SFX is an audio playback and show control software package that plays .wav files, MIDI cues, and CD audio, with the ability to trigger external devices during a show. It is not editing software; it solves the basic problems of audio playback. It runs on a standard Windows PC configured with either a standard stereo sound card or an external multi-channel card.
SFX works well in houses of worship – especially Passion Plays and Christmas shows – and anywhere else audio cues might be played in a theatrical environment. For this purpose, it is extremely well suited; it is easy to use and simple to set up. If sound cues were needed during a regular service, this package would be suitable as well.
In the old days, a combination of tape decks, four-tracks, and CD players were used to run cues. In some cases this could be automated to some degree, but usually the person running the show had to do all of the tape changes, audio fades, and mixing during the show, not to mention overseeing the microphones or other inputs that were involved.
SFX has solved those cueing problems with a program that can play simultaneous cues through a system of layers within the software. (I call them “layers” because the cues can play simultaneously over one another; as many cues as you choose will play at once.) These cues can then be programmed to run automatically, or upon hitting the designated “go” button on your keyboard.
For my application, I used the software to play back audio cues during the “awards” segment of a program. For me, this included voiceovers and play-ons for the presenters and award winners. I had a number of cues that started out with soft music that rose to a crescendo when the voiceover introduction ran, then automatically dipped back to bed while the nominees were presented. This was achieved by layering two sound cues that ran together at the same time.
SFX comes in three different packages: Standard, Pro Audio, and Show Control. I used the Pro Audio version, which allowed me to have up to eight stereo output patches within the software, as well as an unlimited number of audio cues that could be played simultaneously. The Standard version has only four stereo outputs and is limited to eight simultaneous .wav files for playback. From these stereo outputs, the signal can be patched to any combination of outputs on your multi-channel sound card. This includes volume control for each channel as well as MIDI channel assignment.
There are two windows that comprise the sound or MIDI cues that will be played in your program. The “effects window” is a general list of the sound or MIDI cues that reside on your computer. From this window, cues can be dragged and dropped into the “cue files” window, from which a show list is built for playback.
These two windows reside in a general window called a “workspace,” which in turn is divided into two desktops – “edit” and “playback.” First, you create a workspace for your new show, and from there you can add your cues onto the “edit” desktop. When you are ready for show time, you change over to the “playback” desktop, which prevents you from making changes to the cues or editing the order. Playback mode also gives you a slight performance boost in the software, although I could not tell the difference when I used either “edit” or “playback,” probably because I was not conducting labor-intensive cueing.
In the past, I have linked my SFX to the console I was using; in this case a Yamaha PM3500. On this console, you can assign a particular channel to a MIDI channel, and when the channel is muted or unmuted, SFX “captures” that event and assigns it to a particular cue. In that case I used the channel mute to control my “go” button on SFX, so now I didn’t even have to look over at the computer to run my cues from the console.
While SFX is not an editing program, in a way, it is. You cannot edit an individual .wav file, but in a playlist you can program certain things that allow you to edit together a number of cues into one “go.” In SFX, you can program fades, waits, and autofollows for the sound cues. For example, you need a rainstorm to fade in slowly, and eight seconds later you need a thunderclap followed by a low rumble, followed by a car driving by at high speed.
This can be programmed in SFX using four .wav files. The first would be the rain; inserted after that a “wait” cue for eight seconds; “autofollowed” by the second .wav cue for the thunderclap; “autofollowed” by the low rumble wave file; then “wait” for five seconds, and finally the car driving .wav file. All of this happens in one sequence with one touch of the “go” button. In this sense, SFX is an editing program because the file can be “edited” together to give you a sequenced number of .wav files that layer on top of one another. (Remember that the Pro Audio version can layer as many .wav files as you want to play on top of one another.)
If you really want to use SFX for a cool application, try using it for a surround processor to isolate cues in different speakers in a room. This can be done using a multi-channel sound card and assigning the cues to the groups within SFX. The groups are then assigned to any number or combination of outputs on your sound card. I have used it in this manner to trigger sound effects that come from hidden speakers in a set, helping to draw the attention of the audience to a particular area.
The mark of a good piece of software is user’s ability to start it up and figure things out without consulting the manual initially. This program is easy to use and offers simple ways to play back sound cues. For those of you that have used other hardware for this purpose, you will find it simple to set up and program.
I have used SFX for a number of years, and my only wish is that it would play .mp3 files as well. But this is a small criticism among all the positive things there are to say about the program. You’ll have to see the program for yourself to understand the simplicity and complexity of the software. A demo version is available for down load from www.stageresearch.com, which will give you all of the features above – on a limited basis – for your own evaluation. One thing is for sure: you won’t miss your CD players when you have to run cues at your next event.
