Proper Mixing Procedure

Hi all,
Is there an industry standard as to how to run a sound board during a live theatrical performance?

Do you set your levels at sound check and mute the channel, then unmute when needed? Never adjusting the fader unless absolutely necessary.
OR
Do you set the levels at sound check then bring the fader down to 0 and "slide in" the fader when needed?

Curiosity question as I was taught to mute and unmute way back when, yet my sound kids only want to slide in and are constantly getting the levels wrong and missing cues.

Opinions?

IMHO the "proper" way to mix a musical would be line-by-line fading, i.e. your second suggestion. I would never use mutes in a musical unless you have scene-based snapshots. However VCAs also take care of that issue by assigning faders and fader groups to individual VCA channels per snapshot, and unused channels are not represented in the VCA fader bank.

When I say line-by-line, I mean the fader goes up for the line, then back down at the end of the line. It's easier to do this if you number each line in the script with the corresponding channel number from the board. You will mix your musical pretty much staring at the script the entire time until you start to memorize the dialogue and know when lines are spoken by each actor in a scene.

You will also find that when using this method, as time goes on you tend to use up to four fingers on each hand to try to operate up to 8 faders simultaneously. It can become quite an art.

Bottom line though -- line by line fading eliminates most of the cross-pickup issues between actors. If the actors are in a scene together you don't necessarily have to have each actor mic all the way down in between lines ... just keep it at least 10db lower than the person who is speaking and most of the cross pickup effect will be eliminated.

I've mixed shows with 24 mics and no VCAs this way, with several actors in a scene at times ... it's not easy, but once you get the hang of it you will be pretty effective at it, and the show sounds much better.

I generally mute/unmute when I'm comfortable with a show. I'm more inclined to fade in/out when I'm just learning it. I almost never actually mix line by line. I use mute buttons so I can be relatively consistent.

But I wouldn't say "never adjusting the faded unless absolutely necessary" is ever how I'd mix. Things change constantly throughout shows, so I'd never try to be strict about changing anyone's levels.


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When doing line by line fading I am constantly adjusting faders, especially in a song where words, phrases or notes may carry at different volumes ... and even more so if I don't have a digital board with compression on each input channel to help curb the peaks ... for me there is no "set" position for any actor's mic (only for playback channels)

redmagik said:

Hi all,
Is there an industry standard as to how to run a sound board during a live theatrical performance?

Do you set your levels at sound check and mute the channel, then unmute when needed? Never adjusting the fader unless absolutely necessary.
OR
Do you set the levels at sound check then bring the fader down to 0 and "slide in" the fader when needed?

Curiosity question as I was taught to mute and unmute way back when, yet my sound kids only want to slide in and are constantly getting the levels wrong and missing cues.

Opinions?

Click to expand...

Large musicals are typically mixed in the same fashion -- Input faders sit at Unity (0 dB), you route the input to your DCA, and throw to -10dB and adjust input channel gain to taste and that is your speaking level. You throw to -5dB to 0dB and that's your singing level. Mutes are automatically programmed into the desk to mute/unmute input channels - anything not routed to a DCA is muted, and anything routed to a DCA is unmuted. You do not program in input fader moves for 2 reasons -- 1. Fader motors could burn out, which could be an issue when paging through layers and 2. Most desks track the faders position using an analog sensor, if that sensor gets confused, it could easily read an improper level and throw off the intended output even if you see the input fader at unity. I have had this happen during a show to QLab input faders, not fun hearing quiet FX blare through the system at full scale. For these reasons, you attempt to move the input faders as little as possible. Really important on older desks where parts are hard to come by (check the price of PM1D faders these days, the cost is a few hundred dollars per fader, I mix on one semi-frequently, we have the budget to change out DCA faders every year, but not a whole console of faders).

The show is mixed line-by-line on the DCA faders, typically your final two or three DCA faders are reserved for Reverb Sends and Band Control.

Large musicals tend to not sound check every day -- you do a sound check maybe once a week on the rehearsal day, otherwise you check out the mics yourself every day to make sure they work, and you hear them on the actor at top of show. You get notes from stage management if someone is feeling under the weather or have an understudy, and you can pull the actor on stage at 5 minutes to house open to set a quick level on them. Typically you have heard an understudy in a put-in rehearsal and can just recall the understudies preset and go about business as usual. During the show if you need to adjust input gain so you can throw the DCA consistently (once you are a proficient mixer, you seldom look at the faders, and instead look at the stage or your script for the entire show) you adjust input fader level or the trim level if your console has trim control -- this will make sure that you can visually see gain changes and re-set at the end of the night very easily.

