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Ah... it's the Christmas program time of year! I've always admired the ability of the Christmas program coordinator. Their ability to handle all the logistics, props, schedules, costumes, and yes ... even animals. We can't help much with the animals, but have a few suggestions regarding how you can assist from a technical perspective.
So what are the unique characteristics of a Christmas production? The most obvious is a lot of people involved. For the sound technician this can mean a lot of extra microphones, stands, lights and wires. The location of the microphones are spread all over the stage. In addition you may have an off-scene mic for a narrator. Let's discuss some of the common issues and what you can do about them.
- A lot of microphones: We will assume at this point you have enough mics (although this is usually the first problem). The role of the mic is to make the sound louder. This is often called "gain" in sound technology. The key is how much "gain" you can get before feedback (that awful ringing that makes everyone turn and look at the sound person!). Here is the basic principle, the more mics you have "open" (turned on for use) the less overall gain you can get before feedback. So ... only turning on the mic that is currently being used will help you get more gain. Note however, that the sound tech has to be on the ball and well rehearsed with the program sequence. You simply cannot tolerate someone speaking into a mic that you forgot to turn up!
- Some people speak loud directly into the mic while others shy away and speak softly. The best solution utilizes a compressor / limiter. This piece of equipment will automatically increase the soft and decrease the loud inputs to maintain a consistent sound level. The next best solution is to have the sound technician attend all rehearsals to coach on mic usage and learn who speaks loud and who doesn't. (always take notes!)
- As noted above, have a copy of the program with a lot of space between the lines. We can't emphasize this next point enough! TAKE NOTES and don't leave home without them. You can forget your queues under the pressure of the performance. Have a small lamp and a place to keep your notes next to your sound and lighting console.
- The main characters come and go and are difficult to pick up in the sound system consistently. The best solution (and the only dependable one) is wireless lapel mics. Turn on the mic before the performance and leave it on (intermission and all). If the performer turns it off they'll probably forget to turn it back on and you as a sound person are unable to do anything about it. Control the wireless completely from the sound console. Another thing, don't let the battery in the wireless microphone jeopardize your performance! Put in a new one before each performance and don't leave used ones laying around. This may sound wasteful. But, it's a small investment toward a successful production.
- If people stand to sing/speak at the same mic, put the traditional "X" on the floor. There's usually that one person in each ensemble that stands closer to the mic than the rest. You need to remedy this at rehearsal time.
- Everyone thinks they need to adjust the mic height. Get a good quality "quiet gooseneck". Then, indicate in the script exactly who adjusts height and when. Nobody else should touch it. Also, make sure they know they should NOT speak while adjusting the mic height.
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