Sound designer Simon Baker is nominated for his work on A Christmas Carol, which opened at the Lyceum Theatre in November 2019. Live Design talked to Baker about recording sound effects in his backyard and why reopening will require a make-do-and-mend approach for a while.
Live Design: The play has been done many times before, how did you put your own stamp on the production?
Simon Baker: Matthew (Warchus - the shows director) originally described a very simple aesthetic—crates to represent desks and door frames to represent doors. Once into rehearsal we discovered that we needed sound to describe the missing visual elements —every door knock, every lock, was all effect work rather than real, that gave me a very clear style to work with. The world of Scrooge is heavy, life is tough; I wanted all the effects to have an industrial feel--everything is an effort. There’s a tendency to think of Christmas Carol in terms of ghosts, magic and illusion--we went a very different way.
LD: This production has been described as equal parts festive and foreboding, how did you evoke these two parts and find a balance?
SB: If my work represents the exhaustion of living in Victorian London, then Chris Nightingale’s score represents the soul, spirit and hope of community. The battle between the two worlds is what carries the audience on the journey.
LD: What parts of the sound design changed on the production’s journey from the Old Vic to Broadway?
SB: The Old Vic London production is somewhere between in the round and transverse. The Broadway show is a proscenium show. For me, this is very slightly easier as it is less complex seating patterns to cover with audio. Working in proscenium allows more depth to the sound effect world —you can place things further away from the audience.
LD: Tell us a little about the gear you chose for this production.
SB: I’m happy with my current work flow which dictates my equipment choices. I prefer a Digico console above anything else, QLab is an obvious must, I love d&b loudspeakers and in an ideal world only ever use one brand of loudspeaker throughout the system. The d&b workflow works for me and the sound is great, which ultimately is all you want from a loudspeaker. Wireless mics, this hasn’t quite settled yet so I’m happy to work with the rental shop on developing what might become a standard. I've become a real fan of keeping the signal path simple and clean, relatively old school: the right mic on the right instrument, with the correct gain structure through the correct loudspeaker.
LD: What’s your favorite part of the design and why?
SB: The tiny detail effects are always my favorite. The whoosh of the pendulum lantern flying past Scrooge’s head is a mix of sparklers and flaming torches—all recorded in my back garden in Bristol—very late at night.
LD: Did you encounter any major problems for which you had to create a workaround?
SB: Every show has problems to solve, but that’s the fun part! The show has way too many sound effects, it has a complex score with quick dialogue… it’s an incredibly tough and skilled mix. The solution is to work with great operators and I’m very lucky in that department. Ty Lackey (who mixed the show on Broadway) is a genius and so, too, are the UK team.
LD: Lastly, when live theatre returns after the pandemic, how do you think it will change in general, and how will it change specifically for sound designers, if at all?
SB: I hope when we come back, the world will be more tolerant, much has happened in the last year. I think simply picking up where we left off is not an option. For sound specifically—I think we’ll all have to be less fussy about kit as suppliers get back on their feet, and that may take some time. We’ll need a kind of make-do-and-mend approach for a while. That’s probably not a bad thing.
Gear List Lyceum Theatre
FOH Console
01 DiGiCo SD10T Control Surface with Opticalcon (Core 2 v987)
01 Desk Cover
02 DiGiCo SD10 Power Supply
01 Combined Keyboard & Trackball (2 x PS2)
02 Little Lite for Desk (3-pin)
01 Desk Cover
01 DiGiCo SD Rack with Opticalcon
to include
07 192KHz Mic/Line Input Card
02 192KHz Analogue Output Card
05 AES/EBU Output Card
01 100M Opticon 2 Way Opitcal Fibre Run for Above.
