Building a Sound System for a Fitness Studio

Great audio is one of the most important aspects of any fitness studio. Whether it's background music to inspire your clients or sound reinforcement for group classes, you want to make sure you have what it takes to be heard. In the past, fitness professionals had to turn to audio professionals to get their sound system up and running. Today, audio companies offer a variety of solutions that make it easy for anyone to get great sound in the studio. Let's look at the basics!

The Speakers

To get started, you'll want to choose some speakers that can handle the size of the room you're working in. For a single room studio, you'll generally want 2 speakers. If your studio has multiple rooms, you'll want to consider multiple pairs of speakers. It's better to have more speakers running at a lower volume than to have one speaker blasting loudly from one room. Your ears will thank you!

The Samson RS Loudspeaker series can cover just about any room you need. There are models from 10 to 15 inches. The size of the speaker should depend on the room size you have, how many people you plan to target with the speaker, and how much bass response you’re looking for. If you’re going to be running group fitness classes, you’ll want that bass pumping! The RS speakers are active speakers, so you will also want to make sure you have access to power wherever you plan on placing the speakers. The RS speakers can be placed on a stand, angled directly on the floor, or mounted with standard M10 fly points.

The Mixer and Cables

Once the speakers are in place, you'll need a mixer and some cables to drive them. The mixer will allow you to connect various devices such as microphones, computers, audio playback devices, mobile devices, and more. Most professional mixers have XLR outputs, which is convenient because most professional speakers have XLR inputs! You'll want to get XLR cables long enough to reach your mixer for each speaker you use.

On the mixer side of things, there are a lot of choices to look at. When choosing a mixer, the first thing to consider is what you're going to be plugging into it. Will you be using a microphone? Wired or wireless? These are all considerations. For a single room fitness studio, I'd recommend starting with a Samson SM10 mixer. The SM10 allows you to connect to just about any device you can think of. You can plug in an audio device using standard ¼" cables. You'll also be able to easily connect 2 microphones with the XLR inputs. The SM10 is rack mountable, so it's ready to be a permanent part of your setup.

Brett Larkin is the founder of the award-winning YouTube channel Uplifted Yoga® and commented, “A permanent sound set up has so many advantages. You’re not switching settings back and forth all the time (which is where accidents happen) and it makes it easy to collaborate with guest instructors or demo students, who never need to mess with your sound system."

For multi-room setups, you'll want to look at a more robust mixer designed for fixed installations and multi-zone setups, like the Samson S-Zone. This will allow you to connect multiple rooms, control the volume of each room independently, and give you the flexibility you need to run each room separately.

The Samson MediaTrack is also an intriguing option for those of you looking for a system that can do it all. With options for connecting to both wired and wireless microphones, Bluetooth audio, and RCA analog device inputs, the MediaTrack can give you a quick setup for a few inputs that is smart and easy to use. The Voiceover Priority Ducker also makes sure your speaking voice is elevated above the music when you need it. And the USB-C output lets you connect to a device and livestream great audio right from your mixer!

The Microphone

If you're leading a fitness class, you'll need a microphone to be heard over the noise. If you chose a MediaTrack for your mixer, it has a USB input for the Samson AirLine XD Fitness Headset USB Digital Wireless System, so you don't have to worry about a complicated setup. The Airline XD system's USB receiver connects directly to the front of the MediaTrack in a snap. There's no body pack to worry about, either. The microphone wraps around the back of your head, it's sturdy, and it's designed to move with you without falling off.

If you're using a mixer that doesn't have a direct USB input, check out the AirLine XDm Fitness Headset Digital Wireless System with Tabletop Receiver, which has standard analog outputs that connect to any mixer. The entire AirLine series offers a variety of models with different microphones and receivers to fit any fitness setup. The XDm has a smaller receiver and is incredibly portable, but if you want something in a more permanent setup, you might consider the AirLine 77 Fitness Headset Wireless System with a rackmount receiver.

All In One

If you're not looking for a permanent installation or want the flexibility to take your sound system on the road, Expedition Portable PA systems are worth a look. They work beautifully in the studio, and they pack up into a single unit for transport and easy setup in a remote location. It's the best of both worlds! Samson even offers Expedition wireless systems with a rechargeable battery. This allows you to take your PA to outdoor venues or other spaces where power is not readily available. The Expedition Series also includes a USB wireless input so you can use your Airline XD headset or other Samson wireless solutions!