Help please, first sound design

[Suzzi]

Ok so this is my first time being a sound designer for a show and the show is called "Trust" by Steven Dietz i have no clue what I'm doing I have the music but i don't know what else I'm supposed to do

 

[Anvilx]

I encourage you to ask who ever employed you what you need to do.

Also check out these threads:
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/general-advice/14906-job-descriptions.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/general-advice/14906-job-descriptions.html

 

[hsaunier]

Suzzi,

You ever run a sound board before?

 

[Eboy87]

From the department of duh; read the script, several times. Know the show, know the feel of the show, that way when you talk to the director, you know what you're discussing. Talk to the director at production meetings. What kind of mood do they want to convey? Do they want a lot of extra sound effects?

Sound designing becomes easier the more times you do it. Really, the best way to learn is to just jump in and do it.

 

[museav]

Ok so this is my first time being a sound designer for a show and the show is called "Trust" by Steven Dietz i have no clue what I'm doing I have the music but i don't know what else I'm supposed to do

That probably depends on what you and everyone else involved on the show see as the role of the Sound Designer. Will you be selecting the music and/or creating new pieces? Creating or finding effects? Developing cue lists and scenes? Are you expected to put together the physical audio system or optimize an existing system? Will you actually be operating the system during performances? Any combination of these and other tasks could be considered part of the Sound Designer role. Or they could be handled by other people in other roles. So I think the first thing is to find out just what those in charge envision for or from the Sound Designer, that way you can all be on the same page.

 

[gcpsoundlight]

You should also think about things that may be an issue come bump in ie mics, how many, cables, di's, radio mics, foldback, any delay sends etc. Sound design is an odd title, because it often just inolves mixing and co-ordinating.

 

[Suzzi]

yes i have run a sound board before i just don't know what kind of paper work I'm supposed to do and how. We are not using mics and i have all the music and sound effects

 

[MSLD]

Who is going to be calling cues? Are you on your own, or is SM calling?

 

[Suzzi]

I think the sm is calling the show

 

[Morpheus]

Well, I've designed for three shows now (still in school, gimme a break ).
What I've learned as far as paperwork goes, I like to build my show off a sound plot - I list every sound note in the script (page, line, etc. etc.). I include things such as notes to myself, and source info if necessary.
Something else to think about is what is the sound doing for the show? Is it supporting actors, taking over? How does it play 'as a character' in the play?

Just some of my observations, hope they help!
edit: This is assuming you know your tech... Obviously, you should know that it is your responsibility to make sure everything you put on paper happens in the space.

 

[bishopthomas]

yes i have run a sound board before i just don't know what kind of paper work I'm supposed to do and how. We are not using mics and i have all the music and sound effects

Then you shouldn't have a very difficult task ahead of you. What kind of paper work do you feel you need? Everyone works a little differently and this will be a good learning opportunity for you. First of all: GET A SCRIPT! Read it, learn it, make notes in it, do whatever helps you focus on the parts you need to cue off of. I like to use colored highlight markers to color code the lines in the script of mic'd actors. This obviously doesn't apply to you but maybe you could use this trick to differentiate between music and EFX, loud or quiet, etc. Go to enough rehearsals so that you can cue the music and EFX in your sleep. Always read along in the script, don't get lost, and look ahead so you're ready for the next cue.

What type of playback medium will you be using? There are advantages to all of them, including foot control if you need it.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Simple : ) If you know how to run the board then, very easy, Especially since your not using mics. Just get yourself a script. Read through it, and write notes in it. Like on the first page "Play Track 1 Que track 7" Or something. Say if there is opening music on track 1. You play track one, then at the end of it, fade out, pause it, and Que up track 7 since a sound effect is on it for later. Oh course I do not know what tracks are whatever your using if you are even using CD's. Just an example of how I do it.
I say Que up the next track after you play one because I have been the victim of having a sound effect be played late or not at all because I did not Que it up fast enough.

One time, during a practice thank god..I was using two CD's with a single player. One was the sound effect disc I made, and another was the recording of the pit. We used the recording when they couldn't be there. So I qued up track 5, it was a sound effect, hit play and a song starts playing Then I noticed I never switched the CDs.

