Moana JR
About the production
Moana Jr. was a Rising Stars production performed at St John’s Hall in Penzance, with two casts of around 30 young performers and a student band. I worked on the production through the Minack Technical Academy, taking on the role of Sound No. 1 for the first time.
The production used 24 radio microphones and required the technical setup to be built in at the venue before rehearsals began. We had one day for the initial setup followed by four days of rehearsals, leading into four performances across two days with the two casts alternating between shows.
My part
As Sound No. 1, I was responsible for mixing the 24 radio microphones and student band live throughout each performance on an Allen & Heath SQ6. I also helped fit microphones to the cast and worked on the processing and soundchecks needed to get each performer sounding clear and consistent.
The show was programmed using SQ scenes and recall filters, so rehearsals involved refining these scenes, fixing recall issues and making sure the correct settings were carried between cues. I also spent time practising the timing of cues and developing the balance between the vocals and band, ready to mix the show live across all four performances.
SOUND APPROACH & GOALS
The main aim was to create a clear and balanced mix while working with a young cast, two different casts and a live student band in a challenging acoustic space.
GAIN STAGING A YOUNG CAST
Working with a young cast meant vocal levels could change between line checks and performances. Some performers would be quiet during checks but louder once performing. I had them perform sections together during line checks to build confidence and get more realistic levels, while I used heavier compression to manage the changes in volume.
MANAGING TWO CASTS
The roles weren’t always split the same way between the two casts. One cast might have two people playing roles covered by one person in the other, so the radio mic allocation had to change between them. I reprogrammed the show for each cast and planned suitable points for microphone swaps backstage without getting in the way of the performance.
BALANCING THE LIVE BAND
The acoustics of St John’s Hall meant some instruments naturally carried much more than others. Quieter instruments like the flute and clarinet needed more reinforcement to be heard over the louder instruments, so I mixed around what could already be heard naturally in the hall rather than treating every instrument the same.
CHALLENGE & SOLUTION
The challEnge:
St John’s Hall was a very reverberant space with no acoustic treatment, which made achieving a clear mix more difficult. The hall also had a large area of raked seating towards the back, meaning the sound needed to remain clear and balanced across both the floor and raised seating areas
The Solution:
We positioned two front fills on stage to cover the main audience area, with two delayed speakers covering the raked seating at the back of the hall. The front speakers were rung out to reduce the risk of feedback from the radio mics, and I kept added reverb to a minimum to avoid adding more reflections to an already reverberant room.
