[SML] In house mix location

[mouse at fieldmousepro.com]

The simple answer to your question is no. Wireless tablets are not a 
replacement for a proper booth space along with a physical mixer that is 
large enough to accommodate the events that are regularly held there. 
The line being argued by the teacher you mentioned is nothing more than 
a new take on the same old lines of thinking that we've fought for 
decades.

There have always been forces that try to relegate technicians to back 
corners, enclosed booths, broom closets, and even moving them to 
entirely different buildings. What's missing in that line of thinking is 
always the same: The technicians are an integral artistic part of the 
production, creating and modifying their part of the show 
moment-by-moment, based upon the performers, the environment of the 
venue, and the audience themselves. The best audience experiences come 
from giving the technicians the opportunity to become an audience member 
as closely as possible, seeing and hearing exactly what the rest of the 
audience sees and hears, while hiding them enough that their actions 
aren't distracting to the other audience members.

Wireless tablets are indeed a valuable tool for being able to easily 
make adjustments in different areas of the venue. However, none of the 
tablets have enough useable controls to replace a real, physical console 
for anything more than the most basic of events. Complex events such as 
musical shows, those with cues that need to be timed, having stage 
monitors or in-ears that need to be adjusted by someone other than the 
performer, ones with multiple inputs or any type of dynamic performances 
all require physical faders, knobs, and buttons that can be moved in a 
rapid, accurate, and easy manner. Many actions are done on-the-fly with 
fractions of a second to decide and implement them. Small, featureless 
touch screens are too cumbersome to use effectively for complex moves or 
over a large number of controls. The lack of tactile controls prevents 
the operator from implementing the numerous subtle and repeatable moves 
that are required.

Additionally beyond the use of a mixer, an audio engineer almost always 
needs to interface with other gear. Whether for playback, intercom, 
recording, wireless receivers, video monitors, or just looking at notes, 
a tablet can't replace every function. Plus, technicians are people; 
they need space to place things and organize a workspace so they can do 
their jobs the best way.

Seen in this light, the square footage of the technician's working space 
is easily the most valuable in the entire venue; worth far more than the 
simple number of paid seats that might be placed there instead. The 
reason? If a patron has a bad experience, the exposure is limited to 
their ticket and a possible refund. If a technician can't do their job 
well, it effects *every* patron in the audience and degrades the 
production as a whole. A fight to give the technicians the resources 
they need is a fight to sustain the quality of the entire production.

Stephen

On 2024-03-25 9:12 am, Bill Conner via Stagecraft wrote:

> I guess I'm old fashioned but I have regarded the in house mix location 
> as fundamental to a good theatre design: central to audience, good 
> sightlines for operator as well as audience behind, easy access 
> including wheelchair accessible, good connectivity including cable 
> paths for temporary use.
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