Sound Effects on Cue

[fredericosapper]

We are an amateur group trying to upgrade performances. Can somebody identify simple equipment which with pre-recorded sound effects can deliver precisely on cue. For both short effects (Gunshot) or extended such as background activity.

[smalljoshua]

Multiplay is a good piece of software and is free.

 

There is a good thread on the software here.

 

Josh

[TomM]

If you have access to a Mac, I recomend Qlab

 

T

[J Henshaw]

Sound Cue Systems is my reccommendation everytime

[boswell]

SCS +1

 

Very cheap (but not free) and will equip you for the future. It will do all you want and more, easy to use

[billy jim]

We also use SCS, and the kids seem to manage fine with it, so it's definitely easy to use :P

 

Therefore, +1 for SCS

[GridGirl]

Another +1 for Sound Cue System. We use it all the time, it's easy to use, we drive it pretty hard and it is extremely reliable and extremely solid. Does pay to run it on a PC which has been stripped back to the bare minimum though, you don't want other stuff interfering with the sound playback.

[Swizzuk]

+1 for Sound Cue System. There recent update has made the interface (IMO) much prettier than it used to be and is starting to look very pro compared to what it used to be. I love its simplicity but at the same time can pretty much cope with anything you throw at it.

 

I'm using the Pro Licence, as I'm a fan of multiple outputs and routing sound to multiple sets of speakers.

I think its great and have never looked back since purchasing it.

[pritch]

In addition to the software (another vote for QLab, on the Mac... if you're using a PC, then what they all said), you may find that a USB sound card is a useful addition, especially if you're using a laptop.

 

My current laptop is OK, but my old one was very noisy if you plugged it directly in to the mixer. Using an external sound card can remove an awful lot of the noise that you'd otherwise get; it needn't cost the Earth, I use a Griffin iMic, which is less than £30.

[fatfrog]

Another Vote For QLAB...Brilliant application especially since it's free.

[Bobbsy]

Right. I award a "FAIL" to all the previous replies to this topic! If you read what is being asked for, the poster is asking for a piece of EQUIPMENT to do sound effects playback. However, everyone jumped straight to recommending software without any explanation.

 

However, the prevalence of software recommendations is probably a pretty strong clue as to the present "way of the world". Although there ARE dedicated hardware solutions (CD or minidisk with an "autopause" function, hardware sampler. A search on the BR will also show a mention of a device to cue files stored on an SD memory card.), the most common method of working these days is a computer with some form of sound playback software.

 

My personal recommendation is probably the computer route--I've been working that way for about five years now and am very happy with it.

 

Contrary to populary mythology, you do NOT need a "super computer" for simple playback duties. Although I use a laptop now, for years I used a second hand, aging Pentium II which I dedicated to the job. I reformatted the hard drive and did a clean install of Windows, then put in only some playback software, a basic recording and wave editing programme and EAC for ripping CDs onto the hard drive. There was no internet, games, word processing or whatever to clutter things up. Most important, I put in a "better than Soundblaster" specialist audio card that gave me balanced, line level outputs. In this combination, the system worked flawlessly and, as far as I know, is still going for the person I gave it to.

 

Software wise, some of the best choices have already been mentioned. If you want to be able to develop a cue list and just keep hitting "Go" then Sound Cue System (SCS) is cheap and works well indeed. However, for something REALLY simple, try downloading a copy of "Soundplant". This is freeware and lets you put a different effect on each key of a standard PC keyboard. You can just press A for the first cue, B for the second and so on (or you can have "G" for gunshot and "W" for wind...your choice!). There are controls that let you decide what happens when you press the next key...stop the first, overlap the two, etc etc. which actually make this fairly powerful once you get your head round how it works.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Bob

[Mr_Jules]

I've been using CSC Show Control on a PC for about six months now (after about 5 years on Stage Reseach SFX). Both are aimed at the pro market, and I've never had a problem with either one. SFX in particular has a very strong users forum which will deal with any teething problems. I switched to CSC because it included a number of new features which make it particularly suited to the kind of design I do, and it has a the ability to switch between interfaces so you can either busk in any order or play a pre-programmed show. I couldn't recommend it highly enough. It's got plenty of knobs on, but is so easy to use you could programme a simple 2 hour show with 2 dozen cues in a matter of minutes, and once you've done programming it could be operated by a monkey.

[david.elsbury]

Mentioning hardware replay- an Instant Replay from 360 Systems could fit the bill, though I'm not 100% sure it would come in on budget..

[Gareth Owen]

The Tascam HD-R1 is much cheaper than the Instant Replay. You can load sound effects straight in to the front with a USB key, it starts instantly and has a large GPI connection on the back which allows you to connect buttons directly to specific sound effects. Capacity is only limited by the size of the CF card you stick in the front.

[fredericosapper]

Right. I award a "FAIL" to all the previous replies to this topic! If you read what is being asked for, the poster is asking for a piece of EQUIPMENT to do sound effects playback. However, everyone jumped straight to recommending software without any explanation. <snip>

Many thanks. As you may realise we are starting from a position of total ignorance. However the mist is clearing. The hall we use has a public address system which we may be able to hook into, though some effects must be emitted from the location of the action to be real. The information on Software is obviously helpful. It has started me off on how to amplify the output to backstage speakers, rather than get by with the normal speakers associated with a PC. A PC is what we shall use. (Mac advice, alas not applicable). Self-contained equipment appears to be a large call on the budget, and so will put on the back-burner at this point.

Many thanks again. Donald