Author Topic: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?  (Read 5647 times)

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Mac Calder

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Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« on: Aug 24, 2012, 11:18 am »
A well designed theatre, I can stand centre stage, project my voice and be heard everywhere. It is why people employ acoustic engineers, theatre designers and many other experts to design them - and I know they work, after all, I have performed more than a few focus sessions in my life talking to people in the gods without the aid of a mic.... yet the last three shows I have seen - big name productions - have all been over mic'ed in my mind.

Today, on a whim I went to go and see Annie - it had just been installed in the theatre that is in the same building as my venues, and they emailed me the RF list so that I could let our techs know what to avoid... long story short, went on line to see what sort of seating was left available and managed to pick up a seat 3 rows back, 5 seats in from the centre isle on the left - so a fairly good seat... I know the theatre really well, I have been technical director on 5 corporate events in there and know the acoustics like the back of my hand - I have also seen about 20 shows in there - a decent presenter can get away with out being put through the front fill and they really only need a touch into the line array - primarily the PA is used to "fill out" the room, balance it a bit and to add any effects/backing audio etc. I walked in and looked at the PA - instead of the line array I am used to seeing sitting way up against the top of the pros arch there are two smaller arrays - one of which lowered to about 1m above my head height... whatever. To each noise boy his own.

Then the show started... Orchestra sounded fairly good as the overture struck up.... Then the singers started to sing.

Almost the ENTIRE show sounded like it was coming from the speaker to the left of me... that is the speaker that was outside the pros arch. I was getting NOTHING from the stage what so ever. 3 rows back, NOTHING, even with no orchestra playing - during the a'capela parts - NOTHING. The only time I got anything from the stage was one performer who is renowned for his ability to be loud and project. To be honest they could have been playing a CD and miming if it weren't for the fact that a CD would be a better quality audio.

So I put it to my Stage Management colleagues - are our actors loosing the ability to project their voice? Is it a tallent that is no longer being taught as "they will just stick a mic on you anyway"? Frankly, I am getting tired of going for a nice night out at the theatre, paying $150 for a single ticket and then spending the night with my ears telling my brain I should not be looking at the stage because the audio I am focusing on is coming from somewhere else. The fact I am paying that much for a ticket is a further insult, but not worth getting into here.
« Last Edit: Aug 24, 2012, 11:21 am by Mac Calder »

Maggie K

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #1 on: Aug 24, 2012, 12:16 pm »
I have believed for a long time that actors are no longer being taught how to really project or that it is longer being given a lot of emphasis.  I can always tell an "old school" actor from the newer generation because they barely need to be mic'd while the newer generation cannot perform without them.  It is very frustrating because I believe that the mics are there to be reinforcement, not the only way things can be heard (and often running so hot that they're a nanosecond away from feedback.).  It use to be that I would run into this mainly with musicals but now it seems that more and more straight plays are putting mics on the actors as well.  Others have made the argument to me that with modern instruments (ie. electric guitars) that singers need to be mic'd to be heard over the band.  While there are certain situations where this may be true, my response is that first, the band should know enough to play at a lower dynamic to help the singers and second, opera singers have no problem being heard over a full orchestra.  The majority of opera singers that I know would be extremely offended if anyone suggested putting a mic on them while other actors seem to take it for granted that they will have a mic.

I think this has developed over time due to an ongoing circle where performers have learned that they will be mic'd so they don't project and theatres indulging this behavior by throwing a mic on anyone who can't project.

Overall, I do not have a problem with singers being in mics or using them in certain situations, such as having bad acoustics.  But they should be used as reinforcement.  To give the performer the little nudge that is needed.  Not as the only way to hear the show.  If that's the case you might as well just stay home and listen to the soundtrack.
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loebtmc

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #2 on: Aug 24, 2012, 12:17 pm »
Yes. Pet peeve! Too many young actors are not being taught how to project - to fill a house - and it shows. It shows in their energy too, since it sometimes doesn't fill the stage, or drops off at stage edge. And heaven forfend the mics don't give out!

Yes, any musical where the instruments are mic'd, the actors need to be so the sound engineer can balance the house, and no one shd have to sing over the band (sadly, instrumentalists think they need to be louder too) but yikes, reinforcement not basic hearing!
« Last Edit: Aug 24, 2012, 12:20 pm by loebtmc »

MatthewShiner

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #3 on: Aug 24, 2012, 01:54 pm »
I also think audiences are being spoiled a bit.  We are able to isolate sound on ipods, we listen to louder and clear music, and have expectations of that.

I think also, there is a lot of scenic design that does not help performers.

Issues of where to put the pit sometimes complicate matters.

And, I think there are also just some style issues, and sound designers who want to have more control over balance and effects.

I am not saying there are a generation of actors who may not have this talent, but there are also a generation of directors who want to be able to have an audience here an actor's wide range of their vocal spectrum – to an almost cinematic effect.

There are a wide variety of reasons to use the mics.

It's bad sound design to make it so obvious.
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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.

