Lights and Sound: Laptops running sound

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Laptops running sound

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Lights and Sound
Forum Discription: Technical discussion
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1862
Printed Date: 5/04/25 at 12:01am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Laptops running sound

Posted By: sap11
Subject: Laptops running sound
Date Posted: 5/22/06 at 8:29am

My community theater is curious about finding a computer program to
run the sound cues. Does anyone know of any? For MAC and/or PC
Thanks for the help!

Replies:

Posted By: Playwright
Date Posted: 5/22/06 at 10:10am

One of the CT's I work with uses a mini-disc for sound. No computer to run it but the player makes it incredibly easy to do sound.

Posted By: dougb
Date Posted: 5/22/06 at 10:56am

I have been using a program on my PC laptop called Sound Cue System for two or three years. It is absolutely great. www.soundcuesystem.com.

They have recently come out with a new version but I am still on release 8. It can do just about anything I need it to do and we do a lot of complex shows.

I looked at their description for release 9 and I would NOT get the lite version. I am using release 8 professional level and would suggest you at least start with the standard level.

The only problem I have had with it is starting more than one cue at a time - if a cue starts off at a low level, the operator thinks it didn't start and hits the start key again ending up with two cues running at once (ugly).

What I particularly like is the control over the sound cues. Start and stop times can be set to the individual frame, they can be manually started or automatically started by another cue.

Other than being a satisfied customer, I have no relationship with them at all.

Posted By: acmeactor
Date Posted: 5/22/06 at 10:58am

We have been using Sound Cue System for a couple of years now and it has been PERFECT. I do alot of sound work and this program works for all of my needs.

http://www.soundcuesystem.com/ - Sound Cue System for theatre sound effects and music cues

Posted By: organ grinder
Date Posted: 5/22/06 at 1:08pm

I can't say enough about the SCS program....I have both versions, 8 & 9, (which does handle multiple start cues quite nicely. A nice feature is password protection that allows 'locking in' the program once it's set. AND the entire program including music and the sfx can move from computer to computer on a media card or the like. I have also used it to build backup cds and mini disks - which I have never needed. But I do like the piece of mind. The laptop is a $300 (ebay) Dell and is much more than actually needed.

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"Fly specks, I've been living my life among fly specks"
Dr. Chumley

Posted By: hessian
Date Posted: 8/07/06 at 6:38pm

We have found iTunes to be a remakably easy way to run both sound effects and music. Just bring your audio files to the theatre no a memory stick or CD and import them directly into iTunes. (You can't use an iPod unless you re-synch your iPod to the audio computer, which promptly erases your iPod.)

You can even make a separate playlist for each show. You can stack both the music and sound effects inthe order you need them, and just click to play.

It's also quite helpful for choreography rehearsals - much easier to cue to a specific spot than a CD.

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Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Posted By: avcastner
Date Posted: 5/20/07 at 11:25am

Believe it or not, I used Windows Media Player to run sound a couple of plays ago. The only thing I found frustrating is that I needed to put the cue on "pause" before pressing "play" or it would take forever to load--much like a CD player.

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Posted By: brendan
Date Posted: 5/31/07 at 1:27am

i used windows media player to run sound for a production a while back, i adapted the output to 1/4" then used it as an input to the board. then i sent it through 3 speakers, 1 wired for L, 1 fr R, and 1 as an aux, and could make cars pulling up come from one side, or the other, and an explosion noise come from the third behind the audience.

it really doesnt matter what program you use. its whatever your more comfortable with. i prefer using our cd playback, but since this show required a crossfade from one track to the next at different times, i used a laptop and playback.

kinda complex, i know.

Posted By: tblan
Date Posted: 6/09/07 at 6:29pm

What many professional and touring productions use a program called SFX by Stage Research. It works very well, but it is pricey. You can find it at http://www.stageresearch.com/products/index.aspx

Posted By: skyguy
Date Posted: 1/26/08 at 7:41pm

If you're running Mac, you can get "Macs Cue". I found it to be quite comprehensive little program for about $20. Of course, there is alphabet soup as well, but I wasn't nearly as impressed by it.

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Can I have some more talent in the monitors please?

Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 1/27/08 at 8:21am

Its been over a year since I've been up in "the booth" but I believe we are still using sound forge with a midi sequencer.. has always worked great and allows for adjustment right in the program..

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Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

Posted By: domiii
Date Posted: 7/02/08 at 11:25pm

Another vote for Sound Cue System. I have been using it for years.

In our small community theatre booth space is limited we share it with the box office, so I have one tech that runs the lights and sound. I program the lighting console, an ETC Express 48/96 to fire the sound cues using MIDI. It works great!! All the board op has to do is hit the go button on the Express and it works the lights and sound. This makes it easy to train board ops so just about anyone can run the show.

Sound Cue System even supports multiple sound cards so you can have sounds come from different places on the stage. You can even pan between sets of speakers. I have had a song coming out of a radio on stage at the end of a scene move to the FOH speakers when the curtain closes to cover scene changes.

Love SCS!

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Karen & Dom

Posted By: amkuntz
Date Posted: 8/21/08 at 2:19am

We have been using Soundplant, it is a freeware program that allows you to attach sounds to the keyboard of your laptop. We have used it for the past 10 years and it is such a simple program and you get your sound effect without having to cue it up. http://www.soundplant.org/ - http://www.soundplant.org

Posted By: TimmyP1955
Date Posted: 1/02/10 at 4:41pm

There are a number of programs available. Q-Lab and SFX are very flexible and comprehensive, but are also rather expensive.

Media Player and iTunes are free, but do not lend themselves well to theater, where exact timing and the ability to run concurrent/overlapping cues is very important.

The best compromise I've seen so far is the aforementioned Sound Cue System. It does almost everything - if not everything - that the expensive programs do, but most any organization should be able to afford it. (An added bonus is that the creator is very responsive to user input about bugs and feature changes.)

Posted By: colugino
Date Posted: 4/02/10 at 3:36pm

Sound Cue software is absolutely AMAZING! I tried everything from Win Media Player, Itunes, etc and finally broke down and bought Sound Cue. Was the best investment. It preloads the sound files so no lag time like the players would do.

I also use Sound Cue for my haunted house I run. It allows you to play each track to a different sound card (I have the one the supports up to 16 sound cards) so we are able to run the sound effects for the entire haunted house from one computer and each room having a different effect or background track playing. If you do a lot of sound cue stuff.. GET THIS!

Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 4/19/10 at 2:08pm

My crew has used laptops for sound effects and music cues over the past couple years. It has been rather successful doing it this way, but it still makes me nervous. So I offer a few precautions:

1) Be sure that the operator mutes the laptop fader on your mixer between cues, or else the audience may here that "bing" prompt sound! This can really ruin the suspension of disbelief during a period play.

2) Forbid your operator from surfing the web or playing video games on the laptop during long scenes in the show! Because, (by the curse of Murphy's Law), as soon as they get a "stand by" for a sound cue, their laptop will lag or freeze up completely or they might even close the wrong window by mistake!

3) Cover your butt by recording backups of the show on other sources or formats, just in case your operator forgets the laptop or is running late. Better yet, impound that particular laptop in a booth cabinet between performances, and make sure the stage manager knows all the computer passwords.

Break a leg, Dana

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Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

Posted By: daveberrier
Date Posted: 5/15/10 at 11:46am

Are you guys serious? Use Q-Lab. It's made for the Mac, does every mixing and fading you could want and it is free. Just download it online!