Rates & quotes
Sound technician day rate: what decides the price of freelance event technicians
Two quotes with the same day rate can cost very different amounts. What matters is how long the day is, what is charged on top and how much responsibility the role carries.
Why there is no single number here
Anyone searching for a sound technician's day rate usually wants a number. For freelance event technicians in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, though, we have not found a reliable, publicly available survey we could rely on. Single figures from forums or from other countries say little about a specific quote.
This guide therefore shows what a day rate is made of and what belongs in a quote. Once enough technicians on SAVIE list a day rate on their profile, we want to add aggregated ranges here, without making any individual identifiable.
Day rate or hourly rate: define the day first
A day rate is only comparable when it is clear how many hours it covers. A rate for a short show day and one for a long day with load-in, show and load-out are two different quotes, even if they carry the same number.
Agree up front when a day starts and ends, how breaks count and what applies after the agreed hours. An hourly rate suits short or hard-to-plan jobs. For clearly defined production days, a day rate with an overtime rule is usually easier to follow.
- Agreed hours per day and how breaks are counted
- What applies after the last agreed hour: an overtime rate or another half day
- Whether travel, load-in and rehearsal days count at the full rate or are billed differently
- Whether a short job still counts as a full day
What decides the day rate
The rate depends less on the title "sound technician" than on the actual task. Someone responsible for a show at FOH carries a different risk than someone running cables during load-in.
- Role and responsibility: FOH, monitors, system tech, RF or load-in
- Equipment: experience with exactly the console or system on the production is often why a particular person gets booked
- Experience and references: comparable productions, size and type of event
- Lead time: short-notice requests and stepping in when someone drops out
- Timing: nights, weekends and public holidays, where surcharges are agreed
- Location: travel, accommodation and regional differences
- Scope: single days or a continuous tour
What is charged on top of the day rate
Many misunderstandings come not from the rate itself but from the items next to it. Put them in the quote before the booking is confirmed.
| Item | What should be agreed |
|---|---|
| Travel | Mileage or ticket, and whether travel time counts as working time |
| Accommodation | Who books and pays for the hotel |
| Meals | Catering on site or a flat allowance |
| Overtime | Rate per hour after the agreed length of day |
| Preparation | Show file, rehearsals and pre-production meetings |
| Own equipment | Microphones, in-ears, measurement gear or tools, if brought along |
| Cancellation | What applies if the production is cancelled at short notice |
Net, VAT and employment status
Between businesses, day rates are usually quoted net, with VAT added on the invoice. Anyone using the small-business scheme (in Germany under § 19 UStG, in Austria under § 6 (1) 27 UStG) charges no VAT. So state in the quote whether an amount is net or gross.
Anyone who works regularly for the same company should also keep false self-employment in mind. In Germany, status can be clarified through the Deutsche Rentenversicherung's status determination procedure; in Austria, ÖGK and SVS decide on the insurance classification. This guide is not tax or legal advice.
For bookers: a request that makes a quote possible
The more precise the request, the fewer follow-up questions and the more comparable the quotes.
On SAVIE you can search public profiles by city, trade and equipment and send a free project inquiry without an account. We verify your email address before the inquiry is delivered, and the technician's email address stays private.
- Date, place and schedule with get-in, show and load-out
- Role and tasks, for example FOH or monitors
- Console, system and RF on site
- What is provided: hotel, catering, travel
- Your budget, or a request for a day rate
For technicians: show your day rate on your profile
In the free SAVIE profile you can optionally list a day rate "from". It shows bookers early what range you work in and saves you requests that don't fit. Whether you publish it is your choice.
When you work with companies that use SAVIE, their requests arrive with role, times and terms. If the job allows fee negotiation, you can reply with your own rate instead of only accepting or declining.