 

[MarshallPope]

This may be late, but just a warning about queing tracks in advance - Make sure that the CD player will hold the que as long as you need it to. Some players will revert to track 1 after a certain amount of time. For example, say you find track 7 and don't need to play it for another 3 scenes. When it comes time, make sure it is still set to play 7 rather than 1. This can cause... embarrassment. Luckily it has never happened to me, but I have seen it happen a few times simply because the operator didn't check before he pushed play.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Sorry, I didn't realize some players do that. Ours is a DJ player I think. There draw opens very quickly, theirs a wheel that slows down or speeds up the sound, then a button to search through the track with the wheel. A display, a Cue Button, back and fourth button, Play Pause button and a slider that also controls pitch.
lol. Even though ours doesnt go back to 1 and stays on that track. It does goo to sleep It probably doesnt draw much power anyways, heh.
Kind of funny to, because its like.. SLEEp because it ran out of multi pixel or whatever you call them, blocks and used a light for the p ;p

 

[cprted]

Simple : ) If you know how to run the board then, very easy, Especially since your not using mics. Just get yourself a script. Read through it, and write notes in it. Like on the first page "Play Track 1 Que track 7" Or something. Say if there is opening music on track 1. You play track one, then at the end of it, fade out, pause it, and Que up track 7 since a sound effect is on it for later. Oh course I do not know what tracks are whatever your using if you are even using CD's.

FYI: The question was about sound design not being the sound technician. It is the sound designer--in collaboration with the director--that is choosing and editing/altering what sound and music is going to be heard through the show. It is certainly an artistic/creative job versus being strictly technical.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Ah, sorry.
Well then, sit back and watch the play run a few times with an open mind and take notes.

This year we are doing City of Angles, and , even though im not the designer, There is a part in the beginning where there is a flash back with a few random saying from the show. But I had an idea, so I recorded the show, got some music and sound effects that had to do with the show, mixed them together with clips of the show and it came out great The directors loved it and it is going to be played instead of the second half of Scene 1 : )

 

[museav]

FYI: The question was about sound design not being the sound technician. It is the sound designer--in collaboration with the director--that is choosing and editing/altering what sound and music is going to be heard through the show. It is certainly an artistic/creative job versus being strictly technical.

I personally do not think it is that cut and dried, from Wikipedia:

Currently it can be said that there are two variants of Theatrical Sound Design. Both are equally important, but very different, though their functions usually overlap. Often a single Sound Designer will fill both these roles, and although on a large budget production they may work together, for the most part there is only one Sound Designer for a given production. Where such distinctions are made, the first variant is "Technical Sound Design" (which has also been termed Theatre Sound System Design by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology's (USITT) Sound Design Commission), which is prevalent on Broadway, and the second "Conceptual Sound Design" (which has also been termed Theatre Sound Score Design by the USITT), which is prevalent at Regional Repertory Theatres. Both variants were created during the 1960s. These terms are really examples only, and not generally used in practice since most Sound Designers simply call themselves Sound Designers, no matter which role they are filling primarily.

Technical Sound Design requires the sound designer to design the sound system that will fulfill the needs of the production. If there is a sound system already installed in the venue, it is their job to tune the system for the best use for the given production using various methods including equalization, delay, volume, speaker and microphone placement, and this may include the addition of equipment not already provided. In conjunction with the director and musical director, if any, they also determine the use and placement of microphones for actors and musicians. A Technical Sound Designer makes sure that the performance can be heard and understood by everyone in the audience, no matter how large the room, and that the performers can hear everything they need to in order to do their job.

Conceptual Sound Design is very different from technical sound design, but equally important. The designer must first read the play and talk to the production's Director about what themes and messages they want to explore. It is here that, in conjunction with the director and possibly the composer, the designer decides what sounds he or she will use to create mood and setting of the play. He or she might also choose or compose specific music for the play, although the final choice typically lies with the director, who may want nothing but scene change music or, on the other extreme, will want ambient beds under every scene, such as Robert Woodruff of the American Repertory Theater or Bill Ball, Ellis Rabb and Jack O'Brien who were active at ACT and the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, in the mid 1960s where Dan Dugan initially began his art. Many sound designers are indeed accomplished composers, writing and producing music for productions as well as designing sound. With these designers, it is often difficult to discern the line between sound design and music.

It seems quite common for a "Sound Designer" to at least conceptually address the physical audio system if not taking an active role in the system's development and tuning (and in the case of existing systems the Sound Designer must be able to adequately consider the existing physical audio system when creating the conceptual design). It also seems common in smaller organizations or performances for the title of "Sound Designer" to be applied to a single person addressing the conceptual, technical and operational aspects. Or for the conceptual aspects to be performed by the Director with the "Sound Designer" then addressing primarily the technical and operational components. It is simply a title and I believe that the important thing is that everyone involved all have the same understanding of what the role entails and how it relates to other roles.

 

[cprted]

Umm, I never said being the sound designer was non-technical job.

It is simply a title and I believe that the important thing is that everyone involved all have the same understanding of what the role entails and how it relates to other roles.

Absolutely true and applicable to every job in theatre.