BARussell

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #4 on: Aug 24, 2012, 09:44 pm »
I worked on a straight play once where the director wanted the actors mic'd because he wanted that "cinematic" quality. He wanted the audience to be able to "hear every breath". Now for this play it was weirdly appropriate and the speakers were placed beneath the deck and only fed anything if the actors were in that location. 

I have also worked on terrible musicals where all of the singing was fed above the audiences head and in this house which was 3/4 in the round with the audience looking down on stage it made the show feel very ungrounded having actors five feet away and their voices coming out 30 ft above you.

I wouldn't say actors are not being taught the importance of projection, I just feel like they often not required to use it and have certain expectations that directors and sound designers are giving them.

On another note opera singers performing the book scenes in musicals without micis is hilarious...
"We don't negotiate with weirdos!"

SMrose

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #5 on: Aug 25, 2012, 12:56 pm »
The other aspect of actors relying on their mic too much is when that mic fails (not so much in professional theatre but I've experienced this too often on semi-pro and community shows) or when the mic is "scratchy".  Nothing like those examples to pull me out of the show I was enjoying and ruin the experience.

MatthewShiner

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #6 on: Aug 25, 2012, 03:07 pm »
Also, don't forget . . . they graying of audience as well . . .
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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.

bex

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #7 on: Aug 25, 2012, 06:26 pm »
Also, don't forget . . . they graying of audience as well . . .

YES!  I think it's as much a product of the audiences as it is the performers (although I agree with the "cinematic" directors & bad sound design making it obvious as well).  I can't tell you how many shows I've been working when an old biddy comes up to me at intermission to tell me I need to "turn up the volume" when the actors aren't mic'ed at all. It's never young or middle-aged people who complain, only people whose hearing is probably going already (and never mind that every time I'm asked, I'm on stage doing intermission shift, obviously busy and with no control over the sound at all...).
You will have to sing for your supper & your mortgage, your dental coverage & your children's shoes, over & over again while people in desk jobs roll their eyes the minute you start to complain. So it's a good thing you like to sing.

On_Headset

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #8 on: Aug 26, 2012, 03:23 pm »
Quote
I am not saying there are a generation of actors who may not have this talent, but there are also a generation of directors who want to be able to have an audience here an actor's wide range of their vocal spectrum – to an almost cinematic effect.
So this is an artifact of the cinematization of theatre? An interesting perspective. (But probably true!)

To be frank, radio mics irritate me. That little bump creeping out from under your wig? It always looks dreadful--to me at least. I actually prefer seeing featherweight headset microphones, even if they're inappropriate for the period: the wig mic is just as obvious, but the half-assed attempt to be discreet (like we're not going to see a white bulge in the middle of the performer's forehead?) bothers me for some reason.

I understand their utility, and I will admit that I'm beginning to associate acoustic performances with community theatre, but it's disappointing that you can have a musical with a company of 40 and everyone still needs to be mic'd up because none of them have learned to project and the back row would never hear it without assistance.
« Last Edit: Aug 26, 2012, 03:26 pm by On_Headset »

avkid

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #9 on: Aug 27, 2012, 09:09 pm »
We hosted two opera performances in July.
2 instrument mics in the pit, that's it.

I found it absolutely amazing.
The acoustics of the room put $150k worth of PA to shame.

I insisted we cut down the next musical to 5 mics instead of the usual 14 and use 1/3 the usual PA.
It worked tremendously.
Philip LaDue
IATSE Local #21 Newark, NJ

ejsmith3130

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #10 on: Sep 03, 2012, 10:48 am »
I recently worked at a company that produced both Operas and Musicals in rep with the same singers... Talk about the difference in quality. You always knew who the classically trained opera singers were because you could ALWAYS hear them- even in the 1,100 seat house. During one of the concerts you could literally feel the sound coming off the stage as they were singing- that is an experiance I won't soon forget.

Obviously the Operas were not mic'd. However, according to the sound techs, the Musicals were, and you don't want to know how offended the singers were when they were told they had to wear mics for a uniform sound.

It is refreshing I think to know that there are people out there who still value good training.

MatthewShiner

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #11 on: Sep 03, 2012, 12:36 pm »
It's true the training is very different, but musical singing versus opera singing is very, very different.  There are just different expectations for the singers.  Not a lot of opera singers are asked to tap dance while singing. 

No opera singer is expected to do the same type of show of musical theater actor is, and not for 8 shows a week.  Most opera singers don't do two shows a day, and don't do two days in a row.

The material is also vastly different. 

« Last Edit: Sep 03, 2012, 12:38 pm by MatthewShiner »
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BARussell

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Re: Radio mics - are performers too reliant on them?
« Reply #12 on: Sep 04, 2012, 12:48 pm »

No opera singer is expected to do the same type of show of musical theater actor is, and not for 8 shows a week.  Most opera singers don't do two shows a day, and don't do two days in a row.


The list of things opera singers DON'T do would be a whole forum by itself!
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