"Backstage": What is behind the magic of the concert
When your favorite music band, classical orchestra or fashion DJ is on stage - these are always incredible emotions and impressions. Powerful three-hour sets or a selection of favorite tracks from the artist live sound much more interesting than any audio recordings.
However, the performance, which lasts a few hours, is always worth a great job. Therefore, today we would like to open the veil of secrecy and see what happens “behind the scenes”. On how to prepare rock concerts - read our article.
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Photo by Gregory Coyes / CC
A rock concert is not only a band performance and a dancing crowd of fans. This is a properly tuned sound, light show and other design elements that depend on the imagination of the organizers (holograms, lasers, smoke machine, etc.). In addition, at the rock concert there are many other smaller details and elements that together make a powerful show.
This person is the real star of any rock concert. People in this profession get good money, make connections with celebrities, and, according to former sound engineer John Graves, have a bloated ego and often scream at the technicians and engineers at the site. Graves himself worked as a sound engineer for a very long time: he toured with the bands Metallica, Guns T 'Roses, followed the sound at the US Festival in the eighties. He says that if the sound engineer didn’t work the night, she didn’t work for anyone.
A sound engineer is a person who sits in a small booth opposite the stage in the center of the room behind a large mixing console. He controls all the sounds that come from the equipment on stage, bringing them together and processing over a hundred tracks. On the mixing console, the sound engineer has separate tracks for each instrument and microphone. For example, if there are 12 microphones near the drum kit, then the “sound player” can control 12 tracks from its console, which it mixes, adjusting it to a specific room or area.
The groups, as a rule, also have studio recordings, which the sound producer can at any time connect to a live performance (for example, if the vocalist had a hard night and he was left without a voice). But what the audience hears is one side of the coin. What the musicians hear is another story. For the latter, monitors are installed on the stage. Such mixing is a fairly voluminous work, so a separate engineer who is responsible for the monitors is always on the side of the stage.
Usually, speakers that are aimed at musicians are used as monitors, but now at large concerts each of them has an earpiece. Some like to use speakers, some like headphones. Sometimes groups are asked to use both. The engineer often has to create up to 15 different mixes per concert, according to the tastes of the musicians and the way they prefer to hear themselves.
Video tracking has become an integral part of the concert show. Often background video sequences are woven into a concert so organically that they seem to be “alive”. At the same time, video tracking consumes much more electricity than, for example, a light show or sound systems. Editors collect a variety of video effects and materials to match a particular song, mood, or moment of a band’s performance. Background video can be synchronized with music and light using MIDI or SMPTE.
Group U2 completely changed the idea of ​​video accompaniment of concerts. Instead of preparing materials in advance, during their show “360” in 2009, they used a broadcast from 15 cameras installed around the perimeter of the stadium. In addition, the group had 120 gigabytes of video from past concerts, which were also inserted into the video broadcast. All these videos were related either to current events or to local news of the city to which U2 came.
U2 Marketing Director Chris Ratcliffe (Chris Ratcliffe) said that he worked very closely with a man known as Smasher, who created the coolest video over a cup of coffee and could present on the big screen that day.
During the tour, "360" U2 performed under a huge rounded screen from the British from the company Buro Happold. The screen itself weighed 54 tons, and its area was 400 square meters. meters In the expanded state, it occupied an area of ​​1,300 square meters. meters and was the height of a seven-story house.
Contemporary concerts are not complete without a light show. Stage light is located at different points in the hall - a lighting engineer is responsible for it. He controls the color of the spotlight, the level of light and its movement from the console, which is located next to the sound engineer, opposite the stage.
Old light control panels were a regular box with a bunch of knobs. Such consoles can control the projection of images, stage lighting, video and even a pyrotechnic show. The control takes place with the help of faders, so the engineer works with the light in real time.
Modern equipment (such as Jands Vista) allows you to fully program and automate the work. Programming is on the timeline, which is displayed on the control panel or on the monitor of the engineer.
