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 20833 times)

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Candy0081

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CALLING: How do you call your sound cues....
« on: Feb 08, 2007, 02:10 pm »
I will tell the story about why I'm doing the poll after people have voted, but until then, vote away!

Candy
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 12:09 am by PSMKay »

smsam

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #1 on: Feb 08, 2007, 03:05 pm »
None of the Above for me!!
 
In some ways it depends on the operator, I don't really care what we call as long as our cues match-up and communication is clear BUT a favored way seemed to be as follows (for example);
SND Q 1A - To Bring MD1 T1 In
SND Q 1B - Level change
SND Q 1C - Take it Out
SND Q 2A - Bring MD2 T1 In
etc. etc. etc.

That way each Sound/ Piece of Music has its own number but the Ins/Outs/ Level Changes have separate letters.

Seems to work well for me.

Sam x
Sam x

MatthewShiner

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #2 on: Feb 08, 2007, 05:11 pm »
Now with computers running sound, I pretty much just call a number, and it's up to the designer to tell me what the numbers.  (They sometimes work with point cues meaning special things).  But for me, it's just

Sound 47 . . . Go!

Sound 48 maybe an adjust, a fade, a cross fade, or an entirely new cue.

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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.

malewen

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #3 on: Feb 09, 2007, 01:51 am »
I agree with MatthewShiner - I just call the numbers that the sound designers give me in exactly the way he describes.  I do try to jot down a note by each cue so I know what it is supposed to do (just like I will try to note the running time of a light cue).  I don't think that I have called a show with lettered sound cues in a number of years.

Mac Calder

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #4 on: Feb 09, 2007, 01:55 am »
I am pretty much the same as Matt.

I do not think it is the SM's responsibility to know the intricacies of how a cue runs - sure, it is good to know what happens, but really, the intricacies fall onto the Sound Ops head. Just as with lighting, I expect to see a list of cues which I can transcribe into my prompt copy.

I don't letter. Period. I don't think I have worked on a show with less than 40 sound cues (or rather, I don't think I have worked on a show with less than 40 sound cues that I have not been operating sound for as well), so numbers make more sense (AA, AB etc gets on my nerves.). As the department is listed when calling the cue, there is no need to further differentiate.
« Last Edit: Feb 09, 2007, 06:26 am by Mac Calder »

smsam

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #5 on: Feb 09, 2007, 02:14 am »
Quote
I do not think it is the SM's responsibility to know how a cue runs - sure, it is good to know what happens,
I think that's true to some extent Mac, but overall I DO think it is the SM/ DSMs (who's calling the show) responsibility to know how the show SHOULD run so they can spot something when it's out. If lettering Sound Qs can help this (just like I note down brief notes on LX in the Prompt Copy) then all the better.

Having said that I think Matthews dead right with the computer thing, so just calling numbers. The last few shows (excluding, oddly, the one I'm doing at the moment) are using computer systems, like SCS and GType, to trigger all the Sound Effects and pre-recorded music! And with the introduction and growing use of widespread Digital Sound Desks, the whole sound plot an become FULLY automated!

Sam x
Sam x

kokobear

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #6 on: Feb 09, 2007, 09:00 am »
Much of the new software will let you name cues with either numbers or letters.  If the Sound Designer is amenable, I do ask for SQ's to be lettered just for further delineation from LQ's.  During the 8th show of the week, the difference between a letter or a number can avoid an inopportune blackout when a sound Q is called.

AND if the cues get into double letters by intermission, I'll often just begin again with SQ A, and go forward from there.
« Last Edit: Feb 09, 2007, 09:02 am by kokobear »

MarcieA

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #7 on: Feb 09, 2007, 01:24 pm »
I too prefer letters to delineate from light cues. However, this season I am running my own board so I don't mind that they are numbers, which they are because of the new computer program we use.

For every cue in my book, I put a small note as to what it does, IE "Alfred music, Fade Down, Fade Out" so that I am always sure what's supposed to be happening does happen, but also if there's an emergency and someone has to come in for me, they too know what's supposed to happen, not just that something should.

When I have more than 1 type of cue to call (this past show was sound and video) I will make one letters so that no one gets confused or hears the wrong thing.
Companions whom I loved and still love, tell them my song.

MatthewShiner

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #8 on: Feb 09, 2007, 01:56 pm »
In my experience over the past 20 years, the part of the cue the operator is actually listening to is "LX", "Sound", "Automation", "Tab", etc, and the cue number is the least of the worry.

