In an industry that generates drama for drama’s sake, It should be noted that this article was published without my final permission. The writer payed no attention to accuracy either in technical facts or in grammar. I apologize for his blatant disregard to our art and livelihood and any damage his article may have incurred. I am posting the article here for historical purposes.
It should also be noted that Sarasota’s production had nothing to do with the “tour” which in fact is a co-production. Also, the designer in St.Louis, Tori Meyer, who crafted the sound that had critics, “…proclaiming “Too often, the actors are difficult to understand…””, won a Kevin Kline award (St. Louis local award) for Outstanding Sound design. I, on the other hand, did not win more than an opportunity to work with some pretty great people.
Regards,
Eric
ANATOMY OF SOUND – STAGE DIRECTIONS
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2008
http://stage-directions.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=676&Itemid=39
Approved Version
Anatomy of Sound—Making “Jesus Rock” With The Altar Boyz on Tour in Cincinnati
With all apologies to Shakespeare, when the subject is musical theatre, the sound’s the thing, and a skilled technical staff with proper equipment can mean the difference between sub-par and great sound. While subscription audiences more than likely include a fair share of the “hearing aid set,” as well as those who may not have the training or inherent musical sense to precisely pinpoint the nature of audio problems, they can still detect that slight difference between mediocre and good sound when they hear it. Whereas good tech crews and equipment can make an already solid show come alive, the opposite can detract and make it seem substandard.
A perfect example of this principle in action was one branch of the recent productions of the rock musical Altar Boyz. The show landed at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Marx Theatre late last year after a previous stop in St. Louis, MO, which, while not flopping per se, had failed to win over the critics. Despite an experienced group of actors, as well as a director and choreographer who had previously done the same show Off-Broadway, the show had come under some criticism from the media, which mistakenly pinpointed the actors’ vocal performances as the source of the problem. Especially harsh was the resident critic of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who claimed the actors had problems enunciating, proclaiming “Too often, the actors are difficult to understand, in both spoken and musical segments.” In an attempt to make Cincinnati the best production possible, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park brought freelance Sound Designer Eric Stahlhammer in.
Altar Boyz needs a rock concert feel because the show is presented as the fictional namesake band’s final concert. The five holy heartthrob stereotypes—including the alpha leader, street-smart tough guy, Latin lover (who’s waiting, of course!), ambiguously gay pretty boy, and the token Jew—spend the evening attempting to unburden the oppressed souls of the audience whilst conversing with the almighty via technology and delivering tender, tongue-in-cheek messages about virtues, love, and faith. “It’s an extremely funny show, with a lot of social relevance,” says Phil Rundle, Production Manager for the CPIP. “It appeals to a wide audience, and gets a tremendous reaction out of the crowd. It really needed a first-rate sound system, to make sure the show didn’t lose any of its punch.”
Further complicating matters is the theatre’s relatively odd setup. At 650 seats, with an asymmetrical thrust stage, the room has decent acoustics, but definitely presents a test of knowledge for any sound designer. The relatively new house system at the Marx is based largely on Meyer Sound self-powered speakers, including a combination of four Meyer Sound CQ-1 wide coverage main loudspeakers, four UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers, two 650-P high-power subwoofers embedded in the architecture, and two UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers for fill. Surround, supplement and effects are achieved with a combination of four Ramsa WR200, one WS-A10, and six JBL 4892-90 cabinets, with three Crest 7301 and two QSC MX 1500a providing amplification. “I did a straight play here a year before this,” adds Stahlhammer, “And while this system, is fine for recorded music playback and sound effects, I was going to need much more for this. At the Marx, to do this the right way, I needed to give it a rock concert feel with theatrical quality fidelity. To really achieve the sonic quality we wanted meant a small concert line array.”
Budget was a concern, “As it always, always is in the theatre,” observes Rundle with a laugh. Fortunately, Rundle and staff did have some discretionary funds to throw around, so Stahlhammer made a call to Thunder Audio, a longtime provider and partner who was happy to return the business Stahlhammer had previously brought their way by renting him a system at a rate the CPIP’s budget would allow. “We do think it’s important to keep these theatres working,” says Paul Owen, VP of Thunder, “And since it was all Eric’s design, and a completely powered system, we were able to package the arrays and the Galileo controller together as a turnkey solution without sending one of our technicians down. So overall, it worked out great for everyone involved.”
