Unit 71. roles and responsibilities of a

sound crew.By Sorrel Ferrario- Hay.

Sound desk operator.

The desk operators job is to ensure the volume for the performances don’t go to high or low. For example: if a singers vocals are too loud then the desk operator will reduce the volume and if their vocals are too quiet then they will increase the volume.

Sound NO 1,2 and 3.With in a sound crew there are sound number 1,2 and 3. 1. Number 1 is the FOH engineer (front of house),

this means they focus on mixing audio for the audience, they usually operate from the middle of the audience.

2. Number 2 is the monitor engineer. They work on the audio during recording and mixing. They often help musicians to get the sound they hope to achieve.

3. Number 3 is the systems engineer, they usually have control over the microphones, radio mics and amp racks.

job descriptions.

PUB - Sound No 1 (OMTG Tour) - Jan 14.doc

PUB - Sound Operator Number Two (OMTG) - Jul 13.doc

http://www.stagejobspro.com/uk/theatre-professional/profile/daniel-hunt

No1.

No2.

No3.

sound engineer.

The sound engineers job in production is to record the sound needed on set and location.A sound engineer in post productions job is to edit, mix, balance and enhance the sound.In production the responsibilities are to assist the performance and operate equipment.Post productions responsibilities are to synchronize the audio to fit the performance, mixing the sound and creating sound effects.

Sound designer.The sound designers job is to plan and provide sound and effects needed for the production.They also control aspects such as pitch, frequency, volume and direction (where the sound needs to be played).Their responsibilities are to design the effects needed and the music needed.By doing this it helps the audience understand the performance and bring it all together. They also have to create effects to set the weather such as rain or thunder because this creates an atmosphere.For example in the west end show Wicked there is a scene with rain this scene would've been made by the sound designer.

Comparison of events.I will compare two events, a large event and a small event.A show such as the west end rock you is a large event and it will require a full sound crew because they will need equipment to be rigged, effects/sound effects and they will have a bigger cast to deal with.With a small event such as Artisound a full sound crew isn't needed.When we held this event we only had one sound technician and one sound engineer. We didn’t need a full sound crew because we didn’t need any effects/sound effects and there was only three microphones because there was only a few singers.

Rock you stage compared to the Artisound stage.

We will rock you.

Artisound stage.

Comparison of roles.Operator compared to sound NO1.A sound operator works mainly with the levels of volume but sound NO1 does the mixing of the sound for the audience and they are situated in the middle of the crowd. Operator compared to NO2.An operator works with the desk and levels but the NO2 sound works with the mixing of the audio and works with the musicians to ensure they get what they are looking for so they are more involved with the performers then the operator is.Operator compared with NO3.The operator works with the desk and ensures the levels for vocals are correct but the NO3 sound works with the amp racks and microphones, although the microphones will be connected to the operators desk it is NO3 job to ensure the mics work and are patched correctly. Operator compared to sound engineer.The operator works in production but the sound engineer works in production and post production they have to record the sound and in post production they have to mix and create sound effects but the operator only work the desk and has no involvement in mixing or creating.Operator compared to sound designer.The sound designer work to bring the performance together and give the audience a better understanding of the show. Although the operator is a major part of the crew because they control the desk they wouldn’t have anything to work with without the sound designers and other crew members.

Comparison of roles.Sound NO1, the operate from the middle of the audience and they mix audio.Compared to the rest of the crew.NO2- although soundNO1 and 2 both work on audio mixing NO1 works from within the middle of the audience and NO2 usually has contact with the musicians to get the quality that they need.NO3- NO1 is in charge of the mixing of audio and producing sounds for the audience but NO3 is an engineer so they are in control of the amp racks and radio mics, they don’t do any audio mixing. Sound engineer- they have to record sound for the set and they also mix, balance and enhance sound, compared to NO1 they are similar in that they both have to create sound and mix it to enhance the show and the audiences thoughts on the show but the engineer works behind stage where as the NO1 work within the audience.Sound designer- the sound designer and NO1 are quite similar because they both work for the benefit of the audience, the designer creates music and effects such as rain and thunder to help the audience understand the atmosphere and the story line and NO1 create audio to help the audience understand.

Comparison of roles.NO2, monitor engineer they work on audio when recording/ mixing, they usually help musicians to get the out come they want. Compared to the rest of the crew.NO3- they have the responsibility of looking after the amp racks and radio mics so they have a completely different role to NO2 because NO2 have to mix and communicate with the musicians where as NO3 doesn’t. Sound engineer- NO2 is quite similar to a sound engineer they both mix audio and help enhance the performance.Sound designer- compared to NO2 again they are similar in the way they mix and enhance the performance for the audience.

Comparison of roles.NO3, systems engineer, they have control over radio mics and amp racks.Compared to rest of the crew.Sound engineer- although NO3 has control over amp racks and radio mics a sound engineer has the ability to operate equipment in production.Sound designer- they design and plan sound effects for the production/show but NO3 has no role in planning and creating effects.

Comparison of roles.

Sound engineer, record sound, in post production mix and edit and in production they operate equipment. Compared to rest of the crew.Sound designer- unlike an engineer where they just mix and create sound, a sound designer has to get the balance, mix and create sound effects to help set the scene and get the audience more involved in the production.