Sound Design and Technology. ROP Stagehand Technician

Transcription

1 Sound Design and Technology ROP Stagehand Technician

2 Functions of Sound in Theatre Music Effects Reinforcement

3 Music Create aural atmosphere to put the audience in the proper mood for the play Preshow, intermission, postshow Includes constructed sound (and sound effects created by editing, manipulating, or changing previously recorded sounds) Nonspecific musical effects Musical themes for characters or scenes To create or reinforce a psychological mood or feeling

4 Effects Barking dogs, telephones, doorbells, train whistles, etc. Background or ambient sounds Wind, people talking in a bar, street noises, etc. Provide clues to location and time period

5 Reinforcement Use microphones to boost loudness level of actor s voices Acoustics: The sound transmission characteristics of a room, space, or material; also the science that studies those qualities Mix and Balance voices with music/sound effects To adjust the loudness and equalization levels of individual signals while mixing, to achieve an appropriate blend

6 Nature of Sound Sound is a pressure wave that moves through the air Frequency Intensity Timbre

7 Frequency the rate at which an object vibrates Measured in hertz (Hz) Pitch is the characteristic tone produced by a vibrating body; the higher frequency of vibration the higher the pitch As frequency increases, pitch increases

8 Higher Frequency=Higher Pitch

9 Intensity Loudness of a sound aka amplitude Measured in decibels (db) Loudness can change without affecting pitch/frequency

10 Timbre The distinctive quality of sound that makes one voice sound different from another or a trumpet sound different from a violin Based on the harmonics of the soundproducing body Frequencies that are exact multiples of a fundamental pitch or frequency

11 Harmonics

12 Basic Acoustics Acoustics is the science that studies the absorption and reflection of sound In theatre, the qualities of the stage and auditorium space that affect the audience s hearing and understanding of the sound (language and music) of the play.

13 Acoustics Shape of walls: If walls are parallel, sound will reverberate, or bounce back and forth between them (to reflect in a series of echoes) reducing intelligibility of words Curve or slant walls to reduce Finishing/surface of walls: Hard surfaces reflect sound (wood, metal, plaster) Soft or open-surface materials absorb sound (cloth, foam, insulation)

14 Acoustics Music sounds better with more reverberation Speech requires short reverberation Challenge of designing acoustics of a space that is used for both music and speech Adjustable spaces Highly complicated and sophisticated sound system

15 Sound Production Basic Sound System Configuration Sound-system Equipment Recording and Playback Equipment

16 Basic Sound System Configuration Sound is picked up by a transducer, i.e. a microphone The transducer converts mechanical energy (sound wave) into electrical energy (electrical signal) Electrical signal is sent to an amplifier which boosts (amplifies) the power of the electrical signal Electrical signal is sent to a speaker, which converts the electrical energy into mechanical energy (sound waves) which reaches our ears

17 Basic Sound System Configuration To control the tone (bass through treble frequencies) use an equalizer, which modifies the signal coming from (microphone) or to (speaker) a transducer

18 Sound System Mechanical Sound Microphone (transducer) Electrical Sound Preamp Equalizer Storage device/ playback Equalizer Amplifier Mechanical Sound Speaker (transducer) Ear

19 Sound-System Equipment Loudspeaker and speaker system Loudspeaker is a transducer that converts the electrical energy of the signal to a mechanical energy (waves) that we can hear Electrical signal activates a magnet which moves back and forth creating vibrations in the speaker cone Woofer (low-frequency), mid-range speaker, tweeter (high-frequency) Speaker cabinet is designed to enhance the reproduction of a specific frequency

20 Sound-System Equipment Power Amplifier Boosts the low-voltage input signal from input source (mic, cd player) to a higher-voltage output signal capable of driving loudspeakers Equalizer Boosts or attenuates (decreases/lessens) portions of the signal to affect the loudness of the specific segments of the sound spectrum Similar to the bass/treble controls on your car or home stereo

21 Sound-System Equipment Preamplifier An electronic device that raises the output of a low-level signal so that it can be read and processed, without distortion, by the next piece of equipment in the sound system Mixers Devices used to mix the output from a variety of sources and route the blended signal on to other devices Assignable channels for mics, cd, computer, etc.

22 Sound-System Equipment Patch Bay Used to cross-connect between the various pieces of equipment (CD player, computer, equalizers, amps, speakers) Outputs and inputs for each piece of equipment are connected to the corresponding receptacles on the patch panels A patch cord connects output of one piece of equipment to the input of another

23 Recording and Playback Equipment MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Allows synthesizers to communicate with each other, the communication language used between various types of digital equipment used in theatre sound Computer Used in every function: recording, editing, storage, playback, and show control CD/Tape For recording and playback

24 Recording and Playback Equipment Microphone Dynamic mic: very good frequency response, rugged, most commonly used in theatre sound Condenser mic: excellent frequency response, reasonably rugged, highest-quality Needs a power supply (phantom box) Microphone pick up patterns Omnidirectional (wireless mics) Directional: cardioid (front pick up only), hypercardioid (front and rear pick up)