Adam Savage Explores the Sound Mixing of Hamilton!

[@tested]

In case you missed our other Hamilton videos, here's the full playlist! kzbin.info/aero/PLJtitKU0CAejog4eKg-Y13a9LhqlqGyw2

[@lukevlaar3286]

Adam Savage’s Tested, Thank you for taking the time to give some recognition to the people that make a show possible

[@cjc363636]

As a former sound guy for nearly 30 years in TV, thanks for this! The gentleman is a true sound wizard! And I love the desk! I worked with all kinds of mixers, but the later-day layered digital consoles were a steep learning curve, but paid off tremendously in getting work done. Just awesome!

[@PatrickKCompton]

Thank you Adam for doing these!!! Could I put in a request for a look into the lighting rig! It's amazing! :)

[@rerikm]

5:19 I know that trick too... if you know what I mean

[@neilcidial-masrysandagesid7796]

3:47 ~ Terrible. Your work looks accurate, your face and voice sound fine, did not know i was working for the fattest alive, should have known that. = is 100% true and very \Sue Mom for Sums Loudly; Sum Marry death to the educated, we got sex to be doing\ of the Facts. Check Newest Address of London University and its Phone +44 Fone it in Phone Number 0(2 anal sex power, make up for size with exciting opposite word use and opposite hole sex)0 7679 2000 ~ they are using Male SRY Gene with 11,11 in the J Column, this is @FamilyTreeDNA probably 4" penis and FBI not correcting them.

[@robertshaw6347]

Massive creds. While everyone are looking forward, no one is realising the huge effort this gent does in the back. This takes real skill.

[@tested]

That's for saying that! That's how we felt too.

[@lukevlaar3286]

So true. As an audio engineer myself, I can affirm that the amount of work put in on the back end rarely ever gets noticed. If we do our jobs correctly, no one notices or cares, but if anything happens everyone notices and the blame falls on us. It is a thankless job, but it is one unlike any other, and that is what we love it. Make sure to thank anyone you see working on production next time you go to a show.

[@AJtheRatty]

@@lukevlaar3286 Always try to wave at the lighting desk and sound desk folks at the end of every show and shout praise and thanks. Just the number of years it takes schlepping as a stagehand to get to do sound or lighting is praiseworthy

[@jezzdogslayer]

@@lukevlaar3286 i did lighting for a couple small events and shows locally and most of the time noone realises just how much of an effect our work has on the show.

[@Bonzulac]

Everyone is.

[@Wayne_Robinson]

I'd never realized that each mic was muted/unmuted for every line of dialog. That's a crazy workload!

[@Bakklandia]

Its not the industry standard, mind you!

[@edwah2004]

Hans Olav Bakken It’s the standard for musicals, not theatre overall though.

[@Bakklandia]

@@edwah2004 maybe in the states, not in europe.

[@edwah2004]

Hans Olav Bakken U in mainland Europe? When I’ve worked on shows in the UK we usually mix line by line.

[@Bakklandia]

@@edwah2004 yes, mainland europe.

[@wazzasay]

When he brags about libre office being open source, I was like, “yup he’s a tech!”

[@robgibson8600]

Loved the open-source shoutout!

[@josephroblesjr.8944]

I geeked out when he talked about libreoffice

[@NeneExists]

It's a shame that SD7s run windows though...

[@alexlappano435]

Libre Office is fuckin horrible!! jesus! just fuckin steal office suite if you're desperate jeez

[@itzanopinion]

You couldn't tell he was a *tech* just by looking at him? I knew it as soon as I saw him! :-)

[@MrSpeakerCone]

As a FoH engineer, I love and that you're paying attention to what we do. If we do it right then no one should notice, but it's nice to be appreciated :-)

[@slowgold20]

same! I was very excited to see his episode with the propmaster, but I was hoping that he would get into the technical side as well. I understand if the show doesn't want to divulge their 'magic tricks', but I'm hoping he gets to take a look at some rigging and automation as well--especially with Adam's interest in robotics.

[@NeneExists]

Just once I had a band call me out from the stage at the end of the show, and the whole audience turned around to look at me grinning at the back of the hall, soooo naturally the lampy hit the audience blinders so I was visible. Revenge came just a few seconds later because they called him out too. Never had that happen since, it was an interesting feeling, both happy to be recognised and embarassed

[@Jakeman90210]

I’m so glad I mix bands and not this

[@robburgess4556]

No one knows what we do, but the good performers know. I would love to see more videos like this.

[@Vamrekisses68]

how do you get into this kind of work? im really interested in it.

