Business Videos: Why They Matter to Small Businesses
What Sound Engineers Need To Know About Your Venue
Sue Allen
Sound engineers work the sound board during performances. They may also act as the designer for the venue or event. In either case, they need to get information from you before starting to work on the sound associated with whatever will happen at the location. This gives them a starting point to work from so they can craft and then monitor sound that is easy on the audience's ears and brains. Without this advance information, the sound could go wildly off no matter how good the designer and engineer are normally.
The Built-in Acoustics
All buildings have acoustics, and all event venues have built-in (or should have built-in) features to enhance the acoustics. When you go to movie theaters and see those fabric panels on the side walls, those aren't there for looks; they're there to help absorb sound waves and prevent echoes that could make it difficult for the audience to hear the film. The same goes for concert venues and theater stages; there will be subtle features around the room that are meant to reduce echoing and help distribute sound waves evenly. Knowing what your venue has gives the designer a starting point and the engineer a reference should something sound off with the sound when speakers or performers are rehearsing.
The View the Board Operator Will Have
A sound engineer may work with sound, but they'll need to see the event for cues and to troubleshoot sound problems that may depend on the location of a microphone or speaker. When venues are built, the sound booths should have a good view already, but the engineer will still want to know what they'll see from the specific location inside your venue. Note that if the event is a stage play, props and sets could affect what the sound engineer can see out of that booth.
What Prior Complaints and Comments Were Like
Any event or venue has some negative comments when you look at their reviews. This is natural as there will be jokers who post fake reviews and people who trash the whole venue because they didn't like the number of parking spaces. But if there are consistent complaints that show up after each event, such as complaints about sound turning fuzzy when bands got really loud, the engineer will need to know. They'll want to account for that problem as the event goes on. The sound designer can try to prevent it, too, but something like fuzzy sound is often a speaker and microphone issue that can occur regardless of design.
Reach out to a company like Audio Visual Nation to learn more.
Share
Shortly after I started my small business, I launched a website. While that was great, I quickly learned there are all sorts of other options for marketing online. A client of mine turned me on to the idea of creating and publishing videos as a way to get more attention. Knowing nothing about video production, my first efforts were more of an embarrassment than a help. After hiring a professional, we came up with four different videos touting my main products. In less than a week after they were launched, traffic to my site went up drastically. If you are thinking of using online videos to promote your business, let me tell you what worked for me, and what I learned to avoid at all costs. Doing so will get your project off to a smoother start and help you attract the right kind of attention.