What Audio Sync and Mixing Work Costs, and What Moves the Price

How we arrive at a price

Audio sync and mixing work is priced by the time it takes to understand your signal chain and put a sound plan on paper. We do not quote from a rate card of fixed packages, because two studios with the same number of microphones can need very different amounts of work. One may have a single clock source and tidy routing; the other may have three generations of equipment feeding the same desk.

Every price starts with an enquiry through the contact page. We ask a handful of questions about the room, the programme format and the equipment you already own, then send a written quotation that names the work, the days involved and what is excluded. Nothing is charged until you have read it and confirmed it in writing. The invoice follows, payable by bank transfer.

What the work usually includes

A typical engagement covers a review of how audio travels from microphone to transmission or recording, with attention to where embedded audio is added to the picture and where delay can creep in. We measure the offset between sound and video at the points that matter, then write down the compensation each path needs.

The deliverable is a document you can hand to your crew: the mixing set-up, the routing, the delay values and the order in which to check them on the day. Where useful, we spend time on site with your operators so the plan is tried on real programme material rather than left as a diagram.

Expect a written summary, not a verbal debrief alone. It is the part clients tend to return to months later when a new presenter or a new camera changes the picture path.

• Signal path review from source to output
• Delay measurement and compensation values
• Mixing set-up notes for your operators
• A written summary you keep

What pushes the price up

The largest driver is the number of separate audio and video paths. A studio with one programme output is quick to assess. A venue that sends a main feed, a clean feed, a stage monitor feed and a remote contribution has several paths, and each one needs its own delay check.

Mixed equipment is the second driver. Older analogue desks next to digital routers, or cameras with different processing times, mean more measurements and more careful notes. Live shows add a further layer, because we cannot stop the programme to test, so rehearsal time has to be found and used well.

Finally, travel and time on site count. Work in our home town of Brighton and the surrounding area costs less in transit than a venue a long way off, and we say so in the quotation rather than adding it afterwards.

• Number of distinct audio and video paths
• Mix of old and new equipment
• Live programmes that limit test time
• Days spent on site and travel

What keeps the price down

Preparation is the most reliable saving. If you send a signal flow diagram, even a rough sketch, a list of equipment with model names, and a note of any problems your crew has already noticed, we spend less time discovering things you already know. That time comes off the quotation.

A fixed rehearsal slot also helps. When we know we have a clean hour with the full chain running, measurements are done once and done properly, instead of being squeezed between other activity across several visits.

Smaller scopes are welcome. If you only need the delay on one camera path checked, or a mixing set-up written for a single presenter desk, we will quote for exactly that and leave the wider review for later if you want it.

What is not in the price

We advise and document; we do not supply or install equipment. If the review shows that a delay unit or a new interface would solve a problem, we say so and describe what to look for, but purchasing and fitting are separate matters between you and your supplier.

Ongoing operation of your show is also outside the quotation. We can train your operators during the engagement, but we do not mix your programmes for you week to week. If the scope changes partway through, for example a second studio is added, we agree the change in writing before any extra work begins.

Cancellations and refunds follow the payment and refund policy, which is set out on its own page and applies to every quotation.

Asking for a quotation

The most useful enquiry is short and concrete. Tell us the kind of programme you make, how many people work the audio side, which equipment sits between the microphones and your output, and what has gone wrong or looked doubtful. A few lines are enough to begin.

We reply with questions if something is unclear, and with a written quotation once the picture is complete. You are under no obligation at that stage. Many clients read the document, share it with their studio manager or finance contact, and come back with changes before confirming.

If the timing matters, say when your next production block falls, so the visit can be planned around it rather than squeezed into a busy week.