# What do you all Run your Sound Effects From?



## Davetp (May 31, 2015)

I do tech for School and local shows and i use a windows Tower to get me through the job with:

1 monitor
1 tower
2 mouses (one wireless and sensor taped over)
1 keyboard
1 USB Fan
1 Desk Lamp With Purple Gell
4 L.E.D clip lights
2 microphones (for F.O.H calls and Dressing Room Calls
1 sound board
2 speakers (F.O.H)
1 radio and headset to the rest of the crew
1 channel for the musical directors Keyboard
1 channel for PC
1 Channel For F.O.H Intercom System
3 Channels For Stage Mics


I Use A windows package called Multiplay which is free and great.
*http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Other-AUDIO-Tools/MultiPlay.shtml*


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## Dionysus (May 31, 2015)

The Official website for Multiplay is : http://www.da-share.com/software/multiplay/
Unfortunately Audio Visual Devices is not actively supporting Multiplay anymore. The Creator is actually a member here. There are several of us here who use multiplay (at least some of the time). At the theatre I mainly work at we use QLAB, and I use Multiplay in some other places, mainly when budget is an extreme issue. I love having multiplay as an option but it can be a pain in the butt as it is very picky about audio files.

Of course since I use gear at different venues it varies greatly.

PERSONALLY I have a PC "tower" chassis computer at home that I use for production, and I use a laptop in the field as it is much more portable (and less likely to get damaged by transport. Ive found most Desktop computers don't really like being lugged around all the time). Really it doesn't take a very powerful machine to run multiplay and get 1-10 simultaneous sound cues. If I need anything any more powerful my desktop can be pulled out.
At my main venue of course a desktop MAC with QLAB running to our GLD 80 connected with a virtual DANTE "soundcard" (ie a network cable, yay many channels with no hassle).


Davetp said:


> 1 channel for PC
> 1 Channel For F.O.H Intercom System



Only 1 channel for your PC, not Stereo?
And your intercom patched into your audio console?


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## flowalex999 (May 31, 2015)

This is what I bring for shows
1 monitor
1 tower Running Show Cue System
1 mouse
1 keyboard
And assortment of accessories such as cables and other interface for recording the audio.


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## AlexDonkle (May 31, 2015)

I use Qlab most shows, easiest program to work with IMHO. Typically a Macbook Pro with a USB interface to get audio into the board, and a separate keyboard (I prefer more "clicky" keys for a go button instead of the Macbook keys)


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

Yeah only 1 channel for pc but linked to two monitors F.O.H 
the intercom system uses the same monitors when I am in the local venue

In the school they have a separate pa intercom system whitch is great


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

I have to use a tower as my old netbook isn't cutting it anymore and I am saving up for a good Windows laptop 

I don't usually use Macs as I find windows have more programs to run 

What board do you guys use?


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

Budget is all ways an issue as I dont get payed for my work. I am trying to get a lot of experience so i. Three years I can apply for the RSC school of drama


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

For me it depends on the space, one space has a tower that is permanent audio setup with SCS with a dedicated mixer, I cannot remember what the board brand is (I think it is a Mackie), but for the college group I am apart of it depends what I can get provided by the school, so for the last show I did we had two different Mackie mixers used, and at my old high school we used two different Behringer mixers. Basically any analogue mixer to me is the same, just a few different options depending on size.


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

I am doing two shows in the next month so I Will put up pics of my setup


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

Here are pictures of two of the setups. The first three are from my most recent show with the college group, the middle picture shows my tower and the other two show the setups that were used. The fourth picture is from my old high school set up for a choir concert, which the smaller mixer is used as a preamp for the larger, it is a little hidden behind the wireless receiver but that is the only reason why I am using two mixers for six mics


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

Thanks looks good
Are you all ways based on the floor level or do you have a raised area I'm curious

In the local venue we have a private balcony that we used for lighting and sound 

In the school I have a setup between two rained seating elements


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

Well in my old high school it is a gymatorium so it is level, but the place for my college group did have two balconies the inputs for the audio were only at floor level, during show I generally spend the whole time standing so my monitor can be high enough that I can see everything on it clearly. The third place has its own sound booth which is raised, but the venue is for more of a Cirque Du Soleil style performances. Here is a picture of me helping hang a sing I am the one leaning out the window.


