Sound for Musicals – Part Two

When it comes to casting, please remember to keep sound in mind.  A few specific things that will make for a better show.

First, think projection. 

Does the actor have a voice BIG enough for the role.  You might want to reconsider a lead who has a nice, but tiny voice.

Coach projection throughout the rehearsal process.  Make sure the actors are filling the room with their voices, particularly when it comes to dialogue.  There’s nothing tougher than pushing the sound system to the point of feedback because the kids are whispering their lines, and then being blown out when they begin to sing!

Not everyone in the cast needs a line.  Characters with lines need mics.  It sounds bad to have characters with lines off mic, when others are on mic.  Lots of characters means lots of mics, mic packs and and pack switches.  Don’t make this harder by insisting that every kid who auditions gets some sort of line or solo. There is nothing wrong with having a chorus or ensemble.

That brings us to the topic of equipment.  You may be lucky enough to have wireless mics on hand.  The question is this.  Are they professional grade, quality units.  Here’s a rule of thumb.  If you paid less than $700.00 per unit for them, they’re probably not adequate.  You will have dropouts and problems.  Don’t force your sound person to use them!  If you do, don’t  blame them for the problems!

Also, please understand that mixing and matching wireless units requires more work for your sound person.  Coordinating wireless frequencies is not for the faint of heart.  It takes time and the right tools to do it.  Make sure you plan for this in the budget and production process.

When you get to technical rehearsals (you have scheduled tech rehearsals, right?) don’t forget sound. I like to have a time during  a rehearsal to go over mic use with actors.  We talk about pack placement, swaps and placement of elements.

Then, plan on a sound check before a run-through. Plan on five minutes for each actor with a mic to allow the sound operator to get things dialed in.  In musicals, most sound operators will want to place the mic element over the actors ear, or in the hairline.  This technique can sound great, but it requires a bit of time to get equalization set to achieve a natural sound.

During the sound check, I have actors sing a number from the show.  We do this a capella.  No piano or orchestra.  It makes it much easier to get things dialed in.  For actors with no musical numbers, I generally provide a printed monologue to keep them from stumbling and stammering, trying to think of what to say.

Sound checks continue through the rehearsal process, and I insist on them prior to every performance, at least for key characters, generally scheduled just  prior to the house opening.

Don’t expect that any sound operator or designer will be able to come in an provide flawless sound with just one rehearsal.  It just will not happen.  You won’t be happy, and the sound person will be frustrated as well. 

Remember, the sound person has to hit every entrance, exit and line.  That’s not easy! At an absolute minimum the sound person will need three or four rehearsals to get things right.

Like I said, sound for musicals is not easy, but it’s rewarding.  I love doing it, at least when I have the right tools and the time to get things right.   Hopefully, these tips will help you as you get ready for your next big show!

Sound for Musicals – For Directors

One of my favorite things to do in live sound is a musical. I think it’s one of the toughest assignments in all of audio.  Getting consistent sound from night to night, dealing with hundreds of cues, wireless issues, and an orchestra is a real challenge!

I fairly regularly do sound for high school shows which I also really enjoy.  It can be a challenge, though, working with a drama teacher or even a volunteer director who doesn’t regularly deal with a “real” sound designer. 

Here are a few tips for directors that will go a long way toward preventing sound related problems with the show.

The biggest issue I run into is a director who doesn’t work the technical aspects of a show far enough ahead of time.  Quality sound for your show takes time.  That means time before technical rehearsals, during rehearsals, and before doors open for each show.

Let’s break it all down.

Long before the show moves into technical rehearsal, the sound designer begins work.  As soon as casting is complete, and the director has a feel for blocking and set design, I want to see a As soon as possible, the sound guy needs a clean and complete photocopy of the script. 

Complete means every single cut, line change or other change you’ve make.  Clean means a good copy.  Be nice and go ahead and 3 hole punch it for a binder.  One page of the script to a page.  Don’t use both sides of the paper.  We make lots of notes, and highlight, and things will fade through the pages. I like the script flush to the left hand side of the page. That way my notes can go down the right column.

In the alternative, you could scan the script with each page becoming a .jpg image.  I have done books in a spreadsheet using this technique.  I makes for a very nice book, and it’s great for long runs.

Once your sound designer has the book, he or she will go through the show, line by line and scene by scene. The object of this exercise is to find every sound effect or piece of music needed, and to determine who needs a body mic, and when.  As a director, you may be used to doing this yourself.  Feel free to give you sound person input and preferences.  That’s always helpful.  If they’re good, your sound designer will likely be able to show you how to do the show with more efficient, fewer and more appropriate mic pack swaps.

