Sound design on a budget

In my experience, running the school production often means a lot more than auditions, casting and rehearsals. More often than not, there is an expectation that the head of drama/director will also become set, lighting, costume and sound designer – all without any extra budget. So, how do you put together an affordable sound design for your production?

There are many ways that sound can enhance your production. For example, music can help set the mood for a transition between scenes; recorded sounds can be used to add specific sound effects or effects to help set the scene if you're using limited scenery; live sound effects or music can also add an extra level to the performance – particularly if they're performed by students! Here are some ideas on how to incorporate sound, without breaking your already minimal budget.

Music

It's important to check with your administration team regarding licensing for the use of recorded music in a production. Sometimes you will be covered by the school or college's premises license if the play's audience is only staff and students; however, things may change if the public are part of your audience. Check PRS for Music for any specific copyrighted music you wish to use.

That said, some of the licensing issues can be avoided if you have talented music students who can compose their own pieces for use in scene transitions, or as background sound. It's also worth considering local composers who might want an opportunity to have their music showcased or debuted.

If you do decide to go along the recorded music route and your school doesn't own a sound desk, then I would recommend the free version of Q Lab (Mac only), a programme used for sound, video and lighting control in theatres across the world. It has lots of free features which allow you to upload your sound cues onto your laptop (unlimited cues are available) and then you can hook your laptop up to the speakers in your performance space. The programme itself is really user-friendly and plays each cue at the touch of the Go button.

Recorded sounds

Spot cues (telephone ringing, doorbells sounding etc.) can be found with an online search for free sound effects, or in the BBC Sound Effects Archive, which has hundreds of different sound effects grouped by theme. You can also check out Baseheads Creator Edition. This software allows you to quickly search and listen to sound effects for free, and comes with over 160,000 free sound effects.

If you're keen to record your own, then this can make a good project for students or your technical team. Audacity is a programme which is great for recording your own cues. By loading Audacity onto a laptop you can record, edit and export your own sound effects by turning them into MP3s. These can then be popped onto your Q Lab cue list, ready for use.

You could also use a portable recording device such as ZOOM H4N PRO. This records in stereo and is great quality. It also can be plugged directly into your computer to record on this too. Investing in one of these, which can be purchased from between £75 (current Ebay price) to £200, might be something that could come out of a different budget and be used for a range of school or college activities across departments, meaning that your production budget is untouched.

Live sound effects

Foley is the art of making sound effects from household and everyday items. The well-known use of coconut shells to make the sound of horses' hooves is a good example here, although I've found that shaking a tub of cheese sauce granules can also create a similar effect! Try gravel for footsteps, hard peas and lentils for rain and slowly crinkle empty crisp packets for fire. The great thing about Foley is the fun of experimentation, and that's why it makes a great exercise for students to get involved with. Get a box of random items, hand it over and see what they can create!

Considering the use of live sound effects for your production can give it a more organic feel. It also adds another opportunity for students who aren't comfortable performing, to get involved. You can either have your Foley sound team on show (although this might be potentially distracting for the audience, depending on the production) or hide them backstage with microphones to amplify their contributions. Another possibility is to have the students create the sound effects using Foley, and then record them using Audacity or the Zoom H4N Pro, then add them to Q Lab. You've just created your own recorded sound effects!

Useful links

PRS for Music prsformusic.com

QLab qlab.app

BBC Sound Effects Archive sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk

Baseheads Creator Edition baseheadinc.com

Audacity audacityteam.org