# The Phantom strikes again



## SocksOnly

A few weeks ago our school's drama club did A Doll's House. We did soundchecks as usual, everything was fine. But then, in the middle of the first act, the lead's mic stopped working. This problem could easily be fixed, normally...except the lead goes off stage about three times during the entire production. So we shrug, say "hope she can progect," and figure we can't do anything about it 'til intermission.

A bit later, two more mics cut out. And then a third. Before we know it, EVERY mic has stopped working by intermission. So we all run backstage during intermission and try to figure out what's wrong...we check every connection, every battery pack, and nothing seems to be out of place. We even asked the audience for a second time to make sure their cells were off. So theoretically, everything should work but...doesn't. 

When the audience left (after the show was finished that night), we did another soundcheck and everything worked fine. We came to the conclusion that the Phantom of the PAC (what we call the performing arts center) wasn't pleased with us. It has worked fine ever since.


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## jonhirsh

I just have to ask why do you need mics for a legit play? 

JH


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## Footer

jonhirsh said:


> I just have to ask why do you need mics for a legit play?
> JH



Theres about a half dozen threads on that subject allready, lets not start another.


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## avkid

What kind of mics, i'm assuming some type of radio mics?


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## SocksOnly

I'm not really sure what kind of mics they were- I'll ask my master/stage manager and get back to you on that. We needed them because none of the actors knew how to progect AT ALL. The lead talked so quickly and quietly that we could barely follow along in the script for cues.

Ah. They're just wireless mics.


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## punktech

i hate people who leave their cells on, i bet someone put it on vibrate or something...people think that in theaters when their told to turn their cells off it's just so that it won't ring and then interupt the show but they don't think about the fact we use wireless devices...grr silly audience


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## SocksOnly

I actually do a lot of productions with my cell on...my mom even called me in the middle of one once. I had to hang up on her 'cause the standby light came on...anyway, I don't think it was cells. The mics cut out one by one. If it was cell-related, you'd think all of them would drop out at once, right?


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## NABster07

I'm pretty sure there was a thread on this before with cell phones and wireless mics, you might want to do a search for that, but as I remember cell phones use a completely different frequency then your wireless mics do, but I could be wrong. Hell what do I know, I'm a lighting guy.

-Nick


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## NABster07

Heres the link to the Cell Phone thread

http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3799&highlight=cell+phones


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## disc2slick

I know a cell phones will mess with clear-com systems, particularly if they are in close proximity.


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## SocksOnly

I figured phones would've come up before at some point. 

Is there a way that maybe just having too many people in the PAC would mess the signals up? I can't think of a way that it'd block the signal, but I figure it's worth asking.


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## Chris15

SocksOnly said:


> Is there a way that maybe just having too many people in the PAC would mess the signals up? I can't think of a way that it'd block the signal, but I figure it's worth asking.



Absolutely. People absorb the RF emitted from radio microphone transmitters. Have too many people in the path between transmitter and receiver and you get signal degradation, in some cases to the point of complete drop out. Trying to get you antennas up above people's head, it should help to reduce this problem.


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## Van

Chris15 said:


> Absolutely. People absorb the RF emitted from radio microphone transmitters. Have too many people in the path between transmitter and receiver and you get signal degradation, in some cases to the point of complete drop out. Trying to get you antennas up above people's head, it should help to reduce this problem.


 

Always remember the Human body is an excellent free floating antenna as well. We not only absorb certain frequencies but amplify and alter others. All these electrolytes walking around in a nice semi conductive package. 
I always try to get my Antennas mounted on the plasterline or somewhere backstage.


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## thorin81

Was there any timing sequence between when the mics went out? It could be (though unlikely) that your reciever(s) cycled through a power issue and when they cyled the mics would have needed to be reset. I know it is a long shot. I have had to deal with my fair share of theatre ghosts too. Working in a playhouse with a dead Barrymore is not fun (unless he likes what you are doing of course).


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## scarlco

I remember about two years ago we were working on the final dress of Cabaret... about four hours before doors. The system consisted of about 22 wireless Senheiser mics which started to slowly die, one-by-one. We scrambled to figure it out while the dress rehearsal was continuing on stage - there was no time to waste. Turns out that one of the active paddles (antennas) went bad, cycling noise through the system until the receivers couldn't see the mics anymore. A quick change-out of the paddle, and we were back in business.

