Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277927
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 43 or those who work in production and post-production for film and television (not live), you all know the parts that make up the final audio mix. There's production recording, working with talent, sound editing, music scoring and mixing, picture editing and changes, getting notes from producers and directors, final mixing and mastering. This mostly serial workflow can take place over weeks, months, or even years. Now, imagine all these pieces happening simultaneously, compressed to a three-hour period, LIVE (no do-overs). Welcome to the world of live music/variety/awards shows! There are generally two aspects of live awards shows that drive and challenge the sound of a broadcast: musical performances and hosts/presenters/winners. Shows like the Grammys, CMA, and others are heavily weighted to the musical side with only a handful of awards given out. In addition, many presenters use handheld mics versus lavs. A show like the Oscars or the Emmys may have some performances, but are primarily awards heavy. These shows have a lot of presenters and winners on lavs and podium. Both these types of live awards shows have unique challenges that post-produced shows don't (music variety or otherwise). For starters, they're LIVE. There's no "Hold, we're not ready," or "Let's take that again," or every sound mixer's favorite phrase, "We'll fix it in post." THE OSCARS A show like the Oscars is considered more of a talking-head show, with a few musical performances thrown in. On the surface that might seem true, but there is more to it than meets the eye—or ear! The Oscars have a modest amount of audio elements compared to a music show. A combination of three podium mics (one on hydraulics that disappears into the floor when not in use), a number of lavalieres, an occasional handheld mic, and six to eight musical performances. The performances can be anything from a solo performance by Sting singing, "The Empty Chair," Queen cranking out, "We Will Rock You," the LA Philharmonic on stage performing to the In Memoriam segment, Cynthia Erivo singing, "Stand Up" with the orchestra and a choir, or the original cast from Les Misérables (some of whom had never performed musically in public before) singing the movie's finale. OK, not so modest! THE STAGE Let's start at the beginning. On stage are a team of A2's managing orchestra and guest artist microphones, RF packs with lavs, wireless handhelds, and podium mics, while the stage monitor techs handle monitor feeds, including standard wedges, in-ear monitors, and side fills. Everything is patched to the main routing system for distribution throughout the audio chain. Helming things on the stage are the two stage monitor mixes. For the most recent Oscars, those duties were performed by Mike Parker handling the stage monitors for artist performances and stage fill, and Tom Pesa handling the orchestra monitors in the pit. b y M a t t V o w l e s C A S , L i s l e E n g l e C A S , a n d M a c e M a t i o s i a n F For the on-stage performances, Mike handles a variety of situations. For a performance like Queen or Eminem, Mike is managing a more standard monitor setup, with a combination of in-ears, wedges, and side fills. For a performance like this, Mike takes separate feeds from all the instruments and creates the necessary separate mixes for each band member. Mike also has to work with the band's personal monitor mixer, balancing making the artist happy while also working within the allotted (sometimes too short) period of time for rehearsals. (More about that when we talk Grammy Awards.) For performances that require orchestra accompaniment, Mike will take sub-mixes from orchestra mixer Tommy Vicari CAS, whose truck sits outback of the theatre. The orchestra sub-mixes generally consist of high strings, low strings, woodwinds, horns, and percussion. He'll also get direct feeds of any discrete stage instruments, such as piano, guitars, etc., that may be used in the number. In this type of special performance, there's no standard setup or mix the artist may be used to. It's a one-time performance and not something they've been doing on tour. He has to work through getting the artist comfortable in this environment while, again, working in a limited rehearsal schedule. In doing this work, Mike has two separate but connected challenges. First is to make the artist comfortable and second, keep the stage levels under control so not to negatively impact The world of audio splits at the Grammys.