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

I am stage managing and running lighting for the school show and my good friend will be doing the sound 

He has an amazing setup

For the local venue I'll be running the sound. 
I am hoping to be getting a monitor for my desk of a stage shot as well as standing from a balcony.

But my local setup is very busy as I do t get Amy cues called to me so I have to be on book all night

Do you have a recorded message at the beginging of your performance?

We do but it is live


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

Depends on the group and the show. One show it was a power point in the style of an old fashioned slide deck since the show was based on the style of Wes Anderson, the circus shows for the non recital performance, they have two sets each year the recital which is basically all of the students since it is a circus school and the august show being called that for the time of year it occurs, the recital the founder makes a live quick announcement, but for the august it gets a themed one, for example when it was telling that smoking is not allowed for a wizard of Oz themed show it said please no smoking it makes the flying monkeys aggressive, and the Minnesotans passive aggressive. Basically it is budget oriented, the more money the show has the everything gets it seems, the power point one was made by the director, and we used the extra projector from my moms classroom that she wasn't using and someone manually changes the slides when the director signaled by shining the light from her smartphone.


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

I use a live voice over from the balcony 
e.g
welcome ladies and gentlemen
welcome to tonights performance of ..... 
We would like to ask you to turn of your mobile phones 
blah blah blah 

Please sit back relax and enjoy the show


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

I use a live voice over from the balcony 
e.g
welcome ladies and gentlemen
welcome to tonights performance of ..... 
We would like to ask you to turn of your mobile phones 
blah blah blah 

Please sit back relax and enjoy the show


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

Sorry posted it twice


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

I've learned just do whatever keeps the director happy, granted the directors that I have worked with have all been very intense and they have a certain vision, for one show when I had to program lights the file didn't save so I spent three hours afterwords reprogramming the whole show, using off line software, and the computer for the circus shows has a redundant hard drive in case the solid state crashes during a show, but that has been my experience


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

We do all of our shows manual as we usualu dint have time to program and eeven if we do there are all ways LX changes

I had to redo the whole sound for a show 
even though the show was oppneing the next day


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

I prefer automation in this stuff to remove user error especially for audio here is an example, most of the time the manual is put in so that we don't lose where we are in the show because it jumps to the next manual cue here is a picture of what I mean, lighting since I usually do everything I don't want the error of doing it live


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

what software is that?


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

Show Cue System it isn't free, but I prefer it over the multiplay User Interface


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

How much dose it cost


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

Do you get payed for your work?


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

Here is the pricing plan SCS Lite $58.00 SCS Standard $100.00 SCS Professional $149.00 SCS Professional Plus $199.00 SCS Platinum $249.00 I have one of the more pricier features, and no I don't get paid, but I was reimbursed for this software purchase by one of the venues.


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

Ok great to know


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

I am going to make a backstage vlog of one of my shows


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## Davetp (Jun 1, 2015)

I will put it up on YouTube


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## flowalex999 (Jun 1, 2015)

Sounds like fun break a leg


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## Davetp (Jun 2, 2015)

Thanks


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## Davetp (Jun 2, 2015)

How do you connect your pc to the board with USB ?

I all ways use an AUX into an red/white phono plugs then into the board


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## themuzicman (Jun 2, 2015)

Davetp said:


> How do you connect your pc to the board with USB ?
> 
> I all ways use an AUX into an red/white phono plugs then into the board



I generally shy away from plugging my computer into a console, even if the console has integrated USB (a lot of "prosumer" consoles on the market have USB now) to inject audio in - I will use the USB to grab audio off of the desk.

You would use a USB interface to interface a PC with the console -- on the low end you can get 2 outputs out of a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. You can scale up from there, on larger shows you will see MOTU interfaces, though RME Fireface800's have become the standard on Broadway and touring shows for high quality and high performance reliability. Shows that use Yamaha desks nowadays are starting to use more Dante interfacing, and in those cases you will see redundant computers running Dante Virtual Sound Card injecting QLab (or other SFX Player of choice) into the network and being patched into the console via Dante Controller. 

As for using Phono plugs, I try to shy away from that too -- instead if RCA is your only way to go, I would throw it into a PCDI or Radial JPC and then put it into the console. 


