At last!!

Floor mics ordered due for delivery on 1/12 am, rig 1/12 pm!

In the actual theatre tomorrow checking out the lighting and rehearsing. Programming the Frog desk to cope with some of the routines – bet the lights are all without gel.  Why is it that all dance festivals only allow pure white light and then never put any of the gels back that they take out.  UNles I can get gels loaded in some of the lights on 1/12 it will be quite a bright show – only colour on the glitzy back cloth.

I’m going to be using Cue player again to play all the sound track so I’ll be loading that onto my laptop and then converting the CD’s to MP3. Then can cue up the tracks and play them on demand linked in to the mics and lighting. Just a little work! Should have it done in time for the full rehearsal.

Rehearsals.

Had 2 good rehearsals this weekend – 10 hours in all.  Everything is going well – the routines are looking polished with 2 weeks to go.

The music is there -just need to transfer it to the laptop for Cue Player.  I’ve used this for the last three shows as I had a lot of cd jump & track skip in past shows so don’t take the risks.  In one show a complete number had to be missed much to the disappointment of the children!  Take no risk use a fool proof method – laptop backed up by 2 cd players!!

Most of the lighting is going to be whatever is available in the theatre – 4 PAR 64, some flood and spots probably mainly white.  The backcloth will be a silver ‘glitz’ curtain lit by stand flood lights split into 4 colours so can get some variation.  I’ll suppliment this with a couple of stobes for some of the routines that will benefit from them.

Next Saturday is programming the desk and patching the lights.  5 hours to get as much done as possible!  That will give Friday night to rig all the sound kit and do the checks.

Don’t know what my next project will be – I’ll have to start looking around shortly, I enjoy the work just wish I could make it pay!!

Success!

At last. I have the radio mics I need – well 6 which will just have to do.  Also I am getting 4  Crown PCC160 boundary mics – 2 for front of stage and 1 for each side half way back to cover the back half of the stage.  On the stage we’re using I have had no luck with overhead mics so not bothering this time – only doing 2 shows on one day so its not worth spending the time to rig them and then have no luck with them!

The rehearsal yesterday went well – just putting the polish on the routines now while I try and sort out the lighting for each routine.  Not easy when we don’t rehearse on the stage we’re using and have no access to the lighting system there either. At least I’ve done several shows there so know what they have. Next Saturday will be the day to test it all out – have the stage etc for 1 rehearsal then the show is the following Saturday.

A run through

Well, yesterday afternoon was the first run through of the full show – the kids did great!! Out of the 36 numbers they went through 32 (people doing the others weren’t there to do them!) and the majority went smoothly.  Now its down to me to make sure they can be heard and seen.

This will be my main focus over the next couple of weeks as the show is 2/12 so not far away.

Well, must get back to locating those mic’s that are needed …..

The Big Christmas Cracker Show!

Well here I was thinking lighting the show was going to be hard – now I’m not sure the audience will hear the show!  The chap I normally borrow radio mics from isn’t replying, float / boundary mics I can source at a reasonable cost but when it comes to overhead well.

Overhead mics – what should you use? Short rifles, condenser or dynamic?  I’ve had people recommend all of them.  Last year I tried short rifles and gave up as I got nothing from them – only to be told afterwards that the desk I was given to use had a low Phantom current output so probably couldn’t power the floats and the rifles! Maybe if I can get hold of some decent condenser overheads I’ll try those this year – if anyone reading this has any comments on suitablility they are certainly welcome.

With regardlighting the show, I’m going to try a mix of back light with low angle front light and some strobe to light the Christmas Nightmare – I wonder what tomorrow’s rehearsal will bring?

Which mic? (2)

Well here I am at the end of the day and i’m not much further forwards in putting the wish list together! Spent about an hour searching the web for various types of Radio head mic but not found something within budget of the quality I want! Perhaps I’m too fussy – wouldn’t surprise me, I’m often told I’m a bit of a perfectionist!

I’m looking for a UHF set with a small mic capsule that can easily be taped to a child’s head preferably with the capsule and lead in a skin colour. Really looking for a Sennheiser or Shure unit but will probably go for a Trantec unit – must keep looking.

I thought the overhead units were going to be the hardest but that doesn’t seem to be the case – though I haven’t really started looking at the moment, thats tomorrows job.

Which mic?

While trying to sort out the lighting for this Christmas Show, The Big Christmas Cracker Show, I have been asked to put together a shopping list of equipment the group could do with.  Head mics, floats & floor / stage mics amongst other items.  There’s my work for the next couple of days that I’m off – searching for suppliers and best deals on these items.

Its along time since I’ve been given a free hand to spec the kit a group tries to purchase so I’ll be having a good search around to find the best I can.  If anyone has any suggestions add your comments andlets see what we all think.