Its a touring life 2

In this second part of my article “It’s a touring life for me”, I shall explain to you with my in-depth take on what happens when the tour starts proper.

Let us say the show at Wimbledon ends on Saturday night. At this venue, the touring team will do everything, with the help of the production people that will follow the tour to do the ins and the outs. Also helping are the part timers, “locals”, called to do the out.
So the amount of people doing the sound get out would be x 3 (touring), x 2 (production crew who will follow the show), and x 2 local part-timers, for a total of seven people.
Sound would normally have one truck to it’s own. If it’s a larger show, more gear, than maybe another half a truck which will be shared with another department. On some shows, sound takes two full trucks!
Wimbledon is easy to do a get out. Side stage door open straight onto the road and up the truck. All departments out and all truck doors shut. 0430 hrs: home to sleep and finish packing if its not done.

NOTE: Travel day: Tours in the UK do not go in a nice circle start-point to end-point, e.g., London first than down to the south to Brighton, than it follows the coast to the west to Portsmouth and keeps going in that direction before heading up north.
The theatres are all booked by different shows. The next venue from Wimbledon could be in Leeds, then going on to Belfast, Northern Ireland, then cutting back across to the east coast of England to Norwich. Its one big zigzag road trip. I get dizzy just looking at the map itself!
On Sunday, you will relocate to the next location. The Touring Tech Crew will travel on Sunday. We have to get to the next city or town by Sunday. Some prefer to travel that same night if they have their own transport. Some will stay and travel early in the morning, depending if its near. Once at the next city, you will have to sort out your “home” for the next two weeks. 

Come Monday morning, the set-up starts. Everyone who has to be there must be there - the ‘tourers’, and the production crew that assists the set-up and teardown. The theatre would also have called the local crew of two by our company manager. However the cast and band members don’t have to be there on Monday morning, they plan their own, maybe reaching there on Tuesday itself.
I need to stop here and mention something about the trucks. The drivers are allowed to drive only after 10 hours of rest. The truck has a system connected to the main office that shows where it is, when it moves and when it stops. The driver has to keep to a set of rules. Meaning the show has to stick to it too. If there is some mix up in the timings, it means that that truck cannot “move”, and a replacement driver with his/ her rest, will have to come and pick up the trailer. This could mean your sound and lighting gear might not reach the theatre at 8 or 9am on Monday. Maybe reaching at 12 noon... And you know what that means.

Monday, 0800 hrs: Truck doors open; Dock doors open; Unloading starts. Touring crew, production crew, and local freelancers. By dinner time (lunch), most of the sound system will be up and power will be on. By tea time (dinner), there would be sound coming out the speakers. By the end of day (around 2100 hrs) the whole system would be up and running. Delay times, Balancing, Outputs tested, and Radios tested. If there is a band in the pit, most likely the larger stuff would have been set up. Monitor desk (if there is one), the instruments, stage boxes and mics on sticks. For the local crew of two, Monday evening is their last day, finishing at 6pm and no later. That’s until we see them again at the out. Hopefully it’s the same two persons. Then it’s off to the pub.
The only thing left for Tuesday would be the band seating (if there is a band), their sound check, cast on stage for their walk round, mic up and tech runs, maybe full runs. Then its tidying up, stacking of cases, tweaking the band, and making everyone happy.

Tuesday, 0900 hrs: Finishing off what was not done on Monday. All departments ready by 1700 hrs. Doors open at 1845 hrs, show starts on the dot at 1930 hrs. The show call crew, “Numbers 1,2 and 3” will be doing different things from the production crew around 1200 hrs onwards on Tuesday. While they are getting the show ready, mics ready, the production crew will be doing their own little things, e.g., sorting out the band, final positioning of speakers on stage, clearing up of all sound items, and taping cables down if needed - general tidying up. Sound No.2 and No.3 will be assisting them in this, but mainly getting ready for the show. The two production sound crew members will be there to sort out any last minute changes.

