1. Unit 65, Technical stage operations.
By Sorrel Ferrario-Hay

2. Speakers.
There are two types of speaker: active and passive. Active have an amplifier built in and passive don’t, therefore they need an external amp to be connected between the speaker and the sound desk. Active speakers are very versatile in that you can use one speaker or connect many speakers without the power worries. Because they have an amp built in they are easier to use for gigs so there is less equipment to carry. Passive speakers do not need to be plugged into a main power source so they are usually put on wall brackets.
Passive.
Active.

3. QSC K12 active speakers. Features of active:
12” Woofer; 1.75” diaphragm compression driver
75° Nominal coverage angle
Maximum SPL 131 dB peak
1000-watt continuous Class D power modules in all models
On-board mixer
Source:
Comparison: an active speaker has the amp built in, where as the passive doesn’t and needs an external amp.
scenario: I would use an active speaker over a passive if I was doing a show where we would be travelling to multiple venues needing to set up a sound system because where the amp is built in it would be less equipment to take and less cables.
Advantages of active:
Built in Amp.
Easier to travel with.
Less cables needed when setting up.
Disadvantages of active:
If the Amp is broken or had a fault it would be hard to replace due to it being built in.
Expensive to repair amp if broken.
Could get internally hot.

4. Sound desk.
this is an analogue desk which means everything on it is done by hand these can be good for certain shows because if there are any last minute changes they can be made quick and easy however they can be complicated because there are so many different channels and people may change the wrong channel if they are not properly trained. unlike a digital desk where there is a screen and it is all done using electrical devises.

5. Sound desk (back) On switch. Female XLR ports. Make XLR ports.
Kettle lead port.

6. Yamaha 01V96I Digital sound desk.
Comparison: I would use the Yamaha 01V69I (digital) for a large show over the Behringer Xenyx 802 (analogue) because the Yamaha is bigger with more features for example the Yamaha has 40 mixing channels where the Behringer only has 8. by having 40 channels you can programme more performances and more detailed performances in.
Features:
16 analogue inputs
40 mix channels
Stereo out XLR balanced
100mm motor fader
MIDI in/out/thru.
source:
Scenario: if I was sound teching a 20 piece orchestra I would use the Yamaha because it has 40 mixing channels and it can be pre programmed due to it being digital meaning the levels for each instrument will be pre -programmed and ready .
Advantages:
Digital desks have a screen so you can see the levels and what is programmed.
It can be pre-programmed
The effects are included so no extra equipment is needed.
Disadvantages:
With analogue desks you can change the levels etc. when needed but with a digital you cant.
All effect, graphic EQ compressors/gates are all built into the desk if the desk fails you loose these functions.
Relying on electrical components to be reliable.

7. Special effects.
Reverb: this can make the sound/music sound acoustic or if the environment is flat it will give it more echo.
Scenario- if a performance was set in a cathedral it would have natural reverberation so you would not need to increase the reverb.
delay: large venues have a delay from when the sound is projected to when the audience hear it.
Scenario- if a gig was in a small venue, you would give the sound a slight delay so it would seem as if the room was larger.

8. ART Dual X Direct Professional Active DI Box
Features:
9V battery powered
Fully active design
XLR connectors
Aluminium case
Comparison: I would use an active DI box over a passive, for example an ART Z-Direct pro passive DI box because an active DI has the battery power built in meaning it is easier to move around unlike a passive which need phantom power to be able to operate.
Advantages:
It can be battery powered
It has an aluminium case for protection
Can connect instrument, line or speaker level signals.
Using the 9V battery for power it can provide more then 100 hours of operation.
Disadvantage:
Small item the can be easily dropped and damaged.
If it’s a cheap DI it can be temperamental.

9. Cables.
XLR- used to transfer data from one thing to another. For example the desk to the speaker. The XLR will go from the left side of the desk to the left speaker and the right of the desk to the right speaker.
Mini jack- used when connecting phones etc. to a desk.
phono lead- used when connecting a CD player to a desk.
Kettle lead- main power cable used on desks and speakers.

