Beginners’ Guide to Live Sound with Paul Clark and Pembe Tokluhan
Do you organise your own dance, music or spoken word events? Have you had confusing discussions with sound technicians? Have you previously wanted to hire or set up a sound system yourself, but didn’t know where to start? If so, this one day workshop is for you.
Ideally suited to anyone who works with sound technicians or sets up simple sound systems for rehearsals/events, Beginners’ Guide to Live Sound will teach participants a range of useful skills related to live sound. This workshop will include:
- Information about what to ask for, and what to expect, from sound engineers at venues and rehearsal spaces.
- The opportunity to learn directly from knowledgeable sound professionals.
- Hands-on experience with sound equipment. By the end of the day, you will be able to set up your own sound system for amplifying voices/instruments and mix this with audio from a phone or laptop.
- De-mystifying industry jargon about sound mixers, microphones and speaker systems.
- Understanding the pros and cons of playback systems such as Qlab.
- Creative exploration of industry technology.
- Understanding when you might be able to organise sessions yourself and when to hire a professional.
- Tips about what equipment is worth hiring and what should be avoided.
Paul Clark has been a leading composer on the British performance scene since the 1990s. As well as scoring dozens of productions both in the UK and internationally, he has written music for and with a hugely diverse range of musicians – from opera superstar Renee Fleming to Grammy-winning producer Danger Mouse, Manchester Collective to The Fall’s Mark E. Smith.
Paul is equally at home setting up sound systems in small, intimate spaces as he is working with sound designers at the National Theatre, Berlin’s Schaubühne and New York City’s Lincoln Center. He is a powerful advocate for young peoples’ access to live music and puts this belief into practice by leading Ear Opener, Clod Ensemble’s YouTube channel aimed specifically at music creators.
Pembe Tokluhan is a multidisciplinary backstage worker specialising in live audio, stage, production and tour management. Her CV includes work with Nile Rodgers & Chic, Gary Barlow, Netflix and more.
With a background in youth work, public speaking and diversity consultancy, Pembe has been with Clod Ensemble since 2020. She is the founder of Petok Productions, a production company recognising women, trans and non-binary people working behind the scenes, screen and lens. With only 5-7% of employees in the audio industries identifying as female, Pembe’s work leading Petok Productions allows her to put her passion for achieving gender equality within this world into action.
Pembe has also co-founded Generation Uncovered, an informal association of young artists that includes composers, vocalists, musicians, performers, producers, promoters, technicians and digital media makers. Generation Uncovered encourages collaboration and partnership, providing space for creation, rehearsal, events, production and professional development, with the aim that participants can immerse themselves in creative practice and pursue careers in the cultural industries.
Reboot
Clod Ensemble’s Reboot programme supports artists through providing a high-quality programme of professional development workshops. We recognise that costs can be a barrier to participation and are committed to making Reboot accessible by offering a range of free, subsidised and full price spaces across our programmes. Generous support from foundations and individual donations helps us to maintain this offer.
We are able to offer fully-subsidised bursary places for five attendees for this workshop. These places are primarily designed to allow people on low incomes to access the Reboot programme. This includes, but is not limited to, low-waged/no-waged attendees and those in receipt of benefits.
If you would like to inquire about taking a Reboot bursary place, please get in touch with us directly by emailing claire@clodensemble.com
Explore other events in the Reboot programme here.
Accessibility
This event is wheelchair accessible. Further information about access to Clod Ensemble’s studios will be emailed to attendees in advance of the event. If you have accessibility requirements that you would like us to be aware of then please email claire@clodensemble.com and we will do our best to help.
Image credit: Sanaa Abstrakt
