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Arriving at the Gig
Listen
To the Stage
Just as one room feels different
from another, the sound also carries differently.
The sound in a room can be
affected by countless factors, including the type of
carpet on the floor, the height of the ceiling, the
existence and the location of windows. There’s nothing
you can do about most of those things, but there’s one
thing you should be aware of that offers you a small
amount of control. It’s something few speakers pay
attention to, and maybe that’s the reason I’ve never
read or heard of anyone else making this point, but you
should listen to the stage itself.
Many facilities will have a
portable stage that can be taken down and moved at any
time. The potential issue with these types of platforms
is that they’re typically hollow, and, if cheaply made,
will make booming noises when you walk on them.
We became particularly concerned
about this type of staging when we were playing in the
band, because a hollow stage often meant a thunderous
echo would reverberate from the floor as we pounded on
the drums, or danced around on stage. Now, as a speaker,
it’s not likely that you’ll be quite that dramatic.
Although, if you like to walk around the stage like I
do, there can be a disruptive effect.
Hollow stage platforms often
resonate when you walk on them, and your microphone can
pick up that sound and amplify it, booming through the
room. Because the tone of that sound is very low, it can
be like a bass note roaring across the audience, and
it’s terribly distracting.
I’ve seen many speakers who were
clearly unaware of the thunderous boom from the hollow
stage as they stomped across it, because, often times,
the person on the stage can’t hear it. You’ll want to
either test it yourself, if you have access to the empty
room, or pay close attention to the previous speaker and
see if they’re generating the booming effect as they
walk around on stage. If the effect is happening, you’ll
know that you need to tread lightly on your feet, in
order to avoid creating the same distraction.
So, what’s the lesson? Listen to
the stage to see if it generates a hollow, booming sound
when you walk across it. |