Author Topic: Recording Calls  (Read 3388 times)

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P-Rae

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Recording Calls
« on: Apr 30, 2012, 10:24 pm »
Hi All,

I am a junior in my theatre department, and I have recently been struck by the desire to have a recording of my calling of a show before I graduate. Designers are able to have production photos for their portfolios, and I think it would be something really interesting to have in an SM digital portfolio or on a website. I've also created my own workshops on stage management that I teach to junior high and high school students at a theatre academy in my state, Louisiana, and I think it would be a lot of fun if at my next workshop I could let them hear what it sounds like to call cues. I enlisted one of my professors, and his response is for me to research it and bring my suggestions/ideas to him, and then we can discuss it further (one of those great teaching moments, I'm sure--reminds me of when my mom would tell me to "look it up" when I asked what a word meant). I must admit I don't have a great depth of knowledge when it comes to recording and I'm not coming up with a lot on the internet that I feel I can adequately explain as something we can pull off with our department's resources. Has anyone out there ever done something like this? If so, how did you do it? Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated!

--P-Rae

KMC

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Re: Recording Calls
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2012, 10:03 am »
Are you using a comm system (HME, Clearcom, etc..) to call the show?  If so, which one?  This could be the easiest way.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

MatthewShiner

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Re: Recording Calls
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2012, 10:13 am »
When I had to record myself for my thesis . . . sound department was able to patch in via a headset system.  And then we edited out the swearing . . .

There was a lot of swearing.

And then we thought, maybe we should just rerecord.

There was less swearing. 

(Just saying, the one night you make the decision to record is when you will loose power, efx, an actor will be late, and the light board will crash . . . )
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LizzG

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Re: Recording Calls
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2012, 10:48 am »
If you patch it in via a headset system, make sure you have a separate channel for the recording so that you don't hear everyone else talking, and so that you can talk on the non recording channel if need be.

Also, make sure you test the system after they have set up the recording before the show.  Last time I recorded my show call, we got on comm to start the show and our entire comm system wasn't working - something accidentally got unplugged.  Wasn't very fun.

Mac Calder

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Re: Recording Calls
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2012, 11:21 am »
If you are recording, also make sure that you let everyone on the loop being recorded know...

The "Correct" way to record is to use a two-wire to 4-wire interface which will give you a line level audio signal... Clearcom can be bodged by lifting pin 2 (which is the pin the voltage runs through)

P-Rae

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Re: Recording Calls
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2012, 08:43 pm »
Thanks for the replies, everyone! I found a line out on our wireless Clear Comm amplifier that we use for the headsets, and after bringing that up with my professor and his assistant, it looks like that's the way we're going to go.

Thanks for all the advice and the warning about what all could go wrong and prompt swearing!

--P-Rae

KMC

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Re: Recording Calls
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2012, 10:08 am »
This certainly sounds like the cleanest way, but I would definitely give it a trial run as others have mentioned.  Is there a line out per comms channel or is there just one line out?  If it's just one, it's likely that all channels on the base station are summed together, which means you'll get all of the chatter on your recording. 
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

 

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