Stagecraft & Sound Reinforcement

Sound Reinforcement + Stagecraft:
Rationale & Approach
Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

All images © their respective owners
The road to perdition:
“…but you
didn’t ask for “We need the
• Ignorant Promoters power…” best, but there’s
no budget…”
• Interfering Event Managers
“…but it looks
great !”
• Impractical Production Designers
“the genset has
• Incompetent Contractors arrived, but there’s
no diesel…”
“Can we do my
• Indisciplined Artistes soundcheck last?”
“I don’t understand:
• Inexperienced Engineers last time the
showfile loaded
perfectly…”
An example: Enthusiastic but
• Promoter decides to host an acoustic concert thoughtless…
featuring a jugalbandi between a trumpet player Squeeze costs,
and a flautist maximize profits !
• Event Manager says the budget only allows for one Bigger backdrop and
microphone sponsor signage on the
• Production Designer approves a stage layout with sides: it has to look pretty
both artistes sitting next to each other on the same “…not my fault if the
riser flower arrangement
took so long…”
• Stage Contractor promised everything ready by
To enforce what your ego
noon, but it’s 6 pm and his boys are still working wants instead of what is
• Trumpet player insists on using the only mic right is indiscipline…
because he’s senior to the flautist “The NoBleed plugin from
• Engineer tries to solve the problem with a plugin SoundMedic will fix it!”
The ability to reach Sound Reinforcement: Why?
a bigger audience
than possible • Coverage Delivery level; may
acoustically be content specific The bigger
• Intensity the better
Influenced by: • Quality: 1. Frequency Response

• Acoustics, as defined by The lower
geometry, geography,
2. THD & Noise
the better
and surface detail 3. Intelligibility
• Mechanical Positioning
• Psychoacoustic Masking
• Operatability: 1. Ergonomics Optimize user/
operator
Power Out x 100 % 2. Logistics interaction &
Power In
• Efficiency Optimize system overall system
performance
transport, storage,
In practice the most • Cost handling, inventory,
difficult & expensive management &
to achieve ! • Uniformity maintenance
Sound Reinforcement Venues
Indoor Venue 1:

Indoor Venue 2:
• Typical Fan shape or Irregular
Trapezoid
• High ceiling
• Usually acoustically treated
• May have provision for
variable acoustics
• Intelligibility may be affected
by room reverb
• Will have a room mode at
specific frequency and
harmonics thereof
• Slap Echo possible
• HVAC Noise ?
Indoor Venue 3:
• Typical Rectangular shape
• Low ceiling
• Usually not acoustically
treated
• Intelligibility will be affected
by room reverb
• Will have multiple room
modes and harmonics
thereof
• Large enough hall will have
Slap Echo issues
• HVAC/ Fan Noise !

Outdoor Venue 1:
• Open air, Fan shape
• Flat seating
• No room modes or room
reverb issues
• More power, bigger sound
system required for same
audience capacity
• Slap echo from distant
buildings/ geographical
features possible
• Wind noise !

Outdoor Venue 2:
• Open air, staggered block
shape
• Security or orchestra pit
BUILDING
• Raked seating
• No room modes or room
reverb issues
audience capacity
features possible
• Wind noise !
Outdoor Venue 2:
shape
BUILDING
Stage Masking Flats (heavy
• Raked seating
fabric panels) fitted on • No room modes or room
either side of the stage, reverb issues
about 8- 10 ft. height
above stage level
audience capacity
features possible
• Wind noise !
Outdoor Venue 2:
shape
• Raked seating
BUILDING
Note that for some reason
if the wind masks have to
be moved further away • No room modes or room
from the stage, they will reverb issues
have to be wider and taller
to be as effective !
audience capacity
features possible
• Wind noise !
Sound Reinforcement
Flat: • Fabric flats are better
• A frame covered than plywood flats
with either fabric or • Fabric on both sides is
plywood
even better
• May be combined to
create larger units • May be used as wind
that can be masks
disassembled and • May be used to absorb
moved
unnecessary acoustic
• May be rented or reverberation
bought pre-built
• Can be fabricated by
• May be used to damp
any stage setting echoes from hard
contractor vertical surfaces
Outdoor Venue 3:
• Outdoor arena/ amphitheatre
• May be covered
• Raked seating on bleachers,
flat seating on sides
• Room modes or room reverb
issues are possible if covered
• Much more power, bigger
and more complex sound
system required due to size
and distance
• Slap echo from concrete
construction
• Less wind noise due to bowl
construction Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar
Sound Reinforcement Basic Layout:
Desk
FoH
Desk Sound Reinforcement Basic Layout:
FoH
Desk
FoH Desk to be located FoH
anywhere more or less along
Main
the center line of the stage, not
R
too close but not too far from
the stage…
Desk
Desk
Desk
Desk
FoH
FoH
FoH
FoH
Main L
FoH
All images © their respective owners Desk
Desk
Monitor
Main
R
Monitor
Monitor Desk to be located
Desk
anywhere along the periphery
of the stage, as long as there is
easy access and line of sight to
Desk
FoH
the artistes…
Monitor
Desk
Main L
Monitor
Desk Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar
Desk
Monitor
Hole in the front centre.

