School theatre sound

[Junior8]

I worked in a 1500 student school for 21 years. We got on quite well with a simple PA, a couple of mobile players, the worst that Furse could do and common sense. I am quite well aware I am increasingly  out of touch since walking away in 1997 but that does not make me wrong in questioning this kind of approach.  

Edited June 15 by Junior8

[sunray]

5 hours ago, Junior8 said:

I worked in a 1500 student school for 21 years. We got on quite well with a simple PA, a couple of mobile players, the worst that Furse could do and common sense. I am quite well aware I am increasingly  out of touch since walking away in 1997 but that does not make me wrong in questioning this kind of approach.  

No it's certainly not wrong to have an opinion or ask questions.

In my junior school the limit of technology as I recall it was a record player (possibly more than one) and a tape recorder. No stage but a few stage blocks, no stage lighting.

Senior school I suspect I have mentioned here before there was a brand new building making it a single site school rather than split by a mile.

We had a lovely stage, the electrical contractors had provided loads of 5A sockets wired back to SR in conduit and a little trunking at high level and a masive coil of red & black singles and a 2.5mm² Pyro/30A to local isolator.
We already had a reasonable selection of elderly Strand lights, so with a bit of trunking work and a J8 some stage lighting was in place.

Sound wise we had several tape recorders due to an excellent language department, a couple of loudspeakers (8" in an open backed 3ft square enclosure) and the old school buildings general PA amp (pair of 6V6 in pushpull) complete with FM radio RX and a crystal mic.

When I started getting involved with the plays I took dad's 4 loudspeakers and 30W valve amp in, shortly after the school purchaced a Leak Hifi amp, 4 speakers and a couple of cheap dynamic mics.

Yeah we thought we had it good.

 

However things do move on, I can't imagine anyone installing a 30W amplifier with just one "Mic" and one 'Gram' input. I've done a fair amount of jobs in schools, installing then babysitting a few uses, it never ceases to amaze me just how much tech kit is in schools now and how often it gets used, this applies to junior and seniors schools.

In my youngest grandsons school every assembly a class would put on some presentation, sound, video/pc, lights, the works.

I did think one school ordering 24 Radiomics in 2012 was a bit OTT, until I realised they have 3 performance/rehearsal spaces across their campus.