Sound and Light at Pelham House, Lewes.
In this blog, we will talk about one of the weddings we provided sound and light at Pelham House in Lewes, East Sussex. Plus, other ideas that didn’t get used.
Pelham House
St Andrew’s Ln
Lewes
BN7 1UW
United Kingdom
The Job
Soundfangled was asked to provide equipment and services for a wedding, where the live band was a vital aspect of the evening’s entertainment. The clients had a few primary concerns; the first hurdle was they wanted the equipment set up at 4 pm and ready for 5.30 pm. This was not a problem; it meant hiring more technicians to spread the jobs. Next, they wanted the lighting to be classy and make the night’s entertainment pop. There were to be no “disco lights”. Essentially, they wanted moving heads on trusses, creating warm white and softer tones in the room, using small amounts of haze to create an atmosphere.
Another problem they had was the music finished at 11.30 pm, and we needed to clear the hall by midnight. This was not a problem, and we created a simple yet stunning package for the wedding. It was easy to instal and easy to take down.
As the band was performing the music written by the groom for this wedding, the couple asked if we could record it. We went all out here: We made sure we had three backups of different recordings happening. We multitracked into Pro Tools, recorded straight to USB on the desk and recorded onto a stand-alone device (Zoom). We suggested to the bride and groom to stick the band (8-piece band) on IEM (In Ear Monitors); it’s a suggestion we often make if the band isn’t playing in a made-for-purpose room. Generally, it keeps the loudness of the stage volume and the SPL (sound pressure level) a lot quieter, meaning the band is at an excellent level for listening. Also, with the whole performance being recorded, it keeps the stage’s noise quieter in the recording.
The Look
Pelham House is located in the most magical area of the United Kingdom. A rich history surrounds it and, in our opinion, it’s in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Keeping this in mind, we were cautious not to make a big scene with how the audio-visual takes over such a glorious room. Keeping speaker profiles small and slimline, keeping stages low and carpeted, and using lights that sit in the background and highlight existing features.
One idea we loved but didn’t get used to was softly lighting up the outside of the house, using gentle washes and colour changes for the night.
Sound Levels
Weddings are a mix of all types of people from all different ages, and loudness is a very dividing factor. Some people love it, and others hate it. The thing about this is we understand it, and the best practice is a full-body sound which is to do with quality, not how loud it is. We use a program called SMAART which allows us to measure and keep noise within an agreed limit to keep the venue happy and all the guests having fun.