48 l June 2014
www.psneurope.com
livefeature
Sound for comedy – no laughing matter
The public appetite for live comedy shows no sign of diminishing, and audio companies are among the benefi ciaries. With comedians playing ever-bigger venues, Kevin Hilton looks at the crucial business of getting those punchlines heard
HOW MANY live sound engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Two – one two! What is the collective noun for a group of sound engineers? A compress.
Unless anyone knows different, those are the only jokes about audio. And while they have raised a smile or even a laugh on occasion, they’re never going to make Robin Williams doubt about his calling.
But there is a long and strong connection between live sound and comedy, and it is only getting stronger as comedians undertake multi-date, nationwide tours many bands would envy and play venues from intimate clubs through theatres to massive arenas. There is the perception that any audio for this now-lucrative and popular area of entertainment will be pretty basic, but as Al Ashford observes, “it’s no longer one man and his microphone.”
The Pub Landlord, Al Murray, favours a tie-clip mic: “it’s impressive for an omni”
SYNC OR SWIM
After starting out in theatre, Ashford has gone on to mix front of house for attention- grabbing acts like Russell Brand, Lenny Henry and Chris Rock, as well as designing the sound for Mitchell and Webb, French and Saunders and The Mighty Boosh. More recently, Ashford has been working with a leading exponent of musical humour, Bill Bailey, whose stage shows combine a traditional stand-up approach with songs and instrumentals that demonstrate his versatility and skill on a range of instruments, including guitar, keyboards, theremin and the lute-like oud (“OUD!” as audiences are prone to shout every time he mentions or even looks at it).
Ashford says modern comedy stage productions can now involve multiple sound cues and increasingly see close synchronisation between audio and video. He explains that clips are prepared in a
workstation such as Pro Tools or Ableton and then loaded on to a MacBook Pro for play-out. Resolume is used for video and picture material, which Bailey is able to trigger, along with sound cues, using MIDI.
The priority, however, is still what the comedian is saying, so the choice of mic can be crucial. Ashford says Bailey mainly uses a Countryman E6 earset, which suits the dynamic range of his voice: “It’s a bit like having a SM58 strapped to the side of his head,” he comments. The venerable Shure mic itself is still a staple and Ashford specifi ed one for Chris Rock’s tour in 2008. “That was partly for continuity, because the shows were being fi lmed,” Ashford explains. “The SM58 is a perfectly good mic and I put multi-band compression on it because Chris’s voice has a lot of energy.”
“If you don’t have enough PA in a massive hall with a band, the kick drum sound will still carry. But when it’s a comedian whispering a punchline, you’ve got to get that round so everyone hears it at the same time” Sonalyst founder Rory Madden
Sound rigs for Bill Bailey, and acts including Miranda Hart, Harry Hill, Milton Jones and John Bishop, are supplied by rental fi rm Sonalyst. Company founder and sound designer Rory Madden observes that he has seen tours grow in size, selling out venues such as The O2 in London and the Manchester Arena, at one time the preserve of big rock acts. “It’s a whole other sound,” Madden says of
comedy compared to touring bands. “If you don’t have enough PA in a massive hall with a band, the kick drum sound will still carry. But when it’s a comedian
whispering a punch line, you’ve got to get that round so everyone hears it at the same time.” Sonalyst supplies predominantly Meyer M’elodie and MICA systems, which Madden says can be used in both theatres and arenas.
Sonalyst supplies predominantly Meyer M’elodie and MICA systems for acts like Bill Bailey, whose act combines traditional stand-up with songs and instrumentals
Photo: Isabelle Adam
Photo: Kim Leng
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60