[@seablaede]

I have taught theatrical sound for years and my students are out on everything from local theater to major broadway tours. This is one of the best videos I have seen to introduce people to what the mixer's job is during the show. Do note that there is a lot that goes on even before the show but backstage in general between shows, a lot of programming on the console in the use of DCAs that didn't get touched on much, etc. Overall though a fantastic video that serves as a fantastic introduction to part of the mixer's job, so thanks Tested and Adam!

[@ebardes]

As a fellow educator, I feel tremendously validated looking at his marked up script. Everyone is reduced to a number. I liked that Adam obviously has some level of experience with sound and could ask some really intelligent questions that are accessible to a broad audience. I would really love to see a followup deep dive into programming, DCA usage, room EQ, and all the nerdy stuff.

[@GSunNo]

There doesn't seem to be much time to eq/comp adjustments etc. under the show. So, this has to be nailed before start?

[@seablaede]

@@GSunNo EQ, Compressor, etc. all happen during the Tech process, and later during put-in rehearsals if a cast member changes. Because it is the same cast member night by night typically, this is almost always VERY close, and only minor tweaks at most are needed, if that. The entire signal chain gets tested every day before the show, and the FoH mixer often will personally check the microphones to make sure they sound as expected and aren't sweated out or damaged (Remember I told you there was a lot that goes on outside the show that wasn't touched on) The Digico Console (And specifically running the 'T' software, or theater software, which I don't think was mentioned in the video but is what that console is running) that is run for this has a functionality in the scene programming where you not only program what character, but also what actor is playing the character, so even if a swing or understudy comes on to play a character you already have EQs and compressors set for them from previous put-in/understudy rehearsals etc. and again don't need much if any tweaking. One advantage of how we mic in theater means that for the most part mic positions don't change a whole lot, so performances can be relatively repeatable for that. Finally another advantage to the DIgico consoles is they will track changes to EQ/Compressor/etc. throughout the scenes appropriately. Meaning for instance, you might have scenes that modify EQ when a hat is on, vs off. If you modify the hat off eq, when a character puts on a hat it loads the hat on eq, and then when they take it back off it goes back to the modified hat off eq not original. This allows for any tweaks that are needed (Someone has a cold, etc.) to carry through the show minimally. But yes beyond that the mixer gets very good at making adjustments on the fly as well to actually get those tweaks in as needed.

[@dx9s]

Are you the same Seablade from Ardour? If so, small world eh?

[@seablaede]

@@dx9s I would be yes. My day job[s] are running sound in a local road house where I take in tours like the Angelica tour of Hamilton last year, and I teach theater sound engineering/design at a local university among other things.

[@patjackmanesq]

I did sound design for theatre for twenty years. Retired last October. Watching that gave me the preshow "nervies" all over again. 😂

[@noahlistgarten7832]

I went to watch Hamilton at the Orpheum during a break after doing three months of shows (8 shows/week). I was panicking through all of dinner beforehand because it was 6:30pm (an hour before curtain) and I felt like I was already 30 minutes late (call time for me was 6:00pm for 7:30pm curtain). Walking into the theater (through a front door, not the back) and only 20 minutes before curtain felt so strange...

[@eulogiomaldonadojr6774]

Right there with you Pat!!!

[@apsodric]

Holy cow, I though like he said when he started, they set the channels one time and onngoes the show. They're playing the mixer live like an instrument, that's damn impressive! Wow!

[@slowgold20]

the best line mixers I know also have some experience as a musician. I don't perform as a musician anymore, but running a show is a very similar feeling to me.

[@JordonBeal]

In the 60's and 70's, before automation systems were introduced on mixing consoles, you would have 3-5 guys at the console physically "playing" the mix of the record while printing the mix to the master tape. It was apparently a sight to behold.

[@slowgold20]

@@JordonBeal same thing with theater! Youd have several people in front of a large format analog console each responsible for a certain number of radio mics.

[@JordonBeal]

@@slowgold20 I'm like a small excited child every time I get to work on a large format console. It's unfortunate that budgets and studio closings over the last decade make those opportunities fewer and further between.

[@TheAwesomeGuy101]

Well.. The mixer is the instrument of an Audio Engineer =) so they are also musicians. =)

[@gtoger]

8:04 - This guy just nailed it. That's the exact thing you want to hear from your sound guy.

[@sigilwig444]

Also 8:40 - mad respect

[@TimothyFish]

I have a hard enough time unmuting the right mics when someone gets on stage and here he is muting and unmuting line by line.

[@TimothyFish]

@Rolling On Tens., I would guess that it's to prevent noise from moving costumes and echoes if two mics pick up the person speaking.

[@tekchik69]

It does seem like a bit of overkill but it would make for an extremely clean sounding show...which is probably what these big shows are going for.

[@appleguyforeternity]

Wonder if he's ever heard of a noise gate.

