What does Best Sound Design mean?

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 11:42am

Okay, so I used the ever so popular search feature on this board and couldn't really pull up a definite answer. So what does Best Sound Design mean? I really have no clue and every year when nominations come out and I make my predictions, I always just pick a name in that category because I don't really know what is being evaluated. Thank you!

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 11:53am

There are Sound Designers, just like there are Costume Designers and Lighting Designers.

In my experience, sound design is best when you don't notice it is there. Unless some cool sound effect sticks out in one production, I usually pick the show that sounds the most natural.

Sound designers do everything from sound effects (doorbells, thunder, telephones) to sound mixing and balance.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 11:57am

The most underrated players in your experience in a Broadway theatre.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 12:33pm

To be truly honest, I think that was one of the very few awards that Billy Elliot really deserved when they won it this year.
The sound design for that show was just incredible. You really felt like you were onstage with the actors and everything was absolutely seamless.
On the other hand, Wicked probably had the worst sound design I've ever heard.

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 12:46pm

Sound designers, in concert with the director, shape the sonic experience for the patron from sound effects, to ensemble/orchestra balance, to designing the sound system for the house in which it sits and balancing that system so that the experience is as close to the same for everyone in the theatre.

Different people have different ideas about what this means. Some designers go for a natural presentation where the PA disappears and everything is anchored from the stage (think Man of La Mancha (Stokes), West Side Story (current), while others have a more in your face presentation (think Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia). In some cases, sound is redesigned for example Phantom originally had a pretty natural sound design. Then came the Vegas version, which was much more aggressive. The design in NY was changed to match the Vegas versions because it was more modern to the producers.

Ultimately the audibility is in the hands of the sound designer, but in some cases this can be scuttled by the director. Case in point West Side Story where Laurent's wanted the cast to improvise perpetually, i.e., in certain scenes, there is some background improv. The problem with this is that the person mixing the show has to have everyone's levels up, regardless of whether they're speaking in order to catch these impromptu comments. Consequently, audibility goes down.

Costumes, hair, hats and the actor's vocal ability all affect the audibility. The main problem is that actors (particularly American) try to rely on the mic to do the work, when the mic is there for RE-enforcement, not to do all the lifting. The Brits are trained to hit the back of the house regardless of whether they're miced and tend to do better than their American counterparts. In Wicked, Ephelba has three mics on her to cover her when she's in and out of the hat and other costumes.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 12:48pm

The new sound design at PHANTOM is spectacular. You hear so much specificity on that stage (so specific that you can hear Christine's ring scrape against the stage when she is on her hands and knees). However, that specificity in mind, the designer, Mick Potter, was careful to make it sound like it all came from the stage, and not speakers (except, obviously, the moments when the Phantom's voice jumps around the house). The fact that I felt like I was listening to a mic-less show is pretty incredible.

ETA: This is in regards to the New York production.

Updated On: 12/5/09 at 12:48 PM

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 1:16pm

Kirbycat what was it about Wicked's design that you didn't care for?

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 2:49pm

OldSchool: Obviously amplification is here to stay, but the quality of the "sound design" seems to vary considerably from theatre to theatre. The best sound design I have encountered was in 1987 in London for their production of FOLLIES, which would confirm your thought that British actors are trained to project to the back of the house. The sound was very natural and I simply was unaware of any amplification. I certainly don't care for "in your face" amplification which should be restricted to rock concerts, not theatre, be it WICKED or MAMA MIA. And please don't give me a Las Vegas sound!

As for NY theatre, such productions as DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS at the Imperial revealed inferior house speakers, creating a vibrating, rattling sound. Very annoying. At the Hilton, for RAGTIME, there was too much amplification for the gifted Audra McDonald whose singing reached ear piercing, distorted levels. What a waste of talent. I actually complained to the sound men during intermission and they looked at me as if I was nuts. Similarly, in last seasons GYPSY, the belter Patti Lupone, at the St. James, was over-amplified at the end of some of her songs, producing a shriek at the end of "Everything's Coming Up Roses", for example. Do the sound men think the audience won't know the song is over if they don't jack up the volume at the end?

[emg_sound]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 5:09pm

OK, time for the person with a degree in Sound Design to chime in. (Yes, I have an MFA in Sound Design!)

First of all: There are different needs between sound design for a play and a musical. Personally, I prefer to work (and generally work exclusively) in plays. Sound design for plays includes music selection, system design, creative use of amplification (for example, if you saw Exit The King, you would have noticed that the entire cast were in Microphones for the more surreal parts of the show near the end, which was remarkably effective [personally, I felt it should have won last year over Equus]).

For musicals... Sound designers determine EVERY aspect of the sound system and signal chain. For example GYPSY9, you commented on the "inferior house speakers." There are no such things. For every show at every space on broadway, the sound system is built from the ground up at one of a few rental shops around NYC (The big three are PRG, Sound Associates, and Masque Sound).

As far as amplification... Wireless microphones are susceptible to a wide variety of conditions that normal microphones should never have to deal with. For example, under hot stage lighting and performing challenging choreography, your average human would sweat a little bit, some more than others. That sweat (and makeup) will get into the microphone capsule and change some of the characteristics of it. What you think might be over-amplification and mild distortion could just be a sweat out, these things happen, and it's a reason that the actual microphones (not the transmitter packs, just the microphones) are treated as consumables by the rental house, and they are not cheap ($400-500 a pop), and more than a few spares are kept in stock.

ah, rant over.... where was I...

The show I really want to hear now is Fela! since I've heard that Rob Kaplowitz took a very three dimensional perspective to the music placement, placing the audience right in the middle of the African groove!

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 5:28pm

EMG SOUND: Regardless of where the Imperial's speakers came from, the sound at DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRALS was distorted with a rattling that simply spoiled the show for me. I stand by my comments. I guess if you want to be assured of amplification free sound in a hall with excellent acoustics you have to go to Carnegie Hall.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 12/5/09 at 5:59pm

EMG, EXIT THE KING was my pick to win for the same reasons! I'm happy to hear that a professional agrees with me, because I was pretty much just guessing.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:05am

Oldschool, the sound for Wicked was incredibly low at times and then wayy too loud at other times. I found that whenever more than one person was singing (a duet or ensemble number) you couldn't even make out what they were saying, as everything blended together. When a solo was sung, it was just really loud.

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 11:21am

That's somewhat surprising. The designer, Tony Meola and his assistant Kai Harada, are known for their naturalistic sound design. There are any number of reasons for the problem you describe, including, sound design (and director desires), a bad mic, and the actor's not giving it their all. Duets are particularly difficult to mix because if the two are face to face, you get phasing problems between the two mics because of their proximity and it can contribute to audibility issues.

I'm not suggesting you didn't have this experience, but I do find it surprising. I haven't seen the show (the producers are greedy and haven't put it in a DC house since it was at the Opera House four years ago -- they only like to put it in very large houses) so I can't comment on this show in particular. But I did see Man of La Mancha with Brian Stokes Mitchell when it did its tryout here in 2002, and it was one of the most transparent show's I've seen. Everything anchored to the stage, and the PA disappeared.
Updated On: 12/6/09 at 11:21 AM