Sound Design

Just like in the real world, the worlds of plays are filled with sound. Sound designers are an essential part of the creative team for almost all types of live performance, and are responsible for all of the recorded sound effects and music that bring the world of the play to life. Working with the director(s) of a play or musical, the sound designer first identifies all of the sound effects that are required by the play, or that will enhance the experience of the audience, and then gets to work sourcing, creating or composing.

Terminology

• Audio Engineer: Sometimes called a sound operator or a producer, audio engineers assist sound designers during live performances by operating the mixing board, and also set up, maintain, and troubleshoot the sound system in a venue.
• “Canned”: Another term for recorded (as opposed to live) sound.
• DAW: Digital Audio Workstation. Software applications used by sound designers to record, create and mix sounds and music. Some examples include Ableton, Logic Pro and Garageband.
• Decibel: A unit of measurement for volume, abbreviated as Db. Zero Db is the threshold of human hearing, and 140 Db is about as loud as a gunshot at close range.
• Feedback: Buzzing, hissing, and screeching noises caused by a “looped signal” in the sound system. The most common cause of feedback is positioning speakers in front of microphones.
• Foley: The creation and recording of sound effects. People who create sound effects are called foley artists, and they recreate everyday sounds in a studio environment for use in theatre, film and radio productions. The term “foley” is sometimes used as a noun to mean any pre-recorded sound effect.
• Headset Mic: A microphone affixed to a headband or worn over the ear that positions a microphone directly next to a performer’s mouth. Commonly used in musical theatre, headset microphones work wirelessly using a transmitter and receiver, like lavalier microphones.
• Lavalier Mic: Sometimes called lapel microphones or simply LAVs, these small microphones clip to an article of clothing on a performer’s body. Commonly used in film and television, lavalier microphones operate wirelessly, with the performer wearing a transmitter pack that communicates with a receiver in the booth of a venue.
• Mixing: The process of balancing various parts of a piece of music or soundscape so that each part can be heard clearly by the audience. For recorded sounds, mixing is accomplished during the recording process. For live performances, sound designers and audio engineers mix in response to the action on stage.
• Mixing Board: Often referred to as a mixer or simply “the board,” mixing boards allow different parts (or channels) of sound to be adjusted independently from one another. Mixing boards can allow for changes of volume, pan, and effects like reverb to be added and removed from a given sound.
• Monitor: Especially important in performances of live singing and music, the monitor is a dedicated speaker that plays signals from the mic or mics so that performers can hear themselves. Monitors are typically set up downstage, facing toward the performers.
• Sound Operator: Another term for audio engineer.
• Sound System: The general term for the entire arrangement of mixing boards, microphones, and speakers that are used in a venue.
• Speaker: The general term for any device which amplifies and plays sound. Speakers receive signals from the mixing board and play that sound into the audience.