Audio Cue Fading Between Device Outputs

[Rubcar91]

Sorry if this has been asked on here before, but a search of the boards didn’t produce any results.

I’m designing sound for a show, using QLab, and there’s a moment at the top where we want an audio cue to play through the theater’s regular speakers for a transition, but then as the lights come up on the next scene, we want the audio cue to fade from those speakers, and start playing over a wireless speaker we have onstage so the characters are now listening to it in the scene. Essentially we want a cue to go from being “incidental music” to “diegetic music”.

Is it possible to have the same audio cue continue playing from one device output and seamlessly transfer to another? I’m sure there is I’ve just never done this effect before.

 

[Amiers]

Have both cues playing and manually move the faders from the sound board.

 

[AlexDavila]

Is it possible to have the same audio cue continue playing from one device output and seamlessly transfer to another? I’m sure there is I’ve just never done this effect before.

You have a couple options here. First, and the better option, is to create an Aggregate Audio Interface, basically a virtual device that routes to both physical devices in software. macOS has the ability to do this fairly easily from the Audio MIDI Setup application. A quick google search found this post from someone essentially doing the same thing, just with wired interfaces.

https://www.rocktzar.com/aggregate-audio-interfaces-osx-use-qlab-course/

The second, quick and dirty method would be to run two instances of the audio simultaneously, one routed to the onstage speaker at -inf and the other in the house at it’s playing level. Then just activate two fade cues simultaneously, the cue to the onstage speaker fading in and the cue to the house fading out. It could get tricky with complicated cue stacks, but it sounds like what you’re trying to accomplish is fairly simple.

Good luck!

 

[RonHebbard]

Sorry if this has been asked on here before, but a search of the boards didn’t produce any results.

I’m designing sound for a show, using QLab, and there’s a moment at the top where we want an audio cue to play through the theater’s regular speakers for a transition, but then as the lights come up on the next scene, we want the audio cue to fade from those speakers, and start playing over a wireless speaker we have onstage so the characters are now listening to it in the scene. Essentially we want a cue to go from being “incidental music” to “diegetic music”.

Is it possible to have the same audio cue continue playing from one device output and seamlessly transfer to another? I’m sure there is I’ve just never done this effect before.

@Rubcar91 Unless you need your onstage speaker to play SCREAMINGLY LOUD you can likely have it play the entire cue with your patrons not noticing the onstage speaker due to it being over powered by your mains. I suspect your source will be stereo out front but summed to mono for your onstage speaker. This should simplify your cue to fading out your mains and leaving only your onstage.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[Brenden Friedel]

Sorry if this has been asked on here before, but a search of the boards didn’t produce any results.

I’m designing sound for a show, using QLab, and there’s a moment at the top where we want an audio cue to play through the theater’s regular speakers for a transition, but then as the lights come up on the next scene, we want the audio cue to fade from those speakers, and start playing over a wireless speaker we have onstage so the characters are now listening to it in the scene. Essentially we want a cue to go from being “incidental music” to “diegetic music”.

Is it possible to have the same audio cue continue playing from one device output and seamlessly transfer to another? I’m sure there is I’ve just never done this effect before.

I’ve done this many times with QLab and my LS9
The LS9 did most of the processing. I created two scenes. One with the mains at the desired volume and one with source speaker at its desired volume. Set a fade time on the board.

On the QLab end I played the sound. Then added two midi scene changes for the ls9 to recall both scenes.

 

[dbaxter]

It's easy to do with Cue Player, but if you are constrained to using Qlab, I have to believe they must have a way to start cues to both devices and then have fade cues to bring one up while you bring one down. Otherwise, use your board and perhaps some OSC commands to achieve the same thing.

 

[Rubcar91]

Thank you all so much for your quick and generous replies!

Tried it out today and having two cues play simultaneously, then fading the main speakers out, was such a simple and effective solution. It does exactly what we want it to do and it is all contained within QLab.

I was afraid the audience might hear the “cheat”, but the onstage wireless speaker is so intentionally tinny compared to the fuller main speakers that you really can’t tell where one stops and the other begins. Really seamless. Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it.

Thank you all!

 

[RonHebbard]

Thank you all so much for your quick and generous replies!

Tried it out today and having two cues play simultaneously, then fading the main speakers out, was such a simple and effective solution. It does exactly what we want it to do and it is all contained within QLab.

I was afraid the audience might hear the “cheat”, but the onstage wireless speaker is so intentionally tinny compared to the fuller main speakers that you really can’t tell where one stops and the other begins. Really seamless. Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it.

Thank you all!

@Rubcar91 Next time you'll think of it yourself; welcome to learning.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[TimMc]

Thank you all so much for your quick and generous replies!

Tried it out today and having two cues play simultaneously, then fading the main speakers out, was such a simple and effective solution. It does exactly what we want it to do and it is all contained within QLab.

I was afraid the audience might hear the “cheat”, but the onstage wireless speaker is so intentionally tinny compared to the fuller main speakers that you really can’t tell where one stops and the other begins. Really seamless. Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it.

Thank you all!

The easiest thing to overlook is the obvious.