How much to pay a sound guy to do your gigs...?

zzaaaaaaaaaap

I know there's no definitive answer to this one, but looking for discussion on how much should be paid to a sound guy to do your gigs...?

Let's say the band has done a handful of gigs in places like Whelans Upstairs, that kind of thing. Now a lot of these gigs don't pay for an upcoming band. Either that, or it's a case of forking out €200ish and making that back on door sales... so the band effectively gets petrol money at best.

In this kind of scenario, the band would lose out if paying a guy - though it's obviously a double-edged sword if the band is looking to get a consistent, quality sound when gigging....

Any thoughts on all of this out there?

ThePath

iv always wondered why venues and bands dont invest in decent lighting gear and someone to use it, to make the experience a show rather than just a band playing. and i dont mean just stage lights. i mean lights that go mental at frantic parts and soften up for quiet bits etc etc. and with regard sound guys its pretty needed if like you said you want that consistant sound but my experience with sound guys are just guys who make sure everything can be heard (maybe) and thats that. even professional ones iv hired in the past. iv always had people after a gig saying 'oh that was great but you couldnt hear x y or z', and i know far too many sound guys who wen doing sound for a cover band dont have a bit of critical thinking and adjust the sound to the song. eg. turning up the bass for a rendition of 'killing in the name of' say, and things like that.

but as bland and average as most sound guys are they are pretty much needed. but are usually horrendously overpriced for something that is usually done half heartedly

ThePath

ThePath wrote: »

iv always wondered why venues and bands dont invest in decent lighting gear and someone to use it, to make the experience a show rather than just a band playing. and i dont mean just stage lights. i mean lights that go mental at frantic parts and soften up for quiet bits etc etc.

A: It's all about the music, maan...

Or

B: It's too much "work" to put on a show

Or

C: "Oasis never put on a show, keep it real for the people"


Depressing to be honest.

zzaaaaaaaaaap

ThePath wrote: »

iv always wondered why venues and bands dont invest in decent lighting gear and someone to use it

All getting off topic a bit here folks! Anyone here have their own regular sound guy - how much are they paying, and what happens if the gig makes no money?

dhmusic

Papa Smut wrote: »

A: It's all about the music, maan...

Or

B: It's too much "work" to put on a show

Or

C: "Oasis never put on a show, keep it real for the people"


Depressing to be honest.

you moderators just can't help yourselves can you, every opportunity you have a go, it really smacks of small time minnowism. Typical Oirish muso head.

maccored

zzaaaaaaaaaap wrote: »

I know there's no definitive answer to this one, but looking for discussion on how much should be paid to a sound guy to do your gigs...?

Let's say the band has done a handful of gigs in places like Whelans Upstairs, that kind of thing. Now a lot of these gigs don't pay for an upcoming band. Either that, or it's a case of forking out €200ish and making that back on door sales... so the band effectively gets petrol money at best.

In this kind of scenario, the band would lose out if paying a guy - though it's obviously a double-edged sword if the band is looking to get a consistent, quality sound when gigging....

Any thoughts on all of this out there?

depends on the band - I know bands who dont use a sound engineer until they can command a fee (usually do it themselves) then there are bands who have a sound engineer as part of the band itself and they get an even split (if there is one) as the rest of the band. Its usually someone into sound engineering that the band knows or who have met along the way. I'd go for that option as you have a sound engineer who isnt in it primarily for the money, plus they would know the bands sound, and be able to do a proper job throughout the whole gig.

thepath wrote:

iv always wondered why venues and bands dont invest in decent lighting gear and someone to use it, to make the experience a show rather than just a band playing. and i dont mean just stage lights. i mean lights that go mental at frantic parts and soften up for quiet bits etc etc.

Sound and lighting can cost money and most original bands dont actually make any money, as most punters wont pay money to see bands they havent heard before. Its not rocket science to work that out.

stevood

Find one you like and ask him how much he charges. If its at a gig you played or gig you watched where you liked the sound, go to the engineer and ask him.

