New FCC rules could compromise use of wireless body mikes on Broadway- Page 2
New FCC rules could compromise use of wireless body mikes on Broadway
re: New FCC rules could compromise use of wireless body mikes on Broadway#25
Posted: 11/1/08 at 8:18pm
Shows today are also orchestrated much differently than they were before microphones. Even Ethel Merman would have trouble projected over today's charts.
yes, wasn't it the increased use of electronic instruments and synthesizers that lead to the need to use body mics?
re: New FCC rules could compromise use of wireless body mikes on Broadway#26
Posted: 11/1/08 at 8:29pm
Nobody is putting down Broadway actors or sound technicians who use microphones judiciously as an enhancement of the live performance. The argument is that many of today's Broadway singers are not encouraged or required to be as vocally equipped as their predecessors and that most of today's stage musicals are so over-miked that one loses the sense that it is indeed a live performance. The sound designer is given more importance than the performer and this is detrimental to the live theater experience. A Broadway musical is not a Rock concert and should not be miked as such but that is what is happening in many productions.
The fact is that most of the singers on Broadway in its golden age could do 8 shows a week with minimal miking and they did not have to strain or scream. Opera singers can do this without any use of microphones at least 4 times a week with appropriate rest in between. On the other hand, most of these people had and have genuine talent which is becoming a much rarer commodity on the musical stage today. Unfortunately, many of the actors in musicals today are being hired for their ability to look good in cutoffs, short shorts and photo opps rather than any discernable musical talent, not all but too large a number to ignore, in my opinion.
Updated On: 11/1/08 at 08:29 PM
re: New FCC rules could compromise use of wireless body mikes on Broadway#27
Posted: 11/1/08 at 9:00pm
Givesmevoice makes a great point.
The actors union require mics if there are any electronic instruments in the orchestra...which is EVERY orchestra these days. (Shows can't afford real strings anymore.)
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/18/06
re: New FCC rules could compromise use of wireless body mikes on Broadway#28
Posted: 11/1/08 at 9:45pm
There were two questions I had when I saw the headline of the article that weren't answered in the article itself.
Why is there all of a sudden this big urge by the FCC to switch how things are done in terms of mics on Broadway? And secondly, when did this come up. It seems pretty sudden to me.
re: New FCC rules could compromise use of wireless body mikes on Broadway#29
Posted: 11/1/08 at 10:25pm
To answer your first question, winston:
They may just be neurotic
Or possibly psychotic
They're the fellas at the freakin' FCC
just to clarify on a variety of levels#30
Posted: 11/2/08 at 4:08am
As a sound designer, I feel that I have an obligation to inform you all about some of the many layers of problems here.
1. Contrary to what you may think, this is not a Broadway centric issue, the FCC didn't decide they all hate broadway all of a sudden, but anything with a wireless mic, rock and roll, sporting events, etc. This is just a result of a confluence of factors. A: The shift to Digital TV (see point 2), B: Powerful cell phone lobbies (how else do you think Verizon V-cast works?), and C: The inevitable shift in FCC commissioners which will come with a new President.
2. Wireless microphones use the same radio spectrum as Television. As all TV is shifting to digital transmission, this is already going to cause a considerable drop in available frequencies. Since an analog station will have only three or four spikes within a channel spectrum, but a digital channel will kill the entire bandwidth of a channel. They also want all channels below a certain frequency (Somewhere in the 700 MHz range), so no matter what, many wireless channels already purchased are already illegal.
note to temms, the reason that a Wi-Fi system won't work is latency, aka delay. It would seem that the internet and a wi-fi network is instantaneous, but it's not, a difference in 25-30 milliseconds could be perceived by anyone, and is frankly bad.
3. Another point to consider. Consumer sound systems today are vastly superior to professional sound systems of the 1980's, let alone the 1950's, your average broadway patron probably has a 5:1 home theater system in their living room, and as consumers, they expect the system in a theater to sound crystal clear and better (read as louder) than their living room. My biggest complaint in this category is it makes the sound scape very planar, as in coming from a single plane, i just think that if a set is in 3 dimensions, the sound should be as well.