01 Sonnet MacMini Based MADI Record System
to include
01 Apple MacMini i7 3.0GHz, 512GB (Flash/SSD) 16GB RAM
01 RME MADIFace USB 64Ch MADI Sound Card
01 Compact USB Keyboard
01 Kensington Orbit Trackball Mouse
01 M-Audio Midi USB MIDI Interface
02 Genelec 8030a Near Field Monitors
to include
02 Gas arms for rigging
02 VESA adaptor plates for Genelec’s
Processing - Universal Audio
02 Universal Audio UAD -2 Live Racks (Ultimate Bundle) (1 Main/1 Back Up)
02 Apple Mac Mini i5/2.8Ghz Quad Core/8GB/256GB SSD Sonet Mounted
01 MADI Switcher for above (running as Main and Back Up systems)
01 ASR or Other KVM for above
page 2 - last updated - Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Networking
04 Cisco SG500-28 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (Fanless version)
- Stage/Amp Rack
- FOH Mix Position Control Rack
- Onstage Radio Rack
02 Netgear GS105 5-port Ethernet Switch
- DiGiCo SD10
01 Engenius EAP600 Dual Band Wireless Access Point (No DHCP)
01 Trendent Gigabit PoE Injector
Utilities
03 APC Smart UPS 1500VA RM 230V
01 SD Rack
01 FOH Qlab/Control
01 Comms & All Network Switches
01 Canford Audio Midi Distro (CA 20-152)
02 Sonifex RedBox DA6
02 Kenton Midi Line Driver Packages + PSU’s as required
02 Kenton Midi Line Driver Master
02 Kenton Midi Line Driver Slave
01 Kenton MIDI Merge-4 (4 in 2 out) + PSU’s as required
01 Denon DN 700R Network SD & USB 2 Track Recorder
01 AJA Helo H.264 Video Streamer & Recorder
01 SDI Camera
Visual Monitors
03 Dell P2214H 22” LCD Monitor
01 FOH Qlab Local
01 FOH DiGiCo Overview
01 UA Audio
02 Dell Touchscreen 22” LCD Monitor
01 FOH R1/MADI Record
01 BOH Radios
02 Ergotron Two Monitor Mount Stacking Arm or similar
Playback
01 Main and Back Up Qlab FX System
to include
02 Apple MacMini i7 3.0GHz, 512GB (Flash/SSD) 16GB RAM
01 Autograph XUSB2 KVM/MIDI Switcher
01 Autograph XMADI Audio Switcher
02 RME MADIFace USB 64Ch MADI Sound Card
01 Sonifex RB-DDA6W Word Clock Distribution
01 6 or 4 Button Go Stop Previous Next Remote
01 Main/Backup Changeover Remote
02 Qlab V4 Pro Bundle Licence
01 Apple Keyboard
01 Apple Mouse
01 Compact USB Keyboard
01 Kensington Orbit Trackball Mouse
Wired Microphones
04 AKG C414 XLII
04 Sennheiser MKH40
03 DPA 4099
01 DPA4099 Bass Clip
01 DPA4099 Cello Clip
02 Neumann KM184
04 Shure 58s Switched
02 DPA 4017 c/w mount
02 PTT Fist mics
Mic Stands & Rigging
06 K&M Tall Boom Mic Stand
04 K&M Short Boom Mic Stand
06 K&M Tall Pole Round Base Mic Stand
02 K&M Short Pole Round Base Mic Stand
12 K&M 240/5 Classic Clamp
02 K&M 240/1 Microphone Arm
12 K&M 215 Thread Adapters
Wireless Mics - Analogue System
18 Sennheiser 3732 Dual Channel Receivers
36 Sennhieser SK5212 Transmitters
02 Sennheiser A2003-UHF For use with 3732 1
02 Sennhieser ASA3000
Every rental company has there own solution to this so please feel free to suggest the RF
monitoring solution to fulfil the following needs
• Visual RF monitoring at both FOH and Radio Rack
• Audio monitoring at Radio Rack and one other position on stage
• An analog (pref not bantam - GPO preferred) fully normal’d 1:1 patch at the Radio Rack
1 RF Department to confirm antenna type please
Band IEM & Click Track Monitoring
04 Shure PSM1000 P10T Wireless TX c/w suitable antenna distro and antennas
09 Shure PSM1000 P10TR Wireless RX
01 Sonifex Headphone RB HD6 2
Loudspeaker Systems
