Sound is important
in our job as storytellers. It is, for the most part, an oral art form for an
aural audience. Obviously, this is not
always the case. There are amazing storytellers who are deaf and use sign
language, there are storytellers who use tell tales using a digital format, but
for the rest, it is our voices that do The Job.
In an ideal setting we would never need amplification. In an
ideal setting we could use our ‘indoor’ voices and everyone would hear. We
would never get sore throats, or infections. We would all instinctively know
the best way to use our voices to maximum effect with minimum effort. But this
is not the case. The hall is massive and our voice is lost or echoes so much
there is an eerie delay, the wind takes our voice, or the acoustics are so bad
people whispering at the back are as loud as you are annunciating and
articulating with your best projection from the front! Sometimes we need
amplification.
In my youth I was in a number of bands and always into the
equipment side of things: the mixing boards, the microphones, and speakers,
both in and out of the studio; even though I was ‘just a drummer’ and never had
the voice to sing outside of a shower or car! I discovered that different
voices did not always sound good on the same microphone. Some mics were okay all round microphones, but some
mics worked well for one singer and another mic worked better for a different vocalist.
Guitarists choose amps to project a certain sound or feel. Drummers use
different skins, have kit and cymbal manufacturers they preferred over others.
As a storyteller I was able to bring all this knowledge with
me, and when I got ‘kitted up’ for larger performance spaces and for venues
where the acoustics were lavatory quality, I knew what to do. (All my old
equipment was left in the UK and sold, or given away over 20 years ago.) I
tried out a number of microphones when I recorded my first CD as I know my
voice has a strong sibilant side. For fun, I tried out the most expensive mic
the studio (Pepperbox Studios in Vermont) had in their collection. My voice
sounded scratchy, and hissing to the point it might make one wince. The mic
sounded great on someone, just not me! I tried out a few other microphones and
found one that cut the sibilance down and brought a slightly deeper resonance
to the mix. That mic I liked a lot. It is the same with speakers. They have
their own ‘colour’.
Our art requires us to be heard and understood. As
storytellers we need to have
equipment which allows us, even in the most horrendous of situations, to be
clear as a bell, to be heard over traffic, wind, heating/cooling systems, or
rude patrons, amongst other handicaps. As professionals we need to be aware of
what is available, what makes us sound good or bad, and most importantly how to
set equipment, and a room up for success. We display our professionalism and
that we are worth our salt. We show we know what we are doing. People then know
we take our profession seriously. It shows our customers, be they libraries,
museums, businesses, theatres, etc. that we can be trusted to do a great job
and that we can be hired again, and that means more work for all of us.
We want an audience to go home having felt they were in an
intimate setting, having an intimate experience, no matter the size of venue, or
number of bums on seats. Maybe we get the room set up so perfectly, they leave
not even realizing there was
amplification. We need to know how to amplify a room for ourselves. Finding and
using the right equipment properly is so important. As I implied, and can
confirm, the equipment does not have to be the most expensive. But it does have
to be right - for us, as individuals.
Why Sound Matters
by Simon Brooks, © 2016
