mooman - that's a great point about finding a qualified sound tech you can afford. There is a solution though - Have any friends in another band who have decent ears who aren't playing the same schedule as you? With a little training, they can be taught the basics of running a board fairly quickly. Then make yourself available to do the same thing for them.

Like I said before, it is entirely possible (although not ideal) to run sound for a band while playing in a club or a bar for 50 to 200 people. If you're playing a BIG venue - it is impossible. It just doesn't work. Even if the board is next to the stage and your sound guy is moving around the hall to check the overall sound and tweaking as needed for the entire first set - that is something you can't do if you're playing.

Pete