Theatre Design & Technology - Feb 1972 - 16

ance. Quarter-track playback capabi Iity is desi rabl e
for playback of commercial music tapes.
There is a trend, in certain cases, to the use of
endless cartridge devices for sound effects.
In particular situations, the sound effects preparation facil ities may be completely separate from
those for sound effects playback. The temptation
exists to reduce costs for the playback system by
using tape reproducers, rather than recorder / reproducers. However, a recording capability can be
desirable even in playback facilities, allowing signal and even archival recording system usage.
Even the simplest sound effects system should
have a means of amplifying Iive sound, in other
words, a microphone channel.

Amplification and control equipment should generally parallel that of the main house reinforcement
system; solid-state equipment and straight-line attenuators are usually preferred to tube equ ipment
and rotary controls. However, if only two amplification channels are provided, loudspeaker line gain
controls will usually also be desirable for control of
sound movement, and these controls are invariably
rotary at the present time.
Other devices used to effect movement of sound,
and located on the control console, include panoramic potentiometers, electrically preceding the
power amplifiers, and / or switching in the loudspeaker lines, accomplishing the same effect as a
panoramic potentiometer but at loudspeaker level.

* ARCHIVAL RECORDING SYSTEM
Other Equipment
Other essentials are a minimum of two amplification channels, allowing two effects to be amplified as one; portable loudspeakers, allowing the
source of sound to be positioned where called for
(and not restricted to built-in locations, for example, the reinforcement system loudspeakers); and
some method for "moving" a sound effect from
one location to another by decreasing volume at
one loudspeaker while increasing it at another.

Purpose
The purpose of the archival recording system is
to pr8pare high-quality recordings of any activity
taking place in the theatre. Specific requirements
for the use of these recordings will determine
whether the system should be single-channel
(monophonic) dual-channel (stereophonic), ormultichannel (4-, 8-, or 16-track).

System and Equipment

Professional quality equipment should, of course,
be used for any system that wi II see frequent operation, be it a recording, reinforcement, monitoring, or effects system, or any other sound or communications system regularly used in a theatre or
auditorium. In general, it is better to simplify a
system and omit rarely-needed features than to
use less than the state-of-the-art equipment. However, there are times when a choice must be made
between a simple system using basically consumer-grade components, or no sound effects system at all; and, in such cases, the choice must be
the consumer-grade system.

For specific events the reinforcement system's
microphones may be used to supply the signal;
other times separate microphones possibly suspended in front of the proscenium over the first
few rows of audience seating, or similar microphones shared with the monitoring system (discussed later) should be used. These should feed
a separate control console and the appropriate professional tape recorders. Generally, closed booth
operation, with separate loudspeaker monitoring off
the recorded tapes, is preferable. The same equipment may double as the pick-up and controls for
broadcast signals.

Even if consumer-grade electronics are used, the
loudspeakers should be thoroughly professional.
Production requirements and the loudness levels
required should govern the choice of portable
loudspeakers. High sound levels in large spaces
will require movable, but large, two-way theatretype horn loudspeakers. At the next level down are
the fifteen-inch coaxial loudspeakers ..A.lso useful
are high-fidelity compact "bookshelf" loudspeakers
of medium and low efficiency. Finally, inexpensive
radio replacement loudspeakers may be built into
scenery or props for specific effects. Of great importance is the provision of an adequate number
of loudspeaker lines and receptacles to accommodate portable loudspeakers anywhere a particular
production may require them to be located.

Where recording requirements for a particular
theatre are minimal and the expense of space for
a separate archival recording system cannot be
justified, then the reinforcement system (for pickup and control) and the effects system (for recording) should be designed to permit recording of
live events when required. This can involve additional microphone feeds to the reinforcement console, tie lines to the effects system, and perhaps
an additional tape recorder/reproducer for the effects system.

* MONITORING AND PAGING SYSTEMS
Purpose
The monitoring and paging system should permit any member of the theatre staff, located at his

THEATER DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

FEBRUARY, 1972

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Feb 1972