AND Audio

About AND Audio

AND Audio is a Southern California -based audio production company founded by Andy Hernandez, a touring monitor engineer with 15 years on the road with artists including the Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas, DNCE, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Khalid, and The Kid Laroi. That experience became the foundation for his own business, which he started in 2020.

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As live events picked back up after COVID, the business grew quickly. Today, AND Audio takes on a wide range of work, from live concerts, rehearsals, and multitrack recordings to corporate events and red carpet premieres. With a small team of three employees and a strong network of freelancers, staying on top of every project is essential.

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The challenge: growing faster than the tools

In the early days, Andy kept things simple. Orders were built in spreadsheets, gear was tracked manually, and they used a separate platform for invoicing. It worked for four or five projects a month, but as the business grew, that way of working couldn't keep up.

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Gear was going out for multiple weeks at a time, projects were overlapping, and keeping track of equipment locations became genuinely difficult. On top of that, quoting was becoming very time-consuming. Andy would build a quote in one platform, then manually re-enter the same information into a spreadsheet every time.

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Beyond efficiency, Andy also wanted the business to look more professional. A spreadsheet can only go so far when you're pitching corporate clients and competing for high-end shows.

“Building quotes meant rebuilding everything in our sheets every time. It was a slow process. Once you get to 10 to 16 projects, with some out for multiple weeks, that's when you start losing track. That's when I knew I needed to find a quicker way."
_{Andy Hernandez- Founder & Owner, AND Audio}

Finding the right fit

When Andy started researching software, he looked at the options most common in his market. Some of the options he explored felt too expensive for where AND Audio was as a business. He wanted something that fit how a small business actually works and could grow with them over time. A fellow small business owner in LA recommended Rentman, saying it was the right fit for businesses like theirs.

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The fact that Rentman is web-based was another plus. Andy liked that any machine in the shop could run it and that new features are added regularly based on industry needs.

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How Rentman changed the way AND Audio works

One platform for all their operations. The biggest shift was moving from multiple tools to a single platform. Now, a project in Rentman includes everything: the quote, the gear list, and financial reporting, giving them full visibility into every production.

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Real-time availability and updates. When a client calls mid-prep to change something, Andy can update the order in real time, and the warehouse team sees the update immediately.

“If something changes, I can update it right then and there. With Rentman, the warehouse always works from the latest information, not a version from two lists ago."
_{Andy Hernandez- Founder & Owner, AND Audio}

Faster quotes and better profitability tracking. AND Audio often works with corporate clients who expect a polished process. With Rentman, Andy can build quotes from templates with a single click, with pre-configured gear bundles already included. He can also see his costs before sending anything out, making sure his projects stay profitable.

“Being able to know your bottom line before you even send a quote is really helpful. In Rentman, you can see exactly what costs are associated with the project."
_{Andy Hernandez- Founder & Owner, AND Audio}

‍Smarter warehouse operations. The team now uses barcode scanners on wheeled carts to check gear in and out digitally, rather than relying on printed sheets. The switch has helped the crew work with a lot more precision and reduce errors.

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Each item in the inventory has photos attached, helping newer crew members identify equipment on their own. Serial numbers can also be assigned to specific jobs, so the right piece of gear always goes to the right gig.

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Repairs and inspections. When gear comes back from a gig, Andy can pull it out of inventory and assign it to someone for a check-up, all directly in Rentman. This cuts down on Slack messages that might get missed. They can also track any outstanding tasks in Rentman to see what else needs to be done.

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Project templates for recurring work. For recurring shows, templates save significant admin time. The pre-configured gear list is already there, so they can just add it and adjust as needed. They also get a clear overview of each project at a glance, so they know what’s already done and what still needs to be done.

The results so far

Since using Rentman, Andy says he spends 50% less time on admin work. Having one platform for all their operations has improved accuracy as well. They can now build quotes without worrying about manual mistakes, and orders are packed right every single time.

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Rentman's Online Quotes is another feature Andy sees as a real differentiator with corporate clients. Instead of sending a PDF, clients can view their quote, leave comments, and accept it right there. In a market where most companies still send static PDFs, that makes an impression.

“Clients can view their quote, make adjustments, add comments, and accept it right there. I don't know many people quoting that way. I think it gives us an edge."
_{Andy Hernandez- Founder & Owner, AND Audio}

With Andy now off the road full-time and able to focus entirely on AND Audio, the company is growing. Plans are in place to hire more staff this year and take on more ambitious and complicated projects. With Rentman supporting their operations, they’re ready to take on whatever comes next.