The extensive dance numbers and blocking cooked up by Director Stafford Arima and Choreographer Christopher Gattelli required every square inch of stage available. “Between the choreography and constantly battling gain vs. feedback from the wireless microphones,” notes Stahlhammer, “The actors needed every bit of the stage as clear as possible, so we flew the entire system. Lots of times, this can be a challenge, since there’s a general feeling in theatrical design that speakers should be heard but not seen. Luckily, since this was a simulated concert, the theatre and the audience were both a bit more tolerant of having the speakers out and visible like a true concert setup.”
Four flown arrays of five M’elodie ultracompact high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers set up in an even/odd arrangement formed the system backbone, with six M1D ultra-compact curvilinear array loudspeakers for frontfill, and two 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers, also flown, to help avoid feedback from the actors’ wireless mics. Stage monitoring was courtesy of six MJF-212A high-power stage monitors, with a Galileo loudspeaker management system handling system processing duties for the main system and two XTA DP424 Audio Management Systems controlling the delay and effects speakers.
“This show was a very short timetable,” adds Rundle, “The cast basically had about 4 days of rehearsal in the Marx before we opened. Because of Eric’s schedule, we had our crew start hanging the cabinets from his specs the day before, and he literally came in during the morning, helped finish the setup, tuned the system on the fly, and then had a rehearsal with the cast that evening. So everything had to be ready almost out of the box. Needless to say, having something powered and preconfigured to work together as-is was a necessity.” Stahlhammer designed the new system ahead of time with Meyer Sound’s MAPP online pro acoustical prediction software, and then used a tuning rig with EAW’s Smaart Live measurement and optimization system and four DPA 4091 microphones to balance the output throughout the house. A Yamaha DM2000 acted as the central mixing console, with a Toshiba Tablet PC providing remote control of the console, processors, effects, and a SFX Pro Audio computer that served as the playback system for the prerecorded effects and the role of “G.O.D.,” voiced by radio personality Shadoe Stevens.
The chaste hunks were outfitted with five DPA 4066 headset microphones coupled to Sennheiser SK500G2 Belt Pack Transmitters. Since the score sticks mostly to hip-hop, Latin, and pop-influenced rock and rhythms, the backing band was a fairly simple quartet of one guitarist playing through a custom built isolated guitar cabinet powered by a Fender Blues Jr., two keyboard players on Korg Tritons, and one percussionist manning an electronic Roland V-Drum TD-20K kit., A Shure SM-57 was used for the guitar and 12 of Countryman’s Type 85 Direct Interface Units for all of the electronic instruments. Eight Sennheiser EM500G2 Wireless Receivers handled all of the microphone signals.
When the lights went up on opening night, the crowds and critics alike definitely noticed the upgraded equipment and extra work put into the CPP’s production; in fact, local media described the entire production as being “Broadway-worthy,” and praised every element of the sound, vocals, and musicianship as being perfectly on target. “We were thrilled with the results from the new system,” adds Rundle, “It gave us that extra push to make the show believable enough to suck the audience in, and was definitely a factor in giving us some positive word of mouth during the run. We sold out almost every night during the four weeks the show was here, and I think the positive response we generated with the sound design is a big part of why.”
“There’s such a small difference between a mediocre and a great show, much of it having to do with the distribution of sound level,” observes Stahlhammer. “The whole audience needs to hear the same show. Often, in order to achieve a target average SPL of 95 decibels, I have to blast the front row at about 105db, with the back a full 10 db lower. It’s unfortunately a common occurrence with shows like this, because you often end up working with the wrong tool for the job. With proper arrays, processing, and control like we had in the Marx, I could deliver a nice, even show to the entire audience.”
“Often, a big part of my job is to convince the production managers or producers to open their wallets and provide the proper equipment for the show,” concludes Stahlhammer. It usually can be boiled down to a dollars and cents equation and a look at a show quality vs. affordability ratio. Designers like myself have to prove to the person writing the checks that their money will be well spent. Luckily, the CPIP staff and Thunder Audio were dedicated to making sure the show sounded the way it should.” And that, it seems, made all the difference.