Middle section of the first
Main
R
few rows will not get
proper coverage…
Desk
FoH
Main L

Desk
Monitor
Even worse, for concerts being
run in stereo, audiences along
Main
the distant outside edges will
R
be hearing a reversed or
smeared stereo image…
Toeing in the Main

speakers cannot solve the
problem completely, and
Desk
you will start losing
FoH
coverage along the outside
edges…
L
Main

Desk
Monitor
Main
R
One or more Centre
Fills, depending on the
width of the stage.
C
Desk
FoH
However, these have to
C
be fed L+R, or C content,

so any stereo image will
be damaged…
Main L

Desk
Monitor
Main
R
Stereo Infills are a
R
much better solution
Desk
FoH
The stereo image is
maintained, but this is more
complex and expensive to
set up and align…
L
Main L

Outdoor Venue 1: Special attention
• So Centre Fills will be
required, or Infills if the
show has to be run
stereo…

• Centre Fills/ Infills will not
be required because the
first row of the audience
is far from the stage…

• Centre Fills/ Infills will be
required because of wide
audience seating
• In fact, the extreme left
and right audience blocks
R
will require their own P.A.

system !
• These are called Outfills
L
• There’s also the problem

that farther listeners will
get lower SPL delivery
because the distance is
quite a lot… Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar
• Distant listeners cannot
Each of these is a
different distance be provided higher SPL
from the listener, so by increasing the Main
the wavefronts arrive P.A., because it will be
at different times !. unbearably loud for the
near listeners…
R
• Remote speakers located

closer to distant audience
to reinforce the sound
L
from the Main P.A.

• Now there’s a fresh
problem…
This gets the FoH Left mix • Signal to the remote speakers
output delayed by precisely the has to be delayed electronically
equivalent of the geographical by the exact difference in time
distance between the Main to fix the problem.
speaker and the 1st remote
speaker
• The delay units used need to
This one is delayed by have multiple delay outputs to
precisely the equivalent cater for remote speakers at
R
of the geographical multiple distances

distance between the • The delay units have to be high
Main speaker and the quality full bandwidth types,
L
2nd remote speaker

since the entire mix is passing
through them, unlike delays
This gets direct used for creative effects
FoH Left mix • Such remote speakers are thus
output
called “Delayed Speakers”
Sound Reinforcement:
The “Tech Rider”
• What is a “Rider”: An attachment to the contract between an event
promoter/ host venue and artiste management, documenting a set of
requests set by the artistes as criteria for the performance. Note that the
fulfilment of these becomes a contractual obligation for the event
promoter/ host venue
• Riders are usually of three kinds: requests related to the
comfort of the artistes
1. Hospitality requests related to merchandise
2. Merchandise sales at the venue
3. Technical requests related to equipment and
crew required for the performance
• Hospitality and Merchandise Riders are the business of artiste
management, we restrict our attention to the “Tech Rider”…
Sound Reinforcement: P.A. System, Mixing
Console(s), Outboard,
The “Tech Rider” Microphones & stands,

