Sound Design in Theatre
In theatre, the Sound Designer is responsible for everything that you hear as part of the performance.
Things a sound designer needs to consider:
- Sound effects directly linked to the action
- More abstract sounds to enhance or create an effect
- Suggests time/place
- Mood/atmosphere
- Consider the volume level and length of effects
- Consider where the sound should come from
Types of Sound Effects
Live Sound Effects
Live sound effects are created live during the performance.
The most common type of live sound would be music, however sometimes non-music sfx are created live. The sounds are usually created in the 'pit'. This is a space between the stage and the audience so that the conductor can see the action clearly, and him and the actors can take cue's from each other.
Sometimes the live sound effects are created onstage.
Pre-recorded sound
Pre-recorded sound is anything that has been created or manipulated prior to the performance and is then controlled by the Sound Operators during the performance.
These would be recorded on a sound cue sheet and the sound operators would follow the script and the performance and then 'play' each sound cue when directed by the Deputy Stage Manager.
Soundscapes
A Soundscape is a continues sound effect that has been put together and manipulated to create a specific effect.
- A city soundscape can create a busy feeling with traffic, voices, horns, dogs barking, alarms etc
- If a scene is set outside you might have a park soundscape with birds, wind, childrens voices
- Or a soundscape can be predominantly musical to enhance a mood or atmosphere such as continuous creepy notes and sounds to create a tense, scary atmosphere.
Examples of SFX in theatre
Setting time period - you might choose to play music specific to that time (Rock'n'Roll in the 60s). Or you could show the time period through a sound effect of something that took place during that time - WW2 could be shown by playing a radio broadcast from Churchill or a soundscape of an air-raid siren with the sound of plane engines and bombs in the background.
Location - Country or city could be shown by playing music associated with it (e.g You might play bagpipes to show Scotland, The Proclaimers for a play set in Edinburgh or the Beatles for a play set in Liverpool). Or sounds specific to a certain building/place - a school bell to show a school, a train announcement for a scene set in a train-station
Mood/Atmosphere - soundscapes such as the one above to create a tense/scary horror atmosphere. Songs with lyrics that fit different moods or atmospheres.
Make action realistic - gunshots, doors, animals, weather etc
Key vocabulary
CROSSFADE - moving seamlessly from one sound effect into another
CUE - signal on stage for the sound effect to begin or end
FADE-IN - gradually increase in volume
FADE-OUT - gradually decrease in volume
Tips for discussing sound in a written exam
You MUST specify whether a sound effect is LIVE or PRE-RECORDED
You should give a full description of the sound in terms of the volume, how long the sound effect lasts, what the cue is for it to begin/end
If pre-recorded, does the sound come from all main speakers around the auditorium or do you want the sound to come from a particular direction?
You can be very creative with your ideas for sound effects when describing hypothetical dramas.