Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1981 - 25

the channel fader to be set to its starting position in advance and
then to be brought on-line with a switch push. The pan pot
allows panning between even and odd numbered pre-set buses.
The direct output is useful for feeding a multitrack recorder or
even another mixer for recording or broadcast. The solo system
allows any input module to be switched to the left control room
monitor loudspeaker for individual attention. The solo feed is
pre-fader so it is not necessary to open the fader to have a solo
listen. Four utility mix buses are fed through rotary faders. These
buses may be used to feed onstage monitoring, echo/reverbration devices, recording or broadcast, etc. A and B buses are
internally wired to feed the two quad panners. LED peak
indicators are located after the input section, following the
equalizer, and following the VCA. These indicators warn of
excessive levels at these points.
The echo return module may be used to mix the output of the
reverberation device into the pre-set buses as needed, or it may
be used as a line level input for a signal not requiring equalization. This module does not feed mix buses C and 0 because
they would normally be used to furnish the input signals to the
reverberation system.
In Figure 6, notice that there are two pre-set inputs (13 and
14) which are not buses fed by the pre-amps. These two inputs
are for direct input from line level sources such as an in-house
reinforcement mixer or a tape source not requiring equalization.
The two quad panners do have access to 13 and 14, thus mix
buses A and B may be fed into the pre-set system. The four
outputs of each quad panner may be assigned to any four preset buses via a slide switch matrix.
Pre-set buses 1 thru 12 have external links, like the pre-amp
links, which allow external processing devices to be patched in.
The pre-set master faders may be assignable VCA's. Each
output channel has 14 pre-set pots, an external link, a solo
switch, and a master fader. The solo switch allows selection of
any output channel to the right control room monitor loudspeaker. The last two output channels are specialized for control room
monitoring and include the solo switching and outputs.
External links have been located in each pre-amp, in each of
the pre-set buses 1-12 and in each output channel. These links
allow the insertion of specialized signal processing devices at
the point in the system where they may be needed to provide a
particular special effect. Inserting in a pre-amp would apply
treatment to a single microphone or tape playback track; in the
pre-set bus it would effect a group of inputs; and use of an output
link would effect all sounds going to a particular loudspeaker,
broadcast, tape, etc. It is particularly important that processing
devices in an output channel be located in the circuit before the
master fader in order that any noise generated in the processor
be subject to fade-out by the master fader.
While no presently-manufactured control board exactly meets
the idealized description give here, there are several which
incorporate most of the features described. Following is a list of
manufacturers offering a matrix-type theatre control board:

Auditronics, Inc.
3750 Old Getwell Rd.
Memphis, TN 38118

Neotek
1215 Belmont St.
Chicago, IL 60657

Interface Electronics
3810 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77027

Richmond Sound Design
1234 West 6th Ave.
Vancouver, BC Canada

Midas Audio Systems Ltd.
54-56 Stanhope St
Euston, London NW1, UK

Yamaha
Box 6600
Buena Park, CA 906220

Rollins Brook, a nationally known sound engineer, is Senior Consultant
to Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, Inc.
USITTlWinter, 1981

Memory
Sound·
*
In
.the
Theatre
by David Collison
Miniaturized electronics and the computer have revolutionized theatre lighting control over the last twenty years. Theatre
sound, no longer the poor relation, is catching up fast.
The acceptance of the art of lighting design in the early sixties,
creating a need for more and more circuits with greater flexibility
of control, prompted the design of small switchboards utilizing
the thyristor dimmer. This meant that one man seated comfortably behind a console in a control room could handle a lighting
plot which previously would have had a team of electricians
hopping up and down between rows of manual dimmers and
working "blind" on the side of the stage. But this more sensitive
control of lighting gave the lighting designers more creative
possibilities which, in turn, led them to require a greater number
of instruments.
The manufacturers, eagerly jumping upon the bandwagon,
obliged with ever bigger and better control systems. The 20
channel 2-preset gave way to the 80 channel 2-preset which led
to the 120 channel 3-preset, and so on until it became necessary once more to have two or even three operators. The once
adequately sized control rooms began to burst at the seams with
large expanses of gleaming metal panels and row upon row of
levers and switches. Just in time-like the US cavalry-the
microprocessor came to the rescue.
The first production model memory switchboard based on the
computer emerged in the UK around 1965. Strangely enough it
took the United States, home of the computer industry, a few
years to follow suit. This growth in importance, and subsequent
financial investment in theatre lighting during that period can be
paralleled in the evolution of audio control. Twenty years ago the
reinforcement system for a major Broadway musical would
probably include a simple rotary control mixer with overall treble
and bass adjustment and six or seven microphones placed
along the front edge of the stage. Any sound effects would more
than likely have been played in from a record. The original
production of My Fair Lady came from America to the Theatre
Royal Drury Lane in 1957 with all the sound effects on tape, and
this caused quite a stir in technical circles.
Ten years ago, the studio recording-style mixing desk was
just emerging in the theatre. The Stephen Soundheim musical
Company (1970) was the first show in Great Britain to use a
Theatre Design & Technology 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1981