PUBLISHED VERSION
Anatomy of Sound
Written by Morgan Reed
Mar 21, 2008
Making “Jesus Rock” with Altar Boyz in Cincinnati
With all apologies to Shakespeare, when the subject is musical theatre, the sound’s the thing, and a skilled technical staff with proper equipment can mean the difference between sub-par and great sound. While subscription audiences more than likely include a fair share of the “hearing aid set,” as well as those who may not have the training or inherent musical sense to precisely pinpoint the nature of audio problems, they can still detect that slight difference between mediocre and good sound when they hear it. Whereas good tech crews and equipment can make an already solid show come alive, the opposite can detract and make it seem substandard.
A perfect example of this principle in action was one branch of the recent tour of the rock musical Altar Boyz. The show landed at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Marx Theatre late last year after previous stops in St. Louis, Mo. and Sarasota, Fla., which, while not flopping per se, had failed to win over the critics. Despite an experienced group of actors, as well as a director and choreographer who had previously done the same show off-Broadway, the show had come under some criticism from the media, which mistakenly pinpointed the actors’ vocal performances as the source of the problem. Especially harsh was the resident critic of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who claimed the actors had problems enunciating, proclaiming “Too often, the actors are difficult to understand in both spoken and musical segments.”
In an attempt to remedy the situation, freelancer Eric Stahlhammer was brought on as sound designer beginning in Sarasota. Though the sound improved, the reviews were still far from glowing, claiming the cast’s ability to harmonize needed some work.
“The audio system in the Florida Studio Theatre is a very good system for a smaller theatre, but it’s mainly optimized for music playback,” observes Stahlhammer, “It doesn’t lend the rock concert feel this show really needs.”
Rock Concert Vibe In a Thrust Space
Altar Boyz needs a rock concert feel because the show is presented as the fictional namesake band’s final concert. The five holy heartthrob stereotypes — including the alpha leader, street-smart tough guy, Latin lover (who’s waiting, of course!), ambiguously gay pretty boy and the token Jew — spend the evening attempting to unburden the oppressed souls of the audience whilst conversing with the almighty via technology and delivering tender, tongue-in-cheek messages about virtues, love and faith.
“It’s an extremely funny show with a lot of social relevance,” says Phil Rundle, production manager for the CPP. “It appeals to a wide audience and gets a tremendous reaction out of the crowd. It really needed a first-rate sound system to make sure the show didn’t lose any of its punch.”
Phil Rundle, production manager for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Further complicating matters was the theatre’s relatively odd setup. At 650 seats, with an assymetrical thrust stage, the room has decent acoustics, but definitely presents a test of knowledge for any sound designer. The relatively new house system at the Marx is based largely on Meyer Sound self-powered speakers, including a combination of four Meyer Sound CQ-1 wide coverage main loudspeakers, four UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers, two 650-P high-power subwoofers embedded in the stage and two UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers for frontfill. Surround supplement and effects are achieved with a combination of four Ramsa WR200, one WS-A10 and six JBL 4892-90 cabinets, with three Crest 7301 and two QSC MX 1500A providing amplification.
“I did a straight play here a year before this,” adds Stahlhammer, “And while this system, like the one in the FST, is fine for recorded music playback and sound effects, I was going to need much more for this. At the Marx, to do this the right way, I needed to give it a rock concert feel with theatrical quality fidelity. To really achieve the sonic quality we wanted meant a small concert line array.”
Budget was a concern, “as it always, always is in the theatre,” observes Rundle with a laugh. Fortunately, Rundle and staff did have some discretionary funds to throw around, so Stahlhammer made a call to Thunder Audio, a longtime provider and partner who was happy to return the business. Stahlhammer had previously brought his way by renting him a system at a rate the CPP’s budget would allow. “We do think it’s important to keep these theatres working,” says Paul Owen, V.P. of Thunder, “And since it was all Eric’s design, and a completely powered system, we were able to package the arrays and the Galileo controller together as a turnkey solution without sending one of our technicians down. So overall, it worked out great for everyone involved.”