End of show on Tuesday night: And if the designers are present, they might want to give notes to their respective departments. Since this is the “first move”, most likely there would be notes. Production sound crew can leave if there are no major changes to the sound system. Normally there aren’t. So that’s goodbye to them until they are back for the out.

Wednesday morning: Back into the theatre if there’s any work to be done. If not, than it’s a 1700 hrs sound call for us. Wednesday is the time where the sound department is run by the touring sound No.1. Not that he/ she is not the No.1, but set up is shared between the No.1 and the production sound crew.
The No.1 looks after the day-to-day running of the sound department, also the main FOH Op for the show. He/she will mix the show according to what and how the sound designer wants it and the job of ensuring the show sound good falls to them. How the system gets set up on the Monday mainly falls to the production sound crew. No.2 is in charge of backstage. He/she will look after the radios and system. No.3 is No.2’s seconder backstage and will follow No.2’s orders.

So for two weeks, the same thing happens everyday. Maintenance is needed. No.1 will plan a day for it every week. Coming in at 1400 hrs once a week is normal. There might even be some cast change during the tour, so coming in for rehearsals is normal when that happens. There might be even a change of crew. They have to learn the show as well, and that involves coming in early too.
Comes the last show at the venue - which is on Saturday night. The local crew, hopefully the two there did the in, will be there. The production crew will be there. All the other departments’ teardown crew will also be there. Quite a large group really. The trucks will be parked up outside waiting for the gear to be loaded.
Curtain down and the fun starts. Packing of the small items first: Disconnecting all the cables; Getting rid of the large items before starting on the small ones; Clearance on stage in order to lower the sound truss if there’s one; Getting flight cases onto stage, and all these while trying not to get in the way of other departments. At some venues, the loading dock area is pretty large, so maybe a truck might be left behind for storage of empties. Using the truck as a storage area is sometimes needed as the theatre is so small so there is just no storage area. Each department will carry on their teardown in their own way. A method that falls into place after a few moves.

Note: With the touring production crew and hopefully the same locals that did the ‘in’.

Loading starts when cases are shut. There is always a system of which truck parks at the dock doors first. If there is a band, all their stuff would likely go on the first truck at the dock. At the next venue, their items are needed last. In that order, items needed first will go on last, e.g., rigging, flying speakers, and lights that need to be hung. There is not really a “fixed” way of “I’m to go first than its you”. If the show uses five trucks, things will be packed according to what needs to be used first at the next venue. First in - Last out, Last in - First out. E.g., if there’s a show deck, that would go into the first truck (load out), than out and laid after all the lighting booms are flown (load in).
Once all the truck doors are shut, its time to go back to your “temp” home. Sleep for a few hours than head off to your next venue. You can take the train, you can take a bus, you can book a flight, or you can hitch a ride from someone with a car. Just be there at 8am on Monday. You have to plan this yourself. The Company does not plan this for you. They give you a certain amount of money in order to travel. This money will be standard train off peak travel fare and it’s up to you if you want to travel by first class, you just have to fork out the rest.

The place that you make your home for the time you spend in any city is also up to you to find. The Company will pay you the “market rate”. If you find a place more expensive, you need to top up the rest.

When on tour, there is something we call the “digs list”. This list, kept by the company manager, has names and addresses and pricing of places that you can stay in: Cheap hotels; Residential homes sublet by the owners; Flats. It’s up to you to call and check for vacancies. Try not to leave this “part” to the end of the week. Better book early!
So now you reach your next city and it’s the same routine all over again.

* There are basically two groups of people in this industry. Those that tour, and those that don’t. That line is seldom crossed.

* Touring, when you love it, you will never quit. You will spend your whole career touring. You can’t settle down to do shows in fixed venues. But if you love your city too much and cannot be away from home for too long, then you will never tour. 

Its a touring life 1

Grace of AVL times.

My very first tour in the UK was with “The Full Monty”. We toured for 10 months, starting out in Wimbledon and ending in Glasgow. Known as a “two weeker”, we moved every two weeks. To me. It was always a new city to explore, and a fully paid holiday around the British isles.

