Converting Audio File Formats in Apple Music

MP3 files sometimes have timing issues and can skip or hang up, especially on large files. It is always better to use WAV files or AIFF files.

If you have an MP3 file that you want to use for a show, you'll want to convert it to a WAV file.

Here's how you do this using Apple Music:

1. Launch Apple Music. Make sure your Apple Music import settings are set to wav by going to the Music menu > Preferences > Files > Import Settings > select create using WAV Encoder.
   
2. Back in your music list, highlight your desired sound file and go to File > Convert > Create WAV Version.
   
3. Drag the new version from your music list to your desktop or show folder.
   

Note: If you purchased the file online, it may be restricted and you may not be able to change the format.

QLab 4 Tutorials - Basic Audio Functions

1. Setting Up your Workspace

"

2. Creating and Deleting Audio Cues

"

3. Setting Audio Levels

"

4. Looping and Trimming a Sound

"

5. Adjusting the Speed of a Sound

"

6. Fading Up a Sound on Both Channels

"

7. Fading Channels Separately and Panning a Sound

"

8. Following Cues

"

QLab 4 WalkThrough Tutorial

Here is a step-by-step walk through of the basic audio functions of QLab 4.

To complete this tutorial, you'll need these content files.

Vectorworks Custom Libraries

To add my custom library to your resource manager:

1. Install the Whitehall font. I use this font in my library file (and other Vectorworks files I'll share in class), so I recommend you download and install that font before you launch the custom library.
1. Quit Vectorworks
2. Download and install this free version of the Whitehall font
3. Launch Vectorworks
2. Download my custom library and add it to your favorites files
1. Download Bryan's Custom Library (VW2021)
2. Open your resource manager
3. Click the gear icon and select "add new favorites file" (Pictured above)
4. Then browse your computer for the file you just downloaded

If you are using Vectorworks 2020, here is a previous version of the file.

Research Images and Video Footage

Resolution

When you're looking for images for a design collage or for research, you want to make sure the resolution of the images you find at least 1000 pixels in one direction. Most of the time this will ensure that it is high enough to project, print, or use later in your 3D model.

Usage Rights

When designing for a theatre company it is important to pay attention to the usage rights for images you might use in your final design. You'll do well to familiarize yourself with Creative Commons licenses.

Google Images

Under the tools menu in a Google image search there are features that allow you to filter for high resolution (large) images, and by usage rights (Creative Commons licenses).

Stock Images

Another good way to find high quality images (and this is usually my preference) is to search royalty free stock photo websites.

Here are some sites I use most.

Pixabay, Flickr and stock.xchng have good amateur stock photos, and are free and easy.

Lost and Taken texture gallery and texture lovers are good for textures and are also free.

You can find great images on sites like istockphoto, which has good images that you buy for $12-33.

Storyblocks.com Has photos and video as well as music and effects. Requires a low cost subscription but has lots of good material.

For specific period images you can search the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog or the Life database hosted by google images.

Video Footage

You can find great stock video footage at istockphoto and Getty images, but you can expect to pay somewhere around $50-$100 for a clip.

Storyblocks.com Has photos and video as well as music and effects. Requires a low cost subscription but has lots of good material.

GFU Theatre Speakers

Audacity

Audacity is free open source audio editing software that you can use as a digital audio workstation, like ProTools or Garage Band.
Here is a step-by-step tutorial for Audacity that walks you through the same process we do in class with Garage Band or ProTools.

Design Statements

A design statement should be no more than one page and should cover the following topics:

1. The root action, themes, and ideas of the script.
2. The conceptual approach to the production and the director's vision statements.
3. How your design element fulfills that production concept and supports the script. Present your design goals as well as the specific design choices you have made in order to fulfill those goals. Review the "functions of design" for your discipline and address those as needed.

Here is an example statement for a scenic design of Henry V.

Unprogrammed Wonder: The Theatrical Design Process

Royalty Free Sounds

There are lots of resources out there for free sounds and music. Below are a few that students have found helpful. Some require you to set up an account in order to download their files.

Sound Effects:

• BBC Sound Effectsarchive has a great collection of all their sounds
• Findsounds.com You can specify settings 44.1K, 16-bit. Once you find a sound you like, you'll need to "right click" (control+click on a mac) on the link and select "Download Linked File As..." in order to save it to your show folder.
• Soundbible.com 
• Freesound.org You will need to register for an account.
• Storyblocks.com Requires a low cost subscription but has lots of good material, including music and effects as well as photos and video.