Input List, Monitors,
• So what does the Tech Rider contain ? technicians
1. Sound equipment & crew requirements Number & Type of light
2. Lighting equipment & crew requirements fixtures, positions,
3. Backline equipment & crew requirements dimmers, lighting
controller, technicians
4. Staging/ Set & crew requirements
Musical instruments,
• Lighting details from the Lighting Designer, Stage/ Stage Amps &
Set details from the Production Designer: in fact Cabinets, Baffles &
our input seems to be restricted to the Sound and Shields, technicians
Backline details, but Stage Plot: Risers,
• The success of the Sound part of the event is chairs & stools, music
stands, backdrops &
dependent on all sorts of stagecraft issues, so cyclorama, flats, masks
• Sound demands the right to design Stage Layout! & curtains, sets &
décor, stage hands
Sound Reinforcement
The Importance of Stage Layout: a carefully considered “Stage Plot” !
• Audience should be able to see all the artistes clearly. One artiste should not be
positioned in a way that obstructs another
• For a performance with improvised, dynamic content, the artistes must have eye
contact with each other. This is not so critical for artistes/ performances that are
playing mostly rehearsed or sight-read content
• Special constraints are imposed by microphone and monitor placements. The
locations and space occupied by these should be predicted and marked
• Artiste details should be available in advance: nature of instrument and its dynamic
range, space occupied by instrument setup, riser requirements, right- or left-
handedness, mic/ monitor/ backline requirements, and personal preferences if any,
so that these can be incorporated in the design of the Plot and detailed in the Tech
Rider
• Finally, the Plot MUST be approved by the Sound guys. Production Designers cannot
be allowed to design unilaterally, only based on visual appeal !
Sound Reinforcement
Risers: Not just a platform for the artiste
• Risers allow the layout to be adjusted in 3D space, to help arrange line of sight for the
artiste as well as the audience
• Artistes that perform seated need risers, of course…
• Monitors and microphone stands should be kept off the risers as far as possible !
• Risers may be portable, modular, prefabricated models, or custom-built for the event
• In either case, risers must be constructed like a table, NOT like a box !
• Two reasons:
• Risers built like boxes have resonances of their own, which may cause trouble
• Risers built like tables allow convenient placement of microphone stands around
the riser
• For similar reasons, riser edges should be dressed using pleated fabric skirts, NOT
wood panel framing with fabric stretched across…
Sound Reinforcement
Risers: Readymade

Sound Reinforcement
Risers: Readymade

Sound Reinforcement
Risers: Readymade

Sound Reinforcement
Risers: Custom Carpentry
These
are all
wrong…

Sound Reinforcement
This type of
construction is
quite
common…
…and quite
wrong !
Sound Reinforcement
These are fancy, but still wrong…

Sound Reinforcement
This is the
only way
to do it !

Sound Reinforcement
Risers: Dressing & Skirting
Fitted Special Note:
Carpet If artistes are to be Pleated
on top seated directly on the skirt,
riser carpet may be only
covered by fitted anchored
cotton sheet. This
along the
sheet must be washed
and ironed, not fresh top edge
from the store…
Sound Reinforcement
Risers: Dressing & Skirting
What happened
This is fine if the
here: The pleated No carpet
performance is
skirt is the wrong necessary on
unamplified, like
height, so riser surface,
this one. Only a
additional black since the
problem if mic
fabric taped or artiste is sitting
stands have to be
tied to the frame on a barstool…
placed…
underneath…

Sound Reinforcement
The Drum Shield: a not-so-secret weapon
(Baffle, GoBo, Soundscreen)
Available in glass Remember to

or Perspex. 2 ft. x
5 ft. or 2 ft. x 7 ft.
request this in
hinged panes, 4 advance: no
to 6 panes per vendor carries
shield drum shields
Clearsonic, randomly…
Pennzoni are
popular brands

Sound Reinforcement
A simple example of potential grief:
Artistes be warned.
Engineers pay attention.
Hypercardioid Cardioid
What’s the difference
between this mic
and this one ?
Beta 87A The Shure Beta 87 Beta 87C

