[NEohioPAL] Audio / Sound effect playback question...

[Richard B. Ingraham]

Most sound designers have thrown away (well not really... just symbolically
{at least when they can afford to do so}) CD players, Mini-Disc and just
about any other device that mimics what I call a "deck mentality". By that I
mean something that is similar to using an old open reel tape deck, where
each sound was assigned to be played back by a certain Deck.  Most Designers
are using some form of computer playback and that has a ton of advantages
over using deck based systems.  

First you don't have to deal with the fact that you only have so many decks,
so you can only play so many sounds at a time.  Those days are long gone.
In shows that I'm doing now, the last thing I really worry about is "do I
have enough decks to run this show"..  Throw that idea out the door.  Most
computer based systems have no limits on the number of audio files you can
play back at a single time.  The limit is purely based on the number of
audio files your computer can play back at a single time.

In addition with computer based systems you set all your levels in the
software and running the show becomes as simple as pushing the GO button, at
least for the audio playback side of things.  (mixing musicals is another
story..)  This is similar to what most of us are used to seeing in the
lighting world.  You can also route your audio to multiple outputs and let
the computer handle moving sounds from one speaker location to another.  

All sorts of things become possible that are near impossible to do with deck
based playback such as CD players.  Too many to list here actually without
turning this into a multi volume email.

I know some will say that computers crash and blah, blah, blah...  However I
can honestly say that I have not had any more or less problems with my
computer playback rigs than I did with CD players, Mini-discs... you name
it.  Although I do still feel that the old open reels where damn dependable,
they were a real pain and the only reason I probably had so little trouble
with them (I can only remember 1 performance where I had an issue during a
show in MANY years worth of running shows with open reel) was because I took
very good care of them.  Anyway if properly set up computer playback can be
very dependable.  I have designed dozens of shows each year all over
Cleveland and points farther away and it's rare that I get a phone call with
a problem.  I'm not saying it never happens.  Just saying that it's fairly
rare.

There is a bit of a learning curve in using any of these products.  But I
would say that if I am training someone that has basic computer skills
already, I can get them up and running with the basics for creating a good
sound design in a single afternoon's time.  If you really want to get into
all the nitty gritty on these applications it takes a lot longer.  But in
just a few hours, most users are up and programming sequences of sound cues
that they could only have dreamed of doing with a pair of CD players.

I'm sure the cost will scare some away as well.  But again you have to look
at it from the correct perspective.  If you were to put together a deck
based playback system that had the same abilities as a single computer
system, it would take a lot of hardware and the cost of all that hardware
would likely be more expensive than the computer.  If you then think about
the number of board ops you would need and the amount of time you can save
in technical rehearsals, I would argue that computer based playback actually
pays for itself in the long run even just based on a set of financial
criteria, let alone once you take into account the artistic possibilities.

Obviously as a Sound Designer I am going to be fairly passionate about this
subject as nothing will pull my attention out of a play faster than a poor
sound design.  So I'm always for pushing organizations to have higher
standards of expectation when it comes to the sound design for a piece.

In a state of full disclosure I will also add that I am hardly unbiased as I
work for a local, award winning, software company that creates audio and
lighting software for the professional entertainment industry.  I work for
Stage Research, with their flagship product being SFX, which you will find
working in many theatres around town and all over the country.

If you must stick with the desk based playback systems I would suggest you
look into the numerous models of DJ type CD players that are out on the
market.  They typically have 2 decks and are able to cue up very quickly.
Also make sure you get some kind of model with Auto Stop or some call it
Auto Cue.  That will automatically stop the CD from playing through from 1
track to the next track, which is exactly what you want in a theatre
situation.  I would run away from the Mini-Disc platform.  For better or
worse that platform's days are numbered.  It was very popular for many years
in theatre as the media was reusable and in the long run cheaper than
burning CDs.  Since blank CDs are now so cheap and almost anyone can burn a
CD now, the Mini-Disc has lost some of its main attractions.  The various
Compact Flash or SD card players are fairly new, but I don't see them used
that much in theatres.  I'm sure they probably work great, but with
computers being so much more useful, I would only spec one of those units if
I needed something that was going to run 24/7, 365 days a year.  Think
something like a museum piece or very long running installation.  The CD
player is just so abundant that it's almost a no brainer.  In the sound
systems I have designed I still spec a CD Recorder for most systems.  They
are still handy to have around as someone will always show up with a CD and
want to play it over the sound system.  The recording aspect is just handy
when you need to record an event or the like and you can hand someone a CD
when the event is over.

If you (or anyone for that matter) wants more info about SFX or just needs
some help or consultation with sound needs in general, please feel free to
drop me a line and we can talk more off list.  I have also put my personal
web site and Stage Research's web site info in my signature below.


Richard B. Ingraham

RBI Computers and Audio
http://www.rbicompaudio.20m.com


Stage Research Inc.
http://www.stageresearch.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFX_Users/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/showbuilder_users/
(888) 267-0859 X.104







From: neohiopal-bounces at listserve.com
[mailto:neohiopal-bounces at listserve.com] On Behalf Of vanbrujah at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 3:08 PM
To: neohiopal at listserve.com
Subject: [NEohioPAL] Audio / Sound effect playback question...

I am looking to upgrade my auditorium sound system and we are considering a
number of options including, but not limited to CD, MiniDisc and Compact
Flash drive. I'm interested in what other theaters are using, and why. I am
especially interested in hearing the pros and cons of the different device
options. So, if anyone has any info or advice, I'd greatly appreciate it.