Getting a feel for what the house is hearing

[kweary]

Here is the deal. I do my productions in an old theatre. I am trying to find a way to be able to hear what mix the audience is hearing, rather that what is only coming out of the speakers (i.e. mics only). We don't mic our orchestra, so somehow, I have to rig a mic that is somewhere in the audience so I can then run that to a monitor and listen via headphones so I can control the sound of the orchestra...

Any suggestions or thoughts for me...?!?

[MarshallPope]

Is there no possible way to move your mix position into the house?

[chausman]

If you don't mic your orchestra, what part of the orchestra are you trying to control?

[kweary]

Sorry, I truly know nothing about sound...what do you mean by move your mix to the house? We don't mic the orchestra, but I want to make sure that the balance between the orchestra and the singers is a good mix.

[MarshallPope]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I mean to move your sound board into the house. I'm assuming that you've already thought through why this may not work for you, but it's best to cover all of our bases. It's amazing how sometimes the most obvious solutions seem to elude us.

[kweary]

currently the sound board is at the rear of the house. We are lucky because we are running 30 wireless mics, which makes it hard for our sound person (just a faculty member) to adjust sounds after our tech rehearsals...so I try to control the orchestra to make sure that they don't overpower the singers...

[MarshallPope]

Ah, that makes it much clearer. I assumed that you were on sound. Do you not have anyone back at the board during performances?

Without knowing your setup, the easiest thing for you to do (Aside from having someone at the board keeping their fingers busy) would likely be to have a mic at some point in the house, running through the board, and through an aux out, which is what you normally would use to feed stage monitors. Your board may have a control room out or a headphone out or something similar that could be used as well. It really depends on the equipment and personnel you have.

[museav]

Sorry, I truly know nothing about sound...what do you mean by move your mix to the house? We don't mic the orchestra, but I want to make sure that the balance between the orchestra and the singers is a good mix.

I think they mean literally mix from a location out in the audience so that you hear what they hear.

A mic out in the room would likely help you get some idea of the balance of the unreinforced orchestra and the reinforced sound but it's not going to let you actually hear what an audience member hears. Something like Georg Neumann GmbH - Products/Current Microphones/KU 100/Description or KEMAR Manikin Type 45BA placed in an audience seat and monitored with headphones might get you much closer to hearing what they hear if you can part with a seat and around $8,000.

[Lambda]

I think they mean literally mix from a location out in the audience so that you hear what they hear.

A mic out in the room would likely help you get some idea of the balance of the unreinforced orchestra and the reinforced sound but it's not going to let you actually hear what an audience member hears. Something like Georg Neumann GmbH - Products/Current Microphones/KU 100/Description or KEMAR Manikin Type 45BA placed in an audience seat and monitored with headphones might get you much closer to hearing what they hear if you can part with a seat and around $8,000.

I can only imagine the reaction of audience members when they walk in and see one of those sitting in a seat. "I didn't know robots went to the theater..."

currently the sound board is at the rear of the house. We are lucky because we are running 30 wireless mics, which makes it hard for our sound person (just a faculty member) to adjust sounds after our tech rehearsals...so I try to control the orchestra to make sure that they don't overpower the singers...

So, let me make sure I have this right. You direct the orchestra, and you want to make sure you aren't having them play too loud and overpower the singers?
We have that problem sometimes, too. Our solution was to give the music director an intercom headset, and then the sound board operator would simply tell her when the orchestra was too loud.
What do you mean by "...makes it hard for our sound person (just a faculty member) to adjust sounds after our tech rehearsals"? That there isn't someone working the board during the show? That seems a bit unusual, especially with 30 mics.