From Amplification to Wireless: Must Knows for Outdoor Musicians

Perform in the public, is a common way to interact and share your music with people. This fresh, exciting, and fulfilling experience has an indescribable magic that both first-timers and pros feel the pull to play.

We know how it feels when the flame of passion ignites in your heart, but before taking action, remember to have the necessary techniques and equipment well prepared. The following article aims to provide information for both beginners and experienced players to find ways to take their performance to the next level.

Technical Abilities

Before sharing your performance with strangers, it’s important to honestly assess your technical abilities. Beside skills and techniques, structuring your performance as well as interacting with the audience during the process, are directions worth thinking about and practicing too. The following goals can help evaluate whether you are technically ready. If there are areas where you lack confidence, diligent practice is certainly what to do next:

1. Prepare at least 25-30 minutes of repertoire that you can perform smoothly. Remember that this is a performance – it’s not good to let passersby or businesses hear you practicing. You can use recordings or ask your teacher to confirm whether your performance pieces are smooth and ready. Although there may never be a day when you feel 100% prepared, remember that performing in public can be nerve-wracking and might reduce your abilities to 70% of your practice level. Serious daily practice definitely helps.
2. Be able to adapt to unexpected changes. For example, have the technical ability or equipment to change keys, and have playlists appropriate for special occasions.
3. Interact well with the audience. Not being afraid of eye contact, plus pleasant, relaxed body movements, will increase the audience’s willingness to stop and appreciate your music.

Essential Gears

Before taking out your credit cards, answers to these questions will help you target your spending effectively.

Amplification, Yes or No?

The first question before purchasing in very likely to be: do you need amplification? If your instrument is loud by its nature, and the place that you are going to play is relatively quiet – for example, playing saxophone or violin in a smaller indoor space or quiet area without backing tracks – then you may not necessarily need amplification.

However, if you want to be clearly heard in crowded places, such as station plazas, parks, or other busy spaces, and if your instrument doesn’t produce much volume, you’ll need amplification so you can be heard clearly. Of course, if the instrument itself requires an amplifier (such as electric violin, electric guitar, digital wind, etc.), or if you need to perform with backing tracks, amplification equipment will be essential. This is because you need to balance the two sound sources, ensure that the speaker playing the backing can match the volume of your instrument. If the speaker is way lower than your instrument, people could have difficulty appreciate your music. Also, the poor volume balance will very likely to result in distorted sound from the speaker due to overload.

Ho to Choose?

For friends who are just getting familiar with amps and speaker, facing the dazzling array of choices might be a bit overwhelming. But by grasping these principles, you can find products that meet your needs:

• Battery-powered capability
• Wattage
• Numbers and types of input/output
• Preferred scenarios (e.g., electric guitar, bass guitar with special frequency requirements)

Battery-powered speakers set you free from power source concerns. It’s not difficult to find products that have battery life of 4 hours or more. To accommodate longer performance times and air travel luggage requirements, it’s also recommend to consider the ones that support detachable batteries.

For the minimum wattage, go for the those with amplification power of at least 40W or above for better headroom to match the environment. If you’re not going to play in a huge space or noisy environment, you don’t need to look for the ones above 200W.

Regarding corresponding signal inputs and outputs, recent products usually include Combo Jacks to accommodate XLR and 1/4″ inputs, supporting both wired microphones and instrument cables. If you need to play backing tracks as well, it’s best to find options with both Bluetooth and 3.5mm external audio source inputs. In this case, even if Bluetooth is interfered by other wireless sources, you can still continue performing using a wired connection.

Due to tonal preferences, speakers specifically designed for electric guitars have different frequency response. Especially the earlier ones that without the FRFR features. If used with acoustic instruments, they will mostly sound “different” in an unpleasant way. Additionally, preamps designed to shape electric guitars’ tones may also change the tone; the coloration caused by preamps may not be suitable for instruments other than electric guitars.

Noteworthy Portable Speakers

Bose S1 Pro plus

Features 3 inputs (Mic/Line/Aux), supports Bluetooth aux-in and wired aux-in too. The size and weight are very suitable for carrying around, and the rechargeable battery provides over 10 hours of use time, making this product popular with many users.

Roland CUBE Street EX

Supports up to 4 input tracks, and can add several electric and acoustic guitar effects to the guitar input. The 50W output and options for dry battery or rechargeable battery power make it a convenient option for guitar players and singers.

