Marshy Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hey! Im currently studying Stage managment at RWCMD. I currently have to write essay on how digital technology is effecting sound in theatre. I was wondering if any of u clued up guys on here would be able to answer a few question for me 1) How have you seen sound technology and equipment advance in theatre in the past 5 - 10 Years? 2) What advantages do digtal sound desks have over traditional theatre desks? 3) What disadvantages do digtal sound desks have compared traditional theatre desks? 4) As an operator/engineer, which do your use and prefer? 5) Can you see digtal technology (Digital Desks, Computer playback, etc) replacing traditional theatre equipment? 6) How can you see technology advancing in the 5 years? Any help with this will be very much appreciated Cheers! James Marsh (Soz about any spelling errors) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh lordy Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hi Marshy, Are not these the question you should be answering? Oh Lordy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshy Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hi Marshy, Are not these the question you should be answering? Oh Lordy<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yes indeed they are but I also wanted views from proffessionals in the industry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh lordy Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hi Marshy, Are these the actual question you have to answer. Oh Lordy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshy Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hi Marshy, Are these the actual question you have to answer. Oh Lordy<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Nope, I have come up with those question myself to get sum reasearch together. I then have to choose a question (something to do with the above topic) and write 2000 words on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Well, not to write your essay for you (I did MY essays more than 30 years ago!) here are some quick replies... 1) How have you seen sound technology and equipment advance in theatre in the past 5 - 10 Years? From your later questions, you've guessed it already. Consoles are moving from analogue to digital (and even with analogue there's more automation) and playback is rapidly moving from MD/CD (or even tape) to affordable computer based solutions. The other major comment I'd make is that audience expectations have changed, with tastes moving to a much more "amplified" sound, i.e. a much heavier reliance on radio mics etc. This change is gradually filtering down from major west end shows into regional theatre and even Amdram. 2) What advantages do digtal sound desks have over traditional theatre desks? Scroll down a bit. There's a whole thread on the pros and cons of digital. Basic pros: -smaller footprint means fewer seats lost for FOH position and therefore happier producers. -built in effects and scene recall/automation offer great flexibility -pound for pound, digital boards offer more channels and more bells and whistles for the money. 3) What disadvantages do digtal sound desks have compared traditional theatre desks? Again, see the earlier thread, but a quick summary: -multi layers of faders and the need to select a channel to adjust is (at least in theory) not as quick and convenient as a "knob per function" analogue board -learning curves are steep and operators need practice and training before they can use a new board effectively. 4) As an operator/engineer, which do your use and prefer? Now that I've tasted digital, I don't want to go back to analogue. 5) Can you see digtal technology (Digital Desks, Computer playback, etc) replacing traditional theatre equipment? Absolutely and inevitably. 6) How can you see technology advancing in the 5 years? If I could see that, I'd be a rich man in 5 years. Seriously though, I'll wager that in five years analogue consoles will be a niche market with the majority sold being digital. Effects playback will be digital in some way...either computer based or dedicated hardware/UIs with digital storage and PB at the heart. Radio mic systems will be digital and in the low end microwave frequency range. There will be lots more "show control" type automation/integration for big shows. Hope this helps at least a little. (Opions expressed are my own and may spark debate with the analogue brigade!) Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshy Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 (Opions expressed are my own and my spark debate with the analogue brigade!) Bob<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thats what I was hoping for Cheers for the responce dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.henderson Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hi, I have just started doing Sound work recently and but have done a bit of reading up on Digital Desks so I will answer all I can and I hope these basic answers are a good basic start. 