The world of stage productions has really grown complex in the last 10 to 15 years. Not only have automated lights become standard, but so have digital audio consoles, complex show control systems, motion control and networking. Often these systems must be synchronized via MIDI or SMPTE to ensure a reliable and repeatable production. While it can be amazing to sit back and watch a programmed light show run automatically, it is also a bit disheartening to walk away from a desk and have the show continue. If you have been around for a while you may remember the famous Milli Vanilli lip-syncing debacle. In 2008 it is very common for concerts to utilize click tracks. Many artists, at the very least, let their drummer listen to a track with a beat to stay in time. Furthermore, this ensures the band (playing live on stage) stays synchronized with each other and other production elements. It is now rather hard to find a band that does not tour without a ProTools rack (or several for that matter). Yes, some acts still lip sync or play air guitar, but most utilize click tracks to better simulate the studio version of their songs that the fans expect to hear live.
Usually the click track will contain a beat for the drummer and maybe some backing vocals and sound effects. For rehearsal purposes many acts also have full studio recordings available so the audio engineer can bring up any portion of a mix during the live production. This is also helpful if a singer is having a tough night with his or her voice, for instance.
As I sit here at FOH and write this article, I am working on a big rock show that uses timecode for lots of reasons. In addition to keeping the band in time, timecode is run to trigger effects processors for the guitars, set levels on the audio desk, trigger lighting cues, roll video and probably more that I am not aware of. The magical signal is really amazing as it routes all over the venue and controls so much of the show.
If you find yourself needing to program a show with timecode, it is essential that you understand the core principles of working with this medium. First, there are two formats commonly used in live shows: SMPTE and MIDI timecode. Both can be easily exported from audio devices and converted into either format with similar ease. At the user level, you will not see a difference in the operation of either format. Essentially you will see a unique time stamp that rolls with the audio so that you can trigger other actions in perfect synch with the music.
With timecode, there is a single clock that runs during the song, time stamping every portion of the music. This means that you can easily program your lighting desk to trigger cues as the music plays. Typically you will build the cues and then roll the timecode. As the timecode plays, you “stamp in” the timecode values into your cuelist. The next time the timecode is played, the desk will know when to play the lighting cues.
For this production, we had the audio crew burn a CD with the audio track on the left channel and the SMPTE track on the right. Then we use a Y-cable to send the audio to our speakers and the timecode to our desk. This way we can program all night long, rehearse and refine the cueing and not have to wait for the band or audio guys. This method works great and is often used to provide lighting crews with an audio and timecode package they can run themselves. I have even worked on productions where we have a video playback with audio on one channel and timecode on the other. This is essential for ice skating shows or where seeing the action on stage is required during programming.
Once the programming phase is complete, we can simply switch back to receiving the timecode source from the audio guys and the lighting will roll along with the audio track. I always find it amazing to see the final work running on its own with no problems. Of course there will be cue times that need to be edited and small cha… WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! Wait a minute… the timecode is NO LONGER WORKING!
That’s right, this article stopped mid-sentence to show what often happens when working with timecode. It can all be working well and suddenly the timecode no longer comes into the desk. First and foremost the operator of the console must be prepared for this at all times. He or she should know how to operate the cues manually and keep the show running and at the same time try to troubleshoot the problem. Unfortunately, the troubleshooting of the problem can take hours and usually is not as straightforward as an unplugged cable or turned-off option.
For instance, on this show we had everything working in rehearsal. The band came out to front of house for a “demo” of the show. We then had the audio guys run the track and the timecode started right up. Seconds later it just stopped. We had to continue the demo manually running the cues. After that we did some troubleshooting and re-routed our cables at FOH. Everything checked out, so for the dress rehearsal we felt ready to go. Again, a few seconds in, the timecode stopped.
The way this show works is that the drummer presses a footswitch that triggers the next track to start. The drum technician has a rack backstage that plays the click track and sends the timecode to the lighting, audio and other departments. When we lost timecode, the FOH audio desk was still receiving it. We tried their feed but this did not work either. We tried many different troubleshooting techniques and finally opted for the most simple: a speaker. We actually listened directly to the timecode signal. This high pitched beeping sound spoke to us. When we listened to our timecode on our CDs it sounded perfect, but the timecode coming from backstage sounded lower pitched and “dirty.” As we let it roll further into the songs, we found that there was bleed over of some guitar tracks. It seems that something backstage was causing music to blend with our timecode. The lighting desk was not happy about this and would stop responding to timecode as soon as the audio bleed started. That’s why we would get a few seconds of clean timecode at the beginning of each song. Unfortunately, the beginning interval was all that was used to test the signals prior to rehearsal. The drum technician spent the next few hours rewiring his rack and was finally able to provide a good clean timecode signal throughout the show.
Timecoding shows can be fun, but remember, it can be challenging because it come from others, usually out of our control. Good, in-depth knowledge of how your lighting console interacts with these signals, and experience in troubleshooting, are must-haves when working with timecode. Once the show is programmed and the timecode is running, you can sit back and watch your show run flawlessly and smile as you recall all the work that permitted this automation to occur.
When it’s time to e-mail Brad, you can contact him at bschiller@plsn.com.
