Why audio quotes vary so widely
Producers often ask me why two quotations for audio work can sit far apart. The usual reason is that they describe different jobs under the same name. Sound engineering covers a quiet voice-over booth, a television studio with a dozen microphones, and a festival stage with wedges and a front-of-house position. Each needs different planning time, different kit and a different amount of time on site.
At showvary, sound engineering means audio design for studios and live venues: microphones, mixing desks and monitoring. Our prices are built from those parts. We start from what is being recorded or amplified, where, and for how long, and we put a figure on the planning, the equipment advice and the hours spent with you.
The honest answer to what it costs is therefore a range, and the range narrows once we know the room and the programme. The sections below set out what moves it, so you can prepare the details that matter most before you write to us.
The room is the first cost driver
A room with poor acoustics costs more to fix than any microphone costs to buy. Hard parallel walls, a low ceiling or a noisy air handling unit all add work, because the design must either treat the space or work around it. In a studio this can mean absorption, bass control and isolation from neighbouring rooms.
In a live venue the question is different: how much of the sound is the room adding back. A sports hall or a marquee behaves very differently from a theatre, and the number of speaker positions needed to cover the audience evenly follows from that.
We usually ask for a floor plan and a few photographs before we quote. A site visit is added where the plan leaves real doubt, and it is priced as a separate line so you can see it.
- Room size and shape
- Existing treatment and background noise
- Number of listening or audience positions
- Whether a site visit is needed
Microphones and channel count
Every extra microphone adds cabling, stands, a mixer input, and time spent checking it. A talk show with four presenters and a guest chair is a small job. A drama with radio microphones on a dozen performers is a much larger one, because each radio unit needs frequency planning, battery routines and a person watching it.
Choice of microphone also matters, but less than people expect. We would rather specify a modest, well-placed set that suits the voices than a long list of expensive models. Where equipment is hired or bought, we advise on it and you pay the supplier directly unless we agree otherwise in writing.
If you can tell us how many sources you expect, and which of them move around, the quotation becomes much firmer.
Mixing desks, monitoring and the people to run them
The desk is where scale shows. A small digital mixer with saved scenes is easy to hand over to a house operator. A larger console with separate monitor mixes for performers needs a dedicated engineer for each position, and that is where days and fees multiply.
Monitoring is easy to underspend on. If presenters, musicians or the gallery cannot hear what is going on clearly, the whole production slows down. We plan studio monitors, talkback and foldback together with the desk rather than as afterthoughts.
The question we ask is who will operate this after we leave. A design that suits your own crew costs less over time than one that needs us present at every session.
- Desk size and number of mixes
- Foldback and talkback requirements
- In-house operators or hired engineers
- Recording alongside live output
Time, location and what a quotation includes
The remaining drivers are practical. Days on site, travel from Chelmsford, early get-ins, late finishes and weekend work all change the total. Rehearsal time is another. A single sound check before doors is cheaper than a full day of line checks and tuning the evening before.
Our quotations are written and itemised, so you can see design time, site attendance and any equipment advice separately. We confirm in writing, invoice afterwards, and payment is by bank transfer. Prices are listed on the Prices page, and the contact form is the way to start an enquiry.
Changes made after the plan is agreed, such as a new stage position or more inputs, are priced as changes, not absorbed silently.
What to settle before you ask
A short list will save both sides time. Write down the type of event or programme, the date range, the venue or room, the number of sources, and who will run the audio afterwards. Add any known problems, such as a noisy ventilation system or a stage that cannot be changed.
You do not need technical language. A description in your own words, plus a plan and a few photographs, is enough for us to begin. If you are unsure whether you need design advice or an operator, say so, and we will separate the two in the quotation.
We would rather ask three questions at the start than discover a gap during get-in, which is the most expensive moment to find one.
- Programme or event type and dates
- Room plan and photographs
- Expected microphones and performers
- Who operates the system afterwards
Sound engineering cost follows a small number of things: the room, the number of sources, the size of the desk and monitoring, and the days spent on site. Know those, and a quotation becomes a straightforward document instead of a guess. If you are weighing a project this autumn, send us the basics through the contact page and we will reply with a written, itemised figure.