The use of wireless technology from Lectrosonics provided benefits for the recent production of the musical “Gypsy” by the University of Evansville Department of Theatre.
“‘Gypsy’ is a story about vaudeville performers turning to burlesque to make a living,” explains Richard Ingraham, a Cleveland, OH-based free-lance sound designer operating under the name RBI Computers and Audio who was brought in to work with the production. “There’s a strip routine in the show and the main character—Gypsy—had the most revealing part. To make this work, we outfitted the actress with a Lectrosonics SM super-miniature transmitter, which was placed inside her bustier, or bra.
“Fortunately, Lectrosonics offers the RM remote for this transmitter. With its ability to remotely adjust audio input gain, the RF operating frequency, lock/unlock the transmitter’s controls, and sleep mode on/off status, we had a high degree of ‘hands-free’ control, which was essential for this project.
“The RM remote and the SM transmitter’s small size enabled the wireless system to go unnoticed while simultaneously facilitating a considerable amount of adjustment from a distance.”
The wireless system count for the show consisted of six Lectrosonics SM transmitters, six SMD transmitters, and twelve LMa transmitters. On the receiving side of the equation, four Lectrosonics Venue VRMWB receiver mainframes—each fully stocked with six VRS receiver modules (for a 24-channel count)—were deployed.
In addition to the RM remote control, a Lectrosonics ALP650 LPDA (Log Periodic Dipole Array) shark fin antenna was used to ensure optimum signal strength. Countryman B6 lavalier microphones were mated with the Lectrosonics systems. All equipment was rented through Page Daniel Wireless Sound of Little Rock, AR.
“In addition to the RM remote and the diminutive size of the SM and SMD transmitters, Lectrosonics sound quality is exceptional,” says Ingraham. “The company’s Digital Hybrid Wireless technology eliminates use of a compandor, which is common to competing wireless systems. The result is higher dynamic range and freedom from sonic artifacts. Similarly, the build quality is terrific. I’m also very fond of the Venue receiver’s battery monitor function that enables you to check how long the transmitter has been on. This handy feature enables you to monitor battery life, and this helped us immensely in terms of dealing with the logistics of ensuring battery longevity throughout the shows.”