[@WallChart]

Same. I can just about do it scene by scene, maybe even line by line for specific lines spoken off stage etc, but I wouldn't even dream of trying to do that for an entire song/show!!!

[@javierpinon9443]

@Rolling On Tens. Doing line by line reduces the chance for feedback and strange sounding noises that get picked up when you have multiple mics on stage. When it's only a couple people it may not be that bad, but having the full cast up there makes things incredibly risky. Since this is a professional show they want the cleanest sound possible

[@jamescatania]

I just love seeing professionals who are really into their jobs and work hard to always improve. very impressive.

[@larryachiya2475]

Me too. I digest such content endlessly

[@Fake_Blood]

The way this dude talks reminds me of Steve Wozniak, like same intensity and passion. Looks like an awesome job.

[@xenoswarrior6900]

I literally had the same thought. His personality and mannerisms are similar as well lol.

[@OrojinMusic]

An audio engineer is performing right along with the cast and band 100%. It's such a fun job for people who enjoy the performance aspect without wanting to be in the spotlight. It's such a combination of technical and artistic. It takes a specific type of person.

[@RijackiTorment]

"It's amazing this job exists and I didn't know it." That is exactly what I have been thinking watching this. I am gobsmacked and so impressed. "Learning how to learn" is great advice for anything. Thank you for showcasing this aspect of the show.

[@BudgetBuiltDiesel]

“Learning how to Learn is the key here”

[@seablaede]

And that is the goal for my students by the time they leave college with their degrees. Not just that they know technology and how to use it, but that they continue learning. It really can't be stated enough, especially in the field of theater sound, which in the past 2 decades has undergone tremendous transformation, if the sound folks didn't continue learning they would be out of a job.

[@carlosiespinozab]

That is also the key to most things! I've seen this interview and the mics one and I'm just blown away by both. They are so talented and so eager to share their knowledge! Love this series!

[@asgnecco]

I met Kevin a few months ago and he's just the most fantastic guy. I'm an amateur theater mixer and wanted to ask him 2 minutes of questions, and he must have talked to me for nearly an hour and gave a full tour of all the sound infrastructure backstage. Amazing guy and an astonishingly technically complex show.

[@newmancl0]

I was blow away when I saw the show by the delays/echos. I thought, holy crap, the engineer is doing that live. The audio engineer is the real star of the show

[@happodojo]

We need to see Kevin rocking the board during a performance, please!! I know they don't want the show's audio so even a silent version would be fine!

[@griffin8062]

Here is a video of a different guy mixing hamilton on the same console. twitter.com/lacketylac/status/692747162573279232

[@jeremyburd20021]

That’s Justin, he’s the A1 for Hamilton. Broadway

[@KSJAFN]

Old comment, but here's a good video of someone mixing musical theatre: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqC5Zmunhpp9eMk

[@markcoren2842]

This is definitely my favorite Tested behind the scenes episode. Light and sound were my original wheelhouse. It's always great to see someone who loves it so much and is also good at explaining their approach! Thanks to both of you!

[@discflame]

My experience in live sound reinforcement is that we are doing our jobs perfectly if no one notices we're even there. A mix engineer for music gets to set it and forget it (not to diss, that's a good job too), but with live sound mixing for a live band, or for theater like this, everything changes all the time. I love to see stuff like this

[@jas_bataille]

As a mix engineer for music, is sound significantly better with you do slight arrangement on the EQ, level and so on. There are extremely minute adjustments as opposed to this but I do them all the time, and so does most music mixers working on analogue board in a old school way. I hate the culture that tend to go in the direction of stopping playing the sound board, which back in the days for recording, was the *only* way to do it anyway...! And I'm from the new generation but I still hate it. The room, the voice of the singer depending on so many variables, the sound of instruments or level of pitch correction you need to apply depending on weather or how strained the singers are... yes I am a total perfectionist but so is anyone who want to work on this level.

[@HilltopGaming]

Please for the love of God tell us you've interviewed the lighting techs too!

[@waterlemonandfriends]

I hope he did! I bet if he hasn't already he will.

[@FungleFunTime]

oh look an LD complaining

[@WolfePaws]

@@FungleFunTime Noise boy complaining about a lampy? I've been out of the business for years, so it's good to see nothing changes...

[@HilltopGaming]

@@FungleFunTime Honestly, I've dabbled in both audio and lighting design. Out of practice now but am still interested in the field

[@ZadieBear]

@@HilltopGaming I have been out of both sound & lighting design for years too......but seeing a show & talking to the techs (if I can) is always wonderful for this old LD

[@TheEternalDreamers]

I’m a theatre sound designer and audio engineer. Mixing musicals is super hard but a wonderful challenge. Thanks for posting this and showing the world how cool this work is.

