rob_cheese Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 An upcoming show has several occasions where someone turns on a radio onstage. Given the set design (Fairly minimalist!) it'll be hard (but probably not impossible) to hide a speaker nearby or run a cable to the radio itself, so I was wondering about trying one of those re-transmitters that you can get for playing your ipod or whatever on the car radio. Something like this. Has anyone tried this, and would I need a licence for this kind of thing? Presumably I'd run the risk of someone driving past with one during the show and ruining my day! Part of me says "just find a way to hide the cable" but I'm intrigued by the transmitter option. Cheers Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisky-zulu Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Had something similar to this on a show I was teching on last winter. We used an IEM transmitter to transmit the track to a beltpack and a portable USB chargable speaker hidden inside the radio/ getto-blaster (both the reciever and the speaker were hidden in the radios). One was an 80s style tape-deck getto blaster, the other was about the same size as the smaller ipod docking station speaker kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 The range on the ipod FM transmitters is very short, only a few metres. You might be able to get this close depending on your stage design. They are now legal to use (though I suspect some of the ebay ones will not comply with the rules), and very cheap, I'd buy one and try it.The IEM transmitter is a much more robust way to go, obviously a lot more expensive though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 If the wireless doesn't need to be mobile then a cable would be my choice. It means that no-one can mess up what you intend the audience to here, and when! Will the speaker inside actually make enough noise for the audience to hear it adequately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisky-zulu Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 We didn't have issues with people not being able to hear either of the radios we were using in the production (and we were in fairly large spaces, eg. Hall For Cornwall), that I was told about. As I wasn't there for the shows, only for get-ins and tech rehearsals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_cheese Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Thanks for your replies. I think you've confirmed my suspicion that it was a silly idea, especially on a shoestring budget. (The IEM idea sounds quite fun!) We're based in a small 120 seat hall, with the back row at most 10m away, so I think that a radio speaker would be man enough, but it is a good point to check out. I think most of the effects would start on the radio then crossfade to the Main house speakers for a scene change, so I can probably cheat a bit and use the onstage speakers to boost the levels a bit, and use the radio to provide the focal point, if needs be. Thanks again, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albatross Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 If it's the same thing played each time then why not go low tech & use a CD or even (gasp) a cassette with the required audio recorded on it? Nothing like using the technology for it's original purpose! of course if it's just a basic radio then ignore my suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth A Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I was about to suggest the same type of move as Albatross! Seems the cheapest and easiest way. ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 You could do something interesting like hide an iPod touch or raspberrypi inside the radio and stream to it or remote trigger playback. It's probably easier just to hit play on a tape though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleah Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 You could do something interesting like hide an iPod touch or raspberrypi inside the radio and stream to it or remote trigger playback. It's probably easier just to hit play on a tape though. Don't forget any kind of low or high tech technology (or anything at all for that matter) isn't generally compatible with actors.... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Does the intended radio have a CD in socket? Can you select one that has? Then you can sent the right music to the socket via a long wire and the audience can hear the music when the talent turns on the radio -selected to CD. Easier as there will be no internal work to do, and safer as no-one else can send audio down your wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 If it's the same thing played each time then why not go low tech & use a CD or even (gasp) a cassette with the required audio recorded on it? Nothing like using the technology for it's original purpose! of course if it's just a basic radio then ignore my suggestion. The actor MIGHT cope with turning the CD or Cassette on at the right time but I'd hate to assume they'll turn it off at the right moment so the next cue starts properly. Some of my best friends are actors and even THEY joke that I should never trust them to do things like that! I'd go the cable route even it it means hiding a speaker someplace near a non-practical radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_cheese Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 Thank you all for your suggestions. Having now seen the set plans, it now seems that the same radio will sit in the same position for the whole show, despite it representing three different rooms! So it should be fairly simple to just wire something up after all. Cheers! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.