UK - Stage Sound Services (SSS) is a sound, video and projection rental company based in Cardiff, offering solutions to the theatre and live events industries. Huw Semmens explains how DirectOut products such as Prodigy.MP and .MX, as well as Exbox and many more, sit in the SSS inventory and provide the kind of bespoke solutions that SSS has built its name upon.
“We've been using DirectOut Technologies' kit since 2013 when we bought the original Andiamo MADI Analogue converter,” he says. “Following that initial investment, whenever we had a specific task that required a hardware solution, we found that DirectOut already had a suitable product in their line-up. We now have just under 100 DirectOut assets in our inventory.”
If a designer requests equipment that is not in the company’s regular rotation, it is down to Semmens and his team to ensure that the product is viable and cost-effective for the company, without disappointing the designer.
“First, we will look at our existing inventory to check whether we carry something that's able to achieve the same result,” Semmens explains. “If that isn't possible, or the solution is too convoluted, we'll establish potential future usability of this new item before deciding whether to invest. Solutions such as DirectOut’s Prodigy can replace several separate pieces of equipment, so for an application such as converting MADI streams to Dante and functioning as a patch bay for digital radio mics, it makes complete sense to invest.”
The change to digital radio mics in theatrical performances has had a knock-on effect for SSS. Theatrical performances usually follow a full schedule of shows, generally eight shows over six days a week, as two days also have matinee performances. This means that sickness or injury is likely to affect the performers’ ability to appear. When this happens, especially in musical theatres, an understudy covers the role. It is unusual for them to only cover one role, especially if there is a chorus, as understudies and swings usually have chorus roles to complete, too.
The easiest way to get around this is to patch the mics as the performers switch roles throughout the show. In analogue systems, this could be via a bantam patch panel, or directly using XLR. However, with the proliferation of digital transmitters and receivers, production sound engineers are looking for more accessible options, as Semmens continues.
“A huge surge towards digital radio mics in theatre over the past five years has meant Exbox.MD, alongside globcon has been utilised in place of bantam patch bays for radio mic monitoring and patching,” he says. “Similarly, more shows are moving towards 96KHz systems. With band monitoring hardware generally operating at 48KHz, we have deployed the MADI.9648 as a bridge between these systems.
“The modular nature of Prodigy is perfect for us as a rental company because it allows us to carry one or two types of host unit (MP and MX in our case) and a selection of I/O cards to cover most conversion requests,” Semmens explains. “Software/plugin upgrades are also optional and granular, so we've been able to customise the specs of the units, adding Automator and OSC add-ons in our case, to ensure they’re exactly what we need.”
