Answer: Line by line.

The best way to mix a musical is to mix using a technique commonly called “line by line mixing”. To be clear, there will always be more than one way to skin the (theater prop) cat, but line by line mixing is proving to be the industry standard, and there is a reason behind it.

First, let’s consider why would not want to mix line by line.

Problems Associated With Not Mixing Line By Line

1. Phasing (Ø)

   • Phasing occurs when two mics are in close proximity to each other. This is a constant occurrence with a musical with a large number of microphones and performers. If one performer is singing, and there are three other mics nearby picking up the first performer, it will not sound right because of phasing.

     • See the video to the right for a brief description of phasing. It focuses on recording, but the concepts and physics of the issue are the same.

2. Feedback

   • A feedback loop can be created many ways. A feedback loop often simply sounds like a tone. The most common cause of feedback is a microphone that is placed too close to the speaker. Feedback is quite literally a loop of the same sound repeating over and over. The reason you hear the tone over and over again is because that frequency is being looped through the system. Mic to speaker, and back to mic. The more microphones that are live on a stage, the more likely it is that a frequency will get trapped in that cycle.

3. The general tone and quality suffers

   • This is really to reiterate the points made above. If you spend a lot of time eq-ing each individual mic and aligning the system, then you don’t want to take the risk and potentially not sound professional. The best way to do that is to eliminate any grey area and to mix line by line.

How to Mix a Musical Line By Line

So… How do you mix line by line? I have included a short video that shows an engineer mixing line by line so you can see what it looks like. Then I will describe the process.

To mix line by line you have to use a console where you are able to program scenes and DCA’s or VCA’s. What you do is you take all the wireless lavs that you are using, lets just say 20 to give us a round number, and you program the 20 mics that you need in the scene to one of the 8-10 DCA’s or VCA’s. This will give you the ability to mix about half the number of faders at one time, but still having as much control over the sound as possible. You are essentially grouping, but changing the groups and their assignments throughout the show. The video above shows the assignments to the right on the screen. It is not always 1 mic to 1 DCA. For example, the whole ensemble or band can be on a fader if they need to be, it is all dependent on the needs of the show and the preference of the engineer.

This is by no means a list of ways that this process “must” be done, but here is the process I go through pre-programming.

1. Step one — you must read the script and be very familiar with the characters.

2. You read again, only this time you start planning out where your scenes will go in the script. I usually have a spreadsheet open on my computer so I can keep track of my plan for the group assignments.

   • Here is an example

3. Start programming. I lay out all of my channels in a spreadsheet prior to programming. Here is an example of some paperwork from when I did A Chorus Line on a Yamaha M7CL console. I tend to keep the same format each show I do, just changing the necessary information.

   • Stay tuned for a “how to program scenes” post. As always if you have any questions I have not answered you can comment in the comment section below or contact me, I am happy to answer any questions.

4. Once you have programmed, you are technically ready for a rehearsal.

   • Hopefully you have a chance to practice first though. I often practice by playing a recording of a designer run or music rehearsal. It takes a lot of coordination and practice to get your hands in the right position at the right time. While you do have the script in front of you, there is a fair amount that is not possible to write down and you will need to either remember or play it by ear.

What does Mixing line by line look like?

Well. This one is a little hard to explain, but I have heard it a few times compared to conducting an orchestra. Your hands are always moving. I’ve included the video above as reference.

Your end goal is to make all the moving pieces seamless so that the audience doesn’t notice mics turning on and off constantly, and also achieving consistency with each performance. The engineer is often riding all of the faders on the DCA’s. The few times that your hands will stray from that bank is to advance a scene, turn a page, or to make a critical adjustment. Remember, you should be adapting your programming throughout tech so that the scenes do the heavy lifting. If you find yourself making the same adjustment multiple days in a row, try and find a way to program it into a scene. At the end of the day the best advice I have is to just trust your ears.

Please feel free to comment on any other tips you might have, or contact me with specific questions.

Happy Mixing!

Fin