What you should be carefull is that your cue titles don't watch up like "Lights" and "Leaves" - that, in my experience, can be a problem.

But, in the end, I think it's a matter of style.  I just haven't dealt with a designer or show that has lettered anythings in about six years.  So, I would avoid it - I also don't like things like Cue Q . . . and it would bother me to skip over the cue letter.  Thus, I just stick to numbers for LX, Sound, Projections - and call automation by the piece moving.  But that's my style.

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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.

Jessie_K

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #9 on: Feb 11, 2007, 11:44 am »

What you should be carefull is that your cue titles don't watch up like "Lights" and "Leaves" - that, in my experience, can be a problem.


I once ran into this problem calling a (touring) show in France.

"Sound" is "son"
and "Fish" is "poisson"

So at the end of the show, when I called for the fish, the sound went.  Luckily it was dress rehearsal and we were able to sort it out before that evening's performance.

Also, to respond to the initial question.  I prefer sound numbers over letters.  Sound numbers can line up with CD tracks in same shows (very convinient for dance) and SFX (software) programming is in numbers.

When I used to tour I would distinguish further between lights and sound by always saying "Light CUE 43" and "Sound 5"  That way if th word CUE is used it is always lights.  Other departments like Sound, Rail, Curtain, Shift would not have the word CUE.  I don't use that technique when I have a regular crew, but for one-off's on tour, it comes in very handy.

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #10 on: Feb 11, 2007, 12:35 pm »
In my experience over the past 20 years, the part of the cue the operator is actually listening to is "LX", "Sound", "Automation", "Tab", etc, and the cue number is the least of the worry.

I like to lobby for letters if possible but will do numbers.  While i'm sure Matt is right and the op is just listening for "Lights" or "Sound", differentiating helps reinforce it, if for noone but me.  After calling shows with letters for a while, I worked with a designer who refused letters (for him it was purely ego, "Why would you imply I have only 26 cue" - not what I was doing but whatever...")  I noticed during the run of that show I suffered some serious dyslexic moments - sometimes calling lights 176 as 167 or calling lights 176 as sound 176.  Seeing a letter reinforces that I'm calling a sound cue so I'm sure to say sound (I think I don't even really look at LITES or SOUND written in my script, my eye sort of skips over it, which helps me be faster when I got a lot of cues right on top of each other.)  Subsequent use of # for sound were more successful, but I do feel like I have to work harder.  And again, I will concede to what the designer wants, but I do suggest my preference.
Since I will have more than 26 sound cues, we usually do A, B, C...then AA, BB, CC, then AAA, BBB, CCC...  There are usually point cues either to insert a cue or to signify level adjust, outs, sfx, etc as the designer desires.  Never had to go beyond DDD but usually not beyond ZZ.  When refering to the cue out of context, I'll refer to the full cue name ("hi, today we are going to start from Sound Double G") but in a show I'll call Just call then as single letters.  AA is said just "Sound A" (sound op is smart enough to figure I'm not looking to go back to TOS.)  I do skip Q.
To each his own.
 

ChaCha

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #11 on: Feb 12, 2007, 10:48 am »
I've probably operated more sound than I have called -when calling I use numbers. But If I am operating I notate just using A or B (assuming 2 basic sound sources) and then a track number  - so A2 or B3. Then I put an arrow up or down next to the number and a level number next to the arrow.
ChaCha

kokobear

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #12 on: Feb 13, 2007, 09:34 am »
and SFX (software) programming is in numbers.



I used SFX software last season, and it has the option of using either # or letters, and still has the ability to use point cues, ie. SQ R.5, R.9.

Versatile software, that!

Jessie_K

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #13 on: Feb 13, 2007, 11:26 am »
and SFX (software) programming is in numbers.



I used SFX software last season, and it has the option of using either # or letters, and still has the ability to use point cues, ie. SQ R.5, R.9.

Versatile software, that!

How does it work if you get up into really high amounts.  The last show I did with SFX had over 300 sound cues (not counting autofollows and stuff).  Does it do double letters or do you have to do A.1, A.2, A.3 all the way through?

LiLz

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Re: How do you call your sound cues....
« Reply #14 on: Feb 13, 2007, 04:17 pm »
I prefer numbers as well, but have used letters if it was going to cause a huge conflict with the designer or if I was working with a novice sound tech who freaked at the thought of using numbers.  However, if there are a lot of sounds cues, I lobby all the harder for using numbers.