However, that rambling tale doesn't sound like your phantom at all - our mics would not have come back up later. It does sound typical of some radio interference, though. Most likely not cell phones in the audience - but something else. I was working on a corporate presentation with 9 wireless Shure mics when a local news company decided to do a remote broadcast from the parking lot outside. I'm not sure what they were using, but I lost half the mics as soon as they powered up their van. The moment they were gone, everything came back to normal. It all happened quicker than I could adjust the frequencies - luckily, we were able to shift the mics around to keep the meeting going.


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## PhantomD

I'm sorry Socks, I won't do it again. 

Seriously though, I have had a lot of trouble with wireless microphones and cell phones et cetera, to the point where we had to send away one of our Shure UT systems to get fixed.

Now, after it came back, it is a lot louder than all the others.


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## Chris15

PhantomD said:


> Now, after it came back, it is a lot louder than all the others.



Dumb question - have you checked the volume levels? Most wireless has one either on the front or back panel. The service tech might have changed it. Alternatively, do the beltpacks (if you are using beltpacks) have a gain switch?


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## PhantomD

Of course.

And it isn't a dumb question at all.


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## Chris15

Then I would guess that there is some sort of internal volume control that you would need an electrical engineering degree to find.


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## SHARYNF

In a number of cases when the products come off the production line the setup is a generic setting based on a normal run. Over time parts age, and also a hand tuning can improve performance. Not saying this was the problem but a few years back there were a bunch of capacitors that were put into the market that had problems, and they keep creeping up causing problems. If you ever open up a device and you see the tops of the caps bulging slightly you probably have these. Many times they are on power filtering, so the device still works just not all that well.

Again may not be the case, but I have seen it
Sharyn


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## SocksOnly

Hrm. That all makes a lot of sense. I didn't know humans could get in the way of signals like that...although we've had a lot more people in the PAC before, and our entire sound/light board area was raised above everyone's heads.

It wouldn't make much sense for an internal volume control to randomly go down in the middle of a show, and come back up afterwards. 

I didn't think of any other devices that could skew the signal- would a video camera maybe do it? That was the night we filmed it. The second night, when we weren't filming, the mics were fine.


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## SHARYNF

It is unlikely that the video camera directly interfered, UNLESS for some reason the camera setup/tripod/person was causing direct interference in the signal path to the antenna

Other possibility is that the video equip was on the same power source and for some reason that caused a voltage sag and sothe performance of the rec'vr was affected.

I would probably vote for the person or persons videoing were some how positioned such that they caused a problem with the signal path.

Sharyn


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## SocksOnly

Hm, she was right next to the antenna. That could be it.

Oh, btw, we checked all batteries and volume levels when the problems started- they were fine. And we don't have a service tech, it was just the four of us (three of the four, including myself, knew better than to touch anything...the fourth would've slaughtered us)


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## SHARYNF

I think you found the problem the person standing by the antenna with a video camera probably on a tripod is probably what did it. 

Sharyn


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## SocksOnly

I don't quite understand how that would make the mics gradually go out. Like it was one by one- they were pretty much fine at first. I don't know much about the way the signal's sent out or how video cameras actually work, so I have no idea if that makes sense. Thoughts?


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## SHARYNF

I agree the going out one at a time is odd

Basically it comes down to antenna interference, where it is not really the video camera, but anything person or thing that blocks the path, BUT I do agree that usually all of them would have gone out

The other thing is another signal in the same frequency spectrum that somehow was sweeping the signal range. Not sure where you are located and if anyone in the area might have been broadcasting in your same space, since it is the free unregulated area, they might have picked up on your signal and then decided to check or play around in that spectrum

Sharyn


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## saxman0317

Footer4321 said:


> Theres about a half dozen threads on that subject allready, lets not start another.



I use em all the time....high school actors dont know how to act and talk...

And we have our own little ghost.. We call him freddy, in honor of the only perrson that our advisor has ever had to kick out of crew. After wards, he used to come in and mess with stuff, pull pranks, stuff would go missing, etc. But during Julius Caesar, everything went wrong. The computers went nutso on me, both my effcets computer for the projector and everything, and my sound computer running the board (thank god i learned on analog systems) and then the lighting goes nuts, powers lost once, lamps blow, cues wiped (several times for me, to the point where i was just winging it by the last show and hoping i made it) which, not to mention 2 shows in our lead gets sick, the giant statue of Caesar goes missing, and our lights were we pointed... GAhaHAHAHA!!!


