Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1179544
completely soundproofed from interior noise escaping, and they were also soundproofed from exterior noise penetrating the interior. Our Keyboard Players, James Taylor and Mark Aspinall, had complete privacy. I have already mentioned that James and Mark were actu- ally performers on Cats, such was their creative collaboration and support they gave the cast. Not only were they playing the keyboards, they could also give verbal counts for anyone who needed them, directly into the cast IEM feeds. On many songs, Fiona McDougal, the cast Vocal Coach, was also inside the keyboard booth using a Shure SM58 mic, harmonizing or singing along to support the cast in their IEM's during a scene. Fiona also did this when rehearsing with them for weeks in prep. It was an amazing sight to behold. It was important to have two keyboard players, as we needed one to be present while filming a scene and the other rehearsing with a performer on a different stage due to artist availability and a very compressed shooting schedule. They would rehearse with Fiona, a keyboard player, and one of the choreography team. It was a very finely tuned machine and a tour de force of planning and scheduling. John Warhurst and Victor Chaga devised the fantastic idea of using a foot pedal to trigger Pro Tools playback. This meant the keyboard players were 'playing' Pro Tools just like another musical instrument! Whichever keyboard player rehearsed, a song with a key performer would be the same person who played keyboard on that number when we shot it. This was extremely important as they had built up a rapport and understanding with that actor. We wanted to give the performers as much creative support as possible during their physically demanding experience of dancing and singing live. Victor made sure the playback cues were lined up so the keyboard player could trigger mul- tiple cues and weave in and out of Pro Tools playback and live keyboard playing multiple times within a take. This was an extremely creative col- laboration between the Sound/Music team and the cast. Each one of us became part of a band 'playing' our own 'instrument' that would become an organic and intrinsic part of the piece. It was an incredible collaboration of which I am so proud to have been a part. Editor's note: "Mixing Live Singing Vocals on Cats Part 2" continues in the winter edition of Production Sound & Video. ZMT3 PHANTOM 2 QRX200 WIDE-BAND DIGITAL RECORDING WIRELESS WITH ENHANCED RANGE AND AUTOMATIC TRACKING FRONT END RECEIVER FILTER DIGITAL MODULATION 100% digital modulation for superior quality ENCRYPTED AUDIO keeps transmitted audio private QRX200 LIGHT AND VERSATILE THE ULTIMATE IN RECEIVER FLEXIBILITY records and transmits at the same time accepts both lavalier and phantom microphones smallest, lightest phantom powered transmitter available C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Zaxcom_CAS-695_ZMT-QRX_HR.pdf 1 1/17/19 4:53 PM THE CATS SOUND CREW Simon Hayes, Production Sound Mixer Jo hn Warhurst, Supervising Music and Sound Editor Becky Bentham, Music Supervisor David Wilson, Music Producer Arthur Fenn, Key 1st Assistant Sound Ro bin Johnson, 1st Assistant Sound & Sound Maintenance Engineer Tom Barrow, I.E.M. Mixer Victor Chaga, Pro Tools Music Editor Mark Aspinall, Music Associate/Keyboard Player James A. Taylor, Music Associate/Keyboard Player Fiona McDougal, Vocal Coach Ben Jeffes, 2nd Assistant Sound Taz Fairbanks, 3rd Assistant Sound Oscar Ginn, 3rd Assistant Sound Francesca Renda, 3rd Assistant Sound Ashley Sinani, 3rd Assistant Sound Kirsty Wright, 3rd Assistant Sound