So, here we are the Friday before tech week. My work as sound designer is done. Now, I become a technician.
Just what is the job of a sound designer? Traditionally, a sound designer reads the script and marks all the locations that require audio cues not provided by a live band. Then, the designer builds effects for each cue. I’ve was told at a sound seminar that designers can create, buy, or steal effects, and I’ve found that to be quite a true statement. A designer also works with the director to finds all instances of music not produced by the band, whether for pre-show, act break, of after show. Now, designing for Evita is wonderfully simple. We have one cue: the opening movie, which is actually an excerpt from one of Eva Peron’s movies! Scott usually picks pre-show music, but hadn’t figured anything out yet this time. I did some research this morning on traditional Argentinean music and found a movement called Nueva Canción, which combines folk and rock. It was mostly created to protest social issues, and was often censored by none other than President Juan Perón!
My other duty as New Line’s designer is to talk to our audio supplier and plan out a system to rent, as the sound system at the Washington University South Campus Theater is original to the 1980’s building and practically unusable. This involves lots of phone calling, e-mailing, and simply dealing with the limitations of the space. We came up with something that I think will sound pretty good. As any good sound guy, I always want more and better gear. There comes a point, however, where I have to realize that I have enough to make the show great, and any more will just be feeding my “soundy” ambition.
Now, on to the sound system! We usually use the house sound board, an A&H GL2200, and rent speakers, wireless mics, ensemble mics, and band monitors. This time, we’re trying QSC K12s as the main speakers, which is exciting, because I’ve heard a lot of good things about them but haven’t gotten a chance to actually hear them. Wireless will be 4 Shure ULXP and 2 Shure SLX with Countryman E6 headsets, except Eva, who gets a MKE-2 on the forehead (due to wig changes). I really like ULXPs, they’re a solid mid-grade professional wireless. Do I want UHF-R’s? Well, yes, but they’re not something I really need. I’m a bit concerned about the SLXs, but they’re a hell of a lot better than the fixed frequency consumer grade wireless I used last time. I also like the E6s. I’ll talk in a later post about why I like headsets better than lavs, but let’s just say I’m relieved that I can use them!
We’re getting some sort of speaker processor (I’m not sure exactly what) and there’s a DBX160 compressor and Klark Teknik DN405 parametric EQ in the back room. I’m going to try hard to come up with two more compressors and two more parametrics before Monday so I can insert them on the three leads. If I can’t come up with anything, I’ll give a listen and see who needs it most. Hopefully we’ll get everything I need provided by the rental and I won’t have to use any of my personal equipment, but I’m sure I’ll forget to ask for something and need to bring it myself.
We’re loading in the sound equipment tonight, so next I’ll report back on what happens and talk about what it means to be a technician.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
A bit about me
Hello everybody!
My name is Robert, and I'm the Sound Designer/Sound Technician for New Line Theater's July 2010 production of Evita. I'll be updating throughout Evita, and (hopefully) beyond, but more on that later.
First, a bit about myself. I'm from Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis. I attended Kirkwood High School, where I first became interested in sound at the high school's Keating Performing Arts Center. At the beginning, I was only wanted to build sets. However, we used an attendance system to determine the tech positions, and since I attended all the crew sessions, I got first pick. Not knowing what was going on, I chose concentration almost randomly- sound looked interesting, so I took a prime sound position under the wing of our head sound techs. Stage crew rapidly defined my high school experience. We were a tight-knit but accepting group, and didn't give in to the silliness and infighting between cast and crew that most high school tech crews fall victim to.
Kirkwood High School is a land of opportunity for an aspiring technician- the equipment rivals most college theaters. Furthermore, the Keating Center operated as a semi-professional theater, renting the space to outside groups. We were paid to work as technicians. I learned sound quickly; formal training, however, was spotty at best. Most of what I know today I learned by hours of trial and error. In the first two years, 70% of the problems I fixed were problems I caused myself (now down to about 50%!). By the end of my junior year, I had figured out and documented the patchwork of equipment. My senior year, I became the head technician and began a system-wide upgrade process.
When it came time to pick a college, I looked at schools thinking I would be a structural engineer or architect. In doing so, I discovered architectural engineering, which is a mix of both. Architectural engineers are building engineers- they take the plans that architects draw and create a practical building: structure, electric systems, HVAC, acoustics, and so on.
Wait, acoustics?