We did this and we paid him 80 euro for the soundcheck and the gig itself. The house engineer which you normally forced to have anyway, set up all the rest and did the sound for the support acts

zzaaaaaaaaaap

stevood wrote: »

Find one you like and ask him how much he charges. If its at a gig you played or gig you watched where you liked the sound, go to the engineer and ask him.

We did this and we paid him 80 euro for the soundcheck and the gig itself. The house engineer which you normally forced to have anyway, set up all the rest and did the sound for the support acts

Was 80 his standard fee? Did you make any money on the gig where you could afford to do that?

Obi-Jim

hmm, firstly as regards money, I hear this a lot. Bands that aren't making money often have the impression (or act as if they do) that other people involved in music or "the industry" are also there as a hobby, or trying to "make it".
It would perhaps be better to think this: "Everybody doing a job, that you come across related to music is getting paid, because it's their job. The only people that don't get paid for music is a band that can't attract a crowd, which is all "up and coming bands"".

Think about it, a band takes a risk that in return for their creativity, people may one day like them enough that they will get "big". They will then make money and have a rather large turnover involved with their name. So, every gig that is played or cd made is risking their money and effort to maybe one day have this big pay off.

What is a sound engineer or a lighting engineer that is helping you out for free or for pittance getting? (a lot may say "a promise that if we make it big you'll come with us, or we'll pay you big then. In reality, this can't exist, for many reasons).

Maybe cut them in on an equal cut of everything band related, royalties, door takings, cover all expenses, even maybe pay a cut of their gear that is ever so much more expensive than any prized guitar or drum kit you have, let them have a say in everything band related and stop with the myths or idealisms that many bands believe about sound or stage performance and whatnot. If this was the deal, then you might be getting somewhere that might be worthwhile for someone, but truthfully, there are very few people willing to do that.

Why are they not willing? because they have a mythical idea that a sound engineer merely does what is mentioned above (don't get me wrong, a lot of engineers are idiots in disguise).
There are many things that an engineer can do to help your band be/appear much better. Some of these come purely from his/her knowledge, that you should listen to (if your guitar tones aren't working, don't pretend to know more, you are not Carlos Santana. Just trust the guy.) Some involve money, renting PA's for proper rehearsals or for gigs, investing in some equipment that he/she recommends, etc etc.

When you turn up to a venue that doesn't have a proper PA system (ie, most venues), a sound engineer is severely limited in what he can do to make you any different from anyone else in that room. (Off the top of my head, if the PA or the room isn't big enough that the kick, snare and bass can be shaped nicely into the PA, then there's not very much an engineer can do for you that you can't do yourself by getting guitar amps sounding right, get the drummer playing the right dynamics, get the bass right, etc.)

So, a good rule of thumb is; to move forward with anything except you and your guitar on grafton st. is going to cost money because that's how the world works. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, of course there are stories you'll hear, but usually it's from the 1% of bands that "get signed" and manage to make it into the 1% that don't recoup/get dropped by a label.

Sorry for the long post, it's just frustrating with the misinformation and disinformation that goes around. I'm sure you can gather from the post which side of the glass I sit on
I'm sure many people may have anecdotal evidence to say "sound engineers are crap or don't do much or won't turn up the bass". Honestly, there is more to it than that, you have to trust the person, he's not out to get you and has never made the decision to be a prick to you or be lazy. There are a multitude of reasons why anything in a PA or mix can be the way that it is. But of course there are cocks out there, i've met many of them. Most of the big venues are usually ok though.

So, how much to pay an engineer? at the low end of the game, anything from €60-€250, plus any expenses, plus a meal? but every gig is different, depends what is involved.

