Worst musical theatre headset sound I've heard

[paulears]

I don't like moaning about other people's work, but I've just got a DVD of the Poe show, when it was performed almost concert style, at Abbey Rd Studios. Instead of musical theatre style headsets, they're using big booms with foam windshields and they sound awful. Many of the sections feature a female chorus and they pop, bang and blast all the way through - and I'm convinced that somebody could have made these sound better. There are quite a few clips from the DVD on youtube - just search for eric woolfson poe abbey road. I can't see how they got it so wrong - and bad audio from Abbey Rd, is alms unforgivable. Especially since Eric Woolfson was the composer of much of the Alan Parson Project material - which of course was excellently recorded. Even worse at the end of the concert they bring him up to the stage, and he doesn't have a mic - so just appears to wave his arms around!

 

On a scale of naffness, it's probably the second worse musical theatre video I've ever seen. The worst being David Hasselhoff's Jekyll and Hyde!

[Robin D]

My best man worked at AR for many years but has now retired. He, and the technical team then were perfectionists.

 

It's a shame. Progress isn't always progress! Basics get forgotten.

 

Lets face it, we see the same here occassionally. Some can use all the latest and greatest wibbly, wobbly lighting kit, but haven't much of a clue how to use subtle colour to highlight and reinforce, rather than bold colour, for its own sake.

[paulears]

So true. I'd guess in this case, the radio systems were done externally - I really can't believe a studio of any type would have done this. Actually, watching again today, there are some scenes where two girls are together, and one is very clearly listening to the other, but we can hear her breathing heavily. In live theatre we'd be using the script and losing mics that didn't need to be live - but here, if you can see it, they're on!