[@rossd9723]

It's always a pleasure to listen to someone that knows their craft, and loves it as much as this guy does. Thanks for bringing this to us.

[@adrielle3168]

kevin mccoy: *sneezes* entire company: panik 100

[@j.d.3597]

I was a Theatre Sound Mixer for 10 years and left around the time of digital boards becoming more popular. It's really heartwarming to see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. This was a fantastic video to watch!

[@AtOddsAlways]

Kevin McCoy! One of the many true professionals I've had the pleasure to work with in this great business and proud to call him a friend. Nice work Kevin and Adam.

[@ryangreen4305]

I can’t even unmute my microphone in a Zoom meeting without having some trouble.

[@barnabyjones3708]

Okay, I figured this job was hard. But juggling mics between LINES. Damn, massive respect for that skill, and also for that beard!

[@DanHartwigMusic]

Used to mix shows like this, can 100% relate to 4:57 ! Remember that rush well.

[@holly-wm7ul]

I would love to know how "satisfied" is mixed with the whole rewind part and all that its amazing

[@rogierdancona8462]

Probably playback from protools

[@damienfigueras3636]

@@rogierdancona8462 Ableton actually! There's no Protools on this show. But there is an Ableton rig that is run by the drummer that has some sound effects on it as well as some of the electronic loops.

[@TrevorHigginsDustysqueak]

Yay! A fellow audio engineer. Thanks Kevin and Adam. Great to see what is happening in that world.

[@MrGreenAKAguci00]

As a sound guy I'm massively thankful for that material. Thanks a lot.

[@SmolFenFen]

“Learning how to learn, is the key here” 11:09 so much truth in that sentence.

[@SmolFenFen]

I work in IT/Dev and ppl who are inexperienced, but learn are better than knowledgeable ppl who stick to what they know. Constant self-evolution is a skill.

[@animussemideus]

I got to work with Kevin on an audio crew in 2021 on Hamilton (and as it would happen, that very DigiCo console). For theater, that show is MASSIVE. The amount of work that goes into it is incredible, and by no means is it easy at all. Gotta hand it to Kevin - this is one of the most essential yet thankless jobs in the entire industry, and on his end it wasn't just limited to audio world. For all that he does, that guy makes his end of the production run smooth as silk.

[@DennisVlaanderen]

It's interesting to see that he manually mixes all his Cues. I've done theatre shows in the past where I set up a Cue-list that I just press a button to switch mics on/off. That way it was so much easier for me to focus my attention on effects and balancing the level of the mics without having to memorize the entire fader dance. It fun to see how every audio console is built to do the same thing. Mix multiple audio signals into a smaller amount of signals for amplification. But every engineer has their own way of working with those consoles.

[@jackprice6599]

Thinking the same thing, seems like under utilising the desks functions. It is possible that's how the show was built/designed but still seems very labor intense and stressful for the operator.

[@DennisVlaanderen]

@@jackprice6599 Generally with shows like these the show's original tech will have moved on, but will have instructed the next in line how to work the show. And basically all they get to do and have time for is to rinse and repeat it how it was set-up. Quite often a show director will also not want a tech to chance the way a show is operated when it's already in production. It's kind of the nature of the showbizz beast.

[@seablaede]

@@jackprice6599 Actually programming mutes wouldn't fly on Broadway or regional theater. In most shows actors are mic'd with omnidirectional elements typically on the forehead. As a result they pick up a lot of extra noise and mutes cutting on and off are heard much more easily than even quick fades, especially in dialog. Add on to that that changes can happen rapidly, causing you to have to make small changes to levels because someone is a bit louder on that line, picks up a bit more energy, etc. for this night, means that you constantly have your hands on the faders anyways to accommodate. You just can't program the motions that a good mixer makes at this point is the end result.

[@MrGreenAKAguci00]

@@seablaede yeah I initially thought of just programming flying faders to do the job, but when he said that he is basically doing live compression on the faders for the quieter syllabs, that idea quickly went out of the window. I mean compression can do a lot but it won't replace volume control like that.

[@ericboxman]

i couldnt imagine programming every minor change in mic position a single scene could be over a hundred cues. also as said before because of the mics that are generally used just hard mutes won't work in these rooms

[@sakurap95]

Now all I can imagine is the guy behind the sound booth to Hamilton having the time of his life with his fingers flying over the board, in real time, for the whole musical, like it’s Dance Dance Revolution. 🤣 Just imagine keeping up with “Guns and Ships”. 😎 Respect.

[@brandonb.5304]

This job has got to be insanely intricate and difficult. My god. So much respect for this guy and every audio engineer that works or has worked on this show.