Again, my sincerest apologies for making this so long, i didn't intend to do so. But I hope somebody might at least think "oh, there's a thought".

best of luck

Im Only 71Kg

€50. unless you are using his PA speakers,desk..etc..and he's hauling that gear around in his van. then you might have to give him €100. never pay anymore than that.

zzaaaaaaaaaap

Obi-Jim wrote: »

hmm, firstly as regards money, I hear this a lot. Bands that aren't making money often have the impression (or act as if they do) that other people involved in music or "the industry" are also there as a hobby, or trying to "make it".
It would perhaps be better to think this: "Everybody doing a job, that you come across related to music is getting paid, because it's their job. The only people that don't get paid for music is a band that can't attract a crowd, which is all "up and coming bands"".

Think about it, a band takes a risk that in return for their creativity, people may one day like them enough that they will get "big". They will then make money and have a rather large turnover involved with their name. So, every gig that is played or cd made is risking their money and effort to maybe one day have this big pay off.

What is a sound engineer or a lighting engineer that is helping you out for free or for pittance getting? (a lot may say "a promise that if we make it big you'll come with us, or we'll pay you big then. In reality, this can't exist, for many reasons).

Maybe cut them in on an equal cut of everything band related, royalties, door takings, cover all expenses, even maybe pay a cut of their gear that is ever so much more expensive than any prized guitar or drum kit you have, let them have a say in everything band related and stop with the myths or idealisms that many bands believe about sound or stage performance and whatnot. If this was the deal, then you might be getting somewhere that might be worthwhile for someone, but truthfully, there are very few people willing to do that.

Why are they not willing? because they have a mythical idea that a sound engineer merely does what is mentioned above (don't get me wrong, a lot of engineers are idiots in disguise).
There are many things that an engineer can do to help your band be/appear much better. Some of these come purely from his/her knowledge, that you should listen to (if your guitar tones aren't working, don't pretend to know more, you are not Carlos Santana. Just trust the guy.) Some involve money, renting PA's for proper rehearsals or for gigs, investing in some equipment that he/she recommends, etc etc.

When you turn up to a venue that doesn't have a proper PA system (ie, most venues), a sound engineer is severely limited in what he can do to make you any different from anyone else in that room. (Off the top of my head, if the PA or the room isn't big enough that the kick, snare and bass can be shaped nicely into the PA, then there's not very much an engineer can do for you that you can't do yourself by getting guitar amps sounding right, get the drummer playing the right dynamics, get the bass right, etc.)

So, a good rule of thumb is; to move forward with anything except you and your guitar on grafton st. is going to cost money because that's how the world works. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, of course there are stories you'll hear, but usually it's from the 1% of bands that "get signed" and manage to make it into the 1% that don't recoup/get dropped by a label.

Sorry for the long post, it's just frustrating with the misinformation and disinformation that goes around. I'm sure you can gather from the post which side of the glass I sit on
I'm sure many people may have anecdotal evidence to say "sound engineers are crap or don't do much or won't turn up the bass". Honestly, there is more to it than that, you have to trust the person, he's not out to get you and has never made the decision to be a prick to you or be lazy. There are a multitude of reasons why anything in a PA or mix can be the way that it is. But of course there are cocks out there, i've met many of them. Most of the big venues are usually ok though.

So, how much to pay an engineer? at the low end of the game, anything from €60-€250, plus any expenses, plus a meal? but every gig is different, depends what is involved.

Again, my sincerest apologies for making this so long, i didn't intend to do so. But I hope somebody might at least think "oh, there's a thought".

best of luck

My post wasn't at all anti-sound man. I simply asked for some clarification on what a sound guy should get paid in a typical smaller band scenario.
I'm all for giving the guy an even share of what we make, but I'm worried that if we're getting paid sod all for gigs, then he's not going to want to stick around, which I totally understand too.

Obi-Jim

no no, i appreciate what you were asking and that you weren't being anti-sound.

I meant to put a useful point of view on the subject, is all. These kinds of questions come up a lot on the interweb and get skewed by people who don't appreciate the whole of the information involved in the situation.

My apologies for appearing "against" you.

