The Producers--Many Hats. Body mic options?

[BrentW]

Hey everyone,

This year for our end of season show, we're doing The Producers. We had all of our costumes shipped in on a batch rental agreement, and included with all of it was the absolute bane of my existence: 12 Stormtrooper hats used in Springtime for Hitler. For those who haven't had the fortune of working with said hats, they're a rounded hat with a downward sloping and very hard bill. Also, because these are all rentals we're not allowed to alter them in any way, such as attaching absorbent fabric to the underside of the bill to minimize reflections. I worked with a former sound designer who had to work with just one of these hats for a scene on a train, and it was so bad that he eventually went to the mat to get it struck from the show. And now I have twelve to deal with in one number.

Because of the size of our theatre, we don't have the ability to double-mic actors and the change into the number is too fast to relocate their body mic from forehead to over the ear. We're using Sennheiser MKE2 golds on everyone, which certainly sound best when worn in the center of the forehead and much less so over the ear, which is why I'm reluctant to place them over the ear for the entire show. I'd like to present the options that I've thought of and put it to the group to if there's something that I'm missing...

Coating the underside of the bill or altering them in any fashion isn't an option for these hats since they're rented. So wearing them in their standard center-of-forehead position with an uncoated bill is like opening the gates of hell on my stage. I've had some luck in the past with using tape or Velcro to secure the end of the mic such that it sticks out of the end of the bill, thereby getting it out from under the reflection cavity. The only concern with this is the time needed to do that since it's a relatively quick change into the number.

The costume department is reluctant to wear the hats back (fitting more towards the back of their heads instead of on top) because of the look. However, that's a concession that is on the table that can be made by the director once he hears the number.

Then there's the option of just having those twelve actors wear their mics over the ear and we live with less-than-optimal sound quality for the entire show. But even over the ear and with substantial EQ, these hats are just pure evil anyway and will still not be ideal.

Given our equipment and budget, those are the options I have. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'm very interested in hearing them. I'm also curious how they solve problems like this in a show with virtually unlimited wireless and unlimited budget. One idea I had for example, was the notion of using a click track and backing vocals. If the designer just can't get ideal sound in a number because of costume or whatever, I'm wondering if it's ever been done such that a click track was sent to the pit, and then tracked vocals just replace the reinforced ones. The actors on the stage could still sing acoustically, their mics just wouldn't be on.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Again, any suggestions/ideas/comments are welcome.

-Brent

 

[chausman]

In curious, do you "expect" issues with your mics, or are you actually having issues? Not to say your wrong or anything, but I wouldn't expect a hat to cause that many problems.


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[BrentW]

I've had this exact style of hat in shows before so I definitely know it's going to be a problem. Even with some baffling under the bill, they basically turn the actor into a midrange robot. With massive EQ, they turn into a massively EQd bad sounding midrange robot.

Seriously though, I have yet to get close to a natural sound while anyone is wearing these. Other soft-brim hats aren't usually a problem, but these things indeed suck.

 

[JChenault]

Seems to me that one possible solution would be to put the 12 storm troupers with over the ear mikes - but not for the entire show. IE at an appropriate interval they put them over the ear. After the number is over, when there is an appropriate interval, put them back up top.

Another possible solution would be to see if you can find another local source for stormtrouper hats. I don't remember what we used ( we are in Tacoma ) but I can check if it would help.

 

[rochem]

It's not ideal, but I think your best bet is to suck it up and ear mic them. If you can get away with moving the location sometime before and after the scene, all the better, but if not, ear micing isn't the end of the world. There are plenty of shows that are forced to use MKE2s in ear rigs, and while it's not perfect, it gets the job done if you do some careful EQing. Although I think you're right in believing that the hats will still make the ear rigs sound like crap. I don't really see much you can do other than wait for tech and play with options once you get there.

As for super-high-budget professional, Equity would never let you use a click track in this situation. Click tracks do get used even all the way up to broadway, but their use is a closely guarded secret, and there are very specific conditions that need to be met for Equity to allow it to happen. In this situation, Equity would deny you outright and suggest that you hire 12 more ensemble members to sing the piece offstage, and just not turn on the mics of the onstage talent. If the star of the show had to wear one of these helmets during a long solo, and she was completely inaudible, then Equity would CONSIDER letting you use a click track. Although more likely, the costumes wouldn't be rented and you could just go in and change the hats. The main times I've heard of a click track being allowed are when the star has just finished a ridiculous dance number and is too out of breath to sing.

 

[BrentW]

Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate the offer to help me look up other hat options John, but I don't think my costume department would go for that. I snicker thinking about it actually, that I'd love to present that option but I think I'd get blacklisted.

Thanks for the thoughts on the click track Michael. I didn't consider the Equity involvement but it makes perfect sense. I've never used a click track in any musical myself, but I'd heard of them being used occasionally. I just wasn't sure of the conditions.

Yep, looks like it's the ear solution for at least part of the show.

 

[chausman]

Could you rent 12 Mics designed to go over the ear, and leave both Mics on those 12 actors? Just when the time came, someone unplugs the MKEs and plugs in the other Mics. Kind of like partially double micing.

 

[BrentW]

That was definitely something I thought of and brought up at production meetings. The idea was quickly nixed when they didn't believe there would be enough time in their change before the number. They even believe that repositioning the mic to the edge of the bill by pulling it down a bit and affixing it with velcro tape may not be possible in the time they have. My hands are pretty tied for solutions that have to be implemented during the show.