Question about pre-recorded tracks- Page 2

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/6/09 at 4:18am

Re: to the use pre-recorded vocals for the Wizard's "have another drink"

As far as the general use of miking in the wings, yes, it happens a lot. For example, in Hairspray, the black kids would be in the wings singing "Nicest Kids in Town", live, to thicken the vocals and during "Run and Tell That", the white kids would do likewise. If the actors are in the open, care must be taken to not have anything to cause interference such as scenery being moved, etc. In Mamma Mia, the actors actually stand in enclossed booths, much like mini recording studios, when they sing offstage.

As far as the Wizard's line, the reason it is prerecorded is obvious. At the end of the show, when the 'realization' hits, you see the Witch's Mother and the 'Lover' recreate the choreography from the opening scene upstage, as the Wizard stands downstage holding the green bottle. As it is a voice-over from a character standing center stage, it must be prerecorded. Using the same recording for the opening scene as well allows the two moments to sound EXACTLY the same.
Updated On: 4/14/09 at 04:18 AM

[Tag]

Posted: 4/6/09 at 5:17pm

Actually, there are no upstage dancers recreating the choreography at the end of the show when the secret is revealed. AND the recordings are completely different.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 4/6/09 at 5:50pm

"Fosse, your incorrect about Mamma Mia. They have people singing below the stage. However, that does make it sound like it is pre recorded but it's not."

Wrong. They use backing tracks (they might be supplementing it with off-stage singers, but on Broadway they also use a backing track...I've been in the theater when they've done the soundcheck and have heard it first-hand).

[Tag]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 2:44pm

For the Mamma Mia backing track believers:
BWW TV: MAMMA MIA!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 2:49pm

Actually, there are no upstage dancers recreating the choreography at the end of the show when the secret is revealed. AND the recordings are completely different.

Ummm....yes there are. It's not the same actor playing the Wizard in the opening scene as the last scene, but the "Wizard" and the Witch's Mother DEFINITELY appear again at the end of the show.

The "Wizard" you see in the opening scene is the actor who plays Chistery. In the final scene, it's another ensemble member, seeing as how both Chistery and the real Wizard are onstage.

[LadyDramaturg2]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 2:58pm

"...It is just as simple to play a recording as turning up an actor's mic when he's backstage." [from Tag]

"If the actors are in the open, care must be taken to not have anything to cause interference such as scenery being moved, etc. In Mamma Mia, the actors actually stand in enclosed booths, much like mini recording studios, when they sing offstage." [from BroadwayGuy2]

Building sound traps as in Mamma Mia, and keeping ambient backstage sound away from open microphones (like what the stagehand says when he accidentally drops something on his foot) is not always "simple." When a production chooses to use offstage or pit singers, those elements are built into the production so that they can be reproduced exactly in every show. There's a lot of unpredictability backstage though, and many sound designers don't want to take any chances that cues will be missed.

Thanks, Broadwayguy2 for making it clear why the "Wizard's" line is recorded.

[Tag]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 3:49pm

I'll have to Youtube the Wicked finale to see the choreography but I do not remember the Wizard & Witch's Mother appearing again (haven't seen the show in about 3 years though).

And regarding off stage sings that aren't in booths, I'll I'm saying is that it is common and really not complicated.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 3:56pm

The Wizard & Witch's mother at the end was added within the last year.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 4:00pm

tag, keep in mind, that there have been major staging changes throughout the run of Wicked, so the first forbidden thing you find, may not show them. But yes, upstage of the scene at the end, the Lover and Witch's Motehr recreate their dance from the opening scene with the bottle and exit stage left.

If you want exact control over the audio, it IS complicated. 6 live mics in the wings will cause a LOT of unwanted audio interference of several kinds. Even on the stage, if an actor is not actively speaking, their microphone is turned off to prevent unwanted feedback, interference and sound.

As far as Mamma Mia, the ensemble does sing backstage in vocal booths, as seen in the Sean Alan Krill videos. They sing live at all times. However, they DO use, as do many other shows, sweetner tracks to thicken up the vocals during exhsuting dance numbers. That allows for such athletic choreography without the audience hearing gasping. But they do or, more correctly, are directed to) sing live the entire time. On occasion, you will have a lazy ensemble member who decided not to even try to lipsync, but that is a matter thats hould be brought up with Equity because the person refuses to do their job.

Sweetners are VERY different than someone lipsyncing.