Desks, lamps, and cables: your equipment
An overview of the tools in sound lighting and stage
The equipment behind the scenes can seem overwhelming at first but most of it can be divided into three worlds: sound light and stage/rig. When you understand how signal and power move through each world troubleshooting becomes much easier.
§Lyd
In sound, the signal starts at a source — a microphone or an instrument — and moves through a mixer desk, where you mix and adjust, to amplifiers and loudspeakers. You learn to distinguish between signal types and to avoid feedback and hum.
- 01Microphones: capture sound from voices and instruments
- 02Mixer console: mixes, adjusts level and tone
- 03Amplifier and loudspeaker: makes the signal audible in the room
- 04Monitor: so those on stage can hear themselves
§Light
In light you work with lamps that either shine constantly or can move and change colour. A lighting control desk sends signals to the lamps so you can dim, colour and programme situations. Many lamps today use LED, which is cooler and uses less power than the old incandescent lamps.
§Scene and rig
Rig is what holds the equipment up under the ceiling: trusses, motors, fittings and wires. Here you are in the heavy end of the trade, where safety means everything because you are hanging heavy equipment over people's heads.
| Area | Central equipment | You keep an eye on |
|---|---|---|
| Lyd | Microphone, lectern, amplifier, loudspeaker | Level, rounds, signal route |
| Light | Lamps, dimmers, control panel | Power consumption, heat, programming |
| Scene/rig | Truss, motor, wire, hardware | Weight, load, safe suspension |
§Cables and signal
Cables are the trade's nerve pathways. You learn to distinguish between power cables and signal cables, to run them so they don't interfere with each other, and to roll them up so they last and don't tangle.