
Mackie offers battery-powered PAs in a range of sizes, from the FreePlay LIVE that excels in intimate venues like classrooms to the Thrash212 GO full-sized PA that’s at home at local music festivals and the largest public events. No matter which one you choose, you’ll get exceptional audio, industry-leading features and build quality that will withstand anything you can throw at it (just don’t throw it at anything else). These systems are easy to use and can help you keep your community connected and informed.
Battery-Powered PA for Karaoke
If you want karaoke at your party or event (and who doesn’t?), you don’t have to buy one of those glowing monstrosities known as “karaoke machines.” Besides being a bit gaudy, these machines are often one-hit wonders that are useful for only a single purpose, and are packed with unnecessary features. They’re also often from less reputable brands, and they’re not always battery powered, so karaoke on campouts becomes impossible.
Instead of a karaoke machine, consider using a battery-powered PA system like Thump GO, which has everything you need for a karaoke setup. Just connect your phone or laptop via Bluetooth® to stream backing tracks, and plug a microphone into the first channel on the speaker. Set the volume levels so that the voice track is nice and loud, though maybe not too loud, depending who is doing the singing. Since Thump GO comes from a reputable pro audio brand, you can trust that the sound quality will blow the usual karaoke device out of the water. You can even have karaoke night (or day) at remote locations and on road trips, thanks to 12 hours of power on a single charge of the battery.
Battery-Powered PA for Impromptu DJ Sets in the Desert
Some events are spontaneous. Let’s say you’re in the desert with some friends for a rock climbing trip. The day is coming to a close, but you somehow have a bunch of energy left. You feel like dancing with your friends. But a phone speaker isn’t going to get the job done. If you thought to throw a Thump GO or two into the back of the truck, you’re in luck. You can set up a high-quality DJ setup in seconds. Turn the speakers on, link them with Bluetooth®, tap the “outdoor” button and get down. The time between idea and execution is the blink of an eye. You’ll be dancing the sun down in no time.
Battery-Powered PA for Movie Night
So, you just bought one of those cool movie projectors and a screen to project it onto. You have visions of a perfect movie night with your friends. Unfortunately, many such visions have faded when everyone sits down to watch, and the sound is just not up to par. Too often, the words will be muffled, the music will be too boxy-sounding, and the general auditory experience will not match up to that crystal-clear image from the projector.
To get an impactful sound worthy of your favorite movie, skip the cheap consumer speakers and pair your projector with a Mackie battery-powered PA system. Depending on the size of the space and audience, any of our options can work, from the super-compact FreePlay LIVE to the blazing Thrash212 GO. Plug your PA into the projector, and the dialogue will become clear and loud. The big soundtrack moments will be punchy and impactful. The action sequences will sound alive and real. There’s a reason movie theaters invest just as much (or more) into their speaker systems as their projectors. You should do the same!
Complete Your Battery-Powered PA System
For the above events, it’s possible to get the job done with just the battery-powered loudspeakers we’ve recommended. They can function as PA systems all on their own, and many of them include extra features like built-in mixers and sound processing. But there are ways to enhance these systems even more with accessories and companion products.
Battery-Powered PA System Batteries
With the exception of FreePlay LIVE, every battery-powered speaker we’ve mentioned includes a swappable battery. That means you can pick up spare batteries for these speakers and swap them out when you run out of juice. In the case of Thump GO, for instance, a spare battery brings the maximum battery life up to 24 hours without recharging. You can play an all-night, all-day party or event without an outlet. If you do have somewhere to recharge one battery while using the other, your battery life becomes unlimited!
Battery-Powered PA System Bags and Stands
Mackie battery-powered speakers are all portable, and they all feature tough exteriors and handles for easy travel. But for even more convenience, Mackie makes custom bags for our speakers, designed to keep them protected from the elements and even easier to carry. Many of our bags have extra pockets for cables, mics, set lists and other necessities.
And when you get to the event, you can enhance your battery-powered PA setup with stands that elevate your PA speakers for more sound coverage. There are tripod stands and even speaker poles that let you mount a speaker above a compatible subwoofer.
Battery-Powered Mixer
You can connect microphones, playback and Bluetooth® devices directly to Mackie loudspeakers like Thump GO. ShowBox even has instrument inputs, USB and more. But for the full PA system experience, nothing beats a genuine mixing console—one with all the inputs you need, plus EQ, built-in professional effects, recording and high-quality analog mixing. ProFX10 GO is our battery-powered analog mixer with USB and Bluetooth®. It’s designed to pair with Mackie loudspeakers to create a complete system, all without needing an outlet. Connect up to four mics, plus instruments, Bluetooth® and USB playback devices, mix them all together and polish the results with customizable effects. Whether it’s for karaoke, a roundtable discussion or even a live band performance, ProFX10 GO will take your sound quality into the stratosphere.
The Perfect Mic for Your Battery-Powered PA System
For many events, you’ll be plugging a microphone (or multiple) into your Mackie PA system. Whether you’re using the ProFX10 GO mixer to run up to four mics, or just plugging straight into your speaker like Thump GO, you’ll want a high-quality stage mic like the Mackie EM-89D. Requiring no power of its own, EM-89D is a classic dynamic stage mic that holds up to years of use and always sounds great, with a cardioid pattern to prevent feedback. It’s also remarkably affordable. It’s easy to grab multiple for the price of a single similar mic from another brand.
Your Event, Your Way, Your PA
Battery-powered PAs have revolutionized audio for events. Now it’s easier than ever to achieve professional sound quality anywhere, anytime. So whether you're hosting a backyard party, planning the destination wedding of the century, busking on the streets or organizing a corporate or community event, there’s a Mackie battery-powered PA that’s right for you. The only question is, what will you do with it first?
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