Have you ever used an O1V96v2 for a musical?

[lifeisacabaret]

Thanks for all the help guys- much appreciated.

 

Has anyone done this show before? Any tips at all, id love to hear them!

 

 

Cheers guys.

 

 

JG

[Bobbsy]

MacKerr's advice is spot on...in fact, it seems to me that I got some similar tips from him when I first bought my DM1000!

 

As for how to save anything in studio manager (scenes, routings, effects, etc.) I suggest you have a look at the SM manual. The method for any of these is basically the same...and it's not (at least for me) particularly intuitive but once you've got it, it's simple and easy.

 

I totally agree with Mac that you probably don't want to set up actual scenes in advance (unless, of course, you just want to have a play) but it is worthwhile preplanning all your routing and patching and getting that set up in advance. I'd also second the advice to get your head around Recall Safe. You WILL want to use this and it's not an easy thing to work out at the last minute at the theatre. (If I sound definite on this, it's because this is the big mistake I made on my first digital show a few years back.)

 

Sorry, I'm not familiar with Bat Boy, so can't be of much use there.

 

Bob

[mackerr]

MacKerr's advice is spot on...in fact, it seems to me that I got some similar tips from him when I first bought my DM1000!

You mean to say, I haven't learned anything since then?

 

Mac

[lifeisacabaret]

As you guys may or may not know, Bat Boy has LOTS of scenes where the actions veers instantaneously from full on chorus singing to a few people engaged in dialogue, and I can envisage more than the 99 scenes the desk stores. Is it possible and workable to have two different show files, one for act one, one for act two?

[mackerr]

Yes, you would keep the two different show files on your computer and load the new file durnig intermission. You cannot be using the desk while you load the new file.

 

I am aware of shows that have gone over 100 scenes, but I have been involved in several fairly complicated musicals that were all under 100 scenes. If you have a scene that alternates between dialog and big musical moments 5 times, you don't necessarily need 10 scenes. You could go back and forth between 2 scenes. If you don't want to have to follow a book, or learn where to back and where to go forward, you may use a lot of scenes. The musicals I have programmed only went forward and were under 100 scenes. Basic scenes that you use over and over can be assigned to user defined keys for instant recall, as can scene increment functions.

 

Mac

[lifeisacabaret]

I think for the purposes of this, I shall program it to go onwards only. The operator will have a copy of the script which will be meticulously marked as to the scene changes. The reasoning behind this would be that the operator is likley to be relatively inexperienced, so I want to keep it as simple as possible "press this to go to the next scene when you see the mark in the script".

 

I also have some audio for some projections that I'll probably put through the desk as well, although the thing as a whole will feed the main desk.

 

I did have the idea of sending a stereo band mix from the main desk back into the sub-mixer (using groups 3&4), then using the sub mixer to provide foldback for the cast, so levels, and vocal mixes in the foldback could change from scene to scene.

 

Good idea?

[mackerr]

I did have the idea of sending a stereo band mix from the main desk back into the sub-mixer (using groups 3&4), then using the sub mixer to provide foldback for the cast, so levels, and vocal mixes in the foldback could change from scene to scene.

I don't think a stereo band mix is what you are going to want for monitoring on stage. I assume you are talking about a cast on hair worn lavs (or equivalent), putting much vocal in stage monitors can be problematic. Creating good monitoring from multiple desks can also be pretty complicated. You may want to find a way to take an aux (or a few) from one board to the other so you have complete aux control of the stage monitors. How are you using the 2 desks, and what is the main desk? Is the 01v96 only for cast mics? Can it take midi cues from the main desk? I am intrigued that you seem to be thinking of the console with the vocal mics as the sub mixer, and the band mix board as the main board. What is your overall concept of how these board work together? there may be ways to integrate the scene control more between them.

 

Mac

[lifeisacabaret]

The main desk is a 32 channel gl2400, so no midi capability. Im going for this approach because the GL is the desk in the venue, and I have no way of using something else, and im choosing the O1V96 because I shall need lots of scene mutes all through the piece. I will also need different verbs in different parts of the show, and the internal fx will be very helpful.

 

The GL has six auxes, and there is a five piece band and im also having a vocal booth for several parts of offstage singing. The six auxes will be taken up with 5 band monitor signals.

