Situation

While QLab isn’t new to the scene, there are still some smaller theaters and schools that don’t know how easy it is to use. A lot of groups still rely on media players like iTunes that are not sophisticated enough to run shows with consecutive cues or timed cues, and those media players are difficult to set up in a way that lets the operator control when the cues go because they generally move on to the next song in the list. QLab is only available for the Mac, which could pose potential issues, but once a Mac is procured, a comprehensive, free version of QLab is available to download from their site.

Task

I focused on making a guide for school theater programs with student technicians. They needed a quick demonstration of how easy the software is to use, and video guides are especially effective. The guide provides the student with enough information to make and implement a basic soundscape, and it allows the students to grow with the same software as they explore the more advanced features that QLab provides.

Action

I created a guide with a fun theme to appeal to the students: a puppet rebellion and a unique take on music that almost all theatre kids are familiar with. With that concept I demonstrated some of the basics needed to create a cue sheet and implement it for a show. Those basics included loading cues into the system, demonstrating how to make one cue automatically follow another, and that cues can be overlapped as needed. I also showed them how to save their cue sheet for future use. Finally, I included elements to appeal to their teachers who are likely old enough to remember running sound for a show with CDs or even cassette tapes.

Results

Students can now jump in right away and start creating sounds designs and cue sheets, and they can be ready for any future show that their school produces.