LONDON — Theatre sound designer Richard Brooker is using Waves plug-ins for productions including the new musicals I Dreamed a Dream (based on the life of Susan Boyle) and an adaptation of The Bodyguard. His favorites for live production include Renaissance Compressor, Renaissance Reverb, Bass Rider, SSL G-Equalizer and SSL G-Master Buss Compressor.
Brooker has a long history as a sound designer on shows including Jesus Christ Superstar, Never Forget, The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Chess, Daddy Cool and many more. He has seen his job evolve as audience expectations and the theaters themselves have changed, and recently he has come to rely on tools from Waves Audio for both live situations and his personal studio.
For I Dreamed a Dream, Brooker used a DiGiCo SD8 powered by the fully-integrated Waves SoundGrid platform for real-time processing; for The Bodyguard, he is using a DiGiCo SD7 with SoundGrid.
“Traditionally, sound designers have taken a ‘less-is-more’ approach in musical theater. That is still partially the case, but we have seen the role of the sound designer evolve moving into the current era. Audiences today tend to be a bit more demanding of things like a fully-produced sound, a surround-sound layout and special effects.”
The new Susan Boyle musical has presented some unique challenges, as Brooker points out. “This is a tricky show. There is a range of intensity. All of the show is amplified using lavalier microphones and wireless transmitters, with miniature DPA mics hidden in the actors’ hair or wigs. After the show is done, we present them with a full-on concert-style, epic set of numbers. Susan will personally make an appearance at some, singing into a handheld unit. The Renaissance Compressor is perfect to place Susan just where she needs to be in the mix. To the audience, it is imperceptible, but they would certainly notice if it weren’t there. Then, the band sound is shaped by the Renaissance Reverb and SSL Buss Compressor, with a little bit of the SSL G-Equalizer for good measure. I am a DiGiCo man through and through, currently using the SD8 and SD7, and the Waves plugins enhance what is already an amazing sounding console. DiGiCo and Waves are the perfect combination.”