In a properly deployed PA, most designers I work with tend to not use any compression on vocals, instead relying on the quick reflexes of a mixer who is quick on the faders to act as a human compressor. I tend to only use vocal compression on the most dynamic of female singers to help reign in their belting show-stopping notes, but that is entirely case dependent because sometimes you get lucky and can take the fader out entirely and let them carry the room. The biggest thing to remember when mixing a musical is that the fader works both ways -- when you need more of something, oftentimes its because you need less of something else, don't let the audiences ears get tired because of a mix that is too loud, sometimes you want them on the edge of their seat trying to hear the show, a bad mixer can tank a show as quick as a bad script or bad actor, simply by wearing out the audience to the point that they want to tune out the show.

Wow, great responses and information! Should have joined this site sooner. Our biggest issue, in the high school, is the student sound designer and board op, tend to not learn the show until tech week. As I understand it, as I'm new to the program, it has been an on going issue. Massive missed cues. So, in short, i'm trying to fix an issue which has been happenig for awhile. How does everyone, that works with high school students, combat missed cues. I have the PSM calling cues, an assistant on script, we've tried to require them to come to work thru's to learn the show but they are so resistant. All they keep saying is, "we'll get it". Any suggestions?

Practice. Clear labeling. If the student knows the kid better than the character, label it in a way they'll immediately say "OH! Jimmy is on stage" If they're getting a grade for anything it seems theres an easy way to fix "resistance" to coming to rehearsals. Standby cues in front of cues they've missed in the past so they've got an extra warning before the person comes on. Or split the board in half and have two ops. That way they focus on the big picture less and have fewer people to be responsible for.

long story short, practice. Be it, they get older and have done it longer or more rehearsals to learn entrances etc, some kids pick it up inherently others need more patience.

Are you talking about the actors and stage hands missing cues, or the sound op? The sound op has the script to follow, and so long as everyone follows the script everything will be okay. I shadowed a couple of professional touring performances in past years, and in both cases the sound ops relied on the actors to follow the scripts correctly.

If actors skip lines or speak out of sequence there isn't much you can do. If there are scenes with ad-libbing in them, you just tend to leave that actor's mic up, keeping a finger on it to adjust as needed.

If the performance is plagued with mistakes so that you will miss a lot of lines by following the script to the letter, then using the -10db strategy instead of fully dropping the faders tends to work well for me ... if someone misspeaks you will still hear them (albeit at a lower volume), and you will cut out most of the cross-pickup.

It's the sound op missing the cues. The op has had a script in front of them in the past but they are so inexperienced that they can't handle following the script and mixing accurately. Hence I've added an assistant to help with warmning cues for when an actor is coming on stage. They are just so resistant to follow what we say I am considering replacing with those that will come to work thru's prior to tech week to learn the show.

Have you numbered the script? A big number on the left or righthand margin of the script, the number representing the fader number. you will have a number for each line of the script. Circle the number to make it prominently visible. Use console tape on the board so you can label the faders with big visible numbers using a sharpie.

It seems infantile to do it this way but it makes it really easy to read the script and find your faders. I can walk into a show with no prior knowledge of the show and mix the show this way.

If you have board ops that will be more compliant and maybe more experienced, put them on and have your more inexperienced board ops shadow them so they can learn. Also, especially during musicals, it is helpful to have two board ops. Have one person only handle music and SFX cues, and the other person pretty much handles everything on the board. Mic levels and music levels.

High school teacher here; I deal with this all the time with high school kids who think they can do anything with no prep or practice. Here are my biggest tips (many have been said).

Prep the mics and system:
First (and this is really dumb, but) number the physical mic packs clearly, make a list of who has which one, and make sure at sound check that everyone has the right mic. If your mics are not identical, give the best ones the lowest numbers. Regardless, assign the biggest roles in the show the lowest numbers so they'll all be in the same place on the board. Label the board with three lines for every fader: 1: Mic # (unless your board clearly numbers the channels, like really big, then just start with the first one), 2: Character Name, 3: Actor's Name (if the operator or someone else knows the people better than the show). Really seriously discourage any switching of mics between actors unless it's between acts or some other really clear time when they can be checked again. During sound check, make sure gains are being set appropriately so the operator has the same response from each fader (unity is a decent level, etc.).

