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[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

Sorry if I came off as wanting to continue $100-$150 bar gigs, dont take it the wrong way, but I dont. This is my only source of income, and that doesnt really cut it. Honestly if I wanted to do that, my rig now is MORE than acceptable.

[Jason Tubbs]

benjamin fisher wrote on Thu, 10 December 2009 06:28

Subs - My plan with the 218 was to put on one side, and then just move my singles together on the other side. Those JBLs are $$$!

Why not put them together in the center?

jt

[Dick Rees]

benjamin fisher wrote on Thu, 10 December 2009 08:53

Sorry if I came off as wanting to continue $100-$150 bar gigs, dont take it the wrong way, but I dont. This is my only source of income, and that doesnt really cut it. Honestly if I wanted to do that, my rig now is MORE than acceptable.

Unless you have a lot of time in and a rep which enables you to walk in and mix for a living wage, low-ball club sound is not a business.....it's a hobby.  The pay has not gone up in your lifetime and will not in the future.  You will be bearing all the epense of gear purchase and maintainence and be earning only enough to scrape by with food, housing and vehicle to say nothing about health care and a future.  If you want to do this kind of stuff, get a day job so you can afford the habit......

[Dave Rickard]

You've gotten some good advice so far.  

Before you go much further, I'd consider powered cabs as an option.

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

Thanks for the opinions, I'm weighing everything and not putting anyone off. Only time will tell. I'd love to be able to get to the bar scene, but I dont know any way around that aside from working my way up the chain....

[Tim McCulloch]

Hi Benjamin-

Read Dick's response (above).  He speaks the truth.

About 30 years ago I was doing what you are.  Skipping the details, it took me about 6 years to determine that I had set myself up in a dead-end business.  No money for expansion, no money for all but critical maintenance, no money for a life beyond gas money, groceries and utilities.

Eventually I sold off or gave away most of my personal gear and went to work for others, managing and operating.  I used the 'education' I'd received from the University of Experience (and some of the formal kind, too) to help them avoid, on a larger scale, the dead end situations I'd put myself into.

Thirty years later, I can tell you the income potential has not changed.  In all but the more lucrative areas, you will not make a living providing sound for bands who play bars.  Slightly up the food chain are bands that play society weddings, small corporate events (such as may still be around), etc.

The issue with serving bands is that they are spending their own money.  There is tremendous pressure to keep contracted services as inexpensive as possible.  The best profits exist in serving markets where your fee is paid with "someone else's money."

Make your purchasing decisions with a forward-looking eye.  Size, weight and the ability to put in and take out by yourself, relative ugliness of gear in public view are all factors.  While we can and do discuss/argue over the sonic merits of a mixer or speaker, realize that most of the people paying your fee can't tell the difference.  They only know if you were easy to work with, if there was feedback, that you gear looked well maintained, etc.  Keep those kinds of things in mind.

And cables?  At your point either go with Mark & Liz at Audiopile.net or learn to make your own.  Great folks selling honestly described and fairly priced products; you'll like buying from them.  I purchase all my 'kibbles and bits' adapters, short XLR cables and lots of misc. from them.

Have fun, good luck.

Tim Mc

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

I think what you are basically saying is go to work for someone else, correct? What if I want to be the person others want to work for (I do)? I dont want to keep working in bars, thats for sure. I see many bigger production companies, and many kind of in the middle. Thats where I want to be.

I think right now my biggest concern is getting proper experience, so that I am able to do whatever it is I need. I see these indie-level bands touring all over the country. Dont most of them have a dedicated sound person that travels with them? Isnt there money in that?

[Dave Rickard]

benjamin fisher wrote on Fri, 11 December 2009 10:02

I think right now my biggest concern is getting proper experience, so that I am able to do whatever it is I need.

You can get experience with the equipment you have, but it will limit the growth of your business to not upgrade.  Upgrading will limit your cash flow.

Your pick.

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

But whats the point of upgrading if I'm not making more money using it? I could be making the same amount of money had I spent half the amount, as well as if I spent twice as much. I have people here telling me that I need to basically throw in the towel and work for someone else if I want to make any money, and I'm assuming thats for a large scale company.

[Dick Rees]

benjamin fisher wrote on Fri, 11 December 2009 11:02

I think what you are basically saying is go to work for someone else, correct? What if I want to be the person others want to work for (I do)? I dont want to keep working in bars, thats for sure. I see many bigger production companies, and many kind of in the middle. Thats where I want to be. I think right now my biggest concern is getting proper experience, so that I am able to do whatever it is I need. I see these indie-level bands touring all over the country. Dont most of them have a dedicated sound person that travels with them? Isnt there money in that?

Not enough.

Another analogy.

Say you want to drive a big rig over the road.  You train on a big rig, not on a bicycle.

As has often been said here to folks wanting (for who knows what reason) to enter the glamorous world of SR, find an outfit that does what you want to do and go to work for them doing whatever they need done.  You'll learn the business from the ground up including a lot of things you had no idea you'd need to know and after an "apprentice" period, you may get to do what you want to do and make a living.  In the mean time, you're "playing with other peoples money" so to speak.