I noticed recently that refurbished, and even new venues, are still putting the sound engineer behind glass or in a side room. It seems to me that when architects are commissioned they are mainly looking at the room in terms of maximising capacity rather than considering how to the room can be designed to best facilitate the events it is used for.
The importance of good sound production is often not realised until after the installation has been completed. While a control position behind glass is often fine for video recording and stationary lighting, putting a sound engineer behind the glass or indeed in a room is a major mistake. If, for example, an event presenter walks in front of a speaker causing a ringing from the fold back speakers, or the microphone gets passed from person to person, the sound engineer who is in the room will be able to hear any change in sound quality and make adjustments accordingly. Located behind glass or in a side room, the sound engineer has to rely on the limited information provided through illuminates and their ability to react quickly to the rapidly changing frequencies decreases.
The best possible location for a sound engineer is where they can hear exactly what the delegates are hearing. Getting the positioning of the engineer correct enabling delegates to get the most out of the event and improving their overall experience is key. Whilst some venues complain about losing capacity due to sound console positions, surely increasing customer satisfaction is much more important, and this of course additionally influences the venue’s level of repeat business.
Many venues have indeed realised these problems after the work has been completed leading to very costly room alterations.
A good fix is to use an app. Using an iPad with the Yamaha app for example gives an engineer the ability to go to the audience’s location and adjust the sound quality via the iPad. This however, is far from the ideal solution of basing the sound engineer at the same level as the main audience.
Whilst there are indeed designers who do take all aspects of the room and its usage into account during the planning process, overall it must be said that there needs to be greater awareness of the importance of a sound engineer’s location. The significant impact the quality of sound can have on the success of an event and the delegate experience is far too important to overlook. It is not only cost effective, but can help increase a venues reputation for facilitating exceptional events.
Any comments? Email sarah@mashmedia.net