Prep the script:
With the mics numbered as described above, go through the script and number in a darker color (e.g. dark blue, brown, etc.) every single line with the mic number, at the left next to the name. If a mic goes bad and different one is substituted on show night, just physically exchange the cables' connectors at the board so the operator doesn't need to change the script. Now, the hard part. Watch the show carefully, or do this together with your stage manager, director, etc. Write down every single time anyone enters or leaves the stage, by number. Don't just guess from looking at the script. Use a brighter color, like red, or highlight these. I suggest putting the entrances in the left margin, and the exits in the right margin. Write "ON" next to all the entrances, and "OFF" next to all the exits. Even mark if the character goes off for a second, like to put down a suitcase or throw something away, even if it's not in the script.

Operating the show:
At least three people is ideal. (If there are a lot of sound effects, put a fourth kid on a laptop to deal with those.) Make a color photocopy of the prepared script for all three, put them in comb bindings or compact three-ring binders. Make some room in front of the board, and make sure there's enough running light that they can see it easily. One person is just in charge of the script, and the other two half the board each, but with a script for reference. The ideal person doesn't need to know anything about sound, but has a good memory for faces and names and has a strong commitment to the show. Maybe the kid who wants to be the stage manager but is a little young still. They should tell the other two what to do. Depending on how formal your crew is, this can be considered an assistant stage manager position, and they can say "Standby sound, mics 8, 10, 12 coming on", or they can just say "Get ready, 8, 10 and 12 are coming on in a second." Then they should actively watch the stage and make sure everything is matching up. This is the person who can give really good assistance: "That's #11, Billy!" Don't try to turn on the mics just for each line. Let the actors know that everyone's mic will be on whenever they are on stage. Also, let them know that ON is the priority, and they need to be silent for at least 10 seconds before an entrance and at least 10 seconds after an exit. Turn on the mic when the actor is scheduled to enter based on the script; don't wait for them to enter. Tell the actors that if they're late entering for some reason, they need to be silent as their mic will be on. This is a point of professionalism for them, too, since they'll be embarrassed to be heard from offstage, and it's ok to ask for their help. If a bunch of people are coming on while others are exiting, turn on the entrances and then get to the exits. If there's a big scene like this, tell the actors that they need to be silent a little longer in that particular exit. Again, that's ok.

Rehearsals, of course, are key. Do as many as possible. Oh, and If they really can't follow, put miniature headshots of the cast below the faders.

All of this presupposes a decent system and a good mic check. If you're getting lots of problems with feedback, too, put each fader up to -10 for the entrances, and boost a little as needed. The third (script) person should be ready on main fader to pull it down a bit if there's feedback so you're not hunting for individual issues.

redmagik said:

Wow, great responses and information! Should have joined this site sooner. Our biggest issue, in the high school, is the student sound designer and board op, tend to not learn the show until tech week. As I understand it, as I'm new to the program, it has been an on going issue. Massive missed cues. So, in short, i'm trying to fix an issue which has been happenig for awhile. How does everyone, that works with high school students, combat missed cues. I have the PSM calling cues, an assistant on script, we've tried to require them to come to work thru's to learn the show but they are so resistant. All they keep saying is, "we'll get it". Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

When I mix I typically make it to one full run before tech, which is typical for a lot of professional mixers. Sometimes two or three. I also send the A2 as well so they can figure out how to throw mics on actors. If you can swing it, get your A2 to do some mic fittings on the actors before tech so your focus is on audio quality from top of tech. On the West End mixers are in rehearsal from Day 1, fun fact. A mixer should be labelling their console and building as much of a show file as they can before tech and walking into Day 1 of tech with a fully marked script so they can power through the show in tech, using tech as a time to touch up the console file and learn the show fully. There should be no assistant on script, the mixer should be on script, and the cues the SM are giving should be as infrequent as possible -- if you have a mixer you can trust, let them take their sound fx cues on their own, or go to a cue light system (light bulb on a switch) so the mixer takes cues visually, marked into their script, as opposed to on a headset. You're in an educational environment, so missed cues will happen -- if you are their superior or educator, your job is to guide them to learn how to do this in preparation for the future. I always tell my new employees, who I am training to get bigger and better jobs, that they can make as many mistakes as they want, but they can only make each mistake once -- I hold that for missed lines in a show too. They can miss all the lines they want, but they can't miss that same line the next run-through or show, that way by the time opening night hits you have no missed lines!

