Finding your day rate isn’t easy for anyone at first. It’s a math problem that includes, working with some of the most complicated and random variables. You have to ask other professionals in the area, do the research, and worst of all – assign a number to your worth as a professional. Let’s walk through it together. (more…)
“Murphy’s Law” is when something bad happens unexpectedly at the worst possible time. (more…)
I often forget that my job is pretty unique. It’s just what I do, just like everyone else sometimes it is hard to get up and go to work. I find it especially hard right now in the dead of winter and in my quiet season. But then every once in a while I am reminded my job is pretty awesome. (more…)
In Part 1 of this 2-part blog, I introduced my challenge of creating a modern sound design to fit a baroque opera staged in a 19th-century music hall, including my initial approach to the space and decisions about amplification. This part will cover creating the soundscape for the pre-show and prologue, speaker positions and the issue of levels. (more…)
GHOST is a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.
I knew the musical Ghost would be fun to do. There would be loads to play with; the ghost battles and the deaths. Add a band and loads of comedy and I knew this would be a great show.
SoundScape
I wanted the sound of the ghosts interacting with each other to be a strong sound. It needed to be full of energy and still have an element of impact within it. My first thought was to base the sound of the battles around sword fights but to give some other energy as well. Death and organisms seem very analogue to me and very elemental so I thought I’d throw some electricity around in there. The battles with the ghosts needed to be timed to be exact so the SFX would match with the live-action on stage.
I decided to film the fight scenes during rehearsals. Stage fights are choreographed and well-rehearsed, and I was confident the scenes would be the same every night. By recording the scenes, I was able to make sound effects to fit and come to the technical rehearsal with the nuts and bolts or the spine of the soundscape in place.
Trains seem to be featured heavily in the shows I have done recently but this was the first time I needed to time the percussive sound of the train on tracks with the music. Finding a small section I could loop and time stretch to match the tempo of the no. It meant the SFX, which was very loud and sudden within the show, would help move a number along rather than distract from it or break the spell.
The other big soundscape moments were the transitions from life to the afterlife. We didn’t want to lay on a thick moral interpretation of that; so we designed two versions for that transition. The first soundscape was dense; demonic, throbbing, growling, and animalistic. The second version used an element of glass and bells, to convey a sense of air and space. The denser more growling sound was used to signal the deaths that had some element of discord.
When the guy who killed Sam died or when Sam’s friend, who orchestrated the whole plot, died I used this soundscape. It helped to give a sense of the discord within those characters and a hint of them being surrounded by something not pleasant. When Sam died there was an element of the second soundscape there to give a hint of where he could go and to accent the choice he makes to stay with his girlfriend Molly. When Sam finally moves on to whatever comes next I used a fuller version of the second soundscape to covey a sense of having resolved things.
I created a ghost reverb to use when characters died; it was not too long or too short. It just put the ghosts in a slightly different space from the characters that were still alive. This did prove problematic at first, as it became messy moving from a ghost-speaking reverb to a ghost singing reverb during the show. Laura, (the No. 1 on the show and was programming the SD8), and I decided to use the ghost-speaking reverb for numbers as well. Maybe with a little tweak if we needed something longer for a ballad.
The set was a very open and lovely and all of it was required for the acting space. This meant the band would have to be remote. The band was a five-piece, plus brass and strings on tracks. The tracks were run by Qlab and triggered by the Musical Director (MD). A band room was constructed into a cloth store on the side of the stage; the band relied on a video monitor to see what was happening on stage. Also, the MD had a camera that was broadcast to the vocal booth on the other side of the stage and FOH. The cast and crew could see the MD at all times and were able to follow his upbeats, etc. Vocals and fold back of the band were fed to the room through an Aviom system.
Mixing tracks with a live band presents challenges; you want the tracks that were produced in a different space to sound as close to the band and the room. It’s a good idea to have as many stems from the tracks as the console and equipment will allow. Separating the string and brass tracks, etc. allows you to treat them differently. It helps if the tracks are as untreated as possible, so you can ride the faders and follow the dynamics of the show. Eliminating pre-recorded reverbs, allows you to use the same reverb on similar types of instruments and will help the mix to gel together. All of the vocals were live although some were sung off stage in a vocal booth. Laura the No. 1 did an excellent job in combining all of these elements into a cohesive mix.
Laura No1
I really enjoyed working on this production and with all the talented women on the sound team.
Laura – No1
Gemma – Production Sound Engineer
Sarah and Olivia – Backstage and radio mics.
Guildford School of Acting uses a professional band and creative team to put shows on. The cast and the technicians are all students supported by the in-house professional technical team.
So, you’ve discovered your love of music, technology, and production. That’s the first step! Being passionate about this work is an absolute must, or, frankly, it’ll suck you dry. (more…)
Evan Sebastian has offered SoundGirls.Org Members to shadow him during his upcoming tour with Citizen and Turnover with Sorority Noise and Milk Teeth supporting. The dates are posted below. If anyone is interested in coming out to a show to share ideas, or if you’re just curious about how shows are run, please email soundgirls@soundgirls.org.
Include
Full Name
Date and Venue of Show You would like to attend.
Please note that Evan will only be able to accommodate one or two people per show and may not be able to accommodate you in Los Angeles, San Fransisco and New York
03/09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Altar Bar
03/10 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
03/11 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom
03/12 – Chicago, IL – Double Door
03/13 – St. Louis, MO – Fubar
03/15 – Oklahoma City, OK – 89th Street Collective
03/20 – El Paso, TX – Mesa Music Hall
03/22 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theatre
03/23 – Pomona, CA – Glass House
03/24 – San Diego, CA – Lamppost Warehouse
03/25 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
03/26 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
03/28 – Portland, OR – Analog Cafe
03/29 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
04/01 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
04/02 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
04/04 – Springfield, MO – Outland Ballroom
04/05 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
04/06 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
04/07 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
04/08 – Margate, FL – O’Malley’s Sports Bar
04/09 – Orlando, FL – Backbooth
04/10 – Jacksonville, FL – 1904
04/12 – Greensboro, NC – Greene Street
04/13 – Virginia Beach, VA – Shaka’s Live
04/14 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
04/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of the Living Arts
04/16 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
04/17 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
04/18 – Brooklyn, NY – Shea Stadium
04/19 – Syracuse, NY – Lost Horizon
04/20 – Ottawa, Canada – Ritual
04/21 – Toronto, Canada – Virgin Mobile Mod Club
04/22 – Buffalo, NY – Waiting Room
04/23 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s
Shadow Gil Eva Craig on the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra U.S. Tour
SoundGirl Gil Eva Craig is coming to the states. She will be touring with the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra. She has graciously offered SG Members the chance to come shadow her during the tour. Please keep in mind, she is on tour , working and the gig is top priority. If you are interested in coming to one of the gigs – please email – soundgirls@soundgirls.org
Please include the following
Gil can only accommodate one or two people per show – first come – first served.