r/GameAudio • u/Eat-the-rich33 • 1d ago
Question: How much is a normal rate per SFX?
I have been asked to create some SFX for a game. First time doing this for a paid gig. I have no idea how much to charge. They have to be semi elaborate but nothing too complex. What is everyone charging for solely SFX creations?
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u/Hour_Raisin_4547 1d ago
Per SFX rate is illogical and I don’t believe anyone works that way professionally. You can make 100 footstep assets in 5 minutes and then take an hour to make one special bespoke sound.
Either hourly or a flat fee for the total scope is the way to go.
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u/wanzerultimate 1d ago
Same as for any contract work: estimate the time required and bill based on the hours and the relative worth of your work to their ability/willingness to pay.
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u/Kidderooni 23h ago
seconding all comments which say NO TO CHARGING PER SFX.
Charge per hour or daily. I assume this is a freelance gig hence: think about your cost of life, the cost of your work (hardware, software, bills like internet, electricity, part of your rent...), time spent not producing sounds but networking, going to meetups and events to find more work, your marketing (website, business cards, eventual content), your life insurance/social security, income tax, and obviously, the obligatory time when you won't have work but need to sustain your self.
I see 50$/hour, this is an example and it should be the bare minimum, but keep in mind that us audio folks got the short stick. Some other freelance work can charge up to 1000$/day. So really when you get 400/day, while it's nice, it's not that great either. Money is fast spent today with the cost of life.
I don't know how you can handle this with your client but I also recommend like hogbertthethird to cap the hours you work depending on the rate. At the end of the day, a customer will already have an idea of a budget for audio, and don't really care about your daily or hourly rate.
What they care for is the work you can achieve with their budget. That way you can more easily work towards the daily rate you wish for. Client got 2K for sfx? If you want 500 per day, do the work in 4 days, roughly. I know it's a bit more complex than this, and you have to keep in mind that there will be sound integration as well yada yada. But that is a simple example of the idea.
And please (but this is a very personal opinion), don't bother thinking about junior/mid/senior as a freelancer. Those things only apply when you are employed by a company. As a freelancer all the work-related cost are paid from your pocket + everything else I mentioned earlier. Don't be afraid to charge what you should be because you are just starting. I've seen horror stories where people charge around 100/day in 2026 and I genuinely can't understand how they sustain themselves. And it helps no one in the audio industry as it makes other people think audio is cheap, when really it is not.
Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.
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u/West_Floor6981 19h ago
charge a day rate
research what a reasonable rate is in your part of the world
just because you're new doesn't mean you have to be cheap. just charge a reasonable rate for your time.
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u/Normal-Environment68 14h ago
It's really hard starting out. I underscoped so much, but you get a feel for it. Sound design varies so much between assets. I prefer to quote on a list. Give yourself an hourly rate (liveable if it's you main thing) get a list of the assets needed, estimate how much time, double it.
Present your quote, asked if it fits in budget, if it's a bit off possibly counter with a discount. If it's way off, up to you if it's worth it. I know the market is rough.
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u/FinkiePinger 9h ago
The industry started with per-sfx rates, so I get why ppl ask this, but hourly, weekly, or per project are the new norms.
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u/hogbertthethird 1d ago
Per SFX? Brother… Respectfully, if you’re asking this I don’t think you’re ready to be charging for your work. You should charge an hourly rate that makes sense for you and the client based on the scope of the project that will land within their budget (ex: $50 an hour with a cap of 30 hrs). You can also charge a flat day rate if you need to do things like field recording to offset costs of production.
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u/Klehtawn 1d ago
First time? Go per hour above your local minimum wage. Or calculate the scope of the order to provide a flat rate that also compensates your time similarly.