Radio Running Part 1

lol. my first article.

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.

Radio Runners - Part 1

by Nicholas Chua

Radio Runners have a pretty hard job to do. Running of radios, radio running, the mic guy, the mic girl, the mic person. They are called many things, but the job is really about one thing and one thing only - to get a good input into the mic.

Basic training

There are many types of radio running. You have handhelds, you have clip-on mics, you have mics on an instrument, you have mics in a wig, you have rostrum mics on stage, you have mics on the forehead, and one of the worst, you have mics under a hat!

Its my view that to run radios or mics, you need to have some basic understanding of a microphone and how its works. Let’s run through the basics:- The diaphragm picks up moving sound waves (they travel through molecules bouncing off each other) of different frequency and amplitude. This lot then gets converted into electricity. After playing around, it is sent to an electrical coil, which moves, depending on the drivers used, and you pick this up and its sound. Its pretty basic stuff but it will arm you with the knowledge of where a mic’s optimal position should be to pick up the intended/required soundwaves.

Whichever mic a runner uses. One of the simplest show a radio runner might do is possibly being in charge of two mics. One for the Master of Ceremonies, the MC, and the other mic as a spare. A “large” show from a runner’s point of view is simple - more mics to look after, more speakers to mic up, just more of everything.

Q1. Most shows will most likely to have a rundown sheet. Ask for one. The rundown sheet will be helpful in many ways. You will know where the mic is at every one time if you need to get to it (or multiple mics). You will know which mic is going up next in advance, allowing you to do your check at the receivers. You will know which speaker is going up next, allowing you to get the mic to the person, working around your own timetable. You and the Snd Op will be working on the same page, Op knowing which mic is up next. No confusion as to which is next (unless something happens at the last minute like a failed mic that needs to be swapped). With the sheet, you as the runner can at the last minute, plan for a last minute mic that is needed on the stage. Snd Op must know when you are to do this and it will make his/her job easier. The sheet will make your job easier as the radio runner. You will know which mic is free to be used at anyone time for whatever purpose.

Q2. Does the MC hold onto the mic for the entire show? Will the MC have an assistant? Some MCs just like to hold on to their mics. A runner’s job is to know if the MC will be moving around the area. Will the MC be out of range? You have to make sure they are not. As the runner, you must know at every one point during the show where they are and if the mic is with them. And do not allow them to wonder off, not knowing what input the mic might pick up and go live. Some Snd Ops leave the mics ‘live’, some don’t. Check with the Snd Op and make it clear to the MC. A radio runner’s task that could help everyone is to check with the MC or his/her assistant(s) about: Does he/she have a chair/table where the mic will be placed when not in use? Will it drop? Is the mic at any one time safe? Are there any open top liquid containers where the mic is? Liquids and microphones don’t mix very well. The MC mic placed on the rostrum might roll off so make sure the MC does not leave it there.

3. Does the MC provide a good solid sound input into the mic? Is the mic held too far away when they speak? Does the runner need to tell the MC the basics of speaking into the mic?

Alas! Sometimes the runner has to do it. Walk up to the MC and let them know that the way they are holding the mic is wrong. It could be a few things: The angle it is held towards the mouth or the distance from the mouth. Some things just can’t be helped, like the speaker’s actual voice may not be ‘strong’ enough. Popping will also occur at times. And lastly, a runner’s duty is also to ‘educate’ the speaker when speaking into a rostrum microphone.

4. Are there spare batteries with the runner in case something crops up? As for rehearsals, it’s fine to use semi-old stock batteries. Do not use totally dead batts. It is not nice when during rehearsals the mic for the VIP dies. Use semi-old ones. You need to system check all your mics before the show. Power them up with new batteries. Do not save on batteries when it comes to show time. Carefully label the cases of old and new batts. Discard the old batteries accordingly and carry spare new batteries with you at all times - on your person, in your pockets, or on your serving tray. Remember to discard the old batts you have used up as soon as possible, and never mix with any new ones.

In the next part of “Radio Runners”, I will touch on more useful battery tips and the finer points of communicating with the Snd Op.

[Part 2 of Road Runners will appear in our July 2012 Issue - Editor]