The Theatrical Sound Process

What Each Part Of The Theatrical Sound Process Does

(Because I’ve realized many non-theatre, non-audio people don’t know)

I was talking to a lighting programmer friend of mine, and while talking about band seating (we’ll get to that), I realized he had a misunderstanding of what Team Audio does during that time. So, I want to lay out clearly what audio does and why we do it to clear the air, help inform my fellow theatrical practitioners on what their colleagues are doing, and to lay it out linearly for myself and other audio professionals since we can be so in the moment we don’t think about why we’re doing what we’re doing.

Pre-Production

I’ll speak for my own process, which I learned from others-so don’t assume this is universal (but I think will be generally applicable).

What I am looking for from artistic production: emotion, time, setting, play themes, direction, matching the energy of other departments. This informs how I use my technical systems and make artistic choices.

When I am looking for from technical production: play space, audience space, what the inputs will be (instruments, computers, voices), what the monitoring needs are (speakers for actors & bands to hear themselves and others during the show), and what kind of show control we’ll be using. This informs my technical system designs.

The earlier a sound designer is hired, the richer the conversations can be and the system can blend better with the rest of the depts.

Drafting the System

Some places have systems already set up, others don’t. When they don’t, I depend on the theater and scenic designer to have accurate drawings so I can design the best sound system for the space. Using this information, my experience, and predictive software, I figure out the best layout for the system in the space. It’s not just mic -> amp -> speaker; there’s audio signal processors, audio control desks, audio signal distribution, etc.

These elements enhance vocal intelligibility, can add (intended) distortion and effects to an instrument, and can help make the work in the room happen more efficiently so more experimentation can occur.

Creating Rehearsal Cue List

When I’m composing my sound effects, ambiences, cues, etc., I’m taking into consideration what my system can do. When I have the right tools, I can create wild worlds. It’s why I wish it was financially feasible for me to be in the rehearsal room, because I could then react in real time with the actors & director. I could bring those compositions into the theater and expand on them!

Frequently however, there is no budget for me to be in the rehearsal room. I then have to work as quickly as possible, without the context of actors, to create the sonic environment. I will give stage management a rehearsal cue list to work with & then receive notes as they go through the script, but I can’t control cue timing, have conversations with the director in real time, nor engage with the actors who are depending on sound for their timing. I would like to be in the room, but the fiscal realities of design mean that for most shows I’m not able to. When I am able to though, magic can happen!

Quiet Time

This is one of, if not the most important step for creating an audio design. This is the time when I (and my team) can be in the space and hear the system and the room with no distractions.

This is when I tune the system, focus speakers, adjust any programming if need be, and make sure my design works is cohesive in the space. This is also when I hear my cues in the space for the first time, and I can set levels (volume), adjust where they’re being heard from in the space, and make artistic decisions in the space.

Tuning a system means I’m attenuating or boosting specific frequencies so that the audio output does not feedback in the room. Every room is different, and every show’s needs are different. I would tune a system for a hip hop show differently than a ballet.

We work with the time we have, but we almost never get as much as we we would like. Such is the way of art and theater (and honestly, if I wouldn’t be done even if I had infinite time, there’s always something to zhuzh).

Band Seating/Actor Mic Check

This is the other most important part of my tech time.

This is my opportunity to work with the band and actors to make sure mics are placed correctly, the band is comfortable with their sound and monitoring, to listen to them in the space, remove frequencies causing feedback, and add enhancements (like reverb) to their inputs. This is when the Music Director and I are having the most conversations about the sound in the space. It’s also my opportunity to blend the band so I have a base mix for them for tech, and for me to have base levels for actors so that I can efficiently program them during tech.

What this really helps with is I can focus on the room much more if I’m able to set this all up before tech-again this is something where I work with the time given but I rarely have what I need.

Tech!

Really just some thoughts:

I’m always listening to the room. I am not on com because I need to hear everything, as much as possible. I’m constantly making adjustments based on what I’m hearing.

When I have headphones on, I’m editing a cue so that it’s ready to be heard with everyone else.

It is also one of the first times an A1 (mixer) is working on the show, and they are performing as much as the actors are. They are rehearsing as much as the actors are rehearsing to get the best quality for the show.

My assistant (ideally) is coordinating with lighting and video on cues, timings, etc., so I can focus on the room.

A note:

You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned designing com and related. That’s not part of my design; there should be a separate department for show communications that handles show networking, show control, timecode, etc.

I have designed these systems in the past, but it should not fall on sound design to support show critical systems.

Previews -> Opening

This is when I hear the show with audience! So exciting! At this point I’m doing minor adjustments to account for bodies in seats, see how temperature and humidity changes are affecting the sound, and confirm that the show operator is comfortably running the show.

And then I party at opening night!

Conclusions

This is by no means a full description of what I do (feel free to ask I’ll give my thoughts). This is meant as a summary for those outside of my (and other sound designers’) heads to understand why we do what we do and why we ask for what we ask for.

Our goal is to make the best show possible. In this modern age of audio everywhere, it’s so important for live entertainment to match audience expectations, which is for a clear sound coming from a live person. Everyone hears differently now than they did in the past, and I want to make sure everyone can hear the work.

Thanks for reading!

Article by: Nina Field

SoundGirls

The mission of SoundGirls.org is to inspire and empower the next generation of women in audio. Our mission is to create a supportive community for women in audio and music production, providing the tools, knowledge, and support to further their careers. SoundGirls.Org was formed in 2013 by veteran live sound engineers Karrie Keyes and Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato and operates under the Fiscal Sponsorship of The California Women’s Music Festival, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. In 2012, Karrie and Michelle participated in the “Women of Professional Concert Sound” panel at the AES Conference in San Francisco. The panel was hosted by the Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) and moderated by WAM founder Terri Winston. Terri brought together five women working in live and broadcast audio. The groundbreaking panel (which also included Jeri Palumbo, Claudia Engelhart and Deanne Franklin), provided young women and men a glimpse into life on the road, tips and advice, and a Q & A with the panelists. More importantly though, was how incredibly powerful the experience was for the panelists. We had all been in the business for 20 years or more, yet most of us had never met before that day and within minutes we bonded like long-lost sisters. We were struck by how similar our experiences, work ethics, and passions were and wondered why our paths had never crossed and how our careers would have been different had we been there to support each other through the years. Each of us are strong on our own, but together we were even stronger and a powerful force. We were empowered. Each of us had been asked hundreds of times in our careers: Are there other women doing sound? How did you get into sound? How would a young woman go about getting into sound? Through creating SoundGirls.Org, we hope to establish a place for women working in professional audio to come for support and advice, to share our success and failures, our joys and frustrations, and for empowerment and inspiration.

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