Have This Information Ready When You Hire A Sound Engineer
Much of the success of your stage play will depend on the sound; if the audience can't hear the actors, the audience will get bored and not like the play. You'll need good sound, and that means hiring a great sound team for larger productions and maybe one to two people for smaller productions with smaller budgets. If you're in that latter group, when you meet with a sound engineer to find out if they'll be the right person for your play, you need to have some information ready so that you and the sound engineer you hire are both on the same page.
Do You Want Them to Design the Sound, Too?
First, if this is a small project, do you want them to design the sound, too? Sound engineers in live productions usually run the board and check the technical aspects such as making sure speakers are working. Designers are the ones who get the rights to use music and who determine when certain sounds occur, and how the set should be configured. Some engineers also design sound, but not all do, so be sure to make it clear early on what you're really looking for.
What Can You Allow in Terms of Theatrical Licenses?
If the engineer will be designing the sound, too, they may need to get theatrical licenses to use certain pieces of music. Those licenses will cost money, so be up front about your budget. You need to understand that if you give the designer little money for licensing, you're not going to get much music. But you also need to be sure the designer isn't going overboard with getting licenses that are too expensive. Licensing typically has to be done for both live and recorded music.
Will There Be Live or Recorded Music?
Speaking of live and recorded music, the engineer needs to know what you'll have. If there will be live music, such as an orchestra, the engineer will need a different setup in terms of equipment, microphone placement, and so on to fully capture the music as the musicians play. With recorded music, speakers need to be adequate to let everyone hear the music without blowing people's ears out as if they were at a rock concert.
Find your sound engineer early on because sound is not easy to design and manage for a stage play. With enough time to prepare, the sound for your play will be successful.
Contact a local sound engineer for more info.
Share