4. I find it interesting that you all focus upon the upper end of the dynamic range, of course Paolo Szot could fill the Beaumont with no effort, but I feel that microphones are more important for the quiet end of the spectrum, allowing for greater intimacy within a piece. Take for example Paolo in This Nearly Was Mine, thanks to the amplification, he can make the start of the song that more quiet and subtle so that when the build kicks in towards the end the dynamic range is set up so he doesn't have to crank it to eleven.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/12/06
just to clarify on a variety of levels#31
Posted: 11/2/08 at 6:04amI wonder how long Broadway will have to be dark while we wait for enough actors to be retrained. I could always step in during the interim time. :O)
just to clarify on a variety of levels#32
Posted: 11/2/08 at 9:59amSo what are the chances of this change actually going through.
just to clarify on a variety of levels#33
Posted: 11/3/08 at 2:25am
But it's obvious most people around here are far more interested in bitching about the present in favor of the past than thinking about any sort of future, as evidenced by many of the responses here. I forgot, it's the unions and the lazy actors who need to "go back to voice training" and not any sort of lack of vision that's hurting the theatre today.
I agree. Some of the people posting are seriously delusional. If they ended use of mics tomorrow, musical theatre on Broadway would shut down. It would take years to redevelop the talent and the shows to make mic-less performances possible again, and in this day and age, Broadway can't afford that kind of restructure. Who knows if it would ever bounce back. I'd rather have mics than risking the end of Broadway, thanks.
Wanting life but never knowing how
just to clarify on a variety of levels#34
Posted: 11/3/08 at 7:27amSo there's a very slim chance that this might actually go through?
Stand-by Joined: 2/26/06
Thia will ffect a lot more than Theater#35
Posted: 11/3/08 at 9:10am
For example
-I can't think of a church where I have NOT seen wireless mics used, at least not in the last 10 years.
Wireless mics are used in tons of exercise classes, especially aerobics and/or spin.
When's the last time you went to a conference and didn't see a presenter using a wireless mic? Or a trade show?
I think this will be a lot bigger deal than it first appears to be.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/12/06
Thia will ffect a lot more than Theater#36
Posted: 11/3/08 at 1:14pmWhy, if this is such a big deal, aren't there more articles plastered all over my favorite websites? Like during the strike last year. Why is this such a quiet thing if it could mean the end of Broadway? I'm just wondering if this is really going to be a big deal or not.
Broadway Star Joined: 7/14/06
Thia will effect a lot more than Theater#37
Posted: 11/3/08 at 2:36pm
This will be worked out. These mics are used by so many musicians and other performer throughout the country, that they will not put an end to the use of these frequencies without some time to come up with alternatives.
And I think you are underestimating the number of broadway performers that have the vocal power to perform without assistance. They may not be the same performers you are used to seeing in starring roles, but they are auditioning. I have seen many high school performers that have to perform without mics to balance them with the rest of the cast wearing them.
And don't forget there are many theaters that still have excellent accoustics. Hill Auditorium is a 4200 seat theater in Ann Arbor michigan has accoustics such that a person can talk unamplified in a fairly normal voice and be heard in every seat. Certainly the same is true for many of the 500-1000 seat broadway theaters.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/21/06
Thia will effect a lot more than Theater#38
Posted: 11/3/08 at 3:29pmI would love to see them disappear. I hate the over-amplification of theater.
Thia will effect a lot more than Theater#39
Posted: 11/3/08 at 3:32pmWell, ErinDilly, you've certainly put my mind at rest.
Featured Actor Joined: 3/8/06
Thia will effect a lot more than Theater#40
Posted: 11/5/08 at 8:29pmI'm a teacher, and I often help the drama teacher with our school's musicals. The performers are miked during dialogue but not during songs. This makes sense to me; I do wonder about the loss of body mics during very quiet spoken lines....
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/12/06
Thia will effect a lot more than Theater#41
Posted: 11/5/08 at 9:25pm
"The performers are miked during dialogue but not during songs"
This seems kind of opposite to me. Anyone else?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
Thia will effect a lot more than Theater#42
Posted: 11/5/08 at 9:48pm
Here is a little more information regarding this topic.
The Commission adopted certain important elements of Shure’s recent wireless microphone interference protection plan. However, Shure is concerned that, despite technical evidence to the contrary, the
Featured Actor Joined: 8/21/08
This will effect a lot more than Theater#42
Posted: 11/5/08 at 10:55pm
Morosco is THE ONLY ONE who knows what (s)he’s talking about:
[“Shows today are also orchestrated much differently than they were before microphones. Even Ethel Merman would have trouble projected over today's charts.”] Read the recent Live Design article about the South Pacific sound design.
BwayIdiot – man you’re living in a dream world. This is today’s most ridiculous comment.
[“Just a side comment, most community theaters and high schools don't have the ability to mike the actors. They are trained to project.”]
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