Charlotte_R Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Hi again, So while talking to my drama group, the treasurer has suggested that they would like to invest in some sound equipment. The hall we practice / perform in is about 10m x 30m and is very tall (probably 6m - good for getting a good top-light) and has hard walls (plaster, wood and glass) and so there is a lot of echo. If I stand on the stage and project, I can be heard from the back; so I don't think we need a sound system except for playback of backing tracks, etc. Because we are an amateur group, we don't have much money so we will be doing this on a shoestring - it's been suggested that we use computer speakers (!). Also, I'm pretty sure that they're expecting wireless microphones for all of the cast, which they will definitely not get for their 27p* budget... Because of the acoustic properties of the hall, my first thought is to invest in lots of drapes and some way to rig them quickly (there's limited ability to leave things set up in the room) to deaden the echo and make the speech more intelligible. I think this would also bring the added advantage of making the hall more theatrical and blocking light out from the windows to make the lighting more effective. However, they are pushing for sound equipment, so I am trying to come up with a solution. Because of the acoustics of the hall and the shows we put on, I think it's important to have lots of low powered speakers - planning for installing 2 small full range speakers at the front and 2 halfway back, delayed appropriately. Passive, so that I can have amps near a power supply and only install speaker cables (although I feel that I'm competent to carry out electrical work, I don't have an official qualification in this kind of thing). I'm thinking of installing them above head height (2.5m up, angled to be facing down) because other people use the room and this will make it so that it doesn't affect them. Should I look at subs as well? I'd also like to install some cabling - audio multicore and some cat 5/6 - I don't think I need much help there, but I have no idea what to propose - how many Cat 5/6 cables? How many channels to the muliticore? Should I split them half to each side of stage? Install XLR under panels at the front of stage for boundary microphones and the like? I will be trying to get the owners of the hall to put some money in given that it directly improves what they can offer to other hirers - although that will also raise the requirements for equipment as I suspect that they will want things like CD players and the ability to plug phones in. Would there be something like a soundweb (but cheaper!) that would allow you to select between a line in / sound equipment? Basically, I feel very out of my depth! Can anyone offer any suggestions. *Not really 27p, but I suspect that making a case for them spending £500 would be a tough job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peza2010 Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 For 500 quid, your going to get very little.Passive speakers and an amp push you over budget before adding a way to delay or any of that jazz. For 500 quid, you might get one half decent active speaker for amplifying playback sources. Drape, you get not even slightly close to bws surge to cover your walls. I think really, you need to talk to the money men or women, work out exactly what their budget is, and focus on one of the areas listed above. Also, what are you chances of money further down the line? Sometimes the correct but not so obvious choice is the cabling infrastructure. If you get cable installed in sensible places, and your multicore sorted, hiring 4 passive speakers and an amp for a week for a specific production is cheap enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 For 500 quid, you might get one half decent active speaker for amplifying playback sources. Er, a pair of Alto Truesonics TS110 for under £400 would do reasonable playback duties...? Though when you add in (safe!) mounting, cabling, small mixer, sources and you're already way over the £500 budget. And if you're thinking of drapes - do make sure you don't deaden the place too much, as you could end up making it hard to project voices. Back to basics, though, you need to look hard at exactly what you want to achieve, and then may need to set a realistic budget accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 +1 for Alto Truesonic TS110As (I have a couple). Great little speakers. I'm not a acoustics bod but I'd have thought drapes on the back wall might make a useful improvement. Beyond that I'd say you need proper professional advice. I'm with the others regarding trying to mic the performers. It's almost certainly more trouble than it's worth. And £500 wouldn't hire you an adequate system for just one show let alone buy one. Sorry :( edit :- I'd still say no PA is probably the most painless route but, (and it's just a thought), if you go the PA way you'd be much better off developing a relationship with a local sound/PA company (or person) and seeing if they'll help out in return for some money and a bit of publicity? Or possibly the local college if they run a theatre/sound/performance type course as a way to get their students some hands on experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte_R Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 Thank you all for confirming my thoughts. My original thought was that it was wrong to install a pa in a room with those acoustics. How much would it be to buy drapes? I think that the best thing to do will be to persuade them to spend money on infrastructure... Although I fear that will be an even harder sell than the drapes because they can't see cabling - I think they want something much more tangible, even if it isn't useful. Ie, they'd be happier if we bought a single cheap microphone and a mixing desk and a speaker :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 How much would it be to buy drapes? Here's a link to some relatively cheap drape fabric which should give you a rough idea. Remember, that's just the raw fabric, you'll need some means of hanging it too. Also it is just 3m wide, so you can at least double the cost to get the drop you need. Make sure whatever you get is flame retardant, someone on the committee may "helpfully" suggest alternatives that aren't. Whilst adding flameproof agents to fabric afterwards is possible, it's not effective to do it on a large scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Probably the most painless way to satisfy them would be to buy a couple of Alto Truesonic TS110As and a budget mixer (if the funding is there I'd recommend a Mackie DL806, very flexible and, for a digital desk, easy for a newb to learn, especially if you use the MF Classic version of app). That would give a flexible and useful system which, even if it didn't solve all (or even most) of your problems it would have many practical applications. Cost, though, would be in the region of £850 by the time you've bought cables and probably £1000 with a couple of reasonable mics and stands. I'd think some kind of acoustic treatment (back wall drapes for starters) may be acquired with a bit of creativity and not much cost (even if they don't excite your money people) see above. Drapes can be hung quite simply, you probably have some handymen who could devise a system but remember to be effective they need to be a few inches, min off the wall and 'draped' loosely (say 1.5-2M width of fabric for every 1M of wall). Your back wall would cost around £250-300 to treat using the stuff linked too above, plus some materials for hanging it. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 The problem is that the budget you suggest may not be sufficient for the supports let alone the sound system. Actually hanging speakers or drapes isn't cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurzweil_dude Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 ... If I stand on the stage and project, I can be heard from the back; so I don't think we need a sound system... Is this before or after the room is full of people sat down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Is it a shared use hall or is it "Your Theatre"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.