Film crew hire/Sound recordist
Hire a sound recordist, anywhere in the UK. Every word clean, whatever the place sounds like.
Sound recordists for interviews, documentaries, brand films, podcasts and sport anywhere in the UK, booked by our producers alongside the camera crew. They mic everyone who speaks, hold the boom, deal with the trains, the traffic and the air conditioning, and hand over sound the edit won’t need to rescue. £550 a day, paid to the recordist in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books, across the UK
Photos: Here Now Films, Keagan Henman and Hassan OUAJBIR
The role
What a sound recordist does on a UK shoot
A sound recordist, or location sound mixer, records everything you hear in the film: interviews, dialogue, the room. They put radio mics on the people speaking, boom from above, mix and record it all with timecode matched to the cameras, and listen to every take, so a rustle or a passing train gets caught on the day, not in the edit.
Picture problems can often be fixed in the grade. Bad sound usually means doing it again, or living with it. That’s why a recordist is the first person we add to a camera operator, from a padel court in Cheshire to a hospital in Portsmouth.
Mics plugged straight into the camera, with nobody listening, work until they don’t: fine for a quick vox pop, risky for anything you can’t do again. A recordist hears what the camera can’t: the tannoy at a station, the extraction in a kitchen, the lift in a City tower.
- Every voice clean. Radio mics hidden on clothes, and a boom for the natural sound of the room.
- Noise dealt with. Air conditioning off, fridges unplugged, doors closed, takes held for trains and sirens.
- Backed up twice. Recorded on two cards, with timecode matched to the cameras.
- Mics fitted with care. Explained to contributors first, and fitted by someone they’re comfortable with.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Radio mics on everyone speaking
- Boom for the room and for movement
- Mixing, recording and monitoring every take
- Timecode synced to the cameras
- Sound files and the sound report at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Their sound kit, at a day rate on its own line
- A boom operator, for drama or a big cast
- An extra room booked as a buffer, if the building needs it
- Travel, mileage and hotels when the shoot is away from the crew member’s home city, at cost
How our rates work, overtime and the APA/Bectu card: film crew rates in the UK.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a recordist for your own shoot, anywhere in the UK, or have us take the production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel.
We do
- Find, book and brief the crew, and pay them
- Book kit, travel and hotels too, if you want them
- Send the full price before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
- Employers’ liability for the crew we book, and insurance on kit we hire in
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its permission and its public liability
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
What the 2% insures: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. Quoted as a production.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the day
- Locations, permits, kit, studio, travel and hotels, booked and paid in our name
- Insurance for the whole shoot, public liability included, plus the risk assessment and the call sheet
- One contract and one invoice, so overseas teams need no UK company
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
What the 5% pays for: our production insurance across the whole shoot, £10m public liability included, and the contingency.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a sound recordist, call to wrap
Customer-story interviews in a Glasgow bakery during service, then a walk-and-talk at Glasgow Central. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:30 Listen to the room The ovens, the extraction, the coffee machine, the street door: what can be switched off, paused or waited for, and what can’t.
- 08:00 Set up Recorder and receivers in the bag, timecode jammed to both cameras.
- 09:00 First contributor A radio mic under a collar, a boom just out of shot, a sound check while the producer chats.
- 10:15 A hold The coffee grinder. The owner pauses it between orders, and two answers are asked again.
- 13:00 Lunch Batteries changed, files backed up.
- 13:45 Room tone A minute of the bakery in service, for the edit to lay under the interviews.
- 15:00 The station The walk-and-talk at Glasgow Central, on Network Rail’s small-scale filming agreement: radio mics are allowed, boom poles aren’t (checked October 2026). Then the concourse and the trains for atmos.
- 18:30 Wrap Mics collected, files and the sound report handed over.
The agreement covers 18 stations, Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds and Birmingham New Street among them, for crews of ten or fewer. Network Rail’s small-scale filming agreement
Which kind
Which sound set-up do you need?
The kit and the crew change with the number of voices, how much they move, and what the place sounds like.
