42nd Street - how does it work

[andrewg112]

So, returned yesterday from seeing 42nd street in London. Fantastic show, and could hear the tap dancing clearly ... really clearly !!

 

Now it didn't matter where abouts on the stage they were, every tap and shuffle could be clearly heard and was amplified.

 

My question is, how do they get it so good. I cant imagine its is mic'd from underneath as that would just sound bad, I could not see any boundary mics either. It did seem to me that it was being mixed as when the company danced together it sounded very balanced.

 

Any Ideas ?

[jonathanhill]

On a tour around 10 years ago that I was Production LX on, the lead had a radio mic on her feet to capture the taps.

[DrV]

Agreed that it was a fantastic show - saw it last month. I was also impressed by the way the tapping was so 'together'. I had simply assumed that the performers were extremely good at their jobs - don't disillusion me!

[ImagineerTom]

It’s a common technique to install “tie clip” type radio mics down the trouser legs of the best performers so you have a handful of clean taps to mix from. Early versions of riverdance did it, later versions used pre recorded booster tap tracks

[cedd]

Not saying this is how it’s done, but there are some interesting products out there designed for the job;

http://www.q5x.com/2010/12/wireless-innovation-to-capture-the-unique-sound-of-the-radio-city-rockettes/

[Jevans]

They're wearing mics.

 

See here

 

 

And as Olly goes on to explain, the feet of some of the cast and chorus are also miked up so that the live sound of tap-dancing feet can be clearly heard in many of the musical numbers. The so-called ‘tap mics’ add another 24 channels to the wireless total.

[Alec]

Very impressed by the show the other week, too.

 

I just wanted to know where all that scenery got stored...

[andrewg112]

Well that clears it up, I'm intrigued. I would imagine there's a separate mixing position the tap dancing then.

The whole show is just massive, so glad they picked theatre royal for it. Interestingly the Sunday morning featured a church sermon in the theatre, that's a lot of work.

[Gareth Owen]

Hey Andrew, Gareth Owen here, Sound Designer for 42nd Street. Thank you for your kind words.

 

For the principle and solo tap dancing we use a pair of DPA4061's Y-split in to a single radio pack worn on the waist. The wires run down the legs inside the tights and are hidden in the laces of the shoes.

 

For the ensemble and chorus tapping we have DPA 4022s recessed in to the stage floor across the front edge of the stage. These are panned, EQ'd and delayed to give us maximum gain before feedback, and the polar patterns are taken in to account to get maximum rejection from the orchestra pit. We also have a pair of Sennheiser MKH60 rifle mics on the upstage truss legs which point at the massive staircase for the end of act two.

 

As with so many things in sound design, the key to it sounding good is the quality of the audio going in - the 42nd Street cast are superb tappers and the wardrobe department keep the taps on the shoes sounding crisp and clean. This makes our lives a lot easier.

 

Hope that helps.

[paulears]

When I saw the show, the best compliment to sound is that I totally forgot about it because it sounded real, not amplified - the whole thing kind of sounded like I was sitting on the orchestra rail and the system was turned off. I hate the 'amplified' sound some shows seem to have, and I'm a terrible performance watcher - getting bored really quickly, but I'm really glad I made the effort to see this show. So many now are just spectacle and little substance.

 

Some shows, you want to have a peep at the kit that you can see at the back, but on 42nd Street, I decided deliberately not too - because I didn't want to see the mechanics of what I'd heard.