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## Chris15

My thoughts on volume controls etc. were in relation to Phantom's problem.

Now this is just a guess, but here is what I think might have happened with the radio mic dropout problems. Now if the camera & tripod was right next to the antenna as indicated, the metal tripod would be absorbing a degree of RF signal. Can't recall whether it was said or not, but I am assuming that the radio mics in question were beltpack transmitters. So they were on one side or another of the actor. Now given that the signal is being degraded by the camera / tripod / operator, when the actor turned the wrong way and placed themselves in the signal path also or there was another actor between them and the antenna, the signal strength fell below the squelch threshold and so the receiver muted the signal. Just a thought.


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## SocksOnly

Oooh, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks Chris (and everyone else who helped me figure this out)!

We actually had to dismiss a techie this year, he wouldn't stop messing with the soundboard (we were playing music while we were working, and he kept turning it up obnoxiously high). Mostly he just glowers at us these days- I'm glad he doesn't prank us and junk.

It's a nice idea to think that there's some ghost or phantom to blame bad luck on- I guess that's why a lot of theatres have spirits of some sort (real or not) Anybody else have one?


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## highschooltech

I had a Shure ULX-P stp transmitting during a show and i was on the lead. It was totally strange. I had leave the sound board and go fix the mic. When i got back there i had to power down the pack after checking all the usualls such as battery and signal and conection. It was like the pack totally stopped transmitting.


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## herr_highbrau

saxman0317 said:


> I use em all the time....high school actors dont But during Julius Caesar, everything went wrong.



Macbeth - 10 way rack of Sennheiser 5000 series goes completely crazy.

I think most ghost related problems are caused by Shakespeare. Maybe he doesn't like the theatre any more?


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## SocksOnly

Hm, good point. You know what they say about saying "Macbeth"...or does that only apply when you're performing Macbeth?


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## harry1989

I think that is at ANY performance. If you say "Macbeth", something horrible always goes wrong. Unfortunately, someone at my theater decided to test that... the outcome was funny from my point of view as I hadnt caused it  (PS it was just an actor/prop problem (an actor was supposed to run into a bead curtain and get "tangled" in it...pulled the whole curtain down.))


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## SocksOnly

Wow. I've always chanted "Macbeth" three times before every show (either where I'm playing or doing the tech) for good luck. Doesn't seem to do anything...just the regular "oops" here and there, with the occasional "I-need-a-hug-mommy" mess up.


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## cutlunch

To me the "Macbeth" tradition seems to be one of those traditions without a logical reason behind it. I mean compared to things like not whistling in a theatre which is based on not getting scenery dropped on your head.


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## SocksOnly

I think the reason that saying/doing random things like that is bad luck because people THINK it is, and are nervous and thus make mistakes.

I've never heard the whistling in a theatre one before...


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## Chris15

The whilsting in a theatre one goes back to the days when sailors were used as flymen. Knowing that it would be hard to hear words, they signaled using whistling. Hence the reason why one does not whistle in the theatre is so that it can't be misinterpreted as a fly cue and as cutlunch said, get some scenery dropped on your head.

If I recall, there is a thread on theatre superstitions kicking around somewhere...


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## SocksOnly

lol, probably. Imagine if we used whistles today over the headset...ow, that'd kinda hurt. I guess that's why we use cuelights...


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## Schniapereli

We have a lot of weird things happening at our theatre too. Occasionaly our work lights completey lock themselves. All the stations say "locked" but none of the unlock buttons unlock them. This seems to just happen randomly overnight.

We have a ghost named Charly in our loft above the auditorium. A student who has come back to help us who used to be the director's son, and was a tech for her says that he has seen a lot of weird stuff. When he used to lock up and leave, he would hear footsteps, and he could see things occasionally falling from the loft onto the apron. Recently, he was working up there when he heard a loud crack. He turns around, and there's a big pile of drywall on the walkway a little ways behind him. The ceiling is completely metal, and same with the surrounding. The only drywall is underneath the walkway which is the roof of the auditorium seating. We can still see the chalk and dust leftover, and where he shoved it off the walkway. Nobody has any idea where it could have come from.