[@davidrobinson4291]

That is the most meticulous soundboard setup I've ever seen! Bless Mr.Mcoy!

[@RimmyTimfpv]

As someone who has mixed a number of shows myself (as well as having done sound design, sfx and underscore, and even been on stage once or twice), I have nothing but mad respect for Mr. McCoy here. What a challenging show in every aspect, the dynamics, the pace, and the music is all very unique to this show, and I would love to spend an evening sitting behind him watching him at his craft. Keep it up, keep your passion for the craft of audio alive, and thank you for the dive into this tech booth.

[@EB-yx4fn]

this whole behind the scenes series has such good energy! I'm glad everyone working the show is so enthusiastic :D

[@dreathnor]

Running live sound for a theatre production is an absolutely amazing experience. My first (and most memorable) time was the very first show I worked on. I was in college and my school was running a production of Young Frankenstein: The Musical. I had never run sound like that before, but I was in the audio engineering program and just dove at the chance. Without even thinking about it, when my professor (and head sound designer for the show) asked for volunteers I didn't think twice about volunteering. Myself and a fellow student jumped in face first into a world we had no experience in and to my surprise we excelled. My co-engineer and I, on closing night, had the stage manager and crew ask the audience to thank us for making the show run so smoothly and successfully. Thank you so much Adam for highlighting an oft-overlooked (unless something goes wrong with the sound) position in the theatre.

[@gracevorosmarti3685]

This is a great interview! You can tell he is so excited about his job and you asked such good questions that he could elaborate on

[@esluv2laff]

Mr. Kevin McCoy you are a genius. You are a conductor, part of the band, and a director and all of this in LIVE moment. Your script book is your recipe "it's like cooking" .. such a great metaphor of what you do. "Learning how to learn is the key".. My hats off to you sir.

[@miguero]

Adam never disappoints as an interviewer. This video is great to both layman and expert alike. Thanks.

[@my5cents4u]

holy cow! That was amazing! Had no clue that it was so much work and technology behind not having all microphones on all the time. Fabulous skills!

[@Highlander556]

Having done some sound mixing in a university level production, I can appreciate the amount of work that anyone who works in sound for stage shows

[@MorganMcCauley11]

Thank you for introducing more people to our profession. As a theatre sound engineer & designer, it was a delight to watch Adam's intro to the largest musical instrument in existence, the digital sound board as used for a musical theatre production.

[@daveco1270]

"Theodosia writes me a song everyday?" He's heard "Wait For It" thousands of times...and he got the opening lyric wrong. : ) Joking aside, I have mad respect for this guy. There's no way I could do that job... I get stressed out too easily. I had no idea they only had the mic on when that character was speaking. There's so much back and forth, that doesn't even seem possible.

[@correnolsonlighting391]

So glad to see you did this! There is so much that goes into any production event (theater, concerts, even corporate meetings) that no one ever notices unless it doesn't work. As a production guy myself, it's encouraging to see someone with your audience sharing our side of the world with the masses! Hope to see maybe an interview with the lighting designer for the show too coming up....?

[@michaelcaplin8969]

4:30 Adam genuinly had his mind blown. Mine too by the way! Holy craps!

[@JW93HB07]

As a predominantly UK based theatre Soundie I must say this is brilliant. A great look at an area of the job I often struggle to explain to people. Thanks for doing a great job guys!

[@suyashjoshi5851]

Thank you so much for making this one! I could never have imagined the complexity and hard work that goes into mixing such great shows!

[@JDickson81]

I'm glad Adam got a chance to meet Kevin and see how awesome he and what he does is. Kevin's one of those people you can have an interesting conversation with about just anything.

[@BoonMcNougat]

If this man shaved his head he'd age 20 years. If he shaved his beard he'd become 20 years younger. Therefore he should save half his head and face and return to 0+- years older/younger than he should look. This has been my TEDx speech, thankyou for listening.

[@tekchik69]

Man, the passion this guy has for the gig. I’m so happy to see mixers that are just eager to learn instead of trying to prove how much they know. It’s been 2 weeks since I’ve sat behind my console (stupid Corona) and this guy is really making me miss it!!

[@akareject]

Love this! Highlighting the jobs that rarely get any love or attention but are just as important to putting on a good show. Maybe you could do the lighting next?

[@ChuggyC]

As an ex-sound engineer in the UK, this is a great video. Echoing a comment he makes that he is playing along with everyone on stage & pit, this is a very important lesson a dear departed friend & mentor taught with me, probably the most important to remember that you all need to play well together. Thanks Adam & the Tested crew to be high lighting this.