It's just that bands have no problem paying for things like a cd run or posters or other tangible things, but when it comes to somebody elses knowledge or service (in any area of the music industry, but some areas more so than others) they seem to think "sure you know how to do it and we need that, we're a great band so help us out".

It's a good question to ask though, so bravo, but I think if people understand a bit more about what they should/do get for their money, then they may be more inclined to make a good decision about how much to spend and where to spend it. So in that sense, I hope it's useful to somebody.


edit: However, I don't think it's about giving him an even share of what you make. I think it's about paying him a fair wage for the work he does. i.e. a gig in whelans (main venue): arrive at 5pm for load in, work till load out at 3am usually. There's a days work in that, calculate the minimum wage and adjust accordingly for what you think he's worth over a minimum wage employee doing your sound. Most bands seem able to pay crazy money for posters and cds, because they see the product, but when it comes to the things that actually matter (their sound, a manager, pr, whatever) they think €100 is nuts money.

zzaaaaaaaaaap

Obi-Jim wrote: »

no no, i appreciate what you were asking and that you weren't being anti-sound.

I meant to put a useful point of view on the subject, is all. These kinds of questions come up a lot on the interweb and get skewed by people who don't appreciate the whole of the information involved in the situation.

My apologies for appearing "against" you.

It's just that bands have no problem paying for things like a cd run or posters or other tangible things, but when it comes to somebody elses knowledge or service (in any area of the music industry, but some areas more so than others) they seem to think "sure you know how to do it and we need that, we're a great band so help us out".

It's a good question to ask though, so bravo, but I think if people understand a bit more about what they should/do get for their money, then they may be more inclined to make a good decision about how much to spend and where to spend it. So in that sense, I hope it's useful to somebody.

Yeah, hope so! I feel it's something we have to do, get a sound guy on board with us... just wondering where the money's coming from, arghh! Catch 22 though for us. We need a sound man to get things moving forward.

zzaaaaaaaaaap

Im Only 71Kg wrote: »

€50. unless you are using his PA speakers,desk..etc..and he's hauling that gear around in his van. then you might have to give him €100. never pay anymore than that.

So who's this guy then?!

Obi-Jim

Haha, never pay more than €100. Unfortunately, you won't get very far if this is your ultimate limit. (i'm not aware of any reputable PA that can even be rented for that price, never mind getting an engineer too, google a PA rental)


Unfortunately the money has to come from the band members pockets zzaaap. The same place the guitars and recording costs come from. There is no way to rely on a band being self sufficient, unless you are relatively big, or in a cover band, they get paid nuts money sometimes.

Obi-Jim

Actually, ok maybe this is what you should look at zzaap. This is the kind of thing that is usual:

You decide to do a few gigs, so you book 4/5 gigs (maybe more, a mini tour), in venues with actual PA systems, not a vocal PA (but whatever floats your boat). This will cost money, renting venues, travel etc.

So, you get a sound man, talk about it a bit and see what is on offer (some of this info may be lifelong info that will always help). You arrange to do a proper PA rehearsal or two with him, arrange any other stuff, then agree a set fee for that specific mini tour, maybe €500 all in.

You obviously need a plan for a band, recording gigging etc. This is always money going out. So, now you have a guy that is involved and will help out in many ways outside gig days or recording days, once you are prepared to continue to move on as band and keep the gigging up (not constantly, but arranged gigs at times). You're not paying for every minute of his time, but he is getting something from it. Time spent in pre-production and organising stuff outside of a gig day is as important if not more important than which faders he moves on the day of a gig.

However, if you think you're at the point where you need an engineer, (perhaps I'm awfully wrong here) but maybe you are playing the wrong venues or else it's more advice that you need rather than to pay a guy to do exactly what the house engineer in these venues would do anyway.

Any of that sound plausible perhaps?