This timeline adheres to the same standards — MIDI Show Control or SMPTE time codes — that sound engineers use. Therefore, synchronizing them is not difficult. Typically, this is done using a digital workstation (for example, Pro Tools). Thus, it is possible to make a sudden bright flash of light coincide with a sudden guitar riff or a climax in a song.
Despite the automation of the process of synchronization of light and sound, as well as the programming of all the elements of the show, the sound engineer cannot just get up and get out of the console equipment failure, it turned out that the guys sing to the soundtrack).
To have an idea of ​​how much equipment is used [by the way, in addition to home sound, we started working with musical instruments and instruments ] during a single concert, let's take a look at an example of such a list:
Light: a pair of MA2 Lite and NPU consoles for lighting control (main and backup) with a server that controls six pillars of LC panels and a wall with LEDs. The tour lighting consists of 15 Martin Vipers floodlights, 30 Mac Aura XB floodlights and 15 Clay Paky Sharp floodlights.
Sound: The sound engineer sits at Digico SD10, the sound of the monitors is mixed on the Digico SD5. There is also a wired PSM600 monitor for drums and bass, and a wireless PSM 1000 for everyone else. Also used are radio microphones with a Y-connector, wound up on two preamps: Shure UHFR-B58s is used for vocals, and KSM9s - for recitative.
And an additional set of microphones for kick, guitars and there-there. Radial J48 for bass guitar, as well as a pair of ATBP4073s and a pair of KSM32s.
During rock concerts, time codes are often used. For example, in order to launch a specific effect for a guitar at the right moment, set the level of lighting and sound, or start a video. There are two types of formats that are commonly used during a show: SMPTE and MIDI.
At the user level, there is not much difference between them, in fact, this is a unique time stamp that moves along with the audio track and allows you to start any other action in full synchronization with the music. Chris Everett says time codes synchronize all elements of the show with millisecond accuracy.
However, it should be remembered that the timecode may not always work correctly, and the person who is responsible for him should be able to quickly fix the problem - make sure that the show continues. Timecoding is interesting, but it should be remembered that it cannot be fully controlled, since it depends not only on the engineer at the console, but also on the group on the stage.
The truth here is that it is also worth noting that you can also synchronize the light, video and music manually: for example, the light indicator knows the structure of the melody well and can guess at what moment to press the desired button.
Planning usually starts about a month before the show. The production manager contacts the managers of all the bands participating in the concert to make sure they have everything they need. Managers send their riders and receive response offers. Then all this is approved by the scene engineer and goes to work.
Installation begins in the early morning. The workers' teams, which are mainly recruited from local contractors, are responsible for installing the lights, the stage, the drives and other equipment, then climb onto the rafters and work on the roof.
After the installation work is completed, the groups come and begin to check the light and sound. When the light is posted, the equipment is rebuilt, the soundcheck begins. As soon as it passes, groups will have some free time.
The ticket booths open, visitors start pulling themselves up to the site, and after the show, workers immediately begin dismantling, which takes place much faster than setting the stage. Depending on the size, the analysis takes three to four hours.
One can only imagine the level of complexity of the preparatory work for classical concerts. Installation of the site can take a whole week, and during the installation, employees will walk through tens of thousands of steps.
Organizing a grand concert is hard work, in which a huge number of people take part: from a sound engineer to a handyman. Each of them puts a piece of himself in the group's upcoming performance, so that the viewer can fully enjoy the show.
Additional reading:
However, the performance, which lasts a few hours, is always worth a great job. Therefore, today we would like to open the veil of secrecy and see what happens “behind the scenes”. On how to prepare rock concerts - read our article.
')
Photo by Gregory Coyes / CC
A rock concert is not only a band performance and a dancing crowd of fans. This is a properly tuned sound, light show and other design elements that depend on the imagination of the organizers (holograms, lasers, smoke machine, etc.). In addition, at the rock concert there are many other smaller details and elements that together make a powerful show.