[@fish3977]

this was actually really interesting and hearing how much the tech just cared about it all was wonderful

[@pennysunder671]

Thanks Adam. What a jack of all trades you are. There are so many behind the scenes jobs that go into making something awesome that go unnoticed and you have no issue pointing them out. So much appreciated. You can talk intelligently with any of these guys. It is a testament to you and your pursuit of knowledge which I totally respect.

[@digitaldobbie]

Welcome to the bridge Adam, I hope you enjoyed starship control!

[@okay1173]

there is nothing better than the feeling of working on a show and having it come out well, i’ve only worked on small productions so far but his comment about being at 90% panic is too true but the feeling afterwards is soo worth it!

[@Michigan_Adventures]

As a musician I always felt like another band member when I mixed. This interview is amazing!

[@matthewgrady16]

I work in live video so i work with guys like this pretty often and i just have mad respect for this guy and the balance of sane/crazy that you need to get it done

[@owentyas]

Please can we see what the musicians get up to, interview the MD or some of the band! Would love to see how it looks and sounds from their end!

[@JeffPom]

At times he sounded like an accompanist for a soloist. He lets them do their thing, and follows along - enhancing them in the background. They change, he changes. Or maybe even before a performance, talking about it ahead of time.

[@TheWanderingN00b]

Yaay somebody paid attention to the sound mixer! Thanks for a great vid!

[@CekalaStudios]

It Is amazing to see the audio community get some love. While I am more in the video department, I worked alongside a FoH person for an event I filmed a month ago. IT was a conference, and there was little to no communications between the Event organizers, the venue, and the staff at the venue. The FoH person chugged through it all, even with the unannounced Q/A, and one of the speakers moving the podium to center stage, instead of where it was on stage left.

[@brikstik3442]

OMG THIS IS SO COOL. I love to see other people's perspectives on my industry and adam is such a cool and knowledgeable guy

[@pigeongod8317]

I am a Junior Audio Engineer, currently 15 and in school I enjoy watching this kind of stuff due to the fact that these people can explain to people that want to know more about the time and work it takes to get all this setup and ready. I also use a Yamaha TF3 Mixing desk to do the shows with and love it.

[@SenorBolsa]

He nailed the experience of live sound reinforcement on the head, you really are a part of the play and I love it. I never get to work with such fancy toys though! You can do a lot with some bog standard rental gear regardless. =)

[@ninjaz5736]

"Learn how to learn" - that is probably the best bit of advice I could give to anyone wanting to start out a career backstage. Admittedly mine was during Secondary School (Y9-13) and a year afterwards voluntarily, but learning how to read documentation, how to figure out the systems, that is what makes you a person that people want to have around. Not in a cool swaggery way, but as someone who really knows their stuff and can come up with solutions on the fly. Can't say I was or am perfect, or even near the best, not at all, but it really helps to have one or two people on the team who know the whole system inside and out, who can figure out what is wrong and what is needed. Learning to learn is how to start that process. For me it was reading documentation, for others it's trying out and others have other ways.

[@cadenglass1387]

Im mixing my first summer stock this year and this got me even more hyped!

[@coreysimm]

I've been mixing live sound professionally for over 20 years now. I've never seen an interview as engaging as this one. You managed to draw out the excitement of a live show with your own enthusiasm for learning something new. And this is coming from someone who has mixed very large shows for a long time so it's not new to me. Great job!!

[@gizmostudioshd]

As a live and recording sound engineer for the last 15 years, nice to see it getting some love on Tested!

[@extendedblundering]

I love the enthusiasm you have and share while helping illuminate these often more obscure essential roles. The excitement undoubtably is felt and appreciated by the talent as they aren't as accustomed to experiencing it I'd imagine. Awesome interview!

[@jhngrc_]

6:10 Adrianna, the one who makes the microphones in the other video? She's even more badass!

[@ManOfArron0]

It's amazing what goes on behind the curtain or the camera and in a way they have their own play as to how the crew move around and orchestrate themselves. Truly amazing

[@TheCellCH]

wow this is just amazing when he started to explain how he turns microphones on and off. That's just crazy

[@stanlee5465]

What microphones do they use? Isn't the whole point of something like an SM 58 that it's directional, so the mic doesn't really pick up anything unless you're singing directly into it? You'd think that they'd select microphones that are better at rejecting off axis sounds, so you don't have to actually turn the mic off when not in use... And I'm guessing it wouldn't be a show ender if one of the mics was accidentally left up at some point :)

[@danm4320]

@@stanlee5465 Watch this video with adam about how they make the mics kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWaUdauHnM2VnpI

[@MAKuser]

@stan Lee Have you ever seen actors with SM58 attached to their bodies? 😂 They have small wireless mics.

[@griffin8062]

@@stanlee5465 The mics they use are DPA 4066 or similar, which are omnidirectional mics. To use a directional mic would require a mic stuck out in front of the actor which is unsightly. Mics are instead hidden on foreheads or the side of the face.