As with most theatre shows in the United Kingdom, we started out from the Greater London area. The time we spent in this first venue was considerably long. Of course some tours do start out in other cities too.

In the first ever set up you would do a few things that need to be sorted out (at this first venue) before the tour starts proper:-
 Staging
 Anti Rake (If any)
 Sound System
 Lighting System
 Wardrobe
 Costumes
 Management
 Final Artistic Directions

Staging
The set must be able to fit into the smallest theatre on tour and also the largest. Wimbledon might have a large stage area, but the planning must be done taking into

account the very smallest theatre the show will go into. There could be a “full” floor put down in certain venues, with smaller parts made and used when needed.
Props, moving scenery, sliders, flown items all will go through their final “fittings’, taking into account that most of the set will be made somewhere else beforehand. Once done, there would not be much changes anymore, and maybe only very minor changes in the next two moves and than just the normal maintenance during the tour after that.

Anti Rake
Some theatres are “raked” meaning there is a slight slope to the stage surface. Down stage being lower than upstage. Some shows are performed on level surfaces, so an anti-rake must be made. It tours with the show. Set designer will take into account the ease of installing of anti rakes too. 

Sound System
Every new show that goes out will be using a new sound design, usually from different designers. The system might be prepped at the rental house, but it needs to be put into the theatre. So many days of setups will narrow down what is going on tour. The bulk of the “non used” items is returned to the rental house, and spares are taken on tour. If speakers need to be hung independently from any structure in any of the coming venues, a flying structure must tour with the show. All this is made and measured during the set up, extras go back to the warehouse.
Lighting System
Basically the same as sound, the fixtures are prepped in the rental house, then its the setup at the first venue, and unwanted items returned. The lighting designer would be present everyday to make it look right.
Wardrobe
London (or other large cities) has everything - allowing the wardrobe department to get everything right before the tour. The costume designer would have readied all items by the time cast is on stage. Being in a large city allows you to do “last minute” errands for something that needs to be bought. And this applies to wigs too.
Management
The production company will have sorted out the personnel going on the tour and they might visit the tour somewhere on the road, wherever the show is at.
Final Artistic Directions
Rehearsals would have been going on for many weeks at some venue prior to moving to Wimbledon. Many parts of the show

would have been sorted out at this rehearsal location. When the company moves to that first venue, its more of a “getting used to” the new venue other than what they have been in for however long it was. Now the artistic team can gel all different aspects of the show together. Many days of rehearsals will continue here - getting it all right before press night and still working and changing after press night until opening night.
Once on tour (leaving this first venue), the tech team touring with the show comprises of the just the bare minimal.
Below is just an example of the touring crew on a medium to large scale show:-

•   Snd: Three persons. Snd Number 1, 2, 3.
  Less if it’s a smaller show, or if the DSM is
  op’ping the show from backstage.
  
•   LX: Two persons. Lx Number 1 and 2.
  At times only one.
  
•   SM Team: Four persons. SM, DSM (show
  caller), ASM L and ASM R.
  
•   Wardrobe: Two persons or more if it’s
  a show with a large costume change
  scenario.
  
•   Wigs: (if any) One person, or two or
  three, depending if it’s a wig heavy show. If it’s not that ‘wig heavy’, the wardrobe department might do wigs as well.
  
•   Production Team: Two, maybe more. Company Manager and Resident Director.
  
•   Tech ASM: (swing) One. Multiple roles, covering Snd, Lx, Wardrobe and Stage. This post is rare, but it happens.
  
