Ten Sound Tips from the Pros

From the AACT Knowledge Base Ten Sound Tips from the Pros

Start by making sure you’re prepared—technically and otherwise

By Jean Schiffman

Sound design is still given short shrift in most theaters. It's not uncommon even now, bemoans one professional freelance sound designer, for a producer to say, "Oh, I'll just have my box office person make the tapes from her boom box." Yet the fragile illusion of a play can be broken by poor sound design. If tweeting birds end up sounding like Hitchcock moved in next door, says another sound designer, your play's in trouble. And while a production can survive a light that doesn't come up right, it's a bit harder to deal with a telephone that doesn't ring on cue. Moreover, advances in audio technology have made the audiences of the nineties more sophisticated: When you have a complete, digital sound system in your living room, you have high expectations when you go to the theater. Meanwhile, those responsible for a play's sound often must deal with lack of adequate rehearsal time, a limited budget, rudimentary equipment, and a sense that their craft is taken for granted. Frequently, they have to make the most out of scant resources and precious tech time. We asked eight theater sound pros to share their hard-won knowledge about what they've learned, and we've condensed it into 10 helpful hints. Our thanks to these generous experts: Michael V. Halley, sound engineer for Broadway, TV, and commercial theater. James LeBrecht, freelance film/multimedia/theater sound designer and resident sound designer at Berkeley Repertory Theatre for ten years; Stephen Elspas, technical director at San Francisco's Lamplighters Musical Theatre; Stephen LeGrand, resident sound designer at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater; Pam Emerson, audio supervisor at Los Angeles' Huntington Theatre; Scott Kou, Shari Bethel, and Michael Allen, freelance sound designers.

1. Be prepared. Technically speaking, get as much done ahead of time as possible. Make sure your cue sheets are ready to go. Do a sound check before every rehearsal. Make sure volume levels, amplifiers, etc. are set. If you're working with an orchestra, check their monitors first-- unhappy musicians can be more difficult to deal with than unhappy actors. Label every cable, every input, every output. Artistically speaking, know the work from a dramaturgical standpoint. As one designer says, there's more to this business than watts and ohms. Another designer consults with the director to make sure her work fits in with the entire concept of the play, including costumes, lighting, and set. Yet another researches the period of the play in depth. 2. Know your space. And know your loudspeakers. Or at least make an educated guess. But keep in mind that a sound that is wonderful in your studio may sound like a chicken frying in the theater if the EQ (equalization) is not correct. If you have cues with speech in them mixed with music, don't premix them. Either work from two different sources so you can rebalance them in the theater or at least have them on separate channels; what sounded good on your headphones at home may work differently at the theater. Be sure to sit in the audience during previews and really listen, because the levels will sound 10 to 20 percent lower than they sounded during tech. People absorb sound. You may be able to equalize your house system by putting on a good CD--it doesn't matter if it's classical or punk rock. Remember that fabric on the walls helps to absorb sound if the house is too reverberant. Putting in hard surfaces at different angles from the original wall will change how sound moves in the space. 3. Keep It Simple. Don't use too much equipment, too many speakers, too much power for the size of the room. In other words, make life easier for everyone by not overdesigning. If you're not running the show yourself, know your sound operator's experience and capabilities, know who will be calling the show. One sound designer, early in his career, watched his burly, football player-sized sound operator burst into tears after three days of trying to execute his complicated design. Another designer comments that it's hard to predict who will make a good sound op; a fine

technician may have a hard time with sound cues while a non-technician might function like a computer. 4. Look for ways to save time. Although production and design meetings and dry techs can be tedious, they can prove to be time-saving strategies. It takes several tech run-throughs to accomplish what you could accomplish in one dry tech. The reason is simple: a dry tech involves fewer people and thus fewer distractions. Dry tech first; then bring in the actors and crew. If possible, do the lights and sound separately, because sound always drives everyone crazy, says one designer. Besides, during lighting tech, it's always dark in the theater and the sound designer can't work. One designer goes to a pre-tech run-through with a stopwatch and times each cue as well as scene-change music, which saves loads of time during tech, she says. 5. Get the details. If a director says, "Give me thunder," ask whether it should be rolling thunder or a sharp blast, and how long it should last. If the director wants a train, ask what type of train and from what period. (Steam trains went out in the 1950s, for example.) If an offstage crash is requested, find out if the director wants the sound of boxes falling or glass breaking. You can save yourself lots of time and frustration this way. 6. Prepare recorded cues for rehearsals. Just like rehearsal props, rehearsal sound cues are extremely helpful. Just put them on a cassette to be played on a boom box during rehearsals. That way, actors will be accustomed to them by tech rehearsal, which will save time for everyone at this often hectic time. 7. Beg, borrow, or steal. Well, don't steal. And don't rent, either--that's almost never financially worthwhile with sound equipment. If you can't afford to buy good equipment, barter. Trade with other theaters, but be sure to return items promptly and in pristine condition. (Theaters have been known to circulate black lists.) If you must buy, check the music section of the local classified flea market newspaper. Also, develop a friendly relationship with your local professional audio store and ask for a 10 to 30 percent discount off list price on standard items that have been out on the floor for a year or two. If they won't give you a discount, go elsewhere.

Get as many library cards as you can. First, many libraries have sound effects CDs. Second, the library is ideal for research. To find out what music was popular in 1978, for example, check the Billboard website. Plow through the disk logs and the card catalogues to see who carries the CDs you need, or just to get ideas.) Contact your local college radio station to borrow equipment or recordings. 8. Things you should have on hand. A home stereo system you can record from is good, but a computer with music editing software works best. Audacity is a great one, and it’s free to download from the web. 9. Some cheap (and easy) tricks. If you want reverb on a voice, it's better to put the voice on one channel and then record the reverb on the other channel. Then, when you're in the theater, you can adjust the amount of reverb without having to have an adjustable reverb unit in the theatre. If you're using microphones, you may know that PCC (phase constant cardioid) mics cost more than PZMs (pressure zone mics) but also sound better. The PZM consists of a condenser mike mounted on a small plate which collects sound reflections. Both are often placed on the floor. If you're going to use PZMs, however, buy them at Radio Shack; they are the same as the high-end PZMs sold (much more expensively) elsewhere. But avoid Radio Shack's inexpensive sound mixers, our experts say; they are noisy. You can suspend mikes overhead on cables and, combined with the floor mikes, produce a smoother sound. If you are using wireless mikes, beware of inexpensive ones. 10. Finally, some assorted words of wisdom. Rather than one hint, here is a potpourri of tidbits to keep in mind from our panel of professionals. One or two really good-sounding effects are better than a lot of mediocre effects. . . . . Live sound is better than anything you can record. . . . Make a visual flow chart of cues for yourself, then give it to the sound operator. This is especially helpful for beginning sound operators. . . . For the sound of a scary monster, slow down the sound of a dog barking. . . . If you can't attend rehearsals, ask the technical director to be your go-between. . . . Underscoring an emotion with music, the way

films do, rarely works in the theater. . . . Your sound is only as good as your speakers. . . . And don't forget: The sounds of silence are important, too.

[A version of this story first appeared in Stage Directions magazine]