As for your initial question of where Sound Effects are run from, generally the audio op will run SFX from wherever they are stationed. On large musicals, I will build FOH in the house and they will run the console and QLab simultaneously. On plays, I can't get the house seats because producing wants to sell them, so I'll put the audio op in the booth or whatever place I get told to throw them -- it's as simple as running the cabling and setting up a few racks in most cases.


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## AlexDonkle (Jun 2, 2015)

themuzicman said:


> Shows that use Yamaha desks nowadays are starting to use more Dante interfacing, and in those cases you will see redundant computers running Dante Virtual Sound Card injecting QLab (or other SFX Player of choice) into the network and being patched into the console via Dante Controller.



I really like the Dante I/O method for new theatres, as a lot of consoles have Dante card options now. The redundant Dante networks I've seen have been a mystery to me though. Has one of these ever actually prevented an issue? (To me, having 2 Dante networks with separate ethernet switches just makes troubling shooting more complicated and time consuming to track down issues)


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## flowalex999 (Jun 3, 2015)

I don't plug anything into my computer via usb unless it is mine for audio devices and the drivers are supported by the latest Windows OS, or I gets a through virus scan. Once a week I scan every drive for malware and viruses take a few hours, but I don't want to take a risk. As for cables it depends on how I am connecting from PC to mixer.


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## themuzicman (Jun 3, 2015)

AlexDonkle said:


> I really like the Dante I/O method for new theatres, as a lot of consoles have Dante card options now. The redundant Dante networks I've seen have been a mystery to me though. Has one of these ever actually prevented an issue? (To me, having 2 Dante networks with separate ethernet switches just makes troubling shooting more complicated and time consuming to track down issues)



I won't deploy a Dante system unless I have full redundancy to the best of my systems ability. I run 2 Mac Mini's for QLab, one connected to a Main Network and one connected to the Redundant network. I use a single MIDI Go Button linked to both computers via a MIDI Solutions Thru into a reliable MIDI I/O device. Out of both computers I run their MIDI Outs into a MIDI Merge and throw that into the MIDI Network. 

Out of the desk I will run main and redundant loops to my DSP (If I have a Dante network I try to use nothing but DME64N's) and redundant loops to my Rio's. I run my Backup Mac Mini, Redundant Switch, and secondary PSU's to a UPS (or Main PSU if only one) so that if the power goes out I am not spending any time having a network try to resume communication or have anything reboot. The extra 10 minutes it takes to configure a Main/Backup system versus a Daisy Chained system or Single Switch system is well worth the time, especially on a. shows with high stakes b. touring shows c. Installs with inexperienced end-users.

How would it make troubleshooting more complicated? After setup is complete, it makes troubleshooting quicker, if you are getting something on the redundant loop but not on the main you know exactly what section of cable the error is in. In the dozen Dante systems I have put together in the last year, a redundant network has saved me a handful of times, and if I had a single network system in those times the show would have come to a halt or curtain would have been delayed a bit.

tldr:
Use redundant systems. A 24 port Dante switch is $150 for a cheap one, a 5 port is $35, and the copper is pennies per foot. That money is money well spent to ensure continuity of service to the clients and audience we service.


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## techwiz24 (Jun 4, 2015)

I've used multiplay before, worked pretty well. I've started developing something similar for Linux ad I couldn't get multiplay working under wine. I've always run sfx off of my laptop.


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## flowalex999 (Jun 4, 2015)

I wold be willing to help test your Linux program of it runs in a Debian environment because I would love to have something for my laptop


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## techwiz24 (Jun 4, 2015)

flowalex999 said:


> I wold be willing to help test your Linux program of it runs in a Debian environment because I would love to have something for my laptop


https://github.com/techwiz24/soundclip

You'll need gtk+ 3.14 or newer, gstreamer 1.0, and python 3.

I develop primarily on arch, so I'd love some debian / Ubuntu testing coverage! 

Its still a really early design, and I'll probably rewrite most of it, but I was able to use it for a show this past March.


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## flowalex999 (Jun 4, 2015)

Awesome thanks I will let you know what I think


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## Davetp (Jun 4, 2015)

Can I use it too it sounds interesting 
I am a aspiring coder to so I could give you tips if you want


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## techwiz24 (Jun 4, 2015)

Davetp said:


> Can I use it too it sounds interesting
> I am a aspiring coder to so I could give you tips if you want


Feel free! Maybe I'll consider creating a thread so we don't hijack this one...


