Lighting and sound equipment in theaters – placement and combination

Lighting and sound equipment is a difficult choice in today’s market. The point is not even that there is a lot of it: staging and working lighting, technological television and director communication systems, electroacoustic systems.

The mere presence of equipment does not create problems. The problem is to make it work effectively.

With proper placement and management of the entire stage complex works harmoniously, coherently and does not interfere with each other. Light equipment works harmoniously with sound equipment, stage machinery does not interfere with lighting equipment, stage clothes do not block the spotlights.

To optimally combine the equipment, you need to pay attention to a few basic points.

How to choose light and sound equipment?

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First of all, determine what kind of light and sound equipment you need. What characteristics should it have? Speakers or lighting devices, ideal for the Bolshoi Theater, will be completely inappropriate in the marionette theater.

Evaluate the size of the stage and auditorium. Perhaps you do not need devices with a lot of power. Modern equipment is quite productive and even with its small size can demonstrate excellent results.

Of course, if you have a large stage, this changes the picture. Then you need to carefully calculate the necessary equipment, determine where to install it. It is not excluded that it is necessary to carry out acoustic calculations for adequate placement of electroacoustic equipment.

Much depends on the nature of the hall, the stage, the performances that will take place on it. At the theater, philharmonic, concert hall or DC different requirements for light and sound and, of course, different will be light and sound equipment.

A prosaic but necessary question: how much power will be enough wiring? Equipment, especially lighting equipment, consumes quite a lot of energy. Sometimes, for certain events, even installed diesel power station because the standard wiring can not withstand.

Placement on the stage

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The size of the stage affects the choice of light and sound equipment also in this way: where exactly will be placed lights and electroacoustic systems? It is necessary to take into account that some of the lighting devices will have to be moved. How exactly – this question will also have to be thought through.

One of the standard solutions is small-sized lighting towers that can be easily moved. Other options are also possible.

Control of light can be done with a remote control. But even then there is still the question of where the lights will be placed, what area they will illuminate. All this is very important for lighting direction.

It may be necessary to make soffit trusses and part of the lighting devices placed on them.

All these issues that will definitely have to be solved.

It is not enough to buy equipment, it is very important to correctly mount it. And this is a task for specialists.

It is possible that some events will have to install additional light and sound equipment. For example, concerts will require monitors, probably need to increase the number of speakers.

The requirements of concert lighting direction will have to be met by placing additional lighting devices. This possibility also needs to be considered: installation, the combination of additional equipment with stationary equipment – all of this needs to be addressed.

Masking

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All light, sound equipment should not catch the eye of the audience. It must be hidden. But it must be done in such a way that the masking does not affect its work. Light and sound equipment should be inconspicuous, but at the same time functional and powerful.