Stuart R
Member
Greetings, all.
I’m the new arts chair (as of last fall) at a school with a well-established musical theatre program, but little budget to staff the tech end of things. I’ve done a fair bit of lighting design through the years, so I’ve been able to cover that myself, and we farm out the set design/building (same for costumes). That leaves sound, of which I know fairly little.
Since every parent needs to hear every peep that Junior utters on stage, we usually run every one of our 25 wireless mics. We know how to get them working, have a system for dealing with mic cues in the script, and are pretty good at riding the faders so that soloists are heard, etc. What we know nothing about, however, are issues like EQ, latency, and fx processing. Some of the issues we grapple with are that we get feedback too often (mostly when the stage is full of singers), the kids can sound tinny, and there sometimes is an undercurrent of static (pink noise, I’m told), etc. Basically, we just want them to sound better.
I have a few questions for you audio pros:
CURRENT INVENTORY:
(1) Yamaha QL5 digital mixing console
(2) DBX 2231 Equalizer/Limiter with Type III NR graphic equalizer/limiter
(1) DBX Driverack PA+ loudspeaker manager
(1) Rio 3224-D digital stage box / Dante
(4) EV CPS2 power amplifier
(1) Crown Power Base 2 power amplifier
(14) Shure ULX-D1 G50 Wireless Belt Pack
(14) Shure ULX-D G50 Wireless Receiver
(11) Shure ULX-D1 H50 Wireless Belt Pack
(11) Shure ULX-D H50 Wireless Receiver
(2) Shure UA844+SWB antenna distribution system
(10) Shure ULX D2 G50 SM58 Handheld Wired Microphones
(2) EV force monitor
(1) JBL Cabaret Model 4602B monitor
(6) EV Speakers (don't know the models – not very accessible!)
Any advice you’d have to share would be most welcome.
Stuart Rosenthal
Miami, FL
I’m the new arts chair (as of last fall) at a school with a well-established musical theatre program, but little budget to staff the tech end of things. I’ve done a fair bit of lighting design through the years, so I’ve been able to cover that myself, and we farm out the set design/building (same for costumes). That leaves sound, of which I know fairly little.
Since every parent needs to hear every peep that Junior utters on stage, we usually run every one of our 25 wireless mics. We know how to get them working, have a system for dealing with mic cues in the script, and are pretty good at riding the faders so that soloists are heard, etc. What we know nothing about, however, are issues like EQ, latency, and fx processing. Some of the issues we grapple with are that we get feedback too often (mostly when the stage is full of singers), the kids can sound tinny, and there sometimes is an undercurrent of static (pink noise, I’m told), etc. Basically, we just want them to sound better.
I have a few questions for you audio pros:
- Can anyone recommend a text, a YouTube video series, a summer workshop, or some other source for securing a decent basic education on mixing live sound for theatre?
- We don’t have the funds to hire an outside audio engineer for the runs of our shows, but have heard that getting someone in to “EQ the Room” might help to improve the overall sound quality. I’d like to get a couple bids on such a visit from local outfits, but don’t yet know enough to be a smart shopper. What does an “EQ the Room” visit entail anyway? What would the scope of services be, how long might it take, and how much might we expect this to cost?
- The one bid we’ve gotten so far describes the service offered as follows: “Our objective for the system tune is to get the PA system to sound as flat a possible. This would be achieved by using Real Time Analyzing software and placing high-end reference microphones at different listening positions. The EQ is then sent to achieve the best sound possible amongst these listening positions. Unfortunately due to your system’s limited processing capabilities this can be quite difficult. We are limited to preset settings on your current EQ units. But I’m sure we can get it to sound better. Ultimately, I would advise to get a professional processor installed to allow for greater flexibility for the system tune.” The fee quoted is $500 for an approximate two-hour visit. Does the process, and the fee, sound kosher?
- I assume the EQ the Room operation is different and separate from EQ’ing the mics? We find that the sounds coming out of the 25 wireless mics varies enormously, in everything from volume/gain to natural v. artificial sound, tone, sense of distance, and understandability. Some of this is tied to mic placement (we use country style mics) and the vocal production of the individual singers, but what can we do with the mic gain, EQ, and fader levels to help create a more unified result?
- I found an old email between my predecessor and a commercial audio firm, which at the time was suggesting that the school purchase a BiAmp TesiraFORTE Digital Audio Server, which they claim would allow us to EQ the room. We never bought one, given the $1600 price tag (current sound equipment inventory below). Should we in fact buy one of these things? If so, is that the one to get, or are there better (and cheaper) suggestions for our needs?
CURRENT INVENTORY:
(1) Yamaha QL5 digital mixing console
(2) DBX 2231 Equalizer/Limiter with Type III NR graphic equalizer/limiter
(1) DBX Driverack PA+ loudspeaker manager
(1) Rio 3224-D digital stage box / Dante
(4) EV CPS2 power amplifier
(1) Crown Power Base 2 power amplifier
(14) Shure ULX-D1 G50 Wireless Belt Pack
(14) Shure ULX-D G50 Wireless Receiver
(11) Shure ULX-D1 H50 Wireless Belt Pack
(11) Shure ULX-D H50 Wireless Receiver
(2) Shure UA844+SWB antenna distribution system
(10) Shure ULX D2 G50 SM58 Handheld Wired Microphones
(2) EV force monitor
(1) JBL Cabaret Model 4602B monitor
(6) EV Speakers (don't know the models – not very accessible!)
Any advice you’d have to share would be most welcome.
Stuart Rosenthal
Miami, FL