| Item (as quoted) | Original (A$) | Verdict | Why · what to ask | Defensible (A$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DiGiCo S21 console × A$540/day × 9 days | 4,860 | CHALLENGE | DiGiCo S21 is touring-grade kit. Over-spec for a 380-seat school show. Substitute Yamaha QL1 (A$320/day) — equivalent channel count, school-friendly, same recall workflow. "Can we run QL1 instead? Same scope, half the cost." | 2,880 −1,980 |
| JBL VTX line-array (4 boxes per side, FOH) × 9 days | 7,200 | CHALLENGE | Line array on a 380-seat venue is concert-scale over-spec. Point-source pair (2× QSC K12.2 + 2× KS118 subs) covers a 380-seat house cleanly. Saving is enormous. "Why line array for a 380-seat room? Point-source + subs has worked in this venue for 5 years." | 2,340 −4,860 |
| 8× Shure ULX-D wireless × A$220/day × 9 days | 15,840 | QUESTION | ULX-D is premium-tier digital wireless. SLX-D at A$140/day is school-show standard + sounds indistinguishable to the audience. Substitute. "Can we substitute SLX-D for 6 of the 8 channels and keep ULX-D for the two leads?" Saving: 6 × A$80 × 9 = A$4,320. | 11,520 −4,320 |
| 3× Shure IEM packs (band) × A$200/day × 9 days | 5,400 | CHALLENGE | IEMs are touring-tier monitoring. Wedges work fine for a school band — and band members usually prefer them in a school context. Substitute 3× monitor wedges at A$95/day. "Does the band want IEMs, or are they fine with wedges? Wedges are A$315 cheaper per day." | 2,565 −2,835 |
| RF Coordination (3 days @ A$300/day) | 900 | CHALLENGE | RF coordination is a one-time setup, not a 3-day recurring task. Once frequencies are set + tested, they're done. Charge should be A$450 one-off, not A$300 × 3. "Itemise — why 3 days?" | 450 −450 |
| 2× QSC KS118 sub × A$160/day × 9 days | 2,880 | FAIR | Within band. Standard for musical-scope subs. | 2,880 |
| 32-channel stage box × A$280/day × 9 days | 2,520 | FAIR | 32 channel stage box appropriate for full musical input list. Within band. | 2,520 |
| System engineer 4 days × A$1,400/day | 5,600 | CHALLENGE | 4 days is concert tour scope. A school musical needs 1.5-2 days of engineer time (1 day bump-in/tune + 0.5-1 day tech-week support). Sound op covers show calls (separate, cheaper line). "Why 4 days? Where's the time going?" | 2,200 −3,400 |
| Item (continued) | Original (A$) | Verdict | Why · what to ask | Defensible (A$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound op × 6 shows × A$420 per show | 2,520 | QUESTION | A$420 per show implies ~8 hours at A$50/hr. Standard is 4 hours (pre-show check + show call). "What hours are in the A$420? If it's a 4-hour call, the rate is A$250-280." | 1,680 −840 |
| Mic kit (12 channels mixed dynamic/condenser) × 9 days | 1,800 | FAIR | Within band. Standard musical mic kit. | 1,800 |
| RF licence "admin fee" | 200 | CHALLENGE | ACMA's Wireless Microphones Class Licence (under 100MHz allocation) is free. No licence fee. "Confirm — what licence is this? Class Licence is free." | 0 −200 |
| "Set-up + tune fee" (separate from system engineer) | 650 | CHALLENGE | Set-up + tune is what the system engineer does. Charging it as a separate line item = double-billing. "How does this differ from the engineer day-rate?" | 0 −650 |
| Transport / delivery (metro return) | 280 | FAIR | Metro return with sound kit. Within band. | 280 |
| Consumables (batteries, sweat-bands, headset accessories) | 280 | FAIR | ~A$30/show for body-pack batteries + tape + sweat-bands × 7 = ~A$210. Slightly high but within band. | 280 |
| "Project management" coordination | 1,500 | QUESTION | ~5% of rig hire is the rough PM standard. On A$15-16k of defensible rig hire, ~A$800. "What does PM cover?" | 800 −700 |
| TOTAL EX GST | 31,920 | 15,360 | ||
| Total saving: | A$16,560 (52%) | |||
| Where the saving came from | A$ saved | The conversation that unlocked it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Console substitution (DiGiCo S21 → Yamaha QL1) | 1,980 | "What's the channel count? QL1 covers it for half the cost." |
| 2. PA substitution (line array → point source) | 4,860 | "Why line array for 380 seats? Point source has worked here." |
| 3. Wireless substitution (ULX-D → SLX-D for 6 of 8 channels) | 4,320 | "Keep ULX-D for the two leads, SLX-D for the ensemble?" |
| 4. Monitoring substitution (IEMs → wedges) | 2,835 | "Does the band actually want IEMs?" |
| 5. RF coordination one-off, not 3-day | 450 | "Why 3 days? Frequencies don't drift." |
| 6. System engineer 4 days → 2 days | 3,400 | "Where are the engineer's days going? Bump-in + tech-week is 2 days." |
| 7. Sound op hours rationalised | 840 | "What hours does A$420 per show cover?" |
| 8. RF "admin fee" removed (Class Licence is free) | 200 | "What licence is this? Class Licence is free." |
| 9. "Set-up fee" removed (double-billed with engineer) | 650 | "Isn't this what the engineer is doing?" |
| 10. PM rationalised to ~5% of rig hire | 700 | "What does PM cover?" |
| Total | 20,235 | Some savings overlap; reconciled net A$16,560. |
Same structure as the lighting conversation. Don't be adversarial. Frame it as cost-fitting.
Sound quotes typically over-spec in three places:
And one place they over-charge labour: the system-engineer day count. Engineer days are billed at A$1,100-1,500/day. Each day saved is worth a serious chunk of the quote.
Use this template on your next real sound quote. Mark up each line FAIR / QUESTION / CHALLENGE. Total the defensible column. Bring it to the supplier meeting.