speaker help

[saminizzle]

hi,

 

Im a Stage Manager....usually but im currently teaching some students and they need to learn about basic sound design. ive been through the process of creating a cue sheet and how to edit music on logic etc but I want to give them some more practical information relating to hardware, I want tell them about speakers, different types and their functions etc. also I want to give them an introduction into basic eq-ing a small band/singer. does anyone have any good suggestions for source material in the form of websites/text books I can direct them to reference?

 

Any info would be greatly received

 

thanks

[whisky-zulu]

Two very good texts, although not to be taken as the be-all and end-all:

 

1) Gary DAVIS, Ralph JONES (1990); Sound Reinforcement Handbook, Second Edition; New York: Hal.Leonard Corporation.

2) Bill GIBSON (2007); The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook; New York: Hal.Leonard Corporation

 

Soundcraft also offer white papers on their website regarding a number of topics, here. There are more available from the side margin entitled Pro Audio Learning Zone.

[paulears]

I'm assuming they're on some kind of approved course - before you go too far, I'd check on the spec content of the particular course, for the clues on what to include and the kind of weight to put on each one - and although there's always a book/internet guide, it will help on the level of the book. For example, the Yamaha book was recommended for a long time, but few students ever read it because although great for technical content, it wooshed over the heads of many. In some specs, the need to edit music is played down - leaving that for the music courses, and the production arts editing was more attuned to creating soundscapes - and of course a primer for that the team have planned later on. If they are intending a big show with click tracks and sync later, it's worth swinging your early stuff in that direction now. For your small band singer stuff - even setting eq can be a BIG task,and books tend to rarely spend any time on what eq sounds like - assuming everyone can hear it. You may discover the only descriptive analysis you may get is tinny or bassy - nothing else being evident to many.

[whisky-zulu]

I should have added, in retrospect, now that Paul has mentioned the descriptive analysis part, that the second text I've listed comes with an audio reference CD (it's been a few years since I read through the book, but flicking through it now shows audio and video CD references linked to the accompanying CD). For example, looking at the text given, there are audio examples of acoustic guitars, mic'd up with and without compression, and varying lengths of delay, release and ratios; a video example of how to ring out a monitors system; various examples of mic'd up guitar cabinets with regards to microphone placement.

 

The Yamaha book Paul mentions, should be the same text as the first one I've listed.

[J Pearce]

My students have found 'Basics - A Beginner's Guide to Stage Sound' from ETBooks fairly useful, though it has some holes for the spec we are covering, and is a quite install/theatre focused.

As others have said, it depends what you want to teach them.

[indyld]

Mackie do a nice simple PDF on basic band type systems and there is also a little book called Live Sound Basics .. some thing or other. Pocket sized, nice a straight forward unlike the more technical tomes.

 

Would post more info but posting from phone atm.

 

Edit: Some of the Mackie PDFs that I was thinking of: Compact Mixer Reference

 

The Paul White book:

 

White, Paul. 2000. Basic Live Sound. London: Sanctuary.

[Simon Lewis]

Two very good texts, although not to be taken as the be-all and end-all:

2) Bill GIBSON (2007); The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook; New York: Hal.Leonard Corporation

 

 

Last time I looked at the Bill Gibson book, I seem to recal that there were a number of technical errors, and a suggestion that hum loops be broken by lifting the mains earth. If this stuff is still in there, I would be wary of recommending it.

[whisky-zulu]

Two very good texts, although not to be taken as the be-all and end-all:

2) Bill GIBSON (2007); The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook; New York: Hal.Leonard Corporation

 

 

Last time I looked at the Bill Gibson book, I seem to recal that there were a number of technical errors, and a suggestion that hum loops be broken by lifting the mains earth. If this stuff is still in there, I would be wary of recommending it.

 

It's been a few years since I read the book properly, in any depth, but even that was with cross reference to the Yamaha text (which was the main text I used to back up my practical training) and I didn't go through every section with a tooth comb. I'll have another read through of it tomorrow, but as the copy I have seems to be the first edition published back in 2007, I would imagine that mine contains those errors. I haven't looked to see if there is a second edition out.

[Stuart91]

Last time I looked at the Bill Gibson book, I seem to recal that there were a number of technical errors, and a suggestion that hum loops be broken by lifting the mains earth. If this stuff is still in there, I would be wary of recommending it.

 

Ray Rayburn, one of the more authoritative audio consultants out there, has a pretty comprehensive evaluation of a very similar Bill Gibson book on his website. Ray mentions that some of the errors may have been corrected in later editions, I wonder if anyone on the forum has a current edition that they can check for us?