Speaking of swaps, there is nothing wrong with using a wireless unit for multiple characters.  But remember this!  ONLY the transmitter moves.  The microphones stay with the actor.  It’s difficult enough to keep the mics in the right places on actors to avoid bad sound without trying to move them around.

In theater mic placement is critical.  In a more traditional show, we want to keep the mics as invisible as possible.  Mics are often placed over the ear, or in the hairline using elastic loops.  Occasionally, they may be concealed in clothing, but this is tough.  Mic elements are not draped over the ear and taped in the middle of the cheek.

Wherever the mic is placed, the key is consistency from performance to performance.  For that reason, I like using an ear clip rig like the one shown here.  Telex makes them, and they are a real help. A piece of heat shrink tube or some tape to mount the mic element, and you simply don’t have to worry about placement issues.  They stay in place all night long!

One final note.  If you’re using wireless microphones for a musical, then every character who has a line should be amplified.  It just doesn’t work to have some actors on a mic, and others without.  It’s distracting the the audience, and when the un-mic’d lines come up… it looks like the sound guy made a mistake.

But even with all of your actors on a wireless microphone, don’t make the mistake of thinking the sound system will solve every projection issue!  They won’t.  We’ll look at what a director needs to remember during casting and rehearsal tomorrow!

Photo by Omega Man

Free (almost) Backgrounds and Loops

It’s not Monday… but this one is limited time resource!   How about some nearly free loops and animations?  Footage Firm is offering looping motion background DVD’s for just $8.41 each.  They have 10 collections available, so for $84.10 you can get them all.  I’ve glanced over them, and they look fairly usable.   They are SD and 4:3, and they include both an .avi and a .mov of each loop.  Pretty sweet deal for a Wednesday, but you need to hurry.  They say they only have 500 of each disk so you need to order it now!

Monday Resource - ConfineMouse

If you’ve ever accidentally wandered off your primary display and had your mouse cursor end up on the display screen (like I have) you’ll appreciate this cool little utility.  ‘ConfineMouse’ does just what it says it will do.  It keeps the mouse confined to one screen.  Best of all, it’s another freebie, thanks to One Hour Software.

Another Legal and Cheap Image Resource

We haven’t had a Monday Resource post in quite a while!  Sorry about that!  I need to get busy, don’t I?

To get us back on track, here’s another option you can turn to when you need great and affordable images for your blog, website, or print projects.  Check out out Fotolia.  It will remind you of our old friend iStock.  Tons of images.  Great search capabilities.  And it’s pretty cheap.

Remember, legal use of images matters!  Ripping off artists, especially in the name of “church” just plain sucks, particularly when it’s pretty easy and very affordable to do the right thing!

PR Firm Needs New PR

I’ve always hated the phrase “Public Relations.”  I’ve hated it, even though I’ve made a reasonable living at it at times during my career.  I’ve always thought it sounds like you’ve gotten caught doing something inappropriate in the parking garage by the Warren Theater in Old Town.

I’ve also said that there are some folks who don’t deserve good public relations counsel. There is conduct for which you deserve to be hammered for engaging in.

The flip side of that is that there are some clients a PR firm should never, ever take represent.  That’s my opinion at least. 

Clearly, there is at least one firm that disagrees.

HT to Jon at For Your Entertainment.

The Stormy Sea

A pretty good friend of mine is struggling right now.   Feeling economic pressure, because his work has slowed quite a bit.  This is a guy who is every bit of faithful.  He wants to be where God wants him to be, and that’s just not very clear to him at the moment.  I can relate, in making the transition from full time gainful employment to the “life of leisure” as I’ve taken to calling it.

I rolled through Psalm 107 this morning, and it hit me in the face.

Some of you made a living by sailing the mighty sea, and you saw the miracles the Lord performed there.  At his command a storm arose, and waves covered the sea.

You were tossed to the sky and to the ocean depths,
until things looked so bad that you lost your courage. You staggered like drunkards and gave up all hope. You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord , and he rescued you. He made the storm stop and the sea be quiet.

You were happy because of this, and he brought you to the port where you wanted to go. You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us.

He’s planning to take me where I want to go.   That’s cool.  It doesn’t seem to bother him too much that I might lose courage from time to time.  He’s still got a handle on it.  Hmmm.  I like that, a lot!

So, that’s personal.  Phil Cooke had some very interesting thoughts on what the economic slowdown means for organizations a short while back.

The short version…  a strong brand will survive and can even thrive during a downturn. Keep your head about you and pay attention to the fundamentals.  Keep the brand unified, don’t make decisions based on short term conditions if they will have long term impact, and take advantage of  the stress to spur real innovation.  It’s worth your time to read, right here.