tom1987 Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 I hope there is someone out there who is able to help me answer a couple of questions which I need to find out. a) Which sound designer has the most shows on in the west end? b? Which is the most common mixer in the West End? I hope you guys can help Many Thanks Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 Coursework to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 Rose Bruford have pretty decent research facilities, and some of their staff lurk on here - so perhaps this isn't the best way to do your degree research - especially as you have no way of validating what we tell you. If it was me, I'd visit all the web sites, enter the data into excel and process the results - but that does take a bit of effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifeisacabaret Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 As for prolific sound designers, Gareth Owen at Orbital would probably be one of the most frequently working in the West End...at one point this year he had 'Little Shop of Horrors' at The Duke of Yorks/Ambassadors (Alcons VR12/Digidesign Profile), 'Fiddler on the Roof' at the Savoy (Yamaha PM1D/D&B PA), 'Fame' at the Shaftesbury (Alcons LR16/Digidesign Venue Profile) and 'Footloose' at the Playhouse (D&B C7/Digidesign Venue). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 As a slight aside, what is "sound designer" generally accepted as meaning? Are we talking system design (choice of equipment, speaker placement etc), FX design (sourcing / creating sound effects etc), both, or something different? I do both of the above, sometimes on the same show, sometimes not, and have often wondered where the distinction lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackerr Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 In my 30+ years in commercial theater "Sound Designer" has denoted the person responsible for the system design, including comm and video monitoring as well as the expected speaker placement and cable plant. It is also the designer's responsibility to create or aquire all the sound effects required by the production, as well as possibly creating underscoring music in a drama. While some of this may actually be done by an assistant, it is the designer's responsibility. The designer coordinates with the shop and the production on budget, and oversees the shop prep, installation in the theater, and the developement of the show through previews and opening. After opening they may have a contractural obligation to return to the show periodically to make sure it is up to snuff. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 What may be less familiar to folks not from a theatre background is the role of the mix engineer when the show has a sound design. The job of the mix engineer is to faithfully recreate the design night after night. It most definitely is not to deliver what the mix engineer thinks is the best mix if that is at variance with the design. As to desks, the gold standard of West End audio was always Cadac, but now the digital era is upon us that appears to be changing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave singleton Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 One of the most well respected designers is Andrew Bruce at Autograph. Autograph have a large chunk of the West end shows (14 at the moment I believe). Mainly using Digico consoles as he helps to write software etc for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Added to the list should probably be John Owen and John Leonard from Aura Sound who have quite a few credits to their name. I still lots of Cadac consoles around, though digital is starting to creep in, particularly for tours. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 This question got me intrigued enough to have a look at London Theatre Guide to see who they list in each show credits - it's actually quite worrying how many blank spaces are next to the sound credit - even for shows that are well established. As for answering the original posters questions, well there are several names mentioned which would be a good starting point and checking out some of the company names mentioned already in this thread may help with answering the second question. I'd also like to see the final results posted online somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LampTramp Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Rose Bruford have pretty decent research facilities, and some of their staff lurk on here - so perhaps this isn't the best way to do your degree research - especially as you have no way of validating what we tell you. If it was me, I'd visit all the web sites, enter the data into excel and process the results - but that does take a bit of effort. Yep RBC have really good research facilities why not ask Proff Phill wrigley at RBC as he used to run the lighting and sound course before going up the chain of command!! :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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