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Showbiz U: About the Sound Department- Lindsay Jones & Tim Kashani

Name: Showbiz U: About the Sound Department- Lindsay Jones & Tim Kashani
Uploaded: 2013-11-13T00:00:19+00:00
Duration: 1 min 31 s
Channel: Tim Kashani
Description: In this segment of the Showbiz U interview, the speakers clarify the distinct yet interdependent roles of the sound designer and the sound engineer…

13 Nov 2013 · 2 min

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1:31

In this segment of the Showbiz U interview, the speakers clarify the distinct yet interdependent roles of the sound designer and the sound engineer within a theatrical production. The sound designer is described as the creative architect responsible for the overall auditory experience: selecting and configuring the sound system, creating sound effects and soundscapes, and composing or sourcing any music required for the show. The designer then hands off detailed specifications to the sound engineer, whose job is to implement those designs during performances. The engineer sets up the system, mixes live microphones, and executes cues in coordination with the stage manager to ensure that every sound cue occurs at the correct moment and reaches the intended speakers. The conversation emphasizes the collaborative workflow between designer, engineer, and stage manager, and notes that some designers also write original music for productions.

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Let's talk a little bit about sound designers. There are a number of different sound departments, and we'll start with theater, and then maybe we can talk a little bit about film as well. Sure. But when you were thrown into it, you just did it. Can you explain to people that don't really know the difference between a sound engineer, what are the jobs?
The job that I do is a sound designer, and my job basically is that I'm responsible for everything you hear inside of the theater. So I'm responsible for figuring out what the sound system will be and making sure that it's put together in the proper way. I'm responsible for creating sound effects, soundscapes, anything that you hear. I'm responsible for if there needs to be music in the show, either that's previously recorded, or in my case, not every sound designer does this, but I'm one of the people who, if you need music and it needs to be new, I can, I can write music and I create music, and I do that a lot as well. I then take all of that stuff that I do and I coordinate with the sound engineer. And the sound engineer's responsibility is to basically take all the information that I've given them and then execute the show night after night according to the way that I've sort of laid it out. And working in tandem with the stage manager who cues the sound engineer, he makes sure that all the sound cues go at the right time and that they're going to the right places. And then that sound engineer, if there's microphones in the show, is responsible for making sure the microphones are on and they're mixed the proper way so that it sounds the best way possible for the show.