Interview kit Two or three radio mics and a boom £550 a day + kit
A recorder, radio mics, a boom and headphones. Enough for most interviews, customer stories and corporate films.
Best for interviews, testimonials and talking heads.
Multi-voice and podcasts Four to eight radio mics £550 a day + kit
More channels and radio mics, and often a feed from the venue’s desk. The desk mics on a podcast set are often props: the sound comes from the lavs and the boom.
Best for panels, podcasts and conferences.
Documentary and run-and-gun Light, mobile, on the move £550 a day + kit
A bag rig with radio mics and a boom, following the conversation. At a station on Network Rail’s small-scale agreement, it’s radio mics only.
Best for branded documentaries, sport and observational filming.
Mixer and boom operator Drama and adverts Quoted on the brief
A mixer at the cart and a boom operator on the floor, for scripted dialogue with movement and several people speaking.
Best for drama, adverts and anything with a script.
What it’s for
What people book a sound recordist for across the UK
Interviews in offices
Towers in the City and Canary Wharf, Spinningfields in Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, with air conditioning that never quite switches off.
Podcasts and panels
Multi-camera sets in offices and studios: several mics, a desk feed, and a backup of both.
Conferences
ExCeL in London, Manchester Central, the ICC in Birmingham and the SEC in Glasgow, with the PA and the crowd to work round.
Customer stories and documentaries
Hospitals, factories, farms and kitchens in service: real places with real noise.
Sport
Training grounds, courts and clubhouses, with wind, crowds and players who won’t stand still for a boom.
Recent work
Sound on our jobs, across the UK and abroad
Crew and production support · Manchester and Hertfordshire · June 2026
Radio mics on court, a boom for the sit-down
Truth or Padel for The Athletic, owned by The New York Times: a padel match with a question riding on every point, then a seated interview. On a court in Manchester city centre on 1 June 2026, and at Essendon Country Club in Hertfordshire the next day, the match was on radio mics and the sit-down on a boom; the Essendon day ran from 07:30 to 13:30. The pilot in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, had a sound recordist too, and for the Barcelona episode we booked a camera and sound crew in the city.
Production service company · Portsmouth, London and Oxford · November and December 2023
Timecode and a sound report, every day for three days
Swanson Studio flew in from Oregon to photograph and interview surgeons for Intuitive, on their own two REDs. Our sound recordist ran timecoded sound through 17 interview slots in three days, in a hospital in Portsmouth, a hospital in London and Intuitive’s office at Oxford Science Park, with a sound report every day. The whole week’s audio and the reports went to Swanson the next day.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch: ten working hours.
- Overtime by the hour at the APA card’s rate for the role, agreed with you before it happens.
- At least 11 hours between wrap and the next day’s call.
The location
- Tell us what’s nearby: a railway, a main road, building work, the floor below.
- We’ll ask the location to switch off what can be switched off before the day, and recce for sound as well as light.
- At the 18 stations on Network Rail’s small-scale filming agreement, radio mics are allowed and boom poles aren’t (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the recordist.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Moving the date? Tell us as soon as you know.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the recordist we book: £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- Nothing else on a crew hire. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
£550 a day
APA/Bectu card benchmark (sound mixer): £541–668 a day.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £550 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £55 |
| Insurance, 2% | £11 |
| One day, before kit and travel | £616 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the recordist we book, and cover on kit we hire in. Insurance for a UK shoot
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the recordist.
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
- Every line on the quote before anything is booked
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a sound recordist, anywhere in the UK.
Tell us how many people are speaking, where, and what the place sounds like. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role across the UK, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our UK day rates, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- Producer From £450
- Production manager £504–627
- 2nd AD £355–448
- Production assistant £400
- Runner £245
Camera 09
- DOP From £850
- Camera operator £529–656
- Lighting camera operator £529–656
- Videographer £529–656
- Focus puller (1st AC) £461–575
- Clapper loader (2nd AC) £355–448
- Steadicam operator From £950
- Gimbal operator £529–656
- Drone operator From £750
Data and playback 02
- DIT £527
- Video playback £334–518
Sound 01
- Sound recordist This page £550
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up £398
- Costume £519–694
Art department 02
- Art director £675–878
- Set builders £341–512
Post-production 01
- Editor From £350
How our rates work: crew rates across the UK. In one city? London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cornwall have their own role pages.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Sound starts with the location, and the location starts with permission. The guides cover both across the UK, each item its own line on the quote.
