Speakers concealed in sets

[docjon]

Hi all,

 

I am designing the sound for a local theatre companies production of M*A*S*H and at a couple of points in the show a piano is wheeled onto stage and then played.

Now the piano has been gutted and we have been given some recordings of the songs made using a program like Sibelius.

I am planning to rerecord the music using a real piano because I dont like the sound of the synthesized piano, but my question is do I go to the effort of placing a speaker inide the piano so it sounds as though the piano is actually being played?

 

We already have quite a few speakers set up throughout the auditorium and stage so that we can have helicopters circle the building and have certain sound effects coming from different places etc, but I am wondering if it would be worth it to add in a piano speaker. If it helps, out of the 4 songs played, 3 have people singing.

 

I know that this is probably one of those things that I will eventually have to decide for myself, but I would like to hear what some of you would do.

 

Thanks

Brenton

[mervaka]

I'd say to just experiment! try dropping a PA top in and see what happens. how far away are the audience though?

[Suzette]

Piano wheeled onstage ... does that mean you have to deal with speaker cable out from the back of the piano? And then try not to wheel the piano over the cable when it is wheeled back offstage???

This "problem" might make the decision for you - could you have a speaker offstage, but nearby, that would suffice?

[backwater]

Piano wheeled onstage ... does that mean you have to deal with speaker cable out from the back of the piano? And then try not to wheel the piano over the cable when it is wheeled back offstage???

This "problem" might make the decision for you - could you have a speaker offstage, but nearby, that would suffice?

 

I did something similar with a set for "Annie" a few years ago. In my case there was a radio in the room (the whole room rolled on and off stage) and I fitted a Bose 101 hidden behind the radio to give the sound.

 

This worked well but an extra member of crew was needed to deal with the cable as the stagecrew rolled the room on and off.

 

Andy :)

[yishai]

From the little you have said about your speaker set up, I would think you could very easily localize the sound around the Piano with the existing speakers. I would try that first before you go to the bother of dealing with the complication of rolling in a piano with an embedded speaker.

 

If you do decide to embedd the speaker you could look into having the cabling already run and having a stealth way of hooking up when the piano comes on? To avoid trailing a wire as that would really destroy the illusion I would think

[timtheenchanteruk]

is there no way of putting it behind the set, inline with the piano, or is the stage too big?

[PYROmaster]

I did a performance of 'Stepping Out' for a local am-dram group, and we had a similar situation, although the piano did not have to be wheeled off....

 

The piano was small, like a keyboard on a wooden box.... well.... the stage was also very small so we had to fit, piano, keyboard and some sort of amplification into a very small space.

 

We ended up using a powered wedge foldback monitor fed from a submaster on the FOH desk. With the monitor behind the piano sitting next to the person "playing" the piano.

 

It worked very well!

 

In your case I would reccomend placing the piano near the back of the stage (or in front of wings, if possible) and setting up a similar system and putting the speaker behind a curtain or something....

 

Hope this helps

[docjon]

Hi all,

 

The piano only has to be wheeled out about 1-1.5m from the prompt side wing. but is only about 3m from the front of our 10m deep stage..

Unfortunately when the piano has to be wheeled out the set piece that is normally in its place has to be moved off stage and so I can't use the speaker that was in that piece.

 

We have enough crew members to have someone put in charge of the lead.

 

During the scenes the piano is in, the lighting is quite tight around the piano and the singers, so I think that if I run the cable upstage a bit and then off into the wing, it will not be that noticeable.

 

Thanks

Brenton

[Unknown Enemy]

I think the speaker in the piano would be a good idea.

 

I have been to a few plays where they use a radio. The sound is played through the radio then its mixed in to the main FOH.

 

Good for the first front rows of people but thats about it really, but it depepnds on how loud a speaker you wish to place in the piano.

[Pyramid]

A few years ago a mate of mine needed something similar. a baby(doll) needed to cry at a specific point so he ripped the guts out the doll and installed a radio receiver along with a small battery amp and speaker. He was made up, said it worked great. This was in an outdoor production with tiered seating to three sides of a square, the stage being the fourth side. Bear in mind none of the audience were more than about 15m away.

 

Have fun!

 

Andy