Music:

• Freeplaymusic.com has a wide variety of free underscore and instrumental music. They also have songs with words, which are mostly not helpful. In order to weed those out, go to the Browse Catalog link at the top and select Freeplay Music from the left. You might also find it helpful to search by style or feeling or tempo. You will need to set up an account in order to download.
• Bensound.com Has free as well as paid licensed music.
• Storyblocks.com Has music and effects, as well as photos and video. Requires a low cost subscription but has lots of good material.

If you're designing for an on-campus production, check with me and I can also give you access to our sound effects library.

Sound Equipment Slides

Here are some slides of sound equipment we use in theatre.

Lighting Slides

Here are slides of types of lighting instruments.

Here are slides of lighting accessories and control.

Audio Levels

Here is a post that I think does a good job explaining audio levels.

Balanced and Unbalanced Audio

Here is a post that I think does a good job explaining how balanced audio works.

Lighting Console Training Videos

ETC has a great set of videos for learning our Ion lighting console. The Ion is part of the EOS family of consoles.

Cleaning and Bench Focusing a Source Four

Here are two ETC videos on servicing lighting instruments.

How to clean an instrument.
How to bench focus a source four ERS.

Avoiding Circuit Overload

When you're hanging lights you need to determine how many instruments you can put on a dimmer. To do this you need to use the power formula, W = V A, also known as the "West Virgina" formula.

To use this formula, you first need to determine the Amp rating of your circuit by looking on the circuit breakers on the dimmer pack (they are often 20A, but sometimes 15A). If you are using portable dimmers, you also need to know the Amp rating of the circuit breakers in the electrical panel and you need to know that nothing else is on that circuit. In addition to the dimmer/breaker, you also need to determine the Amp rating of all the cables and connectors you are using. You are limited by the component in the circuit with the lowest Amp rating. Take that lowest Amp rating and multiply it by the standard Voltage in the US, which is 120V. The outcome of that equation will tell you the maximum number of Watts you can put on the circuit.

For example, in Wood-Mar the dimmers are 20A. Since we know the standard Voltage is 120V, then we know we have 2400W available for each dimmer. 20A x 120V = 2400W

You'll then need to determine how many Watts are used by each lighting instrument, which should be listed on the lamp. Source Fours use 575W, PAR 64s use 1000W. So you could put four Source Fours on one circuit. Or you could put two Par 64s on one circuit.

Most of the time this is pretty straight forward, especially since most of the time we like to control only one light per dimmer. Where it gets tricky is in non-theatre spaces like a cafe, a community center, or a church. The hard part in those situations is identifying how many circuits you have available and what the Amp rating is for each of those circuits. Be careful! Multiple electrical receptacles in the room may all be on the same circuit, so you need to locate the electrical panel and find out which breakers or fuses operate which receptacles, and at how many Amps. In this kind of a touring situation, even though you may be using 20A theatre dimmers, you may be limited by the available circuits/Amps the dimmers are plugged into. For example, the portable dimmer packs in the Design Lab contain four dimmers in each pack which is plugged into one 20A circuit - so you must divide the available 2400W among the 4 dimmers. Each dimmer in the pack is capable of handling 1200W, but you can place no more than 2400W on the entire pack.

Troubleshooting Light & Sound Equipment in the Design Lab

If you are having trouble with the light and sound equipment in the design lab, take a look at these FAQs.

Lab Lighting Troubleshooting FAQs

Lab Sound Troubleshooting FAQs

Soldering

We need safe and reliable audio and lighting cables and connectors in live theatre, so you'll want to learn the proper way to repair them. Here are some helpful videos on soldering.

Stripping and Tinning Instrument Cable
Soldering a 1/4" Connector

Stripping and Tinning Speaker Cable
Attaching Speaker Connectors

Stripping and Tinning XLR Cable
Attaching XLR Connectors

Soldering Terminal Connectors Pt. 1
Soldering Terminal Connectors Pt. 2

Live Flame Plan

In order to be approved for using any live flame on stage (even a candle) we must write a Live Flame Plan and get it approved by the local Fire Marshall and by the GFU Director of Safety.

The plan should include every detail about the live flame including contact information; locations, dates and times of all rehearsals and performances; step-by-step descriptions of all actions that involve live flame and names of all people who are involved in those actions; and descriptions of all safety measures.

Here is a copy of our Live Flame Plan for our production of The Broken in 2012.

Please note that this is a specific arrangement we made with our Fire Marshall at this university at a specific time for a specific event. It is offered here as a help, but may not be sufficient for your situation. Get to know your local Fire Marshall. She will help you know what you need to know.