Poll

How do you call your sound cues...

Numbers
14 (27.5%)
Letters
22 (43.1%)
Depends on the theatre
15 (29.4%)

Total Members Voted: 50

Voting closed: Feb 28, 2007, 02:10 pm

Author Topic: CALLING: How do you call your sound cues....  (Read 20837 times)

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stagemonkey

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #15 on: Feb 14, 2007, 05:34 pm »
I use whatever is given to me and hope my ops are smart enough to actually listen.  On the show I am working on now i had a little dyslexic moment as I looked at my script and saw Lx7 and Sx5 both of which happen at the same point.  So I said "stand by sound 7" and my op gave me a strange look and then realized his CD deck was set to 5 already and i had to jump in "no sound 5 your right stand by."  thats the only point it was a problem as next time my light cues were in the 20's and above and all the sound cues were still under 20 as they just synced up with the cd track numbers.  So number haven't caused me any problems for the most part as most of the time sound knows that after the first act if they hear any number said above 20 its a light cue (my designers usually number every odd number or ever 5 to avoid having to add in point cues.)

MatthewShiner

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #16 on: Feb 15, 2007, 10:19 pm »
As with Scoot, I have never had an option.

The best I could do is ask to renumber is a LX and Sound Cue numbers got too close.

But, what the designer puts on the cue list is what you have to call.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

Mac Calder

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #17 on: Feb 16, 2007, 02:41 am »
ps - i've never been in a position where I've had a "choice" - everytime the designers (from spt up to production and tour) come up with what they are called (at least re: letters v numbers).  What am I missing here?

You can lead people to the method you prefer by using language, it is also something that can be brought up when talking to the designers about bump-in/tech week/transition to the space etc.

MarcieA

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #18 on: Feb 16, 2007, 10:31 am »
I On the show I am working on now i had a little dyslexic moment as I looked at my script and saw Lx7 and Sx5 both of which happen at the same point.

I don't know, that's exactly why I prefer them to be letters.

For this last show I had my light cues that i took on my own, video fx and sound. Sound had to be numbers b/c of the system, lights were numbers so I made video numbers. After about 2 performances, I went through with a highlighter and color coded everything. It helped alot.

ps - i've never been in a position where I've had a "choice" - everytime the designers (from spt up to production and tour) come up with what they are called (at least re: letters v numbers).  What am I missing here?

It also depends on the method used to run the board. One of the computer programs we use lets you choose, one does not and it is only letters. If you're running from a straight MD/CD etc through the board you can call them whatever you want.
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Mac Calder

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #19 on: Feb 17, 2007, 02:49 pm »
My opinion is it should not be the Designers choice anyway, but rather based on agreement between the operator and SM.

Obviously, if the application/equiptment being chosen by the designer uses letters (personally, I have never encountered it), then it is obvious that letters is what you would use (as chances are the operator would prefer it), just as you would keep the numbering the same if the application has a weird numbering scheme (I have one sound playback application that by default increments every cue number by 5, because it does not allow dot cues (1.5 etc)). But if it is a pair of CD players, then I think you can walk up to the operator and talk about whether you can change the method. After all, the designer does not have to work with their numbering scheme - and some designers have no clue... Sound Cue QQ anyone?


nmno

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #20 on: Feb 17, 2007, 10:14 pm »
I'm still curious - what kind of theatres?  I've just never run across it in 15 years ranging from SPT/Guest Artist/LOA/LORT/Production/.... 
For me it has come up in LORT, but only a couple of times.  In one case it was an Associate SD who was designing his first show on his own there.  He asked me in the vain of "The SD uses letters, does that work for you if we do the same thing?"  The other case was an outside SD who came into a theatre where they usually do letters, and I'm used to calling letters and he said no, he'll do numbers.  The conversations came up early (prep-week, before cues/sheets were created). 

Matt.L

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #21 on: Feb 23, 2007, 06:43 pm »
I tend to go with "sound" but i always go with what the operator is happy with if he takes a perticular dislike to "Sound Q ..." then i will change, I had one guy who like "SX Q" which was a nightmare

LiLz

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #22 on: Feb 25, 2007, 01:57 pm »
I've already posted that I prefer giving sound Qs numbers ... Well, the show I'm working on is over-run with "experts" and they insist on the letter system, so what the heck?.  However, there are so many changes in the show that things are getting crazy and now I'm calling Sound DD2.75, DD2.77 ... etc, and having to do it very quickly.  Last night I got so frustrated and so sick of huge labels that I named a Sound Q Fred - it's much easier to call.  I think I'll start a new fad - giving each sound Q a separate pet name!

stagebear

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CALLING: sound cue debate - letters or numbers
« Reply #23 on: Mar 20, 2008, 02:45 am »
So here's my current situation:
I am going into tech tomorrow and my sound designer is refusing to use letters for his cues. When he gave me his first tentative cue list two weeks ago, I made a request that he use letters to which the response was he didn't want to. Now, never having worked with him before, I approached my Production Manager stating my case. She said she would talk to him and came back with the same response - he didnt want to. He was in today doing some pre-tech and I asked if we could compromise by using both letters and numbers for cues (i.e. A-101) so that it would work for both of us - again, the response was that he didn't want to also giving the excuse that he would have to go rename all of the files.

