The equipment specified by Walker included an Akai S6000 sampler along with a Mackie HDR 24/96 digital recorder system for sound effects replay. Sound effects control was from the Akai S6000 front panel. Yamaha amplifiers powered a selection of JBL, Tannoy and Meyer loudspeakers, with audio control by a Soundcraft Spirit Digital 328 mixer.
Walker and his team at Loh Humm Audio developed a simple system for controlling some of the sound effects. He explains: "The play is set in a kitchen with a lot of action involving an offstage front door. We had the production manager build a small 'BBC Radio' style front door for the actors to use in order to create the right sounds as they came and went. We then needed the sounds of the street outside when the door was opened. In the Bush Theatre, the traffic sounds of Shepherd's Bush itself are ever present, so when we played in pre-recorded sound effects, they didn't match the sounds we were naturally hearing in the theatre.
"We placed a Crown PCC160 microphone on the outside of the first floor window ledge, and relayed the audio to a speaker located behind the front door. The next problem was that the stage manager, who was also controlling the sound, couldn't see the actors, so could not effectively cue when to make this microphone live. The solution was to put a micro-switch on the door, so that the speaker behind the door was only ever live when the door was open. With a bit of careful juggling of the loudspeaker position and padding on the rear of the door, we were able to create a natural rise and fall in level when the door was opened."
Chris Jordan of Blitz Sound says: "This was tricky to replicate in the touring venues, so a three-hour recording was made at the Bush Theatre using the Mackie HDR system. This ambient track was run at a low level through various speakers, particularly the sub-bass, throughout the whole show, and then at a higher level, via the switched speaker behind the door when it was open - an effective way of touring the sounds of Shepherd's Bush!"
(Lee Baldock)