10. Mics. we used two main types of mics, a Sm57 and a Sm58. SM57. SM58
the 57 was used to get the sound from the guitar amps through he speakers, and used for any other instruments.
the 58 was used for the singers to clearer their voice and put the sound through the speakers. In a few cases some of the mics had problems and weren't working but after a few sound checks they were all working fine and at the right sound level for all singer to be heard clearly through the speakers.

11. SM58 microphone.
The legendary Shure SM58 vocal microphone is designed for professional vocal use in live performance, sound reinforcement, and studio recording. Its tailored vocal response for sound is a world standard for singing or speech. A highly effective, built-in spherical filter minimizes wind and breath "pop" noise. A unidirectional (cardioid) pickup pattern isolates the main sound source while minimizing unwanted background noise.
Scenario:
I would use a SM58 for a stage performance involving vocalist because its cardioid pattern is made for vocals and any background noise would be minimized.
Advantage:
Uniform cardioid pattern isolates sound and minimizes background noise.
It is a good vocal microphone.
Built in spherical wind and pop filter
Disadvantage:
It can break easily
It is for vocals so cant be used for Instruments
Its cheap co pared to other microphones
Its technology is old
Comparison: I would use the SM57 over an SM58 for a stage performance made of instruments because the 58 is made for vocals where the 57 is more suited for instruments and it can be used for either amplified or acoustic instruments such as guitar, bass, saxophone , trumpet or drums.

12. SM35 performance headset condenser microphone.
Features:
Wireframe headset
Tailored frequency response for clear vocal reproduction.
Weighs 72g
Comparison: I would choose the SM35 over an SM58 for a live stage performance because the 58, weights at 298g where the 35 only weights 72g so it is lighter and due to it being a head set microphone it allows the performer to move freely around the stage with no cables following or a microphone in their hand.
Advantages:
Light weight
Wearable wireframe headset.
Flexible gooseneck design.
TA4F connector that’s compatible with any Shure wireless bodypack system
Disadvantage:
Lightweight so a chance of falling off a performer.
Small so could brake easily

13. Roles. Roles and responsibilities of a sound team. sound designer.
The main roles of a sound designer are to plan and provide the sound/effects needed for the occasion.Also they have to control the pitch; frequency of the sound, the volume;the loudness, the direction; where the sound needs to be played on set and how it travels and the duration; the length of time.

14. The responsibilities of a sound designer are to study the script written by director so the designer an vision what effects and music they will use also so they have an idea of what the event is about, which benefits the performance because the designer can add more and advanced effects if needed and all cues will be made to fit.A big responsibility for a sound designer is to produce the sounds to bro the performance together and help the audience understand, they have to motivate the performers and indicate what is going on at that time so people are in place, seasons and weather are a main job because with effects like rain or thunder it will help the performers feel the atmosphere and also the audience will feel how the effects are which set the mood and also use effects and sounds to describe the characters/performers which help the audience follow.

15. sound designers have the role and responsibility to meet with the team such as the directors, performers and design team to get detail of what they all want for effects and sound and so they all communicate so the performance goes smoothly.
sound engineer
there are two types of sound engineer, production and post-production.However both of these roles in tail maintaining equipment and operating equipment.
production roles are mainly to record the sound needed on set or at the location, post-productions roles are the editing of the sound, like mixing, balancing and enhancing the sound.

16. productions responsibilities are assessing the performance area so sound can be adjusted for the surrounding and operating equipment. Also like a sound designer they have to meet with the team such as the producer and performers for sound information, so they can turn all recordings either digital or hard disk files dependion how the team need it.

