Chadfish
Veteran
What I mean is how much do you actually charge? 300.00? 500.00? 1,000.00?
Calibrating a Sound Devices MixPre to a HVX200?
- Thread starter Chadfish
- Start date
What I mean is how much do you actually charge? 300.00? 500.00? 1,000.00?
Chadfish
Veteran
So I did the gig and the calibration worked perfectly. Thanks guys. One thing that occured with my G3 wireless, that I couldn't track down, was during the last interview. Maybe a G3 user can explain this. I did not change any settings consciously between interviews, but my wireless unit seemed to engage some sort of noise gate. The talking head sounded fine, with good signal, but during the quiet parts the sound dropped out. Very annoying. I went through the menus and couldn't find anything related to a noise gate. My squelch was set to low. I can't defeat it. Any suggestions?
Otherwise my AT4053b as well as my Sanken COS11D sounded great.
Otherwise my AT4053b as well as my Sanken COS11D sounded great.
Rippie
Veteran
Sorry, I don't think a public forum is a place to post rates.
My own opinion.
Perhaps someone else will help you out in that category.
8string
Well-known member
Rates always have been variable depending on city and competition. That's our lot in life. In a major city it's one rate, in your out of the way locale Chadfish I doubt that they will pay you big city rates. Here in the Pacific NW, out of the major cities, it's either free or minimum wage. So asking a bbs like this about rates is worthless. Whatever someone in LA is charging is unlikely to be accepted, even by a big time out of towner used to paying those rates. Hope that helps!
Chadfish
Veteran
Well I wasn't asking you to advertise. Just some ballpark figures. There was a whole thread about it - it's not against the rules if it's an educational discussion and not blatant self promotion. How about a private message?
I just want some ball park figures. I think some people from larger markets are used to paying a certain average rate, and there is hardly anyone doing what I do up here so I can't even get an idea of what's fair here in a smaller area. I just don't want to start off throwing out too small of a rate.
So without being to specific about anyone personally, what is an average, larger city rate for a boom op for a single day? How about a mid sized city of 100,000 or so? Since I do it all, would a DP normally get more than a boom op? We all know audio is more important, so shouldn't the audio person get them most? I'm joking...
500.00 for a day? 1,000.00?
Rippie
Veteran
I didn't say it was against the rules of this bulletin board.
Since you directed the question towards me by quoting me I said
I choose not to discuss that on a bulletin board.
If someone wants to hire me from here and talk to me about my rate I would be
happy to discuss it privately via the telephone.
That is not a diss towards you.
I know I have seen a number of posts here by other people giving ballparks.
I'm not getting on your case, I'm trying to set you straight..
You started a few posts ago asking for rates for a sound mixer on an interview job. Now you are asking for rates for a boom op.
They are 2 different positions.
If the sound mixer does the job of both mixer and boom op you
call him a sound mixer not a boom op.
This could cause you grief and confusion if someone contacts you about
being their boom op and you think it's a mixing gig..etc.
Figured it was worth mentioning to you.
Chadfish
Veteran
I got contacted for a job as "Boom Op" by a producer on an indi feature, and they expect me to mix. I'd be wearing the mixer while booming. So I guess different people call it different things. I'll call it "mix-a-boom fella" now.
Rippie I don't know why your rates are so hard to get out of you, but that's your deal. I'm just looking for some average rates outside of Eureka Ca. I guess you don't want someone to out bid you after seeing your rates? Sorry to have bothered you. It's a tough economy and I understand.
If anyone else dares to post an average "SOUND MIXER" rate in a big city for a day, I'd be interested to read that info.
Rippie I don't know why your rates are so hard to get out of you, but that's your deal. I'm just looking for some average rates outside of Eureka Ca. I guess you don't want someone to out bid you after seeing your rates? Sorry to have bothered you. It's a tough economy and I understand.
If anyone else dares to post an average "SOUND MIXER" rate in a big city for a day, I'd be interested to read that info.
While I am marginally qualified to assist people with audio issues, I might be able to help more on this issue . I have been self employed for well over twenty years and in that time owned 3.5 businesses. Two of the businesses had a staff of up to 10 people in included machinery sales and service. I have also been involved in a couple of small startups.
At the most basic level for a solo service type business, there are three considerations to finding your rate.