  
  
  So excluding the cast, the team is already 15 bare minimal for a show. The creative team does not go with the tour. They might follow the tour for the next 2 to 3 venues or they might “visit” the show (maybe) in 3 months, but every so often they will pop up and say hi!
  So, back at Wimbledon, a sound point of view of the first venue set up. Pretty much a basic setup. Location of amps, Power distros, FOH cable run, Main incoming power, Speaker positions, Radio antenna positions, Cross stage cable runs, Band in pit, DSM desk position, video runs, intercom rings, follow spot comms, positions of video monitors for offstage viewing, storage of flight cases, planning of spare cables, spare PSUs, spare batteries, spare drivers, spare truss for large venues, flying equipment....
  Everything in Wimbledon will be done according to what that will happen on tour. For example, the amp racks; They would all be housed in one large rack called the “daddy rack”.

  
  Inputs and amp outputs will be hard patched, incoming power too. So at the next venue, it will be a case of plug-n-play. No fiddling around wasting time. All interlinking cables between all sound gear goes into one large case, not mixed into different cases.
  FOH cables to be “loomed” together - living in its own case. FOH stuff in another case. Those are just some examples to make the ins and outs fast, easy and manageable. Every case will be labeled as to where they will go once its unloaded off the truck. All one has to do is glance at it and know where it must go to. And also the God mic system. Just for the Director to converse with every- one during tech runs and such. This gear does not go on tour (whew!).
  As the days go by, things will get finalized. More and more things fall into place, in all departments. Things that are not needed will be sent back to the rental company. The items left in that venue will all go on tour, including your spares.
  In next month’s Soundtrap feature, Nicholas will give you his in-depth take on what happens when the tour starts proper. Don’t miss Part 2 in our November issue! 
  

cheers to clarence of AVL times, link on the right side list.

Guard Duty

Part and parcel with any military. guard duty.

where ever u are. which ever unit. sea land air. gota do done.

As usual, we had lessons on it. briefed on what to do. how to react to different plays. we were taught all.

in those days, the helmets issued to us was the tin pot, with the inner liner. the outer layer can be taken off.

guard duty for us newbies on that island was just to get us used to it. the long walk. the looking at shit in the night. cant see shit.

the tin pot was taken off. we walked the rounds in just the inner part of the helmet.

every one did it. my turn came. we reported to the “ camp gate” after dinner.

im like, wad camp gate? the whole island is one bloody camp. no fence round our place. the fence is the waters round the island.

we all slept in one large room.

me and my buddy were chosen to do the 3am to 4am slot. bahhhhh. fuk my sleep interrupted.

So, we got woken up. went out to the front. dressed in our shitty SOB, comfy greens, comfy inner liner helmet.

we do not carry guns and bullets. we carried the baton and wicker shield.

our round lasts one hour. 1 hour to walk round camp 3 on the outskirts. some parts we would cross into the camp. but basically, its one large round. we have to pace ourselves. cant walk too fast. cant walk to slow.

so we started. distance between us two, 4-7 meters apart.

many stories were told. here is haunted. there is haunted. when u reach this part, don’t look at that part. do not speak to one another. do not look at that rock outcrop. stick to the pavement. do not drift away from it. don’t not smoke. do not look at that bunk when u reach this corner.

bah so many things they told us. all the do`s and don’ts.  I think we broke so many “laws”. we smoked. we looked everywhere. we even sat down away from the pavement.

one nice view is the main land. from that island at a certain stretch, u can see the skyline of the city. we looked at it everyday we pass that spot. SOC. runs. lessons. but this was the first time we were looking at the city at night. it is a very nice view. with clear skies that is.  that night was clear. could see all the way to downtown. well, that lasted about 1 smoke.

the only sexciting thing that happened was when we neared a part of the SOC ( standard obstacle course). The Jacobs ladder. We were told about this as well. do not look to the top of the ladder.

while passing, I had a very quick look.

did not see anything. but after another 10 meters, I felt a cold chill from my head down to my legs. I kinda walked faster. my buddy walked faster too.

nothing happened.

we walked till we came to a “brighter” area. cool. all cool.

we cont. walking, doing our duty. got back to the guard room. handed over to the next pair.

reported nothing.

as nothing happened.

both of us had a smoke. chatted about wad happened. well, we both came to an agreement.

do as told. do not look if told not to look.

obey orders lol.

that’s it. end of my first guard duty. pretty boring if u ask me.