Fandango

Obi-Jim wrote: »

Actually, ok maybe this is what you should look at zzaap. This is the kind of thing that is usual:

You decide to do a few gigs, so you book 4/5 gigs (maybe more, a mini tour), in venues with actual PA systems, not a vocal PA (but whatever floats your boat). This will cost money, renting venues, travel etc.

So, you get a sound man, talk about it a bit and see what is on offer (some of this info may be lifelong info that will always help). You arrange to do a proper PA rehearsal or two with him, arrange any other stuff, then agree a set fee for that specific mini tour, maybe €500 all in.

You obviously need a plan for a band, recording gigging etc. This is always money going out. So, now you have a guy that is involved and will help out in many ways outside gig days or recording days, once you are prepared to continue to move on as band and keep the gigging up (not constantly, but arranged gigs at times). You're not paying for every minute of his time, but he is getting something from it. Time spent in pre-production and organising stuff outside of a gig day is as important if not more important than which faders he moves on the day of a gig.

However, if you think you're at the point where you need an engineer, (perhaps I'm awfully wrong here) but maybe you are playing the wrong venues or else it's more advice that you need rather than to pay a guy to do exactly what the house engineer in these venues would do anyway.

Any of that sound plausible perhaps?

Have to agree with this. If your in the position that you need your own sound engineer, you should be in a position that you have packed out venues, a big following and can easily pay him. Otherwise there is little point for the band and for the engineer. We have only once hired our own engineer and it was because the venue didnt have a PA but were paying us well to play the gig. The engineer got paid but as Obi said, there was no pre production, no rehersal so he could only do what a house engineer would do. He did it bloody well however i should add. Basically the way i see it, if your playing to a big following who know your sound and your playing regularly in big venues, then go with a personal sound guy. Otherwise its money down the drain for the band and the engineer isnt getting regular work from it so wont be his top priority either. Id only take this route when its needed personally.

srvhead

ThePath wrote: »

iv always wondered why venues and bands dont invest in decent lighting gear and someone to use it, to make the experience a show rather than just a band playing. and i dont mean just stage lights. i mean lights that go mental at frantic parts and soften up for quiet bits etc etc. and with regard sound guys its pretty needed if like you said you want that consistant sound but my experience with sound guys are just guys who make sure everything can be heard (maybe) and thats that. even professional ones iv hired in the past. iv always had people after a gig saying 'oh that was great but you couldnt hear x y or z', and i know far too many sound guys who wen doing sound for a cover band dont have a bit of critical thinking and adjust the sound to the song. eg. turning up the bass for a rendition of 'killing in the name of' say, and things like that.

but as bland and average as most sound guys are they are pretty much needed. but are usually horrendously overpriced for something that is usually done half heartedly

Like every other person involved, you get variances of enthusiasm for a gig ie. lazy bass players have been mentioned on this site quite a bit. I'm a gigging guitarist and put a lot of thought and effort into my sounds. I also do some sound work with my PA when i'm not gigging. I usually get the set list well in advance, listen to the original and live versions of songs to see what creatively can be done. I did a gig a few weeks back and the bassist / lead vox comment after that I knew exactly when to have slapback delay or long reverb etc. A few factors influence this: Knowledge of the song, preferences of the singer, True there are lazy, attitude-ridden sound engineers out there, and there are as many lazy, in-it-for-the-money musicians out there too with no passion for the art. I wouldn't even consider calling myself a sound engineer, but i know my own PA, its capabilities and limitations, and use it to best of my ability. But then again, I stand on both sides of the fence at different times as musician and knob twiddler. I have come across arrogant, ignorant sound engineers who I actually had to ask myself and him 'Why am i paying him to verbally abuse me!' Then again, some bands I have done sound for blew me away with thier professional yet easy going approach. To round up I'll quote Robert Zend 'Everyone hss one thing in common.. They are all different!'

stevood

Agree with all comments made about crowds and audiences. We have only used our own engineer when the gig has been of importance and we knew we would get crowds. All these times we've had between 100 and 250 people so there was been no issue about how we were going to pay him.

