This is an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO is a project funded by the European Union.
This video is made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.
Hello. I’m Louise Fryer, from Utopian Voices.
In this ADLAB PRO video I will give an overview
of the technical skills you need to describe live events.
This is Unit 2 in Module 3.
Audio description for live events is usually closed.
People with sight loss listen to the AD using a headset.
No one else can hear it.
The describer sits somewhere soundproof with a view of the stage.
The view may be direct from a technician’s booth
at the back of the auditorium
or indirect, you watch the show on a monitor.
This photograph shows the describer in a booth with a view of the stage.
On a desk in front of her is some tailor-made equipment.
The describer wears dark clothes so as not to distract the actors.
In this photo the describer wears a headset microphone
plugged into a unit that allows her to turn the mic on and off
silently using a fader.
Describers should turn the mic off when they’re not speaking
so that users don’t hear noises, such as breathing or rustling.
This photo from VocalEyes shows a small mixing desk.
Through it the describer controls the level of the show.
The best sort of AD headset has three channels:
one for the AD, and one for the show sound or show relay
and a third channel where the two sources are mixed.
In the UK the AD is transmitted via infra-red or a radio frequency.
With infra-red, the mixer is connected to modulate the sound at the stage.
This transmits the AD sound to the AD headsets
firing it through a red beam.
This requires a clear “line of sight”
between the modulator and the headset.
If someone walks in front of the headset-user,
the beam and therefore the sound is disrupted.
The position of the modulator might affect where AD users can sit.
To avoid these problems, some theatres use a radio system.
The AD is transmitted by a radio frequency
over a range of around 100m. This signal cannot be obstructed.
Users do not need to be early to hear the audio introduction.
You won’t be expected to install the equipment
but you may need to advise a venue about what to provide
and how technicians set the system if it isn’t working.
Approximately an hour before the performance
carry out a sound check. Talk into the mic
while a technician listens to you in the auditorium via a headset.
Check: Are you loud enough? Or too loud causing distortion
when you say words beginning with certain sounds?
Do they stop hearing you when you close the microphone fader?
Can you hear the sound from the stage?
You will either use a small mic attached to your headset,
or a separate mic on a stand. Avoid a hand-held mic.
You need your hands to manipulate the fader and your script.
Ensure the mic is close to, but not directly in front of your mouth.
Test this by placing your fingers over the mic
and making some plosive sounds “PPP”.
If you can feel breath on your fingers,
move the mic towards your cheek or chin.
Also test for sibilant sounds "ss" and dental consonants.
In English these are “t” and “d” sounds.
Read some of your introductory notes.
Check the signal can be heard in all parts of the auditorium,
especially when seated.
Wear your headphones for your sound check.
Adjust them so you hear yourself and the show relay
at a comfortable level. You will instinctively adapt to match.
If your level or the show relay is too quiet or too loud,
you will speak too quietly or too loudly too.
That was an introduction to unit 2:
the technical aspects of audio describing live events.
Some people find it off-putting but once you're familiar
with the equipment, you can almost forget it’s there
and concentrate on delivering the AD.
The preparation of this presentation
was supported by ADLAB PRO. Audio Description:
A Laboratory for the Development of a New Professional Profile
financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme,
Key Action 2, Strategic Partnerships.
Project number:
2016-1-IT02-KA203-024311.
The information and views set out in this presentation
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the official opinion of the European Union.
Neither the European Union institutions and bodies
nor any person acting on their behalf
may be held responsible for the use
which may be made of the information contained therein.
This was an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO partners are: University of Trieste,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,
University of Antwerp, Adam Mickiewicz University,
RTV Slovenia, Utopian Voices,
Soundfocus and Royal National Institute of Blind People.
ADLAB PRO was funded by the European Union.
This video was made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.