[@Percyflag]

I always enjoy how much Adam really, really enjoys and appreciates people who absolutely know how to do their jobs. He even uses the phrase "Holy cow!" You gotta love that! Always fun and informative.

[@lightingcue1]

This is awesome! Any chance Adam visited the lighting department as well?

[@ElijahCiali]

YES! FINALLY US LD'S GET REPRESENTATION!

[@realSethMeyers]

@@ElijahCiali Get back up in the catwalk Lampy

[@ElijahCiali]

Seth D. Meyers did the gels get burnt again?

[@earlybro19]

So much talent/skill for this type of job. I’ve watched a guy out of Atlanta do this for a smaller show and I was blown away. I can’t imagine doing it for Hamilton. So awesome to highlight these guys

[@mil0931]

"Theodosia writes me a SONG every day " daamn she has no chill

[@arothmanmusic]

Miłosz K Lol - I’m just amused that a guy who hears the show more often than anyone commenting here managed to get the lyric wrong.

[@demonpotato9069]

That’s what I thought lol

[@marym7886]

What a good interview. I've seen the SF show many times and Kevin's sound mixing is great! I read somewhere that the mics are turned on and off for each line. This gives confirmation of that, and more insight into how it's done. I cannot believe how much work and precise timing is required to turn on and off the mics for every actor. The job seems severely challenging, but when you have it down so well after doing it for more than a year, I'll bet it's incredibly rewarding.

[@justinranum7351]

DAMNIT KEVIN! Interviewed by Adam Savage??? My hat is off to you sir, I'm officially next level jealous. So by the precedent we have previously established... does that mean I should be looking for Adam outside my cave door sometime soon?? Hey Mr. Savage... I've got snacks ;-) #adamsavage

[@glennkurtzrock]

This is amazing, and so cool that Adam goes behind the scenes to talk to these people who for the most part, most people don't even realize exist as part of the show, but they're such an integral part of the show. Even more amazing is that the sound guy doesn't get a break - even Hamilton has songs where he sings less, and at least one song where he doesn't sing at all, but this guy has to be ON for every song all the way through. Truly impressive.

[@lithiaknopp4019]

Me: Geek Out Video #3 for behind the scenes Hamilton. Also Me: Inserts 'Where It Happens' every damn time they say the word 'Room'

[@pala1742]

Man .. this one of the few tested episodes I watched twice on the same day. I watched it at work on the side and was so enticed by the way he spoke that I couldn't stop. IT felt like I wasn't doing the interview justice be not watching it propperly.. So just came Home and rewatched the whole clip. The enthusiasm, and joy this Artist radiats ist beautiful. It always gets me when people transport so much passion while talking about their profession. Also so well spoken, as if Interviews are a daily occurrence

[@Bailes324]

Theatre is amazing, I am a theatre technician and it is so much fun. you should film about the lighting system for Hamilton mainly because that's what I'm most interested in shows.

[@guillaumelalonde7945]

I agree, being an LD myself, I'm really curious as to the console their running. I'm guessing either a MA or something like a EOS bosrd

[@nicksimmons7234]

@Guillaume Lalonde It’s Eos!

[@bevanarcher4586]

C'mon ya bunch of squints! Either the light is on, or it's off... What else is there to talk about?!? Oh wait, when it's off but should be on, or on but should be off? Wow... What a great 45 second video that would be...... Heeeehehehe!

[@guillaumelalonde7945]

@@nicksimmons7234 do you know if it's like a Ti or a Gio?

[@nicksimmons7234]

@Bevan Archer it’s ok I get paid a lot of money to turn lights on or off!

[@abassplayer4life]

As a musician and also working with a FOH company for live concerts, I watched Hamilton last night and immediately started thinking about the FOH job for the show. Amazing.

[@joeystanton8111]

As a fellow sound engineer I'm confused why you'd play the desk live on every word rather than using the gates on the Digico. Still, cool insight

[@jeff92k7]

Most likely, gating would not give the same level of resultant quality. If the gate threshold is set too low, then the mic is just staying open too much and picking up stage wash, other actors (causing nasty phasing issues), and so on. If the threshold is set too high, then the gates don't open to catch the quiet, subtle parts of the actor/vocalist. You'd have to constantly change the threshold on multiple gates for multiple mics to achieve the same result and that's just not practical. In some productions, like this one, you just have to "ride" the faders constantly. Plus, good engineers like riding the faders since it allows you to "play" the console like an instrument. It's a very tactile, artistic feeling, versus messing with technical parameters like gate thresholds.