17. post-productions responsibilities are synchronising the audio for fit with the performance, mixing and balancing the sound and speech and also creating sound effects to be used or altering sound effects to be original.
These two job descriptions have many similarities but they at the same time are different;
a sound engineer works under a sound designer
sound designer play with effects and make the sound, while engineers are there to maintain the products
engineers spend a lot of time with the team and are required beside the performance and designers stay behind stage.

18. Lighting.

19. Intimidator spot LED 350 Features: Gobos.
8 colour wheel.
Pan and tilt of 540 degrees.
Can be rigged.
Comparison: I would use the intimidator spot LED 350 over a martin mac 500 because although they do relatively the same thing the spot 350 is an LED so it doesn’t heat up unlike the martin mac which is a lamp so will heat up and be hard to handle.
Advantages:
This light has effects and can create an atmosphere on a performance/venue.
Its LED so doesn’t heat up.
It can be rigged to truss which expands the usage of the light.
Disadvantages:
They have a defined edge so trying to create a wash effect would only be possible by using many spots.
Not as bright as a lamp.

20. Scenario.
They can be used for stage performances. we have used them for in college live performance evenings. As you can see in this picture in the bottom left corner we rigged the moving heads to the truss at the back of the stage along with some colour rails. By rigging the lights it allowed the stage and the audience area to be lit up at different times. They were set to pan and tilt with different colours being used which gave a disco effect to the performance.

21. LED wash light.
LED Shadow The LED Shadow™ is a blacklight panel wash that delivers stunning blacklight effects. Built-in auto programs allow the LEDs to flash and strobe in patterns. LED Shadow™ blacklight wash panels flashed and strobed as the band Coldplay played songs from their recent release, “Mylo Xyloto.” Source from : We have used led wash lights at places such as a church. I set a light up by a post by the entrance of the church to draw people into the church and to give it character. I didn’t dmx the lights just put them to different colour settings.

22. COLORado Batten 144 tour.
Comparison: I would choose the COLORado Batten 144 tour over a COLORado batten quad-9 tour because the 144 tour has 144 LED as it says in the name where the 9 tour has 9 LEDS, which gives of a better colour and more variety of colour.
Features:
Built in auto and custom programs.
3-pin and 5-pin DMX input/output connections.
Adjustable feet double as hanging brackets.
144 LEDs.
Advantages:
There are more LEDs which gives variety.
It can be rigged to truss.
50,000 hours life expectancy.
Lightweight 8.89kg
Low power consumption.
Disadvantages:
its IP rating is 20 which means it can only be used inside.
Individual LEDs can break over time which means when trying to create different colours it would be difficult because you need an equal amount of light output from each LED to create the colour needed.
Scenario: I would use this light for a stage performance such as a acoustic night in a pub, this light would give a subtle wash glow to the performer and it can be set to different colours to set the mood.

23. Lighting.
compared to the normal wash lights and moving heads, the studio due colour city and the nova flower are much bigger and are water proof so can be used outside. Also the city colour and the nova flower use a lot more power. the nova flower can cost around £3,000_£4,000. the city colour can cost around £2,000. unlike the normal wash lights which can cost around £250,99 and a moving head around £399,99 . also the normal lights we use are all led, also they are not water proof which the bigger nova light and city colour are.

24. Citycolor 2500 ip54
Quick Overview
The most famous and world-wide appreciated CityColor, is completely produced in Italy. CityColor 2500 is a very powerful wash light fixture with an IP54 rate.
Thanks to an extremely efficient optic system a powerful light beam can create numberless color shades, through the three filters which can make the best of any lightened object.
Its performances, in terms of luminousity and lighted surfaces, can reach incredible levels. The CityColor can work in automatic mode or in synchro mode, otherwise may be controlled by 8 bit DMX controllers.
Ideal to light up up outdoor and indoor big surfaces: theatres, discos,parks, town centres, castles, sport facilities and so on.
Great help is given from the special option in the menu that shows the lamp life, by enabling the replacement of the bulb at the right time (after about 2500 hrs), and also by the counter, very useful especially to the services, to check the hours that the fixture has been working for.
Citycolor 2500 IP54
Source:
Advantage:
IP54 rating so it can be used outside.
2000 hour lamp life.
Software upgrade from DMX cable.
Stand alone control.
Disadvantages:
69 kg, so very heavy which make is harder to travel with.
WxDxH- 780x560x740 mm, a big light to move about.
Comparison: I would choose the Citycolor over a COLORado batten 144 tour because it can be used outside, the Citycolor has an IP of 54 where the COLORado only has 20. in an outside event the Citycolor would be better to use because it can with hold any weather.

