Sound

           Sound is an interesting element of a production. Some productions choose to go in depth with their sound design while others treat it as an after thought. However sound can add a lot to a production, unfortunately it can also take away a lot.

            Sound has the ability to cause many subconscious reactions with in people. Wither that be the reaction of fear or joy. The job of a sound designer is create a mood through the use of music, tones, and sound effects. In cases like the show Avenue Q, a comedy musical, the mood set should be that of joy unlike the mood set for Macbeth, a tragedy, which should be fear and unrest. This process is done by multiple read troughs of the script as well as meetings with the director to determine the direction of the production and it's interpretation of the script.

            To create these sounds various computer programs can be use. A very popular program is ProTools. This program is considered to be the industry standard in audio production. ProTools has the capabilities to record, edit, and mix audio. Once the creation process is complete a program such as QLab can be used to play back the audio through the sound system. QLab can give the user many options in fades, timing, which speakers the sound should come from and much much more.



ProTools 10

QLab

            The sound system is the combination of devices which allows sound to be projected to the intended audience. The main components of a sound system consist of a mixer, amplifier, speaker, and a source.The audio signal to be altered by the sound system originates are the source. The source is typically a microphone however an iPod, CD, or computer can all be sources. The job of a microphone is to take the physical sound waves produced from a human voice, musical instrument, or other object into an electrical signal. It a achieves this through a diaphragm which vibrates a metal coil and magnet to produce the electrical signals. The electrical signals are then sent to the mixer either through hard wire connection or wireless means depending on the application.

Inside a Microphone

            The mixer is the brains of the sound system. The mixer takes the audio signals and modifies them, changing them, telling them where to go, how much, how long, whats good and whats bad. The mixer is a very capable piece of equipment and requires extensive training and experience to utilize it's full potential.

Allen and Heath Mixer

            After the electrical signals have been processed by the mixer, and other processing devices if desired, the signals are sent to the amplifier. The amplifiers job is to take in these signals and add power to them. Up until this point the electrical signals them selves have been relatively weak. However after they have been amplified they can be very powerful depending on the amplifier. Amplifiers are very power full in electricity to the point where if one wishes to service one or repair it it is required to wait a minute for extra power in the amplifier to wear off after being unplugged. This is to insure that the person servicing the equipment does not get electrocuted.

            After amplification the signals are sent to the speakers. This is where the electrical signals are converted back into physical sound waves for our ears to hear. There are many different types of speakers for all types of applications, from small classroom settings, to huge amphitheater events. Sound is something that is very important in the entertainment world, even when the silent film was the only film entertainment there was still music and still sound.