[@oppentrapp]

DiGiCo has an automix card (AMM) you can slot into the back of the console which does the job. Many people seem to misunderstand what automixers really do

[@stephenparris9639]

Broadway actors are singing with such intensity at close proximity to one another that another actor’s voice could easily kick other mics’ gates open. Also, gates wouldn’t prevent missed lines being heard. Meaning, if an actor jumps the gun on a line, the mixer having his/her channel muted would prevent it from being heard.

[@oppentrapp]

@@stephenparris9639 That's were automixers shine, you wont miss the lines, unless of course you're slow on the next snapshot button.

[@jcabanaw]

@F. Meilleur amen!

[@bminkl8050]

I always appreciate what sound techs do. I just started work for my church and will be getting lots of time with a Digico SD 12. Love playing and learning about everything that goes into shows, concerts, worship and performances.

[@TF_Tony]

This guy appears so wholesome, it's adorable. He also seems not only fit for the job but genuinely in love with it, which just warms my heart.

[@EmporioZuagroast]

the few times when i was mixing musicals, i always thought to myself that the way i was doing things was too involved and no musical/theater person would be working like that - always ridingthe faders while looking at my script that i had spent filling with notes during rehearsals... and now, after watching this video, i know that i have always been doing things exactly the way that the big names in the business do. i feel reassured now and am looking forward to my next musical/theater job 😁

[@MusicBent]

Niko Obermayr whats the benefit of mixing line by line? Obviously a hot mic could rub on clothing and pick up background noise. But is it worth the effort and risk of not having the line set correctly at the right time (so the audience notices)?

[@djnvision]

@@MusicBent ​ Phasing is a big one, fewer mics less chance of feedback, cleaner sound, more dynamic mix.

[@oppentrapp]

@@djnvision That's what the automix feature is for

[@MusicBent]

Nick McPherson another question, what types of monitors do performers use - if any - for plays and musicals?

[@djnvision]

@@oppentrapp Automixers are not for theatre sound

[@charlesrobichaud-parahawkm4088]

Thank you for being so generous with your time and sharing this unique experience. Special thanks to Kevin, he is outstanding.

[@stevevandyke5914]

Was I the only one thinking "wow, noisy HVAC" when seeing the RTA running? :-)

[@bbastudio1234]

moving lights lol

[@Uncle-Duncan-Shack]

Awesome! Here in South Africa I work for the local office of a drives company whom supplies the drives to control the motors for all the stage machinery in the South African theaters. From the stage lifts, wagons and rotates to the hoists above the grid. It's very rewarding working in that environment. Mix that with the lighting guy and the third one who controls the movement of the scenery, a lot goes on in a show. It's wonderful, thanks for sharing Adam! Best regards, Duncan

[@aczibcultur]

Why having only the person talking mic on? I mean I’m genuinely curious.

[@aaronchristianson6874]

It leaves a cleaner sound, especially in a physically taxing show the actors are likely all breathing pretty heavily when they aren't speaking/singing because of their intense movement, in costume, in lights, in front of a crowd. Having only the mic for the line on makes the audio cleaner and easier to follow the lines. Called "Line by Line" mixing. Hope this helps!

[@GeoffPG]

What Aaron said, But it also prevents whats called "hot micing" which is the mic picking up unwanted noise, as mention by Aaron, but prevents actors that go off-stage from being heard while they prep for the next scene. Such as costume change or relay information. It's difficult to coordinate a show behind the curtain without talking, having only the speaking individual(s) mic on allows for communication backstage without the audience hearing it. This guy's job, is CRITICAL!

[@jasonlawrence4916]

Yeah, it’s all about keeping the ambient noise down, including breaths, air, etc.

[@aaronchristianson6874]

It also helps with when actors might be facing each other, you might hear an actors line come through the mic of the person they are talking too, which sounds weird, so it keeps that from happening.

[@enlightendbel]

It gives a far cleaner sound and well, those people aren't all just standing still, some may be out of breath, some may be dancing, some may be swinging props around. And, there's 25 actors, they aren't all on stage all the time, you don't really want to even accidentally have off-stage sound get heard.

[@markgilbert6514]

Thank you for this series! I have a friend who works stage crew for Bway tours and it helps me understand his job better! Keep it up!

[@TheDrummerSteven]

dude needs to program some scenes! As a FOH sound engineer there is a lot more he could be doing.

[@othercharr]

The real art of mixing is not depending on a computer to mix for you.

[@IraMcCully]

He has scenes. The band mutes/levels/fx, the mutes/levels/fx/dyn/eq for each actor and faders/layers to bring the important folk to his fingers. Then he mixes.

[@AwesomeShotStudios]

Props to Adam for taking us to the FOH, and behind the scenes. These are the underappreciated heroes that make the actors look (and sound) so good.