25. Today we connected two moving heads with four led wash lights
Today we connected two moving heads with four led wash lights.Moving heads have 14 channels which consist of pan, tilt, fine pan, fine tilt, gobo, shutter, prism, intensity, colour, focus,dimmer, control, movement and speed and wash lights have 3 or 7. We chose to use 3 channel mode, so we only had the choice of red, green and blue.We connected all the lights for perpetration for the church project we will be doing.When we first connected them to the sun lite programme on the computer, which controls the lights, the lights didn't work because we channeled one of the lights in with the wrong channel number, but after we channeled it right the whole thing worked

26. Source four. Advantage: Accessories.
Has a G-clamp so can be rigged to truss
It has a HPL lamp (high performance lamp)
Has a white beam.
Tool free lamp adjustment.
It has shutter meaning you can create any shape.
Disadvantages:
it generates a lot of heat
Its just one colour unlike LED.
Accessories.
G – clamp
Gels
Gel frames
Safety chain
15 AMPS
Shutters
Iris
gobo
Comparison: I would use a source four over the LED source four when wanting to isolate a person on stage.
Scenarios:
If I needed a light to isolate an person on stage I would choose the source four because it is a defined spotlight that will only highlight them and it has an energy saving bulb so it will create a bright white light. I would choose a source four over a selecon because that would create general cover which wont highlight a certain person.

27. Selecon fresnel.
Features:
Barn doors
15 amp plug
2 adjustable knobs
6-60 degree beam angle.
Comparison: I would use this light in place of a parcan as the selecon can be either a wash or a hard edge beam with a beam range between 6 and 60 where a parcan only has 24 degrees and no wash.
Advantages:
It has barn doors
It can be used as a wash and beam
Lamp life's from 200hrs to 1500hrs.
Disadvantages:
To change colour you have to change the gels.
Scenario: in a situation such as a wide stage full of performers from the left side to the right, this light will produce a wide wash covering the area.

28. Video.

29. PANASONIC HC-V130EB-K Full HD Camcorder
Features:
75x zoom
iA mode
8.9 megapixel picture recording
Comparison: I would choose a Panasonic HC-W570 over the HC-V130EB-K, for outdoors use because it has a 90x zooom where the HC-V130EB-K only has 75x and the HC-W570 has iA plus mode.
Advantage:
Full HD recording
Intelligent zoom
Wide- viewing angle
Auto and manual focus
Scenario: I would use this for recording an event such as a play it is a hand held and has 75x zoom which means you can hold it and get the right angle needed without it being heavy and zoom min on certain performers if needed.
Disadvantages:
Small hand held so could be dropped and brake easily
No interchangeable lenses.

30. PANASONIC HC-V130EB-K Full HD Camcorder .
Key Features
Capture Full HD 1920 x 1080 video
38x Optical Zoom, 32.9mm wide-angle
75x Intelligent Zoom
iA Intelligent Auto Mode
8.9 MP still picture recording
Built-in Creative Control Modes
Baby Monitor function
SONY HVR-Z1E
HDV / DVCAM / DV Switchable
Providing professional users with the flexibility to choose the format that suits the needs of their production and offering an easy migration from a Standard Definition environment.
Built-in converter to take HDV images to Standard Definition
The flexibility to film your footage in HDV and use the camera's down-converter to output Standard Definition pictures if required.
50Hz / 60Hz (PAL / NTSC) Switchable
Allowing you to make your productions on a worldwide basis, without the need for two separate camcorders with each standard.