Inadvertently, I had picked a field that combined two of my interests and I could still work with sound. Absolutely perfect. Based on the strength of their architectural engineering program, I decided to attend the University of Kansas. It just so happens that Kansas also has the best acoustics program in the Midwest.
I’m now entering my sophomore year at KU and am beginning to specialize into acoustics. I work heavily in my dorm’s theater providing technical services and furnishing some equipment. When I return to Lawrence, I plan on beginning a small sound company that would provide live sound and DJ services to the Lawrence and Kansas City areas.
Here's a picture of the Keating Center:
Before I go, some sound-nerd-speak. This will occur often, but I'll try to put it at the end of each post. It's probably incomprehensible to a normal person, but if you understand the jargon, you're probably the kind of person that would find it interesting!
As shown in the picture, the Keating Center has a Soundcraft MH3-32 console at FOH (an absolutely fabulous board). The speakers are set up in a LCR array, with EV T53s as the left-right pair and an EV TL606DW + HP Horns + DH1 center cluster. Amps are Crest Pro200 series. The speakers are starting to show their age, but still sound pretty good. The picture shows some Vega wireless units that were trashed due to the 700 Mhz switch and replaced with 16 Shure ULXP receivers. Monitors are run from FOH. 6 mixes are available, and the Keating Center has 4 EV FM12C monitors (another excellent piece of equipment) and 2 EV Sx100s that double as portable speakers elsewhere in the facility.
Well, that's all for today! Next time I'll talk about designing for Evita.
My name is Robert, and I'm the Sound Designer/Sound Technician for New Line Theater's July 2010 production of Evita. I'll be updating throughout Evita, and (hopefully) beyond, but more on that later.
First, a bit about myself. I'm from Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis. I attended Kirkwood High School, where I first became interested in sound at the high school's Keating Performing Arts Center. At the beginning, I was only wanted to build sets. However, we used an attendance system to determine the tech positions, and since I attended all the crew sessions, I got first pick. Not knowing what was going on, I chose concentration almost randomly- sound looked interesting, so I took a prime sound position under the wing of our head sound techs. Stage crew rapidly defined my high school experience. We were a tight-knit but accepting group, and didn't give in to the silliness and infighting between cast and crew that most high school tech crews fall victim to.
Kirkwood High School is a land of opportunity for an aspiring technician- the equipment rivals most college theaters. Furthermore, the Keating Center operated as a semi-professional theater, renting the space to outside groups. We were paid to work as technicians. I learned sound quickly; formal training, however, was spotty at best. Most of what I know today I learned by hours of trial and error. In the first two years, 70% of the problems I fixed were problems I caused myself (now down to about 50%!). By the end of my junior year, I had figured out and documented the patchwork of equipment. My senior year, I became the head technician and began a system-wide upgrade process.
When it came time to pick a college, I looked at schools thinking I would be a structural engineer or architect. In doing so, I discovered architectural engineering, which is a mix of both. Architectural engineers are building engineers- they take the plans that architects draw and create a practical building: structure, electric systems, HVAC, acoustics, and so on.
Wait, acoustics?
Inadvertently, I had picked a field that combined two of my interests and I could still work with sound. Absolutely perfect. Based on the strength of their architectural engineering program, I decided to attend the University of Kansas. It just so happens that Kansas also has the best acoustics program in the Midwest.
I’m now entering my sophomore year at KU and am beginning to specialize into acoustics. I work heavily in my dorm’s theater providing technical services and furnishing some equipment. When I return to Lawrence, I plan on beginning a small sound company that would provide live sound and DJ services to the Lawrence and Kansas City areas.
Here's a picture of the Keating Center:
Before I go, some sound-nerd-speak. This will occur often, but I'll try to put it at the end of each post. It's probably incomprehensible to a normal person, but if you understand the jargon, you're probably the kind of person that would find it interesting!
As shown in the picture, the Keating Center has a Soundcraft MH3-32 console at FOH (an absolutely fabulous board). The speakers are set up in a LCR array, with EV T53s as the left-right pair and an EV TL606DW + HP Horns + DH1 center cluster. Amps are Crest Pro200 series. The speakers are starting to show their age, but still sound pretty good. The picture shows some Vega wireless units that were trashed due to the 700 Mhz switch and replaced with 16 Shure ULXP receivers. Monitors are run from FOH. 6 mixes are available, and the Keating Center has 4 EV FM12C monitors (another excellent piece of equipment) and 2 EV Sx100s that double as portable speakers elsewhere in the facility.
Well, that's all for today! Next time I'll talk about designing for Evita.
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