Long Racks, Short Turn-Around
The extensive dance numbers and blocking cooked up by Director Stafford Arima and Choreographer Christopher Gattelli required every square inch of stage available. “Between the choreography and constantly battling gain vs. feedback from the wireless microphones,” notes Stahlhammer, “the actors needed every bit of the stage as clear as possible, so we flew the entire system. Lots of times, this can be a challenge since there’s a general feeling in theatrical design that speakers should be heard but not seen. Luckily, since this was a simulated concert, the theatre and the audience were both a bit more tolerant of having the speakers out and visible like a true concert setup.”
Four flown arrays of five M’elodie ultracompact high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers set up in an even/odd arrangement formed the system backbone, with six M1D ultra-compact curvilinear array loudspeakers for frontfill, and two 700-HP ultra high-power subwoofers, also flown, to help avoid feedback from the actors’ wireless mics. Stage monitoring was courtesy of six MJF-212A high-power stage monitors, with a Galileo loudspeaker management system handling system processing duties for the main system and two XTA DP424 Audio Management Systems controlling the delay and effects speakers.
“This show had a very short timetable,” adds Rundle, “The cast basically had about four days of rehearsal in the Marx before we opened. Because of Eric’s schedule, we had our crew start hanging the cabinets from his specs the day before, and he literally came in during the morning, helped finish the setup, tuned the system on the fly, then had a rehearsal with the cast that evening. So everything had to be ready almost out of the box. Needless to say, having something powered and preconfigured to work together as-is was a necessity.”
Stahlhammer designed the new system ahead of time with Meyer Sound’s MAPP online pro acoustical prediction software, then used a tuning rig with EAW’s Smaart Live Channel system and two DPA 4091 microphones to balance the output throughout the house. A Yamaha DM2000 acted as the central mixing console, with a Toshiba Tablet PC providing remote control of the console, processors and effects, and a SFX Pro Audio Computer served as the playback system for the prerecorded role of the computer “G.O.D.,” voiced by radio personality Shadoe Stevens.
The chaste hunks were outfitted with five DPA 4066 headset microphones coupled to Sennheiser SK500G2 Belt Pack Transmitters. Since the score sticks mostly to hip-hop, Latin and pop-influenced rock and rhythms, the backing band was a fairly simple quartet of one guitarist, two keyboard players on Korg Tritons and one percussionist manning an electronic Roland V-Drum TD-20K kit. One Fender Blues Jr. Amplifier with a custom modified cabinet and a single Shure SM57 altered and routed sound for the guitarist, with two Sennheiser SKM545G2 Belt Pack Transmitters and another SK500G2 sending the signals for the keyboards and drums and 12 of Countryman’s Type 85 Direct Interface Units to help convert the signals to a balanced input. Eight Sennheiser EM500G2 Wireless Receivers handled all of the microphone signals.
When the lights went up on opening night, the crowds and critics alike definitely noticed the upgraded equipment and extra work put into the CPP’s production; in fact, local media described the entire production as being “Broadway-worthy,” and praised every element of the sound, vocals and musicianship as being perfectly on target.
“We were thrilled with the results from the new system,” adds Rundle, “It gave us that extra push to make the show believable enough to suck the audience in, and was definitely a factor in giving us some positive word of mouth during the run. We sold out almost every night during the four weeks the show was here, and I think the positive response we generated with the sound design is a big part of why.”
“There’s such a small difference between a mediocre and a great show, much of it having to do with the distribution of sound level,” observes Stahlhammer. “The whole audience needs to hear the same show. In the FST, in order to achieve my target SPL of 95 decibels, I had to blast the front row at about 105 dB, with the back a full 10 dB lower. It’s unfortunately a common occurrence with shows like this because you often end up working with the wrong tool for the job. With proper arrays, processing and control like we had in the Marx, I could deliver a nice, even show to the entire audience.”
“Often, a big part of my job is to convince the production managers or producers to open their wallets and provide the proper equipment for the show,” concludes Stahlhammer. “I sometimes have to ask pointblank ‘How good do you want your show to be?’ in order to get the point across. Luckily, the CPP staff was much more interested in making sure the show sounded the way it should than saving their budget.” And that, it seems, made all the difference.