Dont think this thread is for rants about lazy/bad engineers. Find an engineer you like or have a recommendation for and discuss a fee.

Splinters

Just to add my own 2 cents. My old band played fairly heavy industrial rock with a lot of electronics and samples going on. Every single gig we played we used our own sound engineer as it was quite different from a standard band setup and if Im being honest I didnt fancy taking a gamble with our sound based on my experience of the many inhouse engineers Ive met in venues throughout the country (some, not all, there are some very talented engineers out there too).

The guy we used has a lot of experience and has done sound for some of the biggest bands you can think of and it was always a set fee of 150 per gig. I also know this guy quite well so I dont know if thats the same rate he'd charge everyone but I have heard this figure mentioned by a few very reutable enginneers for live gigs. As is often the way with gigging original material in this country we didnt always get paid and even if we did then transportation costs and our engineers fees almost always meant we made a loss or if lucky breaking even but it was always well worth it. Even in venues renound for poor sound (the old dorans setup with its half broken rig for example) we were always complimented on our sound.

Obviously everybodies experience and needs are vastly different but if you think you do actually need one then dont skimp too much on the cost. Even the worst inhouse engineers probably will find their way around that venue's rig better then your "mate who knows a bit about sound" (again there will always be some exceptions to this).

Also if loosing money is your biggest concern your probably in the wrong country for playing original music. For us it was always about pride in the music we'd worked so hard on and ultimately not wanting that showcased with substandard sound. And realistically the money we're taking here (150 or so between 3 - 4 band members) shouldnt really break the bank for anybody who's serious enough about their music.

drumdrum

stevood wrote: »

Dont think this thread is for rants about lazy/bad engineers. Find an engineer you like or have a recommendation for and discuss a fee.

+1! End of discussion IMO!

Your sound is as essential to your perception as the music itself, so if you have poor sound at your gig, you come off bad and amateur-ey. Do your homework, suss around at gigs and the internets and find someone who does your style of music well. Fees are dependent upon two things: Experience and demand. Fortunately, from your POV, the market is swamped with engineers at the moment which keeps prices down. Problem with this is however, that its even harder to distinguish the good engineers from the bad.

An idea I suggest, if your budget is low, is to approach a sound engineering college (like the Music Center, Pulse, or BCFE) and see if they have any "natural" students that they could recommend. You get a decent person for a low cost, they get experience and a few quid. Win - win!

off.the.walls

Personally i charge between 150-200 for a gig. The reason i have my price so high is that i supply a full pa system desk speakers cables mics monitors everything. That means i gotta lug a whole lotta heavy **** around in the car(petrol costs money) means i gotta go to really random venues sometimes so its not just putting in the time in the show usually i'll leave early to find the venue. I always try get there a little earlier to set up all the gear. Then you have to deal with some bands who haven't got a clue what their on about trying to tell you how to do your job and then ya have to deal with promoters saying oh we haven't made the money or same from bands.


Fact of the matter is if a band makes its money or not the engineer still brought all the gear,travelled to and from the venue and stayed and worked on the show for a few hours. So reguardless of how much is made on the door a engineer should always be paid.

This is just local if it goes for tours/international then the price goes up. Its one thing to drive around ireland its another one to drive gear around europe or england. So it all depends on circumstances.

Splinters

Must admit for an engineer and full pa system thats an exceptionally good price.

off.the.walls

Once did a tour for 350 a night. Only reason i charged extra on that was because i covered all my own expenses didnt have the lads putting me up in hotels or any a that **** slept in the van on a inflatable matress for the week hahaha. Such a good party.

mkegvn

350 a night? who were ya touring with? U2?