 

However, something else has occurred to me- how about if I used the spare aux to send a common band mix to the O1v, that would be suitable for generating both a stage foldback mix, and also a mix for the vocal booth?

 

 

ps- the band is as follows:

 

md/keys 1, keys 2, guitar, bass, drums. The band will be offstage in the wings, so will the drums (the only 'acoustic' instrument) will be fully mic'd. The band will have to be behind screens, so proper mointoring (including video relay of the stage for the md, and a video feed of the md to the cast) will be important.

 

also, yes, im using lavs (mke-2's), hairline mounted, apart from one character who wears a hat all the way through- he'll have his mic mounted under the brim of the hat, pointing down (reference: tony meola's placing of elphaba's hat mic in wicked).

[mackerr]

However, something else has occurred to me- how about if I used the spare aux to send a common band mix to the O1v, that would be suitable for generating both a stage foldback mix, and also a mix for the vocal booth?

That will be a better solution. Don't forget you will also have to give a vocal mix to at least the MD, if not the whole band. I know that some people use programmable mutes and leave all the mics up all the time, but with full console programming, I find it is much easier on the operator if you program the faders up and down instead of just mutes. This gives a much better visual indication of which mics are active when they need to be mixed. If you want to create a sort of fake VCA you can bring over 4 groups from the 01v and have a boys lead, girls lead, boys chorus, girls chorus, inputs strips on the GL2400 so you can do most mixing on the main desk. You just add group assignment to the other parameters you are programming on each fader of the 01v96 so you can switch mics from group to group into the GL2400. Good luck.

 

Mac

[lifeisacabaret]

Would this flying fader method cause any actual delay in the channels being ummuted when the recall button was pressed?

 

The band verb will be a lexicon mpx-1 (groups 1&2 out of the desk and into the unit, back into the desk on channels)- anyone have any reccommended programs- bearing in mind this is a very rocky show, with no acoustic sound coming from the band to the audience.

 

The project is in June 2007, so I expect I'll be asking more questions nearer the time! (and in between I would think).

[mackerr]

There is no delay in the audio control. Even if the faders can't be up instantaneously, they are only chasing the internal computer control that has already opened the audio.

 

If this isn't for another year, I expect you may be looking at different gear by then.

 

Mac

[Ben Langfeld]

If the band is as such and is not seen by the audience, one would wonder why a pre-recorded mix is not more suitable.

[lifeisacabaret]

The venue is a school hall (new system a year ago, and its a fairly nice system), so I highly doubt much, if anything, will have changed.

 

 

Cast fold back will be 4 srm450's, and band foldback will be a mix of laney & phonic powered wedges.

 

Hardly the best equipment I know, but its what I'll have to work with.

 

 

If the band is as such and is not seen by the audience, one would wonder why a pre-recorded mix is not more suitable.

 

 

Are you serious?!

 

Only the sh*ttest (sorry) musicals use a pre-recorded band, and when used this is a hugely obvious sonic factor. Notre Dame De Paris anyone? AWFUL show, completely recorded band and backing vocals. NASTY solution, pre-rec bands.

[Bobbsy]

I like the idea of sending a band mix to the 01V than generating monitor mixes from there.

 

Just to plant an idea in your mind, don't forget that, with the 01V, you can switch auxes between pre and post on a channel by channel basis. For example, if Aux 1 is your feed to the MD, it can be pre fade for the orchestra channels, but post fade for all the vocal mics, giving him the sort of mix he needs. This feature alone was enough to sell me on digital mixers!

 

As for mute vs fader, with Yamaha mixers I never use the mute button anymore (well, very rarely anyway) and just programme in fades nothing (well, infinity, but you know what I mean) anywhere I need them. FYI, it can be as instant as you want, but I've come to prefer using a quick fade up/down rather than an instant change for most transitions. Most cues aren't so tight as to need to be an instant switch, and a fade smooths the edges if a performer gets it wrong or something. Dunno if anybody else does this, but it works for me.

 

Bob

[lifeisacabaret]

OOps, crossed wires.

 

The md also plays keys, so his foldback will come from the GL. The stage foldback for the cast will be from the O1V- hence the band mix sent from the GL to it, then mixed with the vocals to provide foldback.