Mic / Sound Checks

[LPdan]

I'm curious as to how people conduct mic checks before each show in a musical theatre setting (lav mics). Our venue is a community theatre, and we normally have each person on stage to sing and speak a few lines. However, often they are holding the mic in place temporarily, so we never really check final placement. Also, I have heard that some bigger theatres don't even do mic checks with the performers. Obviously, we can verify the mics are functioning ourselves, but what is best practice before each show to verify placement, no cable routing damage, etc?

 

[jkowtko]

If the actor comes out holding the mic (which they often try to do) I tell them to come back out later on when the mic is mounted.

You can usually check RF operation while they are in the dressing rooms ... for me the mic check on stage is to set EQ for the night, since the mic placement and atmospheric conditions often change from one performance to the next.

-- John

 

[AxlD1234]

Actors should have the same mic every performance. So you should fit it to their head to sit where you want. Everytime they put it on it should fall in the same position.

If this is a musical. Have the performer sing their loudest/best song that they perform.

If it is a play have them speak lines in one part of the show.

They should sing the same song/Say the same lines every mic check so that you get the same quality every show.

 

[Footer]

I've worked in a few Equity houses that have crappy contracts so actors are called at 1/2 hour... so... no mic check. Not that big of a deal in reality if you have a decent tech period.

 

[gafftaper]

Here we have all the actors line up, fully in costume about 20 minutes before house open. We run through all the mic checks and then the teacher gives them their final pep talk and notes for the evening. It works out quite well. But I'm dealing with students so I have a lot more control of their schedule vs. working with an adult cast.

 

[DaveySimps]

We require all performers who are miced to sound check starting a half hour before house opens. We require that the mics be mounted and that they wear any hat or head gear they use during the show. This gives us time to troubleshoot any issues that might arise. Sound techs have to have fresh batteries in the transmitters, transmitters powered on and locked off, and a visual inspection done so the mics are available at least an hour before this.

~Dave

 

[themuzicman]

I've worked in a few Equity houses that have crappy contracts so actors are called at 1/2 hour... so... no mic check. Not that big of a deal in reality if you have a decent tech period.

Even in the biggest of equity houses, actors are called at half hour unless there is a fight call or makeup need.

As for sound check, I work predominately on large-scale musicals. Day to Day sound check entails the A2 battery'ing up all the microphones and doing an initial check on their own via a listening station in the A2 Rack. This is the first step that catches any shorts or sweat outs in the element. The listening station falls parallel to the main mult output that runs into the Console's inputs. Usually I have a parallel split snake, mics input the spit, 1 parallel output hits the listening station and another parallel output hits the console (I wish I had photos, but they are custom made by Masque Sound and are the Go-To in NYC unless you are on a cheap PRG show in which case they use really sub-par Toa Listening Stations or are on a newer show that is using the fancy Ma2chbox MADI Listening Stations). After that check, the mics are brought on-stage and the A2 talks into each mic just by holding them, and the A1 cracks them into the main PA to ensure integrity of the signal path. The only time I pull an actor out on to the stage before half hour is typically when I sub into a mix position on a show and have a new cast member I didn't get to meet or listen to during a put-in rehearsal. I'll have them run through a portion of their dialogue and then run through a song, really just so I know where to throw my faders and to get a feel for how dynamic they are.

It is the A2's job to ensure positioning -- typically at places call the A2 will run through the actors and make sure positioning looks good and than they will be at the listening station just solo'ing in actors to make sure it sounds good.

I generally never have a "day 1" sound check with actors, I'll dial their EQ in as we tech. If I have a designer that insists on a Day 1 actors on stage mic check, then I will do the same the entire process when we have put-in rehearsals for understudies. However with automated consoles these days, I generally have a static global EQ on the mic and then input delay and EQ thrown on scenes as actors move around stage and sound changes.

This all being said, when I tour I have an actors on stage sound check at hour before half without costumes just to dial in the mics to the room every time we hit a new venue, so any stop longer than a day we never do actors on stage mic check again - I generally take about 30 seconds an actor and we know exactly what songs we are going to hit. I'll start out with a massive ensemble number and knock out the entire ensemble in about 90 seconds to 2 minutes as I lay out the console with a Male and Female Ensemble Bus (further convoluted at times when I make groups for both ear rig and head rig and male and female) and then work my way down the leads taking a bit more time -- all in all I can get through a 30 person cast in about 7-10 minutes if my A2 is good and has pre-checked all the mics.

 

[agbobeck]

We do a day 1 EQ of all of the mics and save the EQ in our console. We will make adjustments as the tech process goes on. On day of show we will check each mic as it is batteried to make sure it turns on and has rf and af frequency. Then when
Places has been called our FOH engineer will check all the mics as performers come upstairs into range of the antennas. We don't find a need to re EQ the mics every night or to hear he performers sing into the mics every night. It is just a waste of time

 

[BobHealey]

For the community theaters I lurk in, I tend to do a quick listen check in my headphones while the cast is warming up on stage 5 min prior to house. I'll catch anything fixable, and anything major I don't have the parts, time, or people points to fix that close to curtain anyways. I don't like doing personal checks after the first day because it takes forever, and people are seldom ready according to schedule. For the special snowflakes that feel that they don't need to wear their mic for warmups, I let the director know (stage managers don't exist, the job is defined as chief person on run crew) that so and so didn't wear their mic/come out for warmups, and therefore their audio will be what it is.

 

[markviml]

Soundcheck is done on headphones at console. If there is a vocal warmup I'll put them through the mains for a bit and have the band confirm they have them in monitors. But this is after I've checked to hear each speaker so it's mostly for performer's confidence.

 

[NickVon]

For Community/semi pro theater, for a Curtain at 8pm. We battery and powerlock all mic' starting ready for 6:30. Actors have an 45 min to settle them selves grab their mic and come to us for "mic placement and taping." at 7:15 everyone in a mic steps out on stage. I ask them to sing a song they are most comfortable with. if there is a special duet (Joanne/Maureen duet in RENT) i'll ask them quick to do individual checks then a bit of their song together to make sure gain/fader positions are comparable. I don't spend more then about 10 seconds per person day of a show. Sometimes the director might want to run a full cast number or something and this leaves about 5-10 min for that before house opens.

For rehearsal, when I first started doing this I always asked for at least a 1st or 2nd day sound check. As I've gotten better and trained my ears and fingers I just make sure the mics are on and working and I'll EQ a baseline as the rehearsal happens.