Kemper

I agree with offthewalls. I was in a band before 99% of the time we used in the in house sound guy and on average it was €100. I never remember paying anymore than that. But yeah, sound guy should always get paid regardless for 2 reasons. 1) He has DONE his job and should be paid accordingly. We charged on the door just to cover the cost of sound guy, if any was left over, great. It was never about money for us, we just loved playing. Anyway, I'm getting off point. and reason number 2) if the band DOESN'T pay the soundguy, the band gets a name as unreliable for payment and soundguys won't take the risk of doing gigs in case they don't get paid. I've seen it happen. Bottom line: Pay the soundguy lol

Denalihighway

i agree with the "pay for quality" camp

a guy/gal who knows your sound and can provide consistently good live sound is immeasurably valuable.

you can of course go looking for someone cheap who might be looking for experience etc but you get what you pay for most of the time. the live experience is something in your arsenal you can't afford to skimp too much on if you care about how you're perceived.

if you're doing serious gigging, you have to do yourself justice and this is one aspect thats worth paying for. AFAIK €150 can get you a pretty good engineer - split between a band it aint bad.

Out of interest, to those that are paying sound engineers 100+ a night, how much would the band be taking home?

off.the.walls

Most the bands i've worked with have been charging between 800-1000 euro for a gig.

Cubenio

Yawn...well done you - gone a bit off thread though?

tom thum

zzaaaaaaaaaap wrote: »

how much should be paid to a sound guy to do your gigs...?

sure if hes sound , he should do it for nothing.:D

mkegvn

off.the.walls wrote: »

Most the bands i've worked with have been charging between 800-1000 euro for a gig.

bands like the coronas etc. barely get that much money these days. who were you working with?

artvandulet

off.the.walls wrote: »

Personally i charge between 150-200 for a gig. The reason i have my price so high is that i supply a full pa system desk speakers cables mics monitors everything. That means i gotta lug a whole lotta heavy **** around in the car(petrol costs money)

You cant fit a proper band rig in a car. What are you talking here? A vocal PA, sure. Is that what you are charging for?
I certainly cant fit a pair of double 18's in my car anyway!

off.the.walls

Two 18's subs 1000 watts 2 550 watt tops mixing desk all powered system, mic stands in a guitar case, and leads in a bag. Fits in just nicely.

And i have worked with wedding bands, covers bands, few local bands(less money for that)

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

Im Only 71Kg wrote: »

€50. unless you are using his PA speakers,desk..etc..and he's hauling that gear around in his van. then you might have to give him €100. never pay anymore than that.

100? you could prob hire 2 tops and a power desk for that, undelevered

mkegvn wrote: »

bands like the coronas etc. barely get that much money these days. who were you working with?

the coronas for 1k? you would be lucky!

Obi-Jim wrote: »

Haha, never pay more than €100. Unfortunately, you won't get very far if this is your ultimate limit. (i'm not aware of any reputable PA that can even be rented for that price, never mind getting an engineer too, google a PA rental)

exactly. i would not be willing to bring 10k of sound equiptment, + set up and take down + sound checking a few bands + diesel for 100!

Obi-Jim wrote: »

There is no way to rely on a band being self sufficient, unless you are relatively big, or in a cover band, they get paid nuts money sometimes.

its all relative though, **** cover bands dont get paid much! some of the top cover bands get nuts money because they draw a massive crowd. It has tightened up a lot now though, less numbers in pubs makes it harder to get decent money, and gigs in genreal

Cubenio

I'd pay 1K for the Corona's not to play at a gig

The quality of Sound Engineer that we've had in the last few gigs down here in Cork has been very poor...Still paid the guy....but quality is hit and miss

off.the.walls

I know the coronas are up around the three thousand mark to have play, aslan and bands like that are up around 3500-4000 last time i checked.

hassy

€150 plus hotel is a pretty standard rate for sound engineers in this country

Dublinsoundguy

Hi all just came across this thread interesting stuff, Anyway i'm an engineer thats just come back to into the country just looking to see the lay of the land here at the moment.Anyway i'm happy to discuss working with new bands. Have a good bit of experience and would like to help out anywhere i can just message me and ill provide any details necessary and send over a CV with experience etc etc.