Our Services

Live Sound Equipment Hire, Sound Technicians, Staging, Event Production, and More… 

Live Sound Equipment Hire

From small Vocal PA's, through to Line Arrays for concerts and festivals...
We have a wide range of sound systems for hire.

We hire out:
  • Line Arrays
  • Subs
  • Active and Passive Speakers
  • Mixing desks
  • Stage Monitors
  • Band Backline and Musical Instruments
  • Snakes and Cables
  • and more

    You can pick up gear from us, or we can deliver, set up, or even run your show.

    • Sound Technicians

    The Rock Factory is owned and run by passionate, talented, and experienced Sound Technicians.

    We can set up all the equipment, and run the sound at your event, so your event sounds great.

    We can even go on tour with you!

    We can also set up and operate lights, staging, and more.

    Stages

    We have a range of stages for hire:
  • Small, Medium, Large and Custom Stages
  • Indoor Stages and Outdoor Stages
  • Marquees and Covers
  • Curtains and Accessories
  • and more

    You can pick up staging from us, or we can deliver, set up, or even run your whole show.

    • Lighting, AV, extras, and accessories

    Whatever you need for your event production, there is a good chance that we can provide it.

  • Lighting
  • Batteries and Solar power
  • Projectors
  • Truss and lighting stands
  • Recording Equipment
  • Event Information Websites
  • Equipment Transport
  • Live Streaming
  • and more

    Have a special requirement? We love a challenge. Talk to us and if we can't source it, we will tell you who can.

    • FAQ

    Traditionally the week rate is the charge for 3 days.

    For DRY HIRE ONLY (you pickup and return) we charge half price for the 2nd and 3rd days, so you only pay for 2 x the day rate for the whole week.

    We have special rates if you need to hire for longterm “lease”. For example, when a bar installs a sound system for 6 months.

    For safety reasons, we don’t usually provide stages over 100cm high.  Our usual stage height options are 30, 40, 50, 60 and 90cm.

    We can provide staging at above 1 meter, but it will require handrails around it and will cost additional to build.

    Each par 56 can requires 300 watts.

    300 x 8 = 2400 watts for 8 par cans.

    No.

    For our top of the line drum kits (Pearl Reference Masterworks, Gretsch Maple Renown and DW Collector Series); The cost is the same regardless of how many piece drum set you hire. Cymbal stands, snare stand, snare, throne and single kick pedal are included in the hire.

    $299+GST. We can customise which toms you take on hire and how may boom stands you take for your cymbals at no additional cost, but if you need a double kick pedal or additional snare stand – that will cost additional.

    1. Room EQ: Use a digital equalizer to adjust the frequency response of the room. This can help compensate for any room resonances or standing waves that may negatively affect the sound quality. 
    2. Acoustic Treatment: Install acoustic treatment panels, diffusers or bass traps to the walls, ceiling or corners to absorb, diffuse or reduce unwanted sound reflections or reverberations.
    3. Speaker Placement: Place speakers in optimal locations to avoid phase cancellation or dead spots. This is determined by evaluating the acoustics of the room.
    4. Sound Check: Use a sound meter or visual representation of sound waves (e.g. FFT analysis) to check the frequency response of your speakers and make any necessary adjustments to the equalization settings. Programs used for this can be as sophisticated as SMAART or as simple as a frequency analyser app on your phone.
    5. Positioning of the Stage: Position the stage in an optimal location taking into account the acoustics of the room, and try to avoid having reflective surfaces behind the musicians. The ultimate goal is to achieve an even and consistent sound throughout the room, with no unwanted resonances or reflections. To achieve this, it may be necessary to experiment with different techniques to find the best combination for your specific room and event. A professional sound engineer or acoustician can also be quite helpful if you have access to one.
    6. A good Sound Engineer can often use their ears or voice to tune the room the old school way without any instrumentation. It’s often a matter of finding the two most troublesome frequencies causing standing waves in the room and reducing those in the PA using a 31 band graphic EQ.

    Ranging from $50 for a single stage piece (2 by 1 meter) to $4000+gst for large stages delivered and set-up.  

    You can visit our stage hire page or contact us for more specific information.

    For busy seasons such as summer and public holidays, the earlier you book the better.

    Of course, we know life isn’t always predictable! 

    We will always try our best to accomodate last minute hire and bookings, just give us a call.

    The Rock Factory hire small, medium, and large sound systems for all.  We offer delivery and set-up, or you can pick up from our warehouse in Ellerslie.

    The Rock Factory hire small, medium and large stages for all kinds of events.  We offer delivery and set-up, or you can pick up the stage from our warehouse in Ellerslie. 

    No. We highly recommend that the power for audio is isolated from any other vendor or thing that requires power at your event. This is because the other items can draw alot of power and cause hums and pops through the sound system. Also if they draw too much power you run the risk of popping a fuse causing a big pop/bang through the speakers & everything to turn off interrupting the whole show – and we don’t want that to happen, do we? Also if you  are running off battery or solar power supplies anything that heats up or moves can draw more power than the panels and batteries can cope with. We highly recommend only using the batteries for Audio and lower power LED lighting.

    • Learn the basics: Start by learning the basic concepts of sound engineering, including signal flow, EQ, gain structure, and compression. You can find plenty of resources online or consider taking courses on sound engineering.
    • Get hands-on experience: Find opportunities to get hands-on experience, whether it’s volunteering at local music events or working as an assistant to an experienced sound engineer.
    • Try our different PA systems and mixing desks: Consider building your own PA system using budget-friendly equipment – this can help you gain valuable experience and skills while also saving money. Practice at various venues and with various bands – ask if you can be their sound engineer on tour. Touring is a great way to rack up hours of experience on different in house rigs.
    • Practice and train your ear: Spend time listening to different types of music and trying to identify all the different elements of the mix. Use critical listening skills to evaluate the sound quality and make adjustments as needed.
    • Be reliable and professional: Build a reputation as a reliable and professional sound engineer. Arrive early, maintain good communication with the band or event organizers, and be willing to go the extra mile to deliver a great sound experience.
    • Keep learning: Never stop learning and improving your skills – attend workshops, seminars, and continue to seek out opportunities to develop your craft.
    • Find a mentor: Consider finding a mentor in the sound engineering field who can offer you guidance and advice as you develop your skills and build your career.
    • By following these tips, you can gain the skills, experience, and confidence you need to become a successful live sound engineer for bands.