Equipment Cost: If you invest in equipment, then you have a reasonable expectation of paying for it and replacing it when it is worn out. Each piece of gear has its own parameters regarding life span. Added to whatever you come up with, you should add the cost of the money you have invested. If you had taken the money you invested in equipment and invested it somewhere else to earn money, that is the cost of the money. This is a pretty difficult formula for an audio kit, so I would just make a budget of $XXX per year.
Expenses: Do you have insurance, a dedicated telephone, advertising? Are your car tires wearing out? Are you burning fuel, electricity, etc. Do you want to have a rainy day fund? You can rationalize what you like about this, but any cost you incur while producing your product is an expense and should be treated as such. If you fail to consider all your cost, you are subsidizing your customers project.
Wage: What are your expectations regarding your own income for a year? To that you must add employee taxes, health insurance, and anything else associated with your employment cost. Are you contributing to retirement investments? Do you place a additional value on your experience?
Now that you know the gross cost of being in business for a year, divide that by a realistic amount of hours you can bill in a year. A calender year of potential hours for an employee is a little over 2000. Subtract from that holidays, vacations, sick days, administrative time, work prospecting days, charity days etc. For me, a realistic amount of billable time in a year is around a 1000-12000 hours. When I had a bunch of employees, I expected them to bill around 6.5 hrs/day. Working by yourself, that is pretty much impossible. Can you find that much work?
Now take your gross cost of doing business and divide by the hours you expect to bill. You have found your rate as self employed person. I can almost guarantee you won't like the math, but it is the truth. For example, if you charge $500/day (62.50/hr) and you can bill 1000 hrs a year = $62.5k gross. Assuming you can keep your investment costs and expenses to around 20k, you'll make something like 42k before your personal income taxes. That folks is what 62.50/hr might get you which is a pretty nominal yearly income. Start cranking that number up if you have higher expectations.
You can wonder what other people charge, but if you really want to be in business, your plan must include a base amount from which you can survive. If you don't understand what your costs and needs are, you are doomed as a business person. I can't say I have always been able to achieve my goals each year; some years I have spent no money on gear, deferred vehicle maintenance, ate macaroni and cheese, etc. Some years my employees made more money than me, another year, I lived in my shop. Other years I have done really well and it has averaged out.
The important thing, no matter how you do the math, is to have a realistic accounting of your costs before you consider what your rate will be.
Best Regards,
Grant
At the most basic level for a solo service type business, there are three considerations to finding your rate.
Equipment Cost: If you invest in equipment, then you have a reasonable expectation of paying for it and replacing it when it is worn out. Each piece of gear has its own parameters regarding life span. Added to whatever you come up with, you should add the cost of the money you have invested. If you had taken the money you invested in equipment and invested it somewhere else to earn money, that is the cost of the money. This is a pretty difficult formula for an audio kit, so I would just make a budget of $XXX per year.
Expenses: Do you have insurance, a dedicated telephone, advertising? Are your car tires wearing out? Are you burning fuel, electricity, etc. Do you want to have a rainy day fund? You can rationalize what you like about this, but any cost you incur while producing your product is an expense and should be treated as such. If you fail to consider all your cost, you are subsidizing your customers project.
Wage: What are your expectations regarding your own income for a year? To that you must add employee taxes, health insurance, and anything else associated with your employment cost. Are you contributing to retirement investments? Do you place a additional value on your experience?
Now that you know the gross cost of being in business for a year, divide that by a realistic amount of hours you can bill in a year. A calender year of potential hours for an employee is a little over 2000. Subtract from that holidays, vacations, sick days, administrative time, work prospecting days, charity days etc. For me, a realistic amount of billable time in a year is around a 1000-12000 hours. When I had a bunch of employees, I expected them to bill around 6.5 hrs/day. Working by yourself, that is pretty much impossible. Can you find that much work?
Now take your gross cost of doing business and divide by the hours you expect to bill. You have found your rate as self employed person. I can almost guarantee you won't like the math, but it is the truth. For example, if you charge $500/day (62.50/hr) and you can bill 1000 hrs a year = $62.5k gross. Assuming you can keep your investment costs and expenses to around 20k, you'll make something like 42k before your personal income taxes. That folks is what 62.50/hr might get you which is a pretty nominal yearly income. Start cranking that number up if you have higher expectations.
You can wonder what other people charge, but if you really want to be in business, your plan must include a base amount from which you can survive. If you don't understand what your costs and needs are, you are doomed as a business person. I can't say I have always been able to achieve my goals each year; some years I have spent no money on gear, deferred vehicle maintenance, ate macaroni and cheese, etc. Some years my employees made more money than me, another year, I lived in my shop. Other years I have done really well and it has averaged out.