Slightly different perspective here.
At my old high school there was a huge emphasis on learning not just how to operate systems, but also learning how they worked. Our tech director purposely never set up the systems himself. He would supervise, but by the start of tech, the board op understood what phantom power was, how signal flowed through the system, how to set gain, how to eq, etc. Starting a few days before tech, actors would get mics during rehearsals, both to let them practice with reinforcement (and monitors, for musicals), and to let the board op get comfortable in a situation where he could experiment without repercussions should he make a mistake. During this process the TD would coach him, both about mixing technique, and about organization. Instead of the TD creating an organizational system and teaching it to the student op, the TD would help the student understand why organization is important, and help him develop his own system, which would make the most sense to him personally. The board op would also be encouraged to sit in on as many rehearsals as possible, with his script and pencil in hand, until he was intimately familiar with all of the dialogue/songs. This resulted in a board op who had a system they knew in and out (because they designed it), knew the script top to bottom, and had enough practice mixing to not be timid/nervous during runs. By the time we hit tech, our op would be mixing fairly organically, and only rarely would a cue from the SM be required.

In regards to mic management, we had usually two students (one female, one male) every show designated as "mic wranglers", who were taught how to properly mic an actor, and how to diagnose any problems that could happen during a show. They were responsible for keeping track of batteries, labeling mic packs, and during shows, they were backstage on comms just in case of any emergencies.

This system worked largely in part to a culture which promoted self-motivation and ownership: the students always knew that this was "their show", and it was up to them to make it as good as possible. The tech directors were always there to advise, and were often consulted, but decisions were largely made by students, with the understanding that these decisions would be well thought-out and any issues would have been considered beforehand and talked through with an advisor. If you can get your students to feel the same responsibility towards your production, then they might be more inclined to put in the effort and attention to detail required to learn their craft thoroughly.

JDS, I love your ideas! I'm just getting started with trying to get my techies on how to operate since we are just over a month out. I like the labeling of the script idea. Any chance you have a picture of an old script (if that's allowed here) just to show how you label on/off and mics? Thanks!

KBToys82 said:

JDS, I love your ideas! I'm just getting started with trying to get my techies on how to operate since we are just over a month out. I like the labeling of the script idea. Any chance you have a picture of an old script (if that's allowed here) just to show how you label on/off and mics? Thanks!

Click to expand...

I'm afraid I've let the kids keep them at the end of the shows as souvenirs. Let me know if I can provide details, though.

themuzicman said:

When I mix I typically make it to one full run before tech, which is typical for a lot of professional mixers. Sometimes two or three. I also send the A2 as well so they can figure out how to throw mics on actors. If you can swing it, get your A2 to do some mic fittings on the actors before tech so your focus is on audio quality from top of tech. On the West End mixers are in rehearsal from Day 1, fun fact. A mixer should be labelling their console and building as much of a show file as they can before tech and walking into Day 1 of tech with a fully marked script so they can power through the show in tech, using tech as a time to touch up the console file and learn the show fully. There should be no assistant on script, the mixer should be on script, and the cues the SM are giving should be as infrequent as possible -- if you have a mixer you can trust, let them take their sound fx cues on their own, or go to a cue light system (light bulb on a switch) so the mixer takes cues visually, marked into their script, as opposed to on a headset. You're in an educational environment, so missed cues will happen -- if you are their superior or educator, your job is to guide them to learn how to do this in preparation for the future. I always tell my new employees, who I am training to get bigger and better jobs, that they can make as many mistakes as they want, but they can only make each mistake once -- I hold that for missed lines in a show too. They can miss all the lines they want, but they can't miss that same line the next run-through or show, that way by the time opening night hits you have no missed lines!

Click to expand...

I know a few people who will set up their desks in the rehearsal hall and work from there as well.

No matter how you cut it, the key to the way a pro mixes a musical is prep time. The more time you can spend with the script in hand the better. After that, console automation is key. Before digital Midas owned the touring world due to the power of their automation. If you have a more modern digital desk, X32 included here, this becomes much easier. VCA/DCA's really do change the way you mix when dealing with a musical. You can't be fumbling with layers when doing line by line mixing.