06 d&b audiotechnik Y10P Loudspeaker 02 Stalls
02 Circle
02 Upper
02 d&b audiotechnik V10P Loudspeaker 02 US FX
02 d&b audiotechnik Y12 02 Centre Cluster
10 d&b audiotechnik Y8 10 Center Cluster
06 d&b audiotechnik B6-Sub Loudspeaker
12 d&b audiotechnik E8 Loudspeaker 04 Door FX
06 Stage Foldback
02 Bleak Mid Winter FX
34 d&b audiotechnik E6 Loudspeaker 04 Front Fill
02 Stalls Fill
06 Dress Circle Delay
02 Dress Circle Fill
06 Balc Delays
02 Balc Fill
04 Off Stage FB
04 Band Foldback
02 Genelec 8020 Powered Speaker 02 MD Chair
10 Canford Audio/Anchor AN1000 Powered Loudspeakers
Amplifiers
14 d&B D20 Amplifiers
System Control
01 Sonnet MacMini running R1
to include
01 Apple MacMini i7 3.0GHz, 512GB (Flash/SSD) 16GB RAM
01 RME MADIFace USB 64Ch MADI Sound Card
01 Compact USB Keyboard
01 Kensington Orbit Trackball Mouse
01 M-Audio Midi USB MIDI Interface
Loudspeaker Hardware 3
01 d&b Y Flying Frame c/w hoist connector and safety set
02 d&b VP Mounting bracket (Z5383) c/w pipe clamp and safety set
06 d&b Y mounting c/w pipe clamp and safety set
34 d&b E6 Horizontal brackets c/w pipe clamp and safety set
12 d&b E8 Vertical brackets c/w pipe clamp and safety set
06 750mm Gallows Arms for VP system
02 Pair of drifts to 500mm budgie bar (drift length TBA but allow for 3M)
3 Please see PSE for bespoke rigging requirements
Comms 4
02 ClearCom MS-704 4 Ch Main Station (inc spare)
02 ClearCom RM-704 4 Ch Remote Station
04 ClearCom RM-702 2 Ch Remote Station
06 ClearCom RS-702 Belt Packs
04 ClearCom KB702 Station (in V Box)
02 ClearCom FL-7 - or other
04 Clearcom HS6
04 Clearcom HS6 Hangers
28 Clearcom CC-300 Headsets
02 ClearCom FreeSpeak II - Base II
10 ClearCom FreeSpeak II 1.9Ghz Beltpack
05 ClearCom FreeSpeak II 1.9Ghz Active Antenna
02 ClearCom AC60 Battery Charger
10 ClearCom BAT60 Additional Batteries
01 Clearcom CC Manager
08 Back To Back Motorolas plus headsets plus chargers
Rehearsal Systems - Main Room
FOH Console - Rehearsals
01 Yamaha MGP16X (10 mono in/2 Stereo In/2 Effects/2 Auxs/Main Out)7
01 Cover for above
01 Flight Case for above
Playback - Rehearsals
01 2 Channel Qlab 4 Rehearsal system
to comprise of
01 Apple Mac Mini i7/Quad Core/8GB/256GB SSD
01 Qlab Pro/Midi/Audio License v3>
01 M Audio M Track 2x2 Audio I/O
01 Apple Wired Keyboard
01 Apple Wired Mouse
01 22” Monitor (DVi/HDMI)
Loudspeaker Systems - Rehearsals
02 d&b audiotechnik Y7P Loudspeaker c/w frame and poles to mount on Subs
02 d&b audiotechnik Y-Sub Loudspeaker
Amplifiers - Rehearsals
01 d&B D20 Amplifiers
01 d&b D20 Touring Rack Assembly c/w I/O & Mains Distro
Loudspeaker Hardware - Rehearsals
02 d&B YP Mounting Bracket Z5399
02 d&b YP Loudspeaker Stand Adapter Z5024
Cable Call - Audio/Multicore - Rehearsals
08 10M XLR3 Mic Cable
02 20M XLR3 Mic Cable
04 03M XLR3M Jumpers
10 20M Speakon 4 Core Loudspeaker Cable
08 Speakon Couplers
04 03M 1/4 Jack Unbalanced to XLR3M
04 03M 1/4 Jack Unbalanced to XLR3F
04 03M 1/4 Jack to 1/4 Jack Unbalanced
02 iPhone to Desk
Cable Call - Mains - Rehearsals 8
02 13Amp Out to 16 Amp C-Form
03 20M 16Amp - 16Amp Cable
03 Rubber Box RUB TR3-16Amp Distro Box (Keys/Mixer/DSM)
Cable Call - Network/Digital - Rehearsals
01 03M HDMI Cable
02 03M Ethernet/Gigabit Cable
01 03M USB-C to USB-2 Type A Cable
01 03M USB-2 A Cable Extension
Consumables - Rehearsals
02 White 19mm PVC
04 Black 19mm PVC
04 2” Black Gaffa Tape