How to use this card. Realistic AU per-day rates for sound kit in 2026 from competent metro suppliers (Melbourne / Sydney / Brisbane). Regional +15-25%. School + community discount usually 10-15% if asked. If a quote line exceeds the High band by 30%+, push back.
1 · Mixing consoles
Console
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
Behringer X32 / Midas M32
140
180
240
Budget-friendly. Adequate for school musicals (32 in / 16 out).
Allen & Heath SQ-5 / SQ-6
180
240
310
Mid-tier. Reliable + ergonomic. Common school choice.
Allen & Heath SQ-7
240
320
410
Bigger surface; same DSP. For 32+ input shows.
Yamaha QL1
240
320
420
School/touring workhorse. 32 channels.
Yamaha QL5
350
460
580
64 channels. Big-musical scope.
Yamaha CL series
420
540
680
Step up from QL. Most school work doesn't need this.
DiGiCo S21 / SD9
420
540
700
Touring-tier. Almost always over-spec for school musicals.
High-end lav. Premium price; consider for principal cast only.
Countryman B3 / B6 lavalier
28
38
55
Mid-tier lav.
3 · Wireless mic systems (RF)
System
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
Shure SLX-D (handheld OR body-pack)
110
140
180
School-show standard. ACMA-compliant + reliable.
Shure QLX-D (handheld OR body-pack)
140
180
230
Step up. Better RF performance in dense environments.
Shure ULX-D (premium digital)
180
220
280
Touring-tier. Justifiable when channel count is high (12+).
Shure Axient
250
320
420
Touring/broadcast. Over-spec for school.
Sennheiser EW-DX (digital)
140
180
230
Equivalent to QLX-D.
Sennheiser 2000 / 6000 series
240
300
400
Touring/broadcast.
4 · Speakers (FOH + monitors)
Speaker
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
QSC K10.2 / K12.2 (active point-source)
85
110
150
School-show workhorse FOH top.
QSC KS118 (active sub)
110
150
200
Heavy sub. Standard for musicals.
RCF HDL series (active)
90
130
175
Mid-tier alternative to QSC.
d&b audiotechnik T10 / V series (point source)
140
200
280
Premium PA. Often over-spec for school work.
L-Acoustics ARCS Wide / Wifo
160
220
300
Premium PA. Same caveat.
JBL VTX line array (per box)
220
300
420
Touring kit. Almost always over-spec for school venues under 600 seats.
Monitor wedge (QSC K10 / RCF HD12)
70
95
130
Floor monitor for band/cast.
d&b M4 / EAW SM12 (premium wedge)
120
160
220
Pro-grade wedge. Justifiable for big-band shows.
Sidefill (full-range, often rented as a pair)
150
220
320
Per side. For big stages where wedges aren't enough.
Shure / Sennheiser IEM pack (single)
130
180
240
Per channel. Touring-tier monitoring.
5 · Infrastructure + cabling
Item
Low (A$/day)
Typical (A$/day)
High (A$/day)
Notes
16-channel stage box
120
160
220
Required for any musical scope.
32-channel stage box
180
240
320
For 24+ input shows.
Multicore / Soco / CAT cable 50m
35
50
75
FOH to stage. Bundle with stage box.
DI box (passive, e.g. Radial JDI)
10
15
22
Per DI. Plug for keys, bass, acoustic.
DI box (active, e.g. Radial J48)
15
22
32
Active DI for higher signal integrity.
Mic stand (boom)
3
5
8
Per stand. Often free with mic hire.
Talkback comms (3-station)
75
100
140
For tech-week + show comms.
6 · Labour rates
Role
Low (A$/hr)
Typical (A$/hr)
High (A$/hr)
Notes
Stage hand / casual crew
35
45
60
Bump-in / bump-out.
Sound op (show calls)
35
50
75
Per show. Operates the desk during performance.
System engineer / sound designer (day)
800/day
1,100/day
1,500/day
For 8-10 hour bump-in + tuning + sound design.
System engineer (hourly, ad-hoc)
125
165
220
Often retained for tech-week only, not show run.
RF coordinator (one-time setup)
300
450
700
One-off fee for wireless coordination. Once, not per show.
7 · Common add-ons + consumables
Item
Low (A$)
Typical (A$)
High (A$)
Notes
Headset (lav-style) bundle hire (incl. RF pack)
170
220
290
Per day. Lead-actor headset + body-pack.
Cosmetic skin-tone fitting (per show)
15
25
40
Mic-tone tape, sweatbands, hair-pin clips.
Spare body-pack battery (consumable)
3
5
8
Per pack per show. Lithium AA × 2.
QLab / playback laptop
60
90
130
Per day. For pre-recorded effects.
Audio interface (for QLab)
40
55
80
Per day.
Talkback headsets + belt-packs
20
28
40
Per set per day.
RF licence "admin fee"
—
—
—
ACMA Wireless Mic Class Licence is free under 100MHz allocation. If charged, query.
"Set-up fee" / "Configuration fee"
—
—
—
Suspicious. Ask for itemisation.
Transport / delivery (metro return)
150
250
450
Regional +15-25%.
Reality check · the typical school musical sound hire
For a 14-piece band + 8 leads on radio mic + 4 monitor wedges + standard FOH (2 tops + 2 subs) + system engineer (2 days) + sound op (5 shows + dress + tech week) + RF coordination + consumables:
Console (Yamaha QL1 or A&H SQ-6) × 9 days: ~A$2,800-3,200
Total range: A$27,500 - A$33,500 ex GST for a full musical scope. Anything above A$38k requires hard questions. The annotated quote in the related resource shows a A$32k → A$15k reduction by removing line-array over-spec, dropping IEMs in favour of wedges, trimming RF channels, and substituting a mid-tier console for a touring console.
How to apply this card
Take the quote line-by-line. Match each line to a row here.
If the quoted rate exceeds the High band, push back.
For lines not on this card (admin fees, set-up fees, "system configuration"), ask for itemisation.
Cross-reference total against the typical-school-musical range above.