I went on to do more guard duties later on in my NS. there was only once it was dam sexciting! but that’s a story for another day.

so ended guard duty on that island.

Bye ah ma

Every day, people are born.

Everyday, people die.

Fact. cant run away from that.

how does one deal with it? in many ways I guess. each one deals with it in their own way. very personnel.

granddad passed in 1994. it was, like, sudden. not expected. that was hard.

grandma, well, we knew it was coming. in and out of hospital. dementia. loss of memory. hospital visits. kept a few days for observation. the list goes on.

hence, it was expected. does it mean that its not as hard as granddad`s death? it is. but knowing in advance kind of makes you more prepared. not that a death can be prepared, but, I was prepared. most in the family were. it happens.

So………

u might not like what im writing, but hey its my page and ill write.

sat. morning. she passed. in her sleep. peaceful position. passed in the night.

every one knew by 9am. phone calls were made. the wake was called. seats. snacks. the “expert” was called to organize much of the stuff.

we normal people don’t really know how to run a funeral.

she was prepared. she was made to look good on her journey. her cloths she wore was the one she was always in. we humans picked it. she did not. her wore it lots, we take it that its her frav.

make up applied. hair combed. looking good there grandma. 

some kind of small white looking ball at her lips. like those pins with the round end. no idea what it was to mean. just let the expects do it. we just follow.

coffin. she laid in it. top half opened, from chest up to face. for humans to view her.

I was there at bout 11am. late? maybe. was working till 5am. day 1 of the wake. spend 2 hours.

the priest was there. Buddhist.

changed cloths. every one in the family has a “ranking” in a death. being the eldest grand son, chris not here, being in the UK, I was to stand at the front during any prayers.

in the order, front to rear. sons, grandsons, daughters, elder in laws, younger inlaws, great grand sons, great grand daughters, distant relatives.

friends or visitors who are present do not do the prayers during the wake. they seat around watching the family do it.

 kneel, bow three times, up. bow. three times. kneel. walk round the coffin three times. look at her. back into position. bow. kneel.

that’s one session of prayers. the priest will chant. say words.

session over. more to come later in the day.

back to work for me. cant stay the day or night. show time and tear down till 5am, and cont set up another show. finished at 10am. went back showered, back to venue, show, tear down.

so come Monday, went back for the last day of the wake. this is the day grandma gets cremated.

Monday 9am. live band turns up. plays music. everyone is there.

the experts gets the place ready for the movement to the burning place.

band plays on. things being kept.

prayers started. last view of grandma. bows. kneel. bow. up.

every one turns away from the coffin. no one is to look when they shut the lid on the coffin. done. we face the front again.

more prayers. the last few rites given I guess.

all lined up. face the floor. no one to look when the coffin is raised and carried out. once pass us, we can than look again.

grandma into the van. rear door shut. sons and grand son to the back of the van. same order in the prayers, we walked.

my dad, my uncle, 3^rd son, and me we pushed the van. of cos the engine was on. its symbolic. we were to assist her on the journey.

we walked about 400 meters. van stops. dad carries the burning joist stick. he gets into the front of the van.

everyone else gets into charted buses. and we headed of to mandai.

grandma reaches first. we all get off. saw grandma being pushed outa the van. onto some kind of automatic push device. very modern.

we all got ushered to viewing gallery number 2.

we were briefed, when the coffin is being automatically driven into the, hm.. oven?

we were to say “ grand ma, watch out for the fire. its coming. don’t get burned. run fast and be safe”.

along those lines. we were to warn her to be careful of the fire.

so.. we waited.  we saw the coffin come in.

it got placed on the device that brings it towards the oven. very robotic.

so. the thing starts moving. towards a set of wooden doors. as it got nearer, the doors opened. words were said in the viewing hall. as it went more down the tracks, words got spoken louder. as the dive with the coffin got to the end, it stopped. the coffin was raised. and a 2^nd set of doors opend. I guess it’s the oven.

the coffin started to get pushed in. the the first set of doors closed.

wtf?