Sound and sound engineer
This person is the real star of any rock concert. People in this profession get good money, make connections with celebrities, and, according to former sound engineer John Graves, have a bloated ego and often scream at the technicians and engineers at the site. Graves himself worked as a sound engineer for a very long time: he toured with the bands Metallica, Guns T 'Roses, followed the sound at the US Festival in the eighties. He says that if the sound engineer didn’t work the night, she didn’t work for anyone.
A sound engineer is a person who sits in a small booth opposite the stage in the center of the room behind a large mixing console. He controls all the sounds that come from the equipment on stage, bringing them together and processing over a hundred tracks. On the mixing console, the sound engineer has separate tracks for each instrument and microphone. For example, if there are 12 microphones near the drum kit, then the “sound player” can control 12 tracks from its console, which it mixes, adjusting it to a specific room or area.
The groups, as a rule, also have studio recordings, which the sound producer can at any time connect to a live performance (for example, if the vocalist had a hard night and he was left without a voice). But what the audience hears is one side of the coin. What the musicians hear is another story. For the latter, monitors are installed on the stage. Such mixing is a fairly voluminous work, so a separate engineer who is responsible for the monitors is always on the side of the stage.
Usually, speakers that are aimed at musicians are used as monitors, but now at large concerts each of them has an earpiece. Some like to use speakers, some like headphones. Sometimes groups are asked to use both. The engineer often has to create up to 15 different mixes per concert, according to the tastes of the musicians and the way they prefer to hear themselves.
Video escort
Video tracking has become an integral part of the concert show. Often background video sequences are woven into a concert so organically that they seem to be “alive”. At the same time, video tracking consumes much more electricity than, for example, a light show or sound systems. Editors collect a variety of video effects and materials to match a particular song, mood, or moment of a band’s performance. Background video can be synchronized with music and light using MIDI or SMPTE.
Group U2 completely changed the idea of ​​video accompaniment of concerts. Instead of preparing materials in advance, during their show “360” in 2009, they used a broadcast from 15 cameras installed around the perimeter of the stadium. In addition, the group had 120 gigabytes of video from past concerts, which were also inserted into the video broadcast. All these videos were related either to current events or to local news of the city to which U2 came.
U2 Marketing Director Chris Ratcliffe (Chris Ratcliffe) said that he worked very closely with a man known as Smasher, who created the coolest video over a cup of coffee and could present on the big screen that day.
During the tour, "360" U2 performed under a huge rounded screen from the British from the company Buro Happold. The screen itself weighed 54 tons, and its area was 400 square meters. meters In the expanded state, it occupied an area of ​​1,300 square meters. meters and was the height of a seven-story house.
Contemporary concerts are not complete without a light show. Stage light is located at different points in the hall - a lighting engineer is responsible for it. He controls the color of the spotlight, the level of light and its movement from the console, which is located next to the sound engineer, opposite the stage.
Old light control panels were a regular box with a bunch of knobs. Such consoles can control the projection of images, stage lighting, video and even a pyrotechnic show. The control takes place with the help of faders, so the engineer works with the light in real time.
Modern equipment (such as Jands Vista) allows you to fully program and automate the work. Programming is on the timeline, which is displayed on the control panel or on the monitor of the engineer.
This timeline adheres to the same standards — MIDI Show Control or SMPTE time codes — that sound engineers use. Therefore, synchronizing them is not difficult. Typically, this is done using a digital workstation (for example, Pro Tools). Thus, it is possible to make a sudden bright flash of light coincide with a sudden guitar riff or a climax in a song.
Despite the automation of the process of synchronization of light and sound, as well as the programming of all the elements of the show, the sound engineer cannot just get up and get out of the console equipment failure, it turned out that the guys sing to the soundtrack).
