Reps: 'Gone Too Far' & 'Mr Burns' Evaluation
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​The strengths that I identify in this allocation is the ability to recall specific information that has been taught to me to trouble shoot several problems. A good example of this is when asked how the Rio box connects to the Dante network- I remembered that there is an SCB patch in the walls Front of House that I could use that directly goes to the Network Switch. Another example is something like screen sharing- creating my own network on the mac-mini and choosing a channel 44 and above and saving it as ‘sound’. For the designer’s laptop to connect to, and just general troubleshooting of force quitting finder and relaunching it etc. Furthermore, I feel like I have been quite a supportive operator for the sound designers, mainly in helping with Q-Lab if needed and just being supportive and patient. I feel like I have improved on my general sound knowledge massively in such a relatively small amount of time, especially my understanding on the networking/patching side as well as improving my skills in Q-Lab.
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​In my AAP I wanted to learn more about microphones and mixing on the desk- and even though I haven’t really done ‘mixing’ pushing up levels on microphones in show has been a whole experience for me. It has been a lot more challenging than I anticipated- mainly because the levels can really affect the actors and just the show as a whole. I am also really used to a DSM telling me when to go but with microphones, that is completely my responsibility and I have to make sure I am ready for when the microphone sections are approaching. I feel like with confidence and practise, I will get to a place where this can become more natural to me. On the flip side, because of the challenge of this, when it all goes to plan it is a lot more rewarding and makes the overall experience a much more positive one. For this reason, I much prefer ‘Gone too far’ than ‘Mr Burns’ as Mr Burns is purely a Q-Lab show. I also found what was challenging was staying completely within my role. I wanted to help Molly as much as possible but a lot of it wasn’t my place (such as organising comms) as well as helping the Sound Designers and offering ideas to them. I felt a bit useless in the weeks leading up to Tech which made me feel a little frustrated. I didn’t want to come across unhelpful to the team.
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I still feel like I need to improve on my knowledge on the hardware side of things. I do feel like I have hardly scratched the surface in terms of my understanding of the QL5. As well as fully understanding the different options you can choose to patch equipment into the desk. However, most of this I mainly learnt from being at the right place at the right time and enquiring about it to Molly. As she is the Production Sound Engineer and that is her role to sort out these things. Fully understanding this side of sound isn’t really my place. I really did value the Q-Lab and Yamaha sessions I had with Ben Collins, it’s a shame we didn’t manage to get more of these sessions in. At the same time, observing what India Mason-Mills and Anya Urban was doing through screen share in tech week was very educational for me. I would love the opportunity to be a sound designer in my final year and seeing their process was really interesting.
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Reflecting on working with Molly Barron- Production Sound Engineer, I have had a very positive experience working with her. She was always very responsive to what I had to say as well as answering my questions to help further my learning. Just being around her for when she was doing PSE related jobs, was valuable, and even though I may not understand everything I saw her doing/heard, I feel like it is a good bridge to if I become Production Sound Engineer myself in the future. I may have a lightbulb moment for example and remember a specific thing that I remember Molly said/doing on this allocation. I feel like we worked really well together and have come away with a very positive experience overall with Molly. I also had a very positive experience with both of the Sound Designers- India Mason-Mills and Anya Urban. They were both very easy to work with and didn't clash with them at all really.
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Overall I have really enjoyed my experience in the sound department. I feel like it has expanded my knowledge greatly in this field and if anything I'm left eager to learn more. Especially when it comes to the hardware, mic running, live sound mixing, recording and band set-ups. I feel like if I do manage to get a PSE role in my third year, this would be a great opportunity to expand my knowledge further. I think that in each department I am looking for the part that makes it axhilirating for me- in this role it definately was the live mic moments; despite how much I got stressed out when it got close to it in the show. Leading up to this allocation, Sound wasn't at the top of my priority list, as I didn't understand the adrenaline feeling you could get, but I understand it now and want to see what other exciting aspects it has to offer.