The important thing, no matter how you do the math, is to have a realistic accounting of your costs before you consider what your rate will be.
Best Regards,
Grant
Rippie
Veteran
*groan*
Unfortunately, though there are industry-standard terms (as Rippie pointed out), less-experienced folks don't like to learn or use them. So an indi producer who hires you as a boom op, but expects you to mix, needs a little real-world edumacation.
Coming up with your own term for it can be professionally inhibiting, as well. So it'll help you to inquire about expectations with any potential job that asks you to be a boom op, especially on indi productions, so that you know going into it both what to expect and what to charge. Mixers cost more than boom ops, and it really doesn't matter what the producer tries to call it - it matters what the job entails.
As for rates discussions, I've seen some of those around here (and have even posted in them). Most of them offer either very broad ranges or discuss standard union scale, neither of which will help necessarily. But the tricky part is that, as mixers and boom ops, public discussion of personal rates can be likened to price-fixing... and that can open a legal can of worms.
The best thing to do is to check your local union (since you're in CA) and see what their scale is for mixer and what it is for boom op, then build from there. If you don't have or cannot find your local union, well... HERE is a recent thread that has some useful information without getting too specific outside of scale.
Tennessee is a right to work state, so union scale doesn't apply and rates here are a bit lower than places like LA and NYC. But then, cost of living in Knoxville is much lower, too... so it evens out.
Chadfish
Veteran
Thanks ggrantly.
I'm doing fine in my work as an independent contractor. I do videography for 70.00 an hour independently, and much less at my part time job at a marketing agency as a videographer. I charge 35.00 bucks an hour for audio engineering (recording/mixing music). Mostly because musicians are poor. I make jingles for 1,300.00 a pop. I do various jobs and get by, and get to buy gear. I'm happy. I just wanted to know what a cracka could make running boom and mixing the sound into a camera. Not that I'm going to try to charge big city prices in this small town all the time, but to know a basic range for that specific job in an area where it's done a lot. I'm not using the info to set my future business model on. I'm simply curious. Maybe if a cooperate videographer comes through town and sees my ad on the local Film Commission board, they might pay better than the typical small timer would locally. So I might raise my rate a bit since they are used to paying for quality work. So if I had an idea of what a person in San Francisco can get for a day's work as a Boom Op / Mixer, I could throw out a number without shooting way too high or way too low.
It seems like a pretty simple question.
I'm doing fine in my work as an independent contractor. I do videography for 70.00 an hour independently, and much less at my part time job at a marketing agency as a videographer. I charge 35.00 bucks an hour for audio engineering (recording/mixing music). Mostly because musicians are poor. I make jingles for 1,300.00 a pop. I do various jobs and get by, and get to buy gear. I'm happy. I just wanted to know what a cracka could make running boom and mixing the sound into a camera. Not that I'm going to try to charge big city prices in this small town all the time, but to know a basic range for that specific job in an area where it's done a lot. I'm not using the info to set my future business model on. I'm simply curious. Maybe if a cooperate videographer comes through town and sees my ad on the local Film Commission board, they might pay better than the typical small timer would locally. So I might raise my rate a bit since they are used to paying for quality work. So if I had an idea of what a person in San Francisco can get for a day's work as a Boom Op / Mixer, I could throw out a number without shooting way too high or way too low.
It seems like a pretty simple question.
Chadfish
Veteran
Apparently!
8string
Well-known member
Your "noise gate" comment a few pages back is interesting. I've experienced some of this kind of behavior, and it appears that it's something to do (at least on my system) with some kind of interference with the wireless signal. It's been driving me crazy. Apparently trying to find a decent wireless channel that you can hold for an hour is quite a problem. I'm using 'scan channels' on my reciever to find one that seems to hold, but even then, there's no guarantee that you won't get 30 minutes in and experience it. If that's what you are experiencing in your question. Had it happen again today. I setup the interview, scanned for a channel and took the second one, it seemed to hold just fine, about 30 minutes in the signal moved from Ant 1 to Ant 2 but also dropped down the volume of the mic on that channel (!). Is that what you are experiencing? I'm not sure how long in advance of a shoot I'm supposed to show up to find a clear channel. I might just spring for xlr cables for the Lavs...what a pain.