Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1995 - 46

cal information for any changes me sound board operaror
must make ro me sound score during me show. They should be
quite capable of providing a replacemem sound board operaror
wim all of me necessary technical information regarding me
running of me show (albeit minus the experience).
Unlike the preliminary cue sheets which would be typed
in plain English, the show sound cue sheets should be written
by the sound board operaror in pencil or recorded in the
sound system's computer. Eimer way, the show cue sheets
must be regarded as evolving enrities, and must be very
amenable ro rapid changes in me information mat has been
recorded. Once written, the show cue sheets should not leave
me theatre, but be safely srored (or backed up) along with the
show tapes (it is obviously advisable to back-up and prim out
computer generated cue sheets). Show cue sheets should not
be rewritten (except as a last resort) because of me possibility
of making importanr errors in me recopying.
Anomer common problem in technical rehearsals is the
negative impact of time on the correct recording of cues in
the show cue sheets. This is particularly a problem among
young sound board operators, who, in their anxiousness to
impress the sound score designer with the quickness with
which they can carry out insrructions, neglect to make thorough and accurate notes about what they have done. The net
result is that they are unable ro run the same cue twice in the
same way. Obviously, the COSt of not recording cues completely and correctly rums out to be much higher than the
an10um of time it would have taken to record the cue properly in the first place.

* HOW TO CREATE AND USE SHOW CUE SHEETS
Refer to the accompanying example for the following
discussion.
* In ZounDesignel; you should eliminate anything in the
description field befOre you print show cue sheets. Make sure to
make a copy ofthe stack first so that you can go back and find
the comments you have deleted This will ensure a blank area in
the show cue sheets in which the sound board operator may write
the technical description ofthe cue. You should also go through
the cue sheets and make sure that the speaker field fOr each cue
lists the speaker preset the sound bomd operator will actually use
on the sound mixing console. After you press the "PRINT CUES"
button fi"om any cue cmd, select the "SHOIf! CUE SHEET" template
fi"om the "REPORTS" menu. Use the "SHOW CUE SHEETS" template
to print a set ofcue sheets that you can give directly to the sound
board operatOl:

inro the nine separate categories in the following order: "CUE
#," "PAGE," "CUE," "SOU 10," "SPEAKER PRESET," "DECK,"
"PRESET NOTES," "DESCRIPTIO,," and "TIME." Generally
speaking, only the information for "SPEAKER PRESET," and
"DESCRIPTION," will vary from the preliminary cue sheets.
These are explained below.
SPEAKER: If a single speaker is to be used, the idemifier from
the speaker plot should be placed here. In systems wim multiple preset and marrixing possibilities, the preset number or
letter should be listed here. For multi channel cues (including stereo), the routing of the input channel should be listed
first, followed by a dash, and then the speaker preset to
which that channel is to be assigned. For example, in a stereo
cue in mixer channels AL and AR to be assigned to speaker
presets 1 and 2, the notation would look like: AL-1, AR-2
(mixer input channel A left is routed ro Output preset 1, and
mixer input channel A right is routed to output preset 2).
Since this is the most common case (i.e., me left or lowest numbered channel is routed ro the lowest numbered preset), it is permissible to simply list the preset as 112. The
preset positions of the faders in the output matrix should be
recorded on a separate page (see example).
To make the cue sheets more legible, it is nor necessary
ro list the speaker presets in a cue with multiple pans after
the cue in which the speaker is preset initially (remember
that cue sheets need ro only documem changes that the
sound board operaror must make). In any case, the sound
board operaror should be able ro tell at a glance the proper
routing of input channels ro output presets. Refer ro the
accompanying show cue sheet page for additional examples.
DESCRIPTION: This space should comain a concise technical
senrence which describes the fundamemal operation of the
cue. The "subject" in this semence describes the source-use
the same idemifier for me tape deck as for the mixer channel. If several channels are to be used in unison, their idenrifiers can be grouped rogether: "A" could signal tape deck A,
left and right channels, while AL would indicate that only
the left channel was ro be used.
The next part of the "semence" is the verb. The verb
describes the action that must be taken on the subject. Some
of the more common verbs are listed below:

i
J..
---7

XF
The cue sheets are divided imo one-inch horizonral blocks
to allow plenty of room to insert cues, make notes atound
the cues, etc. To preserve this "room for changes," all notes
regarding a cue should be written in the cenrer of the space
(to allow additional cues, notes, etc. to be written above and
below the original cue). The vertical rows divide each cue

TER

1995

TD&T

fades up to a level
fades down ro a level
starts at a level
Cross fades from/ro

The "object" of the senrence follows the verb. Usually this is
the relative loudness level and is underlined for ease of visibility. A very simple, sample senrence:

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1995