Great condenser mic
And what difference does that make ?
Sound Reinforcement
Cardioid
e.g.
Shure Beta 87C

Sound Reinforcement
A simple example of potential grief:
Hypercardioid
e.g.
Shure Beta 87A

Sound Reinforcement
All is well…
placement placement:
e.g. Shure e.g. Shure
Beta 87A Beta 87C
Sound Reinforcement
Guaranteed feedback !
placement placement:
e.g. Shure e.g. Shure
Beta 87A Beta 87C
Sound Reinforcement
Common Engineering Mistakes: Over-Mixing
• Driven by digital consoles, because every kind of processing is available…
• You are not in the studio. Don’t fuss over EQ. Remember that sound
reinforcement EQ is mostly about correcting problems with subtractive EQ.
• Be careful with Dynamics. Focus on consistency rather than “Punch”. Just
because you have it doesn’t mean you have to use it.
• Be miserly with reverb, no matter what the artiste says. Whatever you use
should enhance the acoustic reverb of the house, not muddy it some more.
• Getting the right choice of mics and right positions is more than half the
battle: better to move a mic half an inch rather than some extreme EQ on the
channel.
• Trust me, if you need 10 plugins on every channel to get it to sound good,
there’s something deeply wrong… Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar
Sound Reinforcement
Common Engineering Mistakes: Under-Mixing
• Driven by digital consoles, due to the ability to save showfiles &
presets…
• Showfiles & presets exist to give you a known starting point.
Everything affects the way a show sounds, so you can’t assume your
presets are perfect for every concert or every venue.
• You may have a great soundcheck, or it may take you the first couple
of songs to get to a great mix. Don’t take it easy after that !
• Pay attention. React to the song. Don’t forget any mutes and unmutes.
• Above all, be a part of the performance. Not a distant observer…

Sound Reinforcement
Common Engineering Mistakes: Mixing for the eyes
• Driven by digital consoles, due to the graphical display…
• The display is not your boss, just a guide.
• Stop and listen. Don’t stare at the screen and do what you think you’re
supposed to do instead of what sounds good.
• Use your ears. Assess by what it sounds like, not what it looks like on
the display…
• A well-balanced mix is one which sounds good in that moment, which
means it will need to change dynamically as the performance changes
focus: Look at the stage, not the display !

Sound Reinforcement
Common Engineering Mistakes: Get the basics right!
• You MUST have a solid understanding of gain structure & signal flow.
Parallel compression and harmonic enhancement plugins are sexy but
irrelevant compared to a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals.
• Feedback, monitor issues, balance problems WILL happen if you do
not know how to properly set levels and route signal through the
system.
• Learn every mic technique, and memorize the characteristics of every
mic you use. Proximity effect and phase relationships between
multiple mics have ruined so many concerts simply because we didn’t
know better… Ignorance is an excuse once. After that it’s negligence.

Sound Reinforcement
Common Management Mistakes:
(This is especially for artistes & promoters)
• Time management: allocate enough time for stage setup, décor, sound
& light setup, artiste call, and soundcheck, in that order, so as to be
complete at least an hour before audience entry.
• Be aware that system alignment and soundcheck is not a luxury. It is an
essential part of delivering the performance to the audience. It cannot
be planned or executed in an arbitrary way based on comfort and
convenience. The scheduling and logistics of soundcheck MUST BE
APPROVED BY THE SOUND PEOPLE and executed correctly thereafter !
• Don’t hire a sound engineer you do not trust completely and
absolutely. Once you hire them, have utter faith in their judgement…
Sound Reinforcement
Questions…


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Sound Reinforcement + Stagecraft:

Rationale & Approach

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Influenced by: • Quality: 1. Frequency Response

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Hole in the front centre.

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Toeing in the Main

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

be fed L+R, or C content,

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

will require their own P.A.

• There’s also the problem

• Remote speakers located

from the Main P.A.

of the geographical multiple distances

2nd remote speaker

The “Tech Rider” Microphones & stands,

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

These are fancy, but still wrong…

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Available in glass Remember to

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Beta 87A The Shure Beta 87 Beta 87C

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

Text & Drawings © Mujeeb Dadarkar

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