I did not even see the coffin go into the oven.

why is it so in personnel? I want to see the coffin go in and burn. harsh? no. lack of heart? no.

why is it so robotic? cant we see it go in? why is the procedure like this?

it was not so impersonal last time as I remembered. at another location, we see the coffin go in, and burn.

not this place.

the doors shut. we did not see more. we were ushered out. washed our faces with water. got our footwear back on. got on the bus.

we got to the temple. this temple is going to be her spiritual home. grand dad is here too. so they will be side by side )))

prayers there. placed her “paper work” there. when she comes, she is under “probation” for a while. a few weeks I think. than she can “stay” there.

back on the bus and back to the house. lunch is served.  we ate. we chatted. that was it. we all went back home.

Tuesday morning. 8am at the house. all got on the bus. went back to the crematorium. time to pick up grand ma and bring her to her new home.

there she laid. on the table. white and ashen. broken up small bits of bones. high temp makes it white. brittle. the largest piece is the top half of the skull.

we all lined up to pick up a piece each. placed the piece on a red cloth. the last bits were placed by the people that worked there.

onto the bus. time to bring her to another temple, to lay her physical body.

more prayers.

opened the red cloth. we placed coins in it urn. same two coins. but not 1 dollar coins. only 10 cents, 20 cents and 50 cents. no idea why. grandma will look after this monies. than we each picked a part of her, into the urn. some form of talisman, a folded yellow cloth with writings on it, went in. the last part that went into the urn was the largest piece, the skull. lid put in place.

she now stays at block K, 8^th floor, apartment 8.

Grand dad will join her here, same block, 10^th floor, apartment 9. he is still at lim chu kang, but the rental is only for 30 years, so it was decided to exhume him, and burn him, and place him with his wife, my grandma.

so all is done. her spiritual home. her physical home. all done.

now its up to the living to sort it all out. rest in peace grandma. )))

so that’s the death of grandma.

GW2

arr the time has come to move on.

Guild Wars 2 ))

Theatre Radios Part 2

SOUNDTRAP

Nick has spent the last 19 years working in the sound industry. He began his formal education in sound from the bottom - learning to coiling and cleaning speaker cables. He has since come a long way and has worked on many big name concerts and tours in Asia and in the UK. Nick is currently employed as the Head of Sound of a major production rental house based in Singapore.

Theatre Radios - Part.2

by Nicholas Chua

Running of radios in a theatre environment is similar to that of any other shows, except its more defined in the ways of positioning. This issue’s subject is on the finer “doings” of running radios which should happen at the very start. Let me explain by bringing up a few points.

1: Microphone Fittings

Each cast member is different. Different roles requiring different nationalities. Hence your assorted markers. The most common mic used in theatre is the MKE2 made by Sennheiser. It is skin colored pink. Being this color, you can then color it to whichever tone that is needed. It is even hard to see in blond hair. The artist might be bareback, being of a darker skin color, and coloring will make it “hard” to spot from the audience.

The most exposed part would be the area below the hairline and above the neckline of the costume. This would be the part of any mic cable that needs coloring. Fitting the mic on the head depends on the person being fitted. They could have a “high” hairline or they could be bald. Because of the role they are playing, they could have hair cuts that are short on the sides or be wearing a hat at times during the show. Maybe even a wig for the whole show (I find this the easiest).

You will face many types of hair styles called for the show: No hair - Use the ear hangers; Short hair - use hairpins or clips; a full head of hair requires using an elastic band or clips as well. A clip or elastic for a wig. As for a hat, well taping the mic to it or lowering the mic would be your solution.