One of our janitors has other stories about locking up, and seeing an old hobo sitting in a desk in the middle of the hall. He had gone to the school on a report of a minor break-in from the police. He asked the hobo to leave, but it just stared at him. He blinked, and the desk and the hobo dissapeared. It sounds like he was just sleepy, but he still swears that he saw it, and that it was real...

Plus, there's other stories of the tunnels under our school, and other things. The school is 50 years old, so it has a lot of myths. (The tunnels are real, but the stories aren't.)
Most of the stories are fake, but we still can't explain the drywall in the loft.


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## SocksOnly

My stage manager and the choir director were staying after school last friday (I was away at an eight-hour orchestra practice, urgh) and both of them claimed that they saw a ghost strolling across the choir room and disappear. Maybe she's the one who turned all the mics off- the choir room is right next to the auditorium, maybe she was stopping by that room for a visit.

Our school just turned 50 two or so years ago...actually, we have myths about secret passages and tunnels too. I know a handful of secrets about the school (how to make the elevators work without a key, stairs to the roof, etc), but in my four years I've yet to find a passage or a tunnel. Though not for lack of looking


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## Schniapereli

Some tv annoucement class members have gone down into our tunnels there and taped it. They got a tour from the head janitor, and then showed a little of it on the tv's. There are some small 4 foot doors in the janitor's closets that lead down there, and one trap door in the hall with a trash can over it.

They keep all the boilers, and some other stuff down there. A lot of the tunnels have been sealed off though. I think it was originally supposed to be a bomb shelter.

Our loft is also creepy looking. The walkways are made of wood, and go up, and down, (the ceiling is wavy) There's metal supports, poles, wires, hot pipes of boiling water that you have to duck for/climb over. There's a lot of trash everywhere, and broken steps, and planks of wood to walk on. There's 50 years worth of grafiti, and broken lamps, bulbs, and set peices from the 80's. (found an old bunch of perilipses up there.)
I think some people from the filming class filmed something from Phantom of the Opera up there a while ago. It would be hard to move around in and to get good camera angles. Not really easy to have a swordfight without getting hurt. I've never seen it, but it should have been pretty cool.

Everyone knows you can get up there from SL with stairs and a rope ladder in the booth. Most people don't know there is another little door on SR. (SR has a little raised balcony where we keep old lights and set. The door is a small trapdoor looking thing with a padlock and no knob. It's about 4' by 4' and on the wall where you can't see it from the ground.) The SL and SR doors lead to another small room with a metal ladder up to the loft.
There are light switches by the stair entrance, by the middle of the loft batten, and in the booth, but none by the hidden SR entrance. Because the janitors always lock the stairs, and the booth, (and they forgot about the SR door) we have had to get to the booth by climbing up through the SR door in the dark, feeling around for the boards to walk on, avoiding burning pipes, broken glass, and other beams and crap poking out everywhere.

It creeps everyone else out, but I like it, even though I have hurt my head a few times.  We haven't tried to clean anything because our school is getting completely torn down and rebuilt soon. (the new auditorium will be finished right after I graduate.  )


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## SHARYNF

Some of these were done for bomb shelters but a lot of them were done during that same period (50-60's) to store civil defense food and water supplies.
In addition construction design typically needs to have access to pipes and supports etc, so usually there are all sorts of passage ways in buildings just waiting to be explored

Sharyn


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## SocksOnly

Well dang, I know what I'm doing after school today now. I'm pretty sure my school wasn't a bomb shelter, but there's gotta be something.


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## Schniapereli

Sorry, old post, but I had another question related.

I have heard of some techs getting their phone fixed so that it does not do anything to audio during shows.

How is this done?
Why doesn't it interfere?
What exactly happens with usual cell phones?


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## howlingwolf487

Schniapereli said:


> Sorry, old post, but I had another question related.
> I have heard of some techs getting their phone fixed so that it does not do anything to audio during shows.
> QUOTE]
> 
> I've heard of it, too...it's called turning it off ;-)
> 
> As far as I know, interference from cell phones can only be stopped if the source (i.e. the phone) is moved away from where the interference is getting into the system.


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