Here is my case:
1) We're using Q-Lab, so I know that he does not have to rename files, but rather just the list of cues in the program, so it would be a 15-20min project.
2) I have a new sound op who swaps out with a sub, so I want to make everything very clear for them.
3) I run lights, so without even thinking, my hand goes to the light board when I see a number.
4) In the booth, my book is in front of me, the light board and monitor are to my right, and the stage is over my left shoulder - so it's not exactly the ideal calling situation.
5) As the stage manager, I need to be as comfortable as possible in my calling and I have to deal with the cues for 6 weeks vs. his two weeks.

Someone please tell me if I'm being unreasonable in my persistent request to make the cues letters (or letter-number cues). ANy other advice?
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 02:07 am by PSMKay »

KMC

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Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers
« Reply #24 on: Mar 20, 2008, 03:43 am »
The convention of using letters for sound cues is something that came about many years ago when sound was bulky and all analog.  There were rarely any more than 15 or 20 sound cues, so using the alphabet made sense as a way to distinguish.  Now that we are in the digital age using letters can actually be a lot more inconvenient - if you wind up with 50 or 100 sound cues you're going to start getting into sound cue AB, AC, AD, etc...

I've had situations where the lighting designer will start his/her cues at 100 and go to 200 or 300 and the sound designer will start at 500 and go up to 550 or 600, etc...  This has seemed to work well in my experience.

There really is no hard and fast rule here.  In the grand scheme of things there are much bigger fish to fry than the cue numbering system, and nobody is going to win if you both dig your heels in and fight it out.  My advice is to be flexible and do your best to adapt or reach a compromise.
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centaura

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Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers
« Reply #25 on: Mar 20, 2008, 09:45 am »
I agree with the opinion that you've tried, but its not worth making a fight over it.  Consider it a challenge to your calling skills, and a good learning experience.  Who knows, there might be a time that you're called in to be a last minute replacement on a show that has numbered sound cues.  There would be no way for you to change things in that scenario, so having had previous experience in calling sound with numbers would be good background.

-Centaura

Thomas A. Kelly

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Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers
« Reply #26 on: Mar 20, 2008, 09:53 am »
Put sound on a cue light. This avoids them having to wear headsets and you the aggravation of confusing meshing of numbers. You are right, but..... like the director, the light designer and the actor... the customer is always right. What you gain in fighting will be lost in the bruhaha. Another thing you might do in your book to alleviate confusion is use red or green pencil for sound and black or blue for light cues. Whatever, stop fighting... enjoy....

Tom Kelly

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Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers
« Reply #27 on: Mar 20, 2008, 12:41 pm »
Have you asked the Sound Designer why he doesn’t want to switch to letters?  You may be swayed, or at least learn something, from his answer (although if he’s already annoyed about this he may not give you a true response).  Many designers work on several shows at once, so what seems like a short, simple project to you may feel like a larger burden to him.  If you were working with a lighting designer who liked to call her Qs as “electrics,” would you ask that they change the Q names to “lights,” instead, because that’s what you’re used to? Just something to ponder.     
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Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers
« Reply #28 on: Mar 20, 2008, 01:21 pm »
I just finished doing 2 shows where I was running Lights and the Sound Designer wouldn't use letters either.  His reasoning behind it was by using numbers - the CD tracks would be the same as the cue number being called.  Since I wasn't calling anything for Lights - I decided not to push the issue but that was just me. 

As for just using cue lights - it could work - but then you run into the "what if" scenario of if he's not on headset when something goes wrong.  A cue light can't specify which cue you want played.

My advice is to try and just do with it as you can.  I know it sucks having 2 sets of numbers going in your book but if you're only calling 1 of them - at least there's less room for mistakes.

lauria

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Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers
« Reply #29 on: Mar 20, 2008, 02:13 pm »
I've had this problem. It was the same situation. I asked the sound designer why he prefered numbers to letters. If there were more than 26 sound cues.... Easier to add a cue between cues.... THe program worked better with numbers.... (which I doubt, actually. At this point I'm betting that he could have called each cue a name and the program would have taken it.)

But that's what he was taught to do, and he wouldn't honor my request to change it. So I got used to it. It look a bit of adjusting, but by the end of the show I was comfortable with it. I also have fly cues in that show, so I gave them letters instead. Worked out fairly well.

Good luck!

 

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