It is how you work with the artist; Making them comfy with the mic fitted is your main aim. When fitted, it should not bother them in any way. Work with them - it is the only way. Do your fitting on stage if you have to (stops in rehearsals), and keep doing it till both of you are happy. Some artists are used to a certain method and you might be used to methods that they have not tried. So compromise, it can be done. Once the fitting is done and every department is ok, than that method should be used for the “whole show”. Actors need to cut their hair every so often to play a role. So your mic colors should always be constant.

2: Microphone Positions

Placing the mic in the best optimal position might be a bit more tricky than coloring it. Some departments would likely get involved. Got a hat? See costume. Wigs? Find wigs team. If any minor change, talk with the creative team. Is the hat too high for improved mic placement? Check lighting. You must be around all these times, doing your minor changes as it happens and taking notes. Placing the mic in the right place EVERY time there is a change is of the upmost importance. A misplaced mic will affect the sound quite drastically. After all is said and done, that mic Must Always be in that position, everytime, every show. If an actor is changed for that role, another mic should be used for him or her. Do not use the mic that belongs to the original actor. Fit this person out as and when you know, not at the last possible minute. If said person is the main cover, than the mic should be kept till he/she is due on. Do not fit it on any other person unless really necessary. The hair clips or elastic or even ear hanger is fitted for one person, not multiple persons. Whenever possible, check the position. Do not think that it will magically stay in its position. Some cast members will do the wearing and placing of the mic themselves. You check on them when they come down at beginners (5mins to curtain up). Since there are two of you backstage, one will listen, and the other will do the visual checks (yup, it involves walking). Some cast members prefer that they are mic’d up by a member of the sound team. Still, listening and visual is a must when they are at beginners.

During the show, expect the unexpected. Do not expect that all will go right and do not expect that the mic will stay in position from start to end of show. Mr. Murphy always shows his ugly head. Listen, Walk, Look, Lis- ten again, Look again, Walk again. You will go anywhere to look at any mic at any one time. There is no place in the theatre that is off limits to the sound team, maybe only the male and female toilets.

3: Microphones - Care Of

I don’t know if this is a record, but here goes: Cast on stage; First fitting done; 8 shows a week; Show went on for 11 months for a total of 352 shows, and used the same mic for that entire run. How did it last so long you ask? Was is a mic so perfect when it came out from the factory? In truth, I’ll never know. As the sound team, you must look after all your gear. The most sensitive items, well, there are many, would most likely be microphones. They are exposed to hot, warm, cool and cold air every day. Hot skin radiating heat, stepping out into the cold night air, condensation, etc. Taking care of mics include cleaning them with distilled water, air spraying them, protecting them with nail polish, tape to keep it off the forehead, and asking the cast not to go out into the cold after being in a warm/hot environment. Taking the mics off the packs and stretching them over night on a mic stand is good. Mr. Gaffer Tape gets involved in this. It helps to keep the cable straight over a long running show.

When a mic starts to fail, it does not mean its not working. It is just that the sound quality is, how shall I say, not that great. It can be used, but will not sound fantastic. Let the sound number one decide what to do, that’s their job. Sound quality dropping in a mic does not mean that you are not looking after the mic, it could be a whole bunch of other technical problems.

A dry box is very useful. Mics like it in there because they need airing. That’s the best place to suck any water residue out from the mic. Fine copper wires don’t like liquids in any shape and form.

Cast should know that its perfectly fine to approach the sound team if they feel anything is not right - Belt too tight, Belt old and loose, Clips running off position. Any thing does feels “ not as usual”, please let them know that its ok to approach your team. In this way, things can be looked at and fixed if need fixing. It’s really about preventive measures.

4: Radio System

The Rack, the Antenna Cables, and antenna fins are slightly more rugged than mic and packs but they still need care. Hanging them in a safe place is good. Not getting knocked is good. Cables runs from rack to antenna should not be in anyone’s way, or moving objects. From the rack, straight up and away is the best bet.

Most venues where you place your racks, there would be things that you can fly the antennas off above you. Simple and straight forward and won’t get in the way of anyone or anything. Otherwise bring with your tour with you some poles. They make a great way to fly your antennas. Keeping the antennas away from any metal work as much as possible is a good thing. Wood is of course acceptable. As near to the stage is good too.