Concert Equipment
To have an idea of ​​how much equipment is used [by the way, in addition to home sound, we started working with musical instruments and instruments ] during a single concert, let's take a look at an example of such a list:
Light: a pair of MA2 Lite and NPU consoles for lighting control (main and backup) with a server that controls six pillars of LC panels and a wall with LEDs. The tour lighting consists of 15 Martin Vipers floodlights, 30 Mac Aura XB floodlights and 15 Clay Paky Sharp floodlights.
Sound: The sound engineer sits at Digico SD10, the sound of the monitors is mixed on the Digico SD5. There is also a wired PSM600 monitor for drums and bass, and a wireless PSM 1000 for everyone else. Also used are radio microphones with a Y-connector, wound up on two preamps: Shure UHFR-B58s is used for vocals, and KSM9s - for recitative.
And an additional set of microphones for kick, guitars and there-there. Radial J48 for bass guitar, as well as a pair of ATBP4073s and a pair of KSM32s.
Timecode
During rock concerts, time codes are often used. For example, in order to launch a specific effect for a guitar at the right moment, set the level of lighting and sound, or start a video. There are two types of formats that are commonly used during a show: SMPTE and MIDI.
At the user level, there is not much difference between them, in fact, this is a unique time stamp that moves along with the audio track and allows you to start any other action in full synchronization with the music. Chris Everett says time codes synchronize all elements of the show with millisecond accuracy.
However, it should be remembered that the timecode may not always work correctly, and the person who is responsible for him should be able to quickly fix the problem - make sure that the show continues. Timecoding is interesting, but it should be remembered that it cannot be fully controlled, since it depends not only on the engineer at the console, but also on the group on the stage.
The truth here is that it is also worth noting that you can also synchronize the light, video and music manually: for example, the light indicator knows the structure of the melody well and can guess at what moment to press the desired button.
Job
Planning usually starts about a month before the show. The production manager contacts the managers of all the bands participating in the concert to make sure they have everything they need. Managers send their riders and receive response offers. Then all this is approved by the scene engineer and goes to work.
Installation begins in the early morning. The workers' teams, which are mainly recruited from local contractors, are responsible for installing the lights, the stage, the drives and other equipment, then climb onto the rafters and work on the roof.
After the installation work is completed, the groups come and begin to check the light and sound. When the light is posted, the equipment is rebuilt, the soundcheck begins. As soon as it passes, groups will have some free time.
The ticket booths open, visitors start pulling themselves up to the site, and after the show, workers immediately begin dismantling, which takes place much faster than setting the stage. Depending on the size, the analysis takes three to four hours.
One can only imagine the level of complexity of the preparatory work for classical concerts. Installation of the site can take a whole week, and during the installation, employees will walk through tens of thousands of steps.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra consists of 81 instruments, a lighting console, a microphone stand and a podium for a conductor. Behind the orchestra put two huge screens. This year more than 10 thousand people attended the concert, and about a thousand more settled down in VIP-places. VIP guests, by the way, consume more than a hundred bottles of champagne for a concert.
Before the performance, guests are shown an air show featuring Spitfire 1940, which lasts eight minutes. And the concert is completed by a grandiose firework under Tchaikovsky's overture “1812”, accompanied by cannon volleys and over a thousand rounds of salutes. To paint the sky in the colors of the rainbow, two kilometers of cable are used.
Organizing a grand concert is hard work, in which a huge number of people take part: from a sound engineer to a handyman. Each of them puts a piece of himself in the group's upcoming performance, so that the viewer can fully enjoy the show.
Additional reading:
- Audio Digest 10: Interviews, Vinyl and Thematic Guides
- Audio Digest 8: Tips for music lovers, “do it yourself” and audio technologies
- Audio Digest 6: Do it Yourself, Interesting about Sound and Audio Technologies
- Acoustics for the background sound of the premises
- How to choose a professional acoustics
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/398093/
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