Indie Band Tips: Why You Should Invest in Sound Equipment

It's common knowledge that the vast majority of us independent musicians and bands have limited funds in which to invest into our music. Sound equipment, for the starting band, isn't necessarily on the top of that list. After all, you need to buy all your instruments, pay for transportation, potential recordings, CD packaging, all of it. Unless you have a special circumstance, you'll be paying for all of it. I'm here to tell you, both from logic and experience, that purchasing your own sound equipment can pay unbelievable dividends.

First, for the developing bands, gigs are increasingly difficult to come by. Most venues demand you bring a certain draw of people. For new bands, that's not something you can count on. The venues that will allow local bands of unknown stature to play rarely have in-house sound; much less a "sound guy." If you have your own sound equipment, you save the money from having to rent a PA system and these venues are now open to your band. Many of these types of gigs aren't paying. Many are based on donations (which are terribly inconsistent) or your band's CD sales. You can't afford to rent a PA every time you play one of these venues.

Another great reason is you're in charge of the equipment. After a handful of shows, you know exactly what your system can do and what it can't. You know how to mix the sound, you know what alterations need to be made, and you can make your band sound the best it can.

As stated previously, it's difficult to get gigs early on. I've been playing the live circuit for going on four years and it only gets slightly easier. You get to know people (musicians, venue owners, event coordinators) within your community which makes it easier, but it still requires a lot of work. The point I'm getting at is you need every advantage you can get to book gigs. You would be (or will be) shocked at how many local bands don't have their own equipment. Having your own sound equipment can give you a twofold advantage at this juncture. First, you can get on a lot of shows by being willing to let other local bands use your PA and sound. They book the show, you provide the sound, the bands split the time slot and everybody wins. Secondly (and this specifically happens to me), because you know your sound system, you're able to mix it well, thus pegging you as a reliable sound provider. You might be able to make a few dollars on the side running sound for certain bands or venues.

If you are a smaller act, this is a slam dunk decision. If you're a larger group, I understand systems of that strength cost considerably more and you might have to save up for a bit. You can get an entirely adequate sound system (for smaller groups) for under $500. If you play your cards right, it'll pay for itself in no time.

Brian is an active musician and songwriter with the band Something with Trees and spends a lot of his time perusing around the music world in one form or another. Follow his music blog if you would like. He also contributes occasionally to Paper Trail Music; an indie music blog out of Brooklyn.

Sources
Mixing Live Sound