2) What advantages do digtal sound desks have over traditional theatre desks? First of all Digital Sound Desks are generally a lot smaller than analogue desks this is because they have 2 or more channels to 1 fader and you choose which channel by flicking through pages/ layers (like submaster pages on lighting consoles). This means you take up less room FOH and you can sell more tickets! Also its easier if a Sound Engineer decides to buy their own desk they can get it around easier etc. You can store scenes (settings), this means difficult EQ changes, effects etc. can be pre-programmed and recalled. This makes it a lot easier if for instance you are doing a gig with lots of bands, you can store each of their settings in the sound check and then simply recall them when they play which is obviously quicker, easier, more hassle free!! Cost, they are getting cheaper and cheaper and you are getting loads more features for your cash than you would with an analogue desk. 3) What disadvantages do digtal sound desks have compared traditional theatre desks? The way it works with the pages/ layers of channels you can't instantly grab any channel which means if you get some awful feedback or you need to a channel very quickly for any other reason it will take longer to get to than it would on an analogue desk where you could just reach out for it. Another problem relating to the layering.. When planning a show you have to think very carefully about what channels you put where because you can't do things like crossfade between two channels using the same fader on different layers. There is a lot more info on digital mixing in This Thread which is wear I got a lot of info in this post from. Other links to have a look at are: This Article on how digital mixing was used on the recent west end production of Acorn Antiques. Soundcrafts Guide to Digital Mixing (PDF). This Thread on Digital Sound Replay. HTH, Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshy Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hi, I have just started doing Sound work recently and but have done a bit of reading up on Digital Desks so I will answer all I can and I hope these basic answers are a good basic start. [snip] HTH, Sam<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Cheers mate!! Lots of stuff for me to have a look through! Thanx again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 The internet is a great thing - you ask for info, copy and paste it and somebody gives you a qualification. I seem to remember having to do massive amounts of reading, and what was called primary research - targeting specific people who have solid skills or knowledge and citing them as sources. Nowadays it's quite nice to see the blue-room as the fountain of all knowledge. Come on Marshy, it's just a quick and painless way of filling up the word count. You should see the questionnaire I got sent today on lighting from another 'named' uni. total rubbish! I suspect if we go through the archives, we could actually predict next year when each assignment/project or dissertaion is due from at least 4 college/uni's As you can tell - got into grumpy mode. But with a dead hard drive in my laptop and the best intention to back up the data last week, I'm a bit short of time to do peoples work for them. MARSHY - Sorry you copped for this one - nothing personal, but now about 3 or 4 each week of identical type posts.paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshy Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 The internet is a great thing - you ask for info, copy and paste it and somebody gives you a qualification. I seem to remember having to do massive amounts of reading, and what was called primary research - targeting specific people who have solid skills or knowledge and citing them as sources. Nowadays it's quite nice to see the blue-room as the fountain of all knowledge. Come on Marshy, it's just a quick and painless way of filling up the word count. You should see the questionnaire I got sent today on lighting from another 'named' uni. total rubbish! I suspect if we go through the archives, we could actually predict next year when each assignment/project or dissertaion is due from at least 4 college/uni's As you can tell - got into grumpy mode. But with a dead hard drive in my laptop and the best intention to back up the data last week, I'm a bit short of time to do peoples work for them. MARSHY - Sorry you copped for this one - nothing personal, but now about 3 or 4 each week of identical type posts.paul<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I can see ya point mate! I do intend to do other forms of reasearch (books, word of mouth, mags, etc) but I also have to find out information from people who are in the industry. I do not have many contacts as yet so thought this would be a good starting point... I have to do alot more than this to get my qualification (as pete will tell you)I aint taken your post personaly mate, no worries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 I have a colleague who is a lecturer in Management Science (whatever that is!). One of the major challenges she has with her first-year classes is convincing them that there is more to research than just typing a few keywords into Google.... The trick is to be able to obtain and collate info, and then to rate the source in some way. Bruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 I'll be naughty and ressurect this thread from its near death on page 4, but I spotted the following post over on AAPLS and couldn't resist copying it to here. You want to hear about future trends in mixing/sound technology? How about: Worked a show providing racks & stacks for Lee Ann Womack yesterday. Tour production was provided by Onstage System (formerly Dallas Backup). FOH and monitor console were DM2000s. The interesting part of the setup was the FOH side... The FOH console was located stage left right next to the monitor console. It had a laptop plugged in with a wireless bridge to a tablet PC. The tablet PC was running Yamaha's Studio Manager. This allowed the FOH engineer to remotely control the FOH DM2000 from anywhere within the range of the wireless and did away with the need to haul gear and pull a snake out into the house. I've used this trick for set up before with my DM1000, but have never had the nerve to be away from the desk for an actual show....hmmm...maybe I'll have to get brave. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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