Most radio systems have two IP’s - A and B. Keeping A and B apart, downstage and upstage, works fine all the times for me during setups. Good RF into both. If you

have more than two sets of antennas, keep both the A’s and B’s apart. Try not to put them close to each other. If A and B are close, it won’t work in “diversity”.

That line of sight to the antennas might have something in the way, hence A and B may lose the signal. Keeping them apart means that if A is lost, B will kick in. Never run antenna A and antenna B side by side, it defeats the purpose of what it was designed for.

5: Doing it in a minute

Electronic items can and will fail at any one time. You have to be ready to move fast to fix something when you know about it. Having these items with you at all times will be good: Spare clips; Spare elastic bands; Spare skin tapes; Spare batteries; Spare mics; Spare transmitters. It no use if you know a problem, and after getting to the changing room and finding out you do not have a certain item with you. Some call it the “fanny” pack. Like a carpenter you keep them around your waist. Its all you will ever need to service a cast member.

Imagine this - cast on stage, doing a dance with member of the audience and the mic gets flooded out and that cast member won’t be off for another five more minutes during which he will be saying many lines. He is not coming off, so what could I do to fix the problem? So running onto the stage, within all the audience, I managed to get to him and un-flood the mic. Lines were clear and audible.

Some times you have only one minute, sometimes you have the whole act to fix something. Some cast members knows when their mic has failed and they would speak louder, or even into the other cast’s mics. All to help the sound team till it is fixed. Remember, the show must go on. Changing a dead mic or a transmitter might take some time. To do it fast, both of you at backstage must work quickly.

Hint – “Don’t not beat yourself up over it during the show if something goes wrong, get on with the show and fix it. You can always beat yourself up later after the show.”

If it’s a complicated swap, and during a very short time span, the two of you will need to do it. If time allows, only one is enough. Someone needs to listen at the racks. If time absolutely doesn’t permit it, the show goes on without that person’s input and you will have to fix it when you can.

DPA miniature omni microphones being fitted on the cast of the stage production of Disney’s High School Musical

Remember to listen at the racks so you can identify and preempt any possible events. Walk and look. At times, cast members will think you are crazy, going up to them and looking not at them but at their forehead. Don’t worry, after a while, they will get used to it. You are just doing your job. If they should complain, stab them with your comb, the one with the pointed end.

These are just a few points about the running of radios in a theatre setting which I like to share with you - how, what and why certain things should be done, whether you are on the road or in a set venue.

And finally...

I will touch on one last point and that is - Communication with the Sound Operator at the desk. This final part is pretty important. It’s a bit different from the usual corporate shows that you might or would have done. The Sound Op will not deal with things back- stage. You have to deal with it. He or she may have larger issues on their mind. They have a show to do! Snd Op’s walkie-talkie WILL NOT be turned on while yours will be On during the whole show. If anything goes wrong, you fix it from backstage. It’s your job to know when things go wrong like a dead mic or a mic going dead or a blown amp. You have to try to fix it. There is nothing that the Sound Op can do to help you. Hence his or her walkie is turned off. Part of back stage work is monitoring. You or the number two will keep going through all the mics at the rack and you will do this countless time during a show. As an example:- Cast member’s E’s mic is dead. You change it when you can get to E. Fader will be down when E is not on stage. You get to E, change it, and get on with the show. Sound Op does not need to know. Sound Op will know if a dead mic gets onto stage. Try not to let a dead mic get on stage. If it does, carry on with the show. Don’t panic. Fix it when that person is off.

The Sound Op will turn on the walkie and have a chat with you at times. By “Chat” I mean FIX THAT ITEM! “Go check it out” is about all you will hear from the FOH. You can bring up the problem(s) after the show at the pub, not during the show. During the show - Get on with it.

http://caeditorial.wordpress.com/avl-times/ for original article. courtesy of boss clarence.