Sound for Queen's funeral and similar

[Nail Soup]

I had the Queen's funeral and procession etc on TV, and couldn't help thinking that the bass drum was mixed a bit high, a bit like modern sound engineers do at rock gigs.

 

But it got me thinking, how is the sound done for music at events like this? For example it has static performances at the church - organ, choir and audience, but also a marching band.

 

Anybody have any insights to how it is done?

[lowdown]

It could have done with some Cowbell.

[sykilz]

I was wondering that about the outdoor bits, if they were fixed mics you'd expect the level to dip and peak as the marchers passed the mic sites. 

[musicbassman]

Typical bass players - thinking about the technical aspects and the mix !  🙂

 

Actually I was also thinking that the type of music being played would have zero relevance, recognition or emotional connections for 90% of the TV audience.

[Downunderwonder]

A whole row of bass drummers to keep everyone in step. I'd be surprised if what you hear on the telly isn't basically whatever the TV sound crew gathers up live from their microphones.

[super al]

I wondered myself about the sound  and how they maintained the levels, even the wife who doesn't normally ask about sound asked about the sound levels!

It was done in spectacular good taste I thought, a fitting send off and a spectacle that people will remember for a very long time... I was fascinated by the whole choreography of the pall bearers! When I go I now want that level of detail and perfection 😇

[Nail Soup]

A highlight for me was when a lone piper was playing in the gallery and then walked away while still playing.... the sound gradually faded to nothing. Very poignant and symbolic of a departed person.

[Bunion]

2 minutes ago, Nail Soup said:

A highlight for me was when a lone piper was playing in the gallery and then walked away while still playing.... the sound gradually faded to nothing. Very poignant and symbolic of a departed person.

Apparently the royal piper used to play for 15 mins outside her window every morning to wake her up for most of her reign 

[Velarian]

3 minutes ago, Bunion said:

Apparently the royal piper used to play for 15 mins outside her window every morning to wake her up for most of her reign 

If he did that at my house he’d get a bucket of water over him!

[tauzero]

I was wondering about the sound for the marching band too. If they'd just had an array of fixed microphones and blended them all together, there would have been a right mish-mash of sound as the more distant mics picked up the sound later than the closer mics. I wondered if they had an array of mics and somebody operating a mixer, maintaining a volume level on one mic and then when there was no delay between that mic and the next one, blending the next one in and fading the previous one out. Maybe I'm overthinking it and they just had somebody with a mic walking close by the band but not in the procession. Or maybe they were miming.

[Velarian]

5 hours ago, tauzero said:

Maybe I'm overthinking it and they just had somebody with a mic walking close by the band but not in the procession..

The sound was pretty consistent throughout so this would be my guess. 

[Fishfacefour]

The bit I watched had a few really interesting moments where the pipers faded out and there was a snare solo which then faded in to phased echoes as from the surrounding buildings. All nicely done. Helped me appreciate it as a piece of experimental theatre.

 

Sounds like a mix of placed mics along the route with travelling mics, dynamically mixed as required.

 

The church sound was glorious. I definitely want a choir and horns for my funeral. So much better than the fumbled hymn singing at most that I've been to.