31. 2ch Audio XLR Inputs
The HVR-Z1E offers the recording of audio by providing both an in-built stereo microphone and XLR inputs for an external microphone supplying +40V phantom power.
2ch Independent Audio Rec Level Control
Intuitive control of audio recording level is possible with independent 2-channel dials.
Time Code Preset
Supports professional operation with flexible Time Code and User settings.
B/W & Colour Switchable Viewfinder
Six Assign Buttons
Functions frequently used in the field can be assigned to six Assign Buttons (push buttons), allowing operators to make rapid changes under field conditions.

32. BNC cable.
Maplin BNC video cable. Suitable for video applications such as CCTV. They are made from high quality cable and terminated with BNC plug with strain relief boots. BNC- Bayonet Neill Concelman

33. Panasonic vision mixer.
OVERVIEW
This affordable, highly versatile unit integrates a HD/SD video switcher, audio mixer, MultiViewer and control panel in a single, compact unit. The HMX100 features a built-in MultiViewer output and combines high-quality video switching with embedded or analog audio mixing functions. It offers a very flexible user interface and supports SD, HD formats, plus switching of 3D sources. It's ideal for use in schools, hotels, government facilities, corporations, public access channels, live events and weddings, and in mobile or portable applications.
The multi-format, high-quality switcher/mixer is designed to support multiple camera workflows. The AG-HMX100 also includes the ability to switch 3D HD video sources, making it the first affordable live switcher for use in 3D production.
Source from:

34. Canon Cinema EOS C300 Features: Compact body SDI output
Full manual control
8.3 megapixel
Advantages:
Exposure and focus are both manual.
Compact and lightweight.
Three built-in ND filters.
Disadvantages:
Doesn’t have a built-in mic.
Exposure and focus being manual could also be a disadvantage.
Menu options are confusing.
Comparison: I would use a Canon Cinema EOS C300 over a Canon Legria HF G30 Camcorder because the Canon Cinema EOS C300 has three bulit-in ND filters (neutral density) where the Canon Legria HF G30 Camcorder doesnt.
Scenario: I would use a Canon Cinema EOS C300 for outdoors filming because due to the ND filters the lighting of the footage would be balanced without too much exposure.

35. Long-throw projectors
Feature: HD
Live feed
Can play DVDs
Comparison: I would use a long throw projector over a short throw if I was in a large venue because the long throw produced a better picture from a distance.
Scenario: I would use a long throw projector in a venue such as a hall because they can hit a further distance and by using it in a large venue the image produced will be larger because if a long throw is placed closer to the surface being projected on the image will be smaller.
Advantage:
You can produce a larger image
It can be used in a large venue
Disadvantage:
It cannot be used to close to the surface being projected on because the image will be distorted and small.

36. Short-throw projector
Features:
Manually focus the image
Has a USB input
Can play DVDs
Comparison: I would use a short-throw over a long-throw when in a small environment because the long-throw would create a distorted image where the short wouldn’t.
Advantage:
Manually focus the image
Can play DVDs
Has a USB input
Disadvantage:
It can have a pixelated image if projected past the limit.
Scenario: if in a small environment such as a class room I would use a short-throw projector because it can throw the image to a certain distance before it distorts. Also it could be used in a space such as a bedroom to watch DVDs by connecting a phono lead to the projector from a DVD player and then project the film onto a wall.

37. Qlab Features: Used for Macs
Design and operate multimedia performances
Can control audio, video, MIDI and more.
Comparison:I would use Qlab over a green hippo hippotizer HD media server because it takes up less room and it is cheaper.
Advantages:
It only works on macs
You can pre programme a show
It allows you to play multiple videos with matrix
Scenario:I would use Qlab for a big performancewhich needed different sounds lighting and video.
Disadvantage:
It only works on macs