Positive Grid Spark Live

Supports up to 4 input tracks and has various effect and tone controls for the electric guitar input. Supports Bluetooth audio input and can search for and play various style backing tracks through a mobile app. Slightly larger and heavier than the previous two, and the rechargeable battery needs to be purchased separately.

Microphones, Stands, Cables and Carts

With speakers in place, the next step is to decide whether to connect directly (guitar, keyboard) or use a microphone based on your performance needs. Since most portable speakers don’t provide phantom power, dynamic microphones are your go to options (here’s extended reading about microphones), and don’t forget the importance of microphone stand.

The SM57 (for instrument) and SM58 microphones (for vocals) from the century-old brand Shure are starting points for many. They’re not only easy to acquire but also hold their value well if resold. Most importantly, these microphones are incredibly durable, very suitable for carrying around.

If you need to free up both hands, you’ll need a microphone stand. There are many types of microphone stands, but unless you have special requirements, straight/boom combination floor-standing microphone stands would be the main consideration. At the point where the microphone head is fixed, there are generally two common sizes (3/8″ and 5/8″). Before purchasing, verify whether a microphone clip is already included and confirm the size of the adapter.

If you have to play with sheet music, consider tablet mounts that attach to mic stands, eliminating the need for a separate music stand. Many musicians now store sheet music digitally via apps, reducing the amount of gear they need to carry.

For cables, investing in high-quality, durable options is the key to better sound quality. Especially the conditions will be more extreme for outdoor use.

If you frequently carry gear on public transport, a portable equipment cart can make your setup significantly more manageable.

For More Freedom? Go Wireless

While performing, sometimes because of the nice weather, beautiful scenery, energetic crowds, and various reasons, performers themselves will sway with the rhythm. Just like what you see in the video.

If you aspire to this kind of performance, you’ll need to go for the wireless setup. Guitar players are probably the most familiar with wireless equipments; just search for the keyword “wireless guitar” to find various products. These “wireless” products mainly works on 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz wireless frequency bands. Because these two frequency bands are global license-free and able to provide sufficient bandwidth to transmit high-quality audio. Many well-known brands such as BOSS (Roland), FENDER, and Positive Grid have launched products that connect to the guitar with a 1/4″ TS connector and to the amplifier on the other end.

For microphones, wireless options vary greatly. Consider these key factors when choosing one:

Designed for Instruments – Generic wireless mics (like those used for public speaking) may not handle high sound pressure levels (SPLs) well, causing distortion. Brass and woodwind instruments, for example, often exceed 120dB,

Compact and Portable – Many professional wireless mic systems use rack-mounted receivers, which may not be ideal for mobile setups due to their size and complexity. Instead, look for compact wireless solutions that balance sound quality, portability, and ease of setup.

Designed for Instruments – Generic wireless mics (like those used for public speaking) may not handle high sound pressure levels (SPLs) well, causing distortion. Brass and woodwind instruments, for example, often exceed 120dB, which can be too intense for standard vocal mics.

Wireless Microphone Transmitter + Mini Receiver	Wireless Microphone Transmitter + Pedal-type Receiver
Design advantages: – Small size, light weight, easy to carry – Transmitter and receiver can be recharged – Simple connection method Points to note: – More difficult to adjust tone – Single function	Design advantages: – More control options – Pedalboard friendly – Multi-function receiver Points to note: – Receiver is slightly larger – Receiver may not be rechargeable

Cloudvocal ISOLO wireless series

The ISOLO wireless performance system is Cloudvocal’s solution for wireless performances. ISOLO series offers wireless solutions tailored to different instruments, including saxophone (and wind instrument), guitar, violin, and oriental instruments. The capsules are designed to capture authentic sound without distortion and come with specialized mounting for a secure and hassle-free setup, allow performers to freely express themselves.

The 2.4GHz automatic frequency-hopping wireless module can automatically hop frequencies in response to interference sources in the environment, allowing stable signal transmission¹, enabling performers to move freely and perform more spontaneously. The treble/bass frequency control and microphone gain knobs on the receiver can be adjusted according to the tonal needs of the performance, and different effects can be added, varying with the music style to make it sound a whole.

1. Wireless products could be interfered. Adjustments should be made according to the surrounding environment during use. ↩︎

Conclusion

Tools themselves have no life; as long as users can use them correctly, they can all be helpful. All equipment and devices have their reasons for being designed and appropriate contexts for use. As long as you can accurately grasp your own needs, you can find suitable corresponding products. Hope the above sharing is helpful to you, and also hope that one day we can hear your brilliant performance!