34 TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
SPECTACLE
SONIC SPECTACULAR Spectacles, whether big or small, wouldn’t be believable without sound. We talk to audio experts from various fields, discovering the tools and techniques helping them achieve the incredible I n our visually driven world, audio often takes the back seat. But while video might well have killed the radio star, sound is equally capable Words Katie Kasperson
of evoking a feeling or defining a multi- sensory live event. In other words, it can produce results just as spectacular. According to Andy Davies, senior director of product management at Meyer Sound, a sonic spectacle is “anything that goes above and beyond to create an audience experience – particularly one they weren’t expecting. “It’s something that wows people,” adds Davies, whether it be live music, theatre, an exhibition or other attraction. “It isn’t about volume or an impressive PA,” explains Marcus Blight, technical application engineer for pro audio at Sennheiser. “It’s about an emotional connection, in which the technology disappears and the audience becomes fully immersed.” Blight believes the best live shows feel effortless. “Every vocal is intelligible, every instrument has space, every audience member gets the same impact,” he explains. “That consistency turns a great performance into a memorable spectacle.” FORWARD PLANNING Most sensory experiences, whether big or small, don’t revolve around just sight or sound but a perfect blend where they complement each other. “These things never start with the audio design; they
stage is ‘equal parts utility and creativity’. “There are certain things I need to build in,” he says. “The boring stuff is, ‘How am I feeding the PA? Who needs a feed of the mix during the show? Which stems am I going to send to broadcast?’ “Creatively, you’re thinking about how you’re going to achieve the sound you’re looking for – how you’re going to structure your buses, which flavour of compressor you’re using on the star vocal, what reverb works best for the flute solo,” and everything in between. “A spectacle is more a creative choice than a technical one,” adds Davies, “but it always has to start in the planning stage – and you’ve got to have the right tools to achieve it.” HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT These tools must lend themselves to crucial considerations like consistency, quality, practicality and reliability – but the technology itself should fade into the background, letting the experience take centre stage. “The best engineering often goes unnoticed,” Blight suggests. “If nobody is thinking about the technology, you’ve probably done your job well.” Davies believes that location is essential to designing a sonic spectacle. “You need the sound to come from a certain place,
start with a concept,” says Davies. “The true nature of spectacle is when all the different departments and ideas come together. It’s about the whole.” The planning stage, then, is especially significant. “Preparation is everything,” argues Blight. “Long before the audience arrives, I’m already thinking about radio frequency, spectrum availability, antenna placement, redundancy, monitoring and network infrastructure. Resilience matters as much as great audio quality.” Dean Mizzi, FOH engineer at Clair Global, believes that the audio design
Eurovision
is a highly complex and demanding operation due to the large number of artists, rapid changeovers and wide array of equipment
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