Inaki2 said:
There's the term Sound Designer, which is kinda weird, but it looks nice, and is more "honorary" thatn anything else.
I'm not sure which is the more blatant piece of misinformation, this or the oft-repeated but incorrect
bit about sound engineer as a title needing a degree behind it.
Let's take them one at a time. First, "sound designer". This is the person who designs the sound. He/she chooses placement of speakers, models of gear used (when not using a
house system), chooses what music and effects gets played when and through which speakers at what levels during the show, and if the show involves reinforcement chooses the type of microphones used, where the microphones go, and directs the engineer how the show should be mixed. The sound designer does for sound exactly what a
lighting designer does for lighting, basically. It is NOT just an honorary title, but an accurate description of a job that is, at least in most professional
theatre, very much separate from the guy who actually runs the show.
Now, onto this engineer thing. There is no formal degree that one can get to earn the title of sound engineer. Most of the guys touring didn't even go to school, although more and more of us (myself included) did (I have a BFA from Emerson College in
Theatre Design and Technology, concentrating in Sound Design).
Looking into the rock world, there are very few schools that offer training in sound reinforcement, and many guys doing the hiring for tours actually prefer those who have learned in the real world over those who are schooled, because often what they learn in school isn't sufficient, but gives them the attitude that they know everything. Not a good thing
(
Seriously, though, there's no formal degree and no formal body that gives a title of engineer to us. I'm not saying there oughtn't be one, because some of the guys out there working are truly awful, but that's a whole 'nother discussion.
Among the definitions Merriam-Webster gives for the word engineer are the following two:
a person who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance
a person who runs or supervises an engine or an apparatus
Both of these very much apply to those of us in the sound reinforcement profession.
That all said, here's a breakdown of the guys who work the show day-to-day:
Sound Operator.
This is a term generally used for somebody who runs playback cues of sound effects and music, but doesn't do any significant mixing of microphones/other live sources. This is common on plays.
Here's where things take a
bit of a different turn between
theatre and rock. First, rock:
FOH Sound Engineer
This is the guy out front mixing what the audience hears. Sometimes, on smaller shows, he will also do the
monitor mix from
FOH.
Monitor Engineer
This is the guy who mixes what the band hears through their
monitor system, be they in-ears or wedges.
System Technician
This is the guy responsible for setting up and tuning the sound
system to provide a consistent set of tools for the engineer to work with. Often there will be a
monitor tech and a
foh system tech, but not always.
In rock, there usually is not a designer, the
FOH engineer takes on this
role.
Now, coming back to
theatre, the titles change a
bit.
Head Sound Engineer (often referred to as the A1, A for audio, 1 for head)
This is the
FOH engineer. More often than not he'll be doing monitors from
FOH. On smaller tours, he may be the only touring sound tech.
Assistant Sound Engineer (or A2)
This position can vary depending on the tour. If there are extensive
monitor needs, the A2 will mix monitors backstage. The A2 is responsible for overseeing the wireless mics, from handing them out to the actors to troubleshooting them to handling mic changes if needed during the show. On a tour, he and the A1 will split the duties of setting things up on the
load-in, each working with guys from the local crew to get their part of the show setup. On the last tour I A2ed, I was responsible for setting up the
orchestra pit mics, the RF gear, and part of the onstage setup, while the A1 took care of the
FOH speakers,
FOH mix, and the rest of onstage. On some shows that are really large, you may have two A2s, one to mix monitors, one to act as mic tech, although this is rare.
There you go...some real world answers to these questions from somebody who actually makes his living doing this--I've done both regional and national
theatre, tv broadcasts of varying scales, I spent much of the early part of this year as the A2 for the national tour of "The Full Monty", and am now the head sound engineer for one of the Sesame Street Live shows
)
--Andy
Touring Sound Engineer
Member
IATSE #260
P.S.-When you get into large live tv broadcasts, the A1 and A2 designations change a
bit more but are basically the same--the A1 is the guy who mixes the broadcast, again being designer and engineer rolled into one in most cases, and the A2s are the technicians. Sometimes there are even A3s!