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## Davetp (Jun 4, 2015)

What language is it based with


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## techwiz24 (Jun 4, 2015)

Davetp said:


> What language is it based with


Python 3, the ui uses GtK+ 3


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## Davetp (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks


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## AlexDonkle (Jun 6, 2015)

themuzicman said:


> How would it make troubleshooting more complicated? After setup is complete, it makes troubleshooting quicker, if you are getting something on the redundant loop but not on the main you know exactly what section of cable the error is in. In the dozen Dante systems I have put together in the last year, a redundant network has saved me a handful of times, and if I had a single network system in those times the show would have come to a halt or curtain would have been delayed a bit.
> 
> tldr:
> Use redundant systems. A 24 port Dante switch is $150 for a cheap one, a 5 port is $35, and the copper is pennies per foot. That money is money well spent to ensure continuity of service to the clients and audience we service.



The redundant computer makes complete sense for pro-level performances, and like you said, switches are cheap compared to the rest of the system. The troubleshooting issue I've seen is where someone pulls a network cable, reconnects it into the wrong switch, and then has no idea what happened and needs to call someone (i.e. they don't understand how network switches work at all). This more typical at the HS level, where everyone is still learning. 

As a curiosity, redundant switches compared to running network cables from both playback computers into 1 network switch, the 2 points of failure you're concerned about are (1) the network switch itself goes down mid-show or (2) only 1 of the ports on a Yamaha Dante card fails, but not the other port remains working. Those are the general concerns?


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## themuzicman (Jun 6, 2015)

AlexDonkle said:


> The redundant computer makes complete sense for pro-level performances, and like you said, switches are cheap compared to the rest of the system. The troubleshooting issue I've seen is where someone pulls a network cable, reconnects it into the wrong switch, and then has no idea what happened and needs to call someone (i.e. they don't understand how network switches work at all). This more typical at the HS level, where everyone is still learning.



A little education on network topology goes a long way. Color coded cat5 cables are a cheap way to fix this, E-Tape around your regular cables in different colors (I use Red for Main, Blue for Backup, and Black for the control network) is a cheaper solution. At the pro-level we are using programs like Show Tracker and Show Builder to generate labels for every piece of cable in the system so there is absolutely no confusion. A little labelling goes a long way as well.


AlexDonkle said:


> As a curiosity, redundant switches compared to running network cables from both playback computers into 1 network switch, the 2 points of failure you're concerned about are (1) the network switch itself goes down mid-show or (2) only 1 of the ports on a Yamaha Dante card fails, but not the other port remains working. Those are the general concerns?



I run 3 full networks on a typical Dante system with 3 full closed loops on their own switches -- A. Main Dante Audio Network B. Backup Dante Audio Network C. Control Network with Network B on a battery backup, possibly Network C as well if the control network needs to be regularly accessed after tech. 

This setup provides redundancy a. in case power goes down, reducing powerup times when power is returned to the system b. physical network redundancy in case a switch goes down c. redundancy in case something in the audio network starts arbitrarily dropping samples from the audio stream and d. redundancy in case there is a bad port on any I/O card not necessarily in that order of importance.


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## rphilip (Jun 6, 2015)

themuzicman said:


> I run 2 Mac Mini's for QLab, one connected to a Main Network and one connected to the Redundant network.


How are you getting Dante audio from the Mac Mini into the secondary network? Last I looked Dante Virtual sound card only supports operation on the primary network. (I'd love to be proved wrong however).

Philip


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## themuzicman (Jun 6, 2015)

rphilip said:


> How are you getting Dante audio from the Mac Mini into the secondary network? Last I looked Dante Virtual sound card only supports operation on the primary network. (I'd love to be proved wrong however).
> 
> Philip



You are correct. I have seen a few different ways of ensuring redundancy -- A. is to patch both computers into the main network, the redundant network functions for everything else on the Dante networks, and then a mute group and MIDI mute toggles between Main and Backup computers to ensure you aren't outputting both computers all the time from both an audio and MIDI standpoint. B. is to patch Computer 1 to Main and Control and Computer 2 to Backup and Control and to crosspatch in Dante Controller - this will show crosspatch errors, but as long as you sync wordclock to network and ignore the warnings it works well and gives you full redundancy of both network and computer.


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