but didn’t know one to ask but didn’t know one to askBy Kirsty Gillmore

Recently, I was invited to teach a seminar on sound design to theStage Management and Technical Theatre students at theAcademy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in London. During theQ&A, I realised the questions they were asking are ones I’ve beenanswering for most of my career, and not only from students.Directors, producers, other designers and colleagues in othersound disciplines all have one question in common: what does aTheatre Sound Designer do?

Here are a few of the most common questions I’ve been askedover the years, with my responses, to help answer that question.

Sound Designer or Sound Engineer – What’s the difference?In the theatre world, the sound engineers are the people operating

the show from FOH and managing the onstage sound – the Sound No. 1, 2 & 3 positions,also called Sound Operators. They’re the ones pushing faders, swapping mic packs andmaking sure the sound runs for every show. The Sound Designer is the person responsiblefor creating the sound – they’ve chosen the sound system, programmed the desk, crafted thesoundscapes, set the levels in the venue. Once a show is bedded in and previews and pressnight are done, the Sound Designer hands the show over to the Head of Sound (Sound No.1) to manage it through its run.

How much of your work is technical and how much is creative?The technical/creative split depends on the show, but I tend to think of it as a 50/50 split. Agreat deal of the creative parts of sound design is the stuff that happens in our studios:creating complex, layered soundscapes, music and effects. It’s important to remember thatdealing with the technical aspect of sound design will always involve creative decisions – fromspeaker placement to mic choice, often it’s about your personal preference. My technicalskills always inform my creative choices at all stages of the sound design process.

Do you have to have studied sound or be a Sound Engineer to be a Sound Designer?Short answer: yes. Not necessarily formally, although if you don’t plan on doing a formalqualification, I’d recommend an intensive practical apprenticeship. Long answer: definitelyyes. As a sound designer, you have the overall responsibility for all the sound for a show.That means to know it inside out from every technical and creative angle. You must designthe sound system or figure out how to work with the existing system. You decide what types ofmics to use for the cast and instruments. You will create evocative soundscapes and programlayers of sound in a playout system; you have to be across it all.

Do you have to be a Composer to be a Sound Designer?No, there are plenty of very successful Sound Designers who don’t compose music. Equally,

it can be a very useful skill and could make you more employable. It’s quite common in thesecash-strapped times for a production to hire a Composer or a Sound Designer for a play andexpect them to be both composer and designer. This can mean a production might have greatmusic and average sound, or vice versa, depending on the various skills of the person hired.Or the sound operator has to take over some of the sound design responsibilities forcomposers who lack the technical know-how. If you can do both, you may be able to solve alot of problems for a production.

Even if composition isn’t something you want to learn, I would recommend every buddingSound Designer learns how to score read, especially if you want to design musicals oranything with a strong musical element.

How much creative control does the Sound Designer have over the sound of a show?Otherwise known as “how much do you have to do exactly what the director wants?” As witheverything when you’re working with a team: it depends on the show. On some shows, I’vehad a lot of creative control over the sound, usually because the director and I shared a clearvision, being trusted by a director with whom I have an established relationship. I can alsoend up with a lot of control over the direction of the sound design for a show when a directordoesn’t know much about sound and prefers to leave it to an expert.

Other shows, the director might have a very defined idea of what they want the sound of theshow to be. On shows like these, my job has been less creative and more about sourcing theexact sounds the director wants and make sure they’re programmed to play out at the righttimes.

A sound designer is an important and vital member of acreative team and you should be prepared to make anddefend big and difficult creative decisions. You should alsoknow when to concede in favour of the bigger picture, or forthe good of your continued working relationship with ateam.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned when it comes to creativecontrol is this: when the curtain goes up on press night, ifthe show is rubbish, it’ll be the director who’ll receive themost criticism. Sure, if feedback loops concuss theaudience’s ears every few minutes, you’ll probably be inthe firing line, but the overall creative responsibility for ashow rests on the director’s shoulders. Unless you’re a

designer/director, it is never “your” show.

With big thanks to the first and second year Stage Managementand Technical Theatre students at ALRA for the material for thismonth’s post.

Copyright ©2015 SoundGirls.Org

Blog, Kirsty

ALRA, Female Sound Designers, Female Sound Engineers, Kirsty Gillmore, sound designer, sound engineer, Theatre Sound Design, women inaudio

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Jordan

Interesting post here! It’s awesome to catch a glimpse of the world of theatre sound engineering like this. Thanks forsharing your thoughts!

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July 23, 2015

akismet-5b16596481554d120a97ffa6ec4561f5

Thanks Jordan! Glad you like it.

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August 4, 2015

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