01
Crew rates in the UK
Day rates for every role, the APA/Bectu card, overtime and what a day covers.
02
Kit and equipment hire
Rental houses across the UK, wet hire and dry hire, and the crew’s own kit.
03
Insurance for a UK shoot
Employers’ liability, public liability, kit cover, and what can leave you uninsured.
Questions
Hiring a sound recordist in the UK: questions
How much does a sound recordist cost in the UK?
Our sound recordists are £550 for an 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch, paid to the recordist in full, wherever the shoot is. The APA/Bectu card for a sound mixer on commercials sets £541–668; for factual, documentary and corporate work, Bectu’s production sound rate card gives £500 for a 10-hour day, base to base, lunch included (checked October 2026). On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance: £616 + VAT for the day. Their sound kit goes on its own line.
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
Two things. Employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m, and insurance on the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote. The 2% doesn’t insure the rest of the shoot: public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot, public liability included.
How long is a sound recordist’s day, and how does overtime work?
A day is 11 hours, ten of them working and one for lunch. After that, overtime is paid by the hour at the APA card’s rate for the role: 1.5×, 1.25× or single time on an hourly rate of a tenth of the day rate, graded by day rate, and we agree it with you before it happens. Between wrap and the next call there are at least 11 hours. Film crew rates in the UK
Do your recordists bring their own kit?
Yes: a recorder, radio mics, a boom and headphones, priced at a day rate on its own line. For more channels or specialist kit, sound hire houses include Richmond Film Services and Everything Audio around London, and Films at 59 hires sound kit in Bristol and Cardiff (checked October 2026). Film equipment hire in the UK
How many radio mics do I need?
One for each person speaking at the same time, and a spare. For a panel of four and a host, that’s six. Desk mics on a podcast set can be props: on Magnet Media’s three-camera podcast at One Canada Square, four Shure SM7Bs sat on the desk for the look, and the sound came from lavs on everyone and a boom. The Magnet Media case study
Can you deal with a noisy location?
Mostly. We ask for air conditioning and machines to be switched off, choose the quietest room, and hold takes for trains and sirens. In a shared building we check the floors around you, and if one is busy we book it as a buffer, as we did for AlTi Tiedemann Global on Hackney Road in London. Tell us what’s nearby when you book. Each city has its own noise: see sound recordists in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cornwall.
Can we record at a railway station?
Yes, with Network Rail’s say-so. Its small-scale filming agreement is for crews of ten people or fewer, and it’s the route for anyone filming at five working days’ notice or less, at 18 stations: ten in London, plus Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads and Reading. Radio mics are allowed, boom poles aren’t, and it asks for a £10m public liability certificate (checked October 2026). Network Rail’s small-scale filming agreement
Can we keep music playing in the background?
Better not. Under UK copyright law, music that’s incidental to a shot is excused, but music that’s deliberately included isn’t (CDPA 1988, section 31, checked October 2026), and music under dialogue makes cutting between takes hard anyway. The recordist will ask for it off, and record the room without it.
What’s the difference between a sound recordist and a sound designer?
A sound recordist works on the shoot, recording dialogue and the sound of the place. A sound designer works in post, building effects, foley and the mix. If you’re filming, you need a recordist; in post you may want a sound designer as well. HMRC lists sound recordists, sound mixers, boom operators and sound designers among the behind-camera roles normally treated as self-employed, on conditions (checked October 2026).
More on crew across the UK
- Film crew hire UK
- Film crew rates in the UK
- Sound recordist hire in London
- Sound recordist hire in Manchester
- Sound recordist hire in Birmingham
- Sound recordist hire in Bristol
- Sound recordist hire in Cornwall
- Sound recordist hire in New York
- Camera operator hire UK
- DOP hire UK
- How we select our crew
- Our crew hire case studies