Should I Hire a Sound Guy?

There are few factors in deciding if you need to hire a sound guy or if you can set up the equipment yourself.

First, the size of the venue you are playing. If you are performing in a small 100 seat bar or venue and the PA required is not huge, you can easily mix the sound yourself. It is best to have the mixer on the right side of the stage. If a guitarist or bassist is right handed it is easier to do it on the right side as the neck of the instrument will point away from the mixer and it easier to remove your right hand than your left in mid song if something goes wrong.

If you are performing some large venue or outside, you should probably hire a professional who can supply the gear and operate the additional equipment you will need.

Another factor is the mixing ability of the band members. You should factor in knowledge associated with amplifier wattage, speaker impedance, graphic and parametric equalization, compression, effects, and locating troublesome frequencies that will create feedback (squeal or hum). Dont forget to consider basic knowledge of dynamic levels, microphone polar patterns, and overall mixing of the sound levels. If you cant do any of this or know any of this, consider hiring a pro.

Moreover, what is the size your band. If your band is bigger then the average five piece all playing a variety of instruments then it is better to have a sound guy who knows what he is doing. Also the requirement for microphones, cabling, DI boxes, stands etc would be huge and possibly too much to do yourself.

Finally, what is your budget? You need to decide whether to invest in a sound system of your own or continue to hire and pay out dead money in hire fees. You can virtually buy a good basic PA system for the costs of hiring for year or so if you are playing a few nights per week every week and earning some money. Remember you have to buy many accessories in PA systems but if you are mostly doing small venues and you have someone who can setup and mix your band, you will save a bundle by doing it yourself.

Hiring a sound guy depends on a number of factors. Youll need to discuss with your band if you think it is right for you. Discuss all the factors involved and see if hiring someone is better than doing it yourself. If you play a large number of big venues and have a lot of equipment, hiring someone will probably be beneficial for your band.

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