This has been chronicled in another thread (which I should probably post an update to), but the TD asked for my recommendation for a
console. I told him the M7CL-ES. I'm not sure if that made it into the final bid, I know he at least spec'ed a digital
snake. (hopefully whoever wins the bid will put 2 and 2 together...)
I would not bet on that, at least if it is a competitive bid. In that situation, unless there are significant, obvious problems with the bid tendered then the bid will go to the company offering the lowest price. So bidders basically have to do whatever they can to get the bid price as low as possible, which often includes some creative interpretation of the bid in order to minimize the number associated with it. In other words, unless putting 2 and 2 together lowers the price, it probably won't happen. This is an all too typical issue with bids issued by someone unfamiliar with the process and practices involved.
I am finding some of the comments offered quite interesting. For example, the suggestion of not using a
headset and using visual signaling is in my experience is not necessarily effective and I find that visual signaling can be more distracting to patrons.
Mixing with a laptop or tablet can be very effective for some situations and a challenge in others. Beyond the potential
mixer interface issues many people forget that you may still have to
address communications, control and audio. For example, if you are mixing from a laptop then how do you
cue up, know when to
play and actually
play an
effect or clip? Mixing with a laptop or tablet does not by itself seem to directly affect the issues your TD is raising.
I would argue that the aesthetic issue is no more relevant for
theatre than for other applications and my experience is that it is often more of an issue in churches. You certainly do not want a
FOH position to be an eyesore but the argument I have always used is that with few exceptions people are not coming to see the
theatre, they are coming for the performance. When there is an audience the
house lights are down more than they are up and once they are down the goal is usually to transport the audience to a different place. I appreciate a good looking space as much as anyone but will never understand compromising the performance capability or audience comfort for aesthetics in a performance space, even though I constantly have to deal with just such an approach.
If you rely on monitors in the booth you may also want to delay them so that you are hearing something that better represents the natural sound. It can be nice in some cases to be able to
switch the booth monitors between delayed or undelayed based on what you are doing.
I don't think it has been noted but the potential advantages of mixing out in the audience will vary. From the physical space to the individual performance, there are many factors that could impact the differences between mixing in a booth versus out in the
house. I've mixed in booths that were so close to some seating and so open that you basically ended up with all the negatives and none of the positives of being in a separate space, while in other cases the booth was so remote and isolated that there was little feeling of relation to the performance space. There are shows that are so unvarying that once you got through rehearsals there is little actual mixing occurring and others that can require a very different mix for every performance. There are shows that relate to a great deal of communication with others and others that require very little communication. Maybe you can pick a show that has a favorable combination of such factors.
The one thing about the TD's perspective that I do not understand is that this is a school and while you want to put on the best show possible, isn't it primarily supposed to be a learning experience for the students? Mixing from a
FOH position is very common and it sounds like your
venue was designed specifically to support it, so she seems to be limiting anyone gaining experience with that approach based solely on what she perceived as a problem at other venues. That does not seem to be taking advantage of the learning opportunities available. Maybe you can turn it around, was it mixing at
FOH that was actually the problem she encountered or was it the students not knowing how to operate from
FOH? How are you going to learn to work in that situation, or learn that you can't, if you aren't allowed the opportunity?
