The Beginner and Sound Systems

By Bob Abdou

Good Question, "when should a beginner vent invest in a sound system?"
Here is what I thought would be the definitive answer...once a beginner vent stops performing for family/friends in their living room and start performing outside the home. It's that simple.

Should a beginner vent use a sound system when it is a very small crowd at a senior home or other facility? My answer is, YES.

No matter the size of the audience, a vent should use a sound system. Why? Both voices come from the speaker box making it much easier to create a believable illusion from the audience's view. If no sound system is used, a beginner vent will wind up speaking louder than normal and both sounds will come from the throat area. When that happens, the audience will also hear the dummy's voice coming from the vent's throat area and that will break the appearance of a true ventriloquist act.

So once a beginner buys a dummy, the investments just start to snowball from there. Like a professional trunk, (not a suitcase), writing a script, the vent's appearance, a performing table (if you don't use your knee) and a sound system.

What sound system should a vent buy? If you ask 10 professional working vents you will get 10 different answers. The decision is based on what a beginner vent wants: a mic? a headset? a lapel mic? cordless? music? 2 speakers? one speaker? speaker poles? a mixing board? cassette tapes? Cd's? IPOD? remote control? foot petal? assistant? The choices are endless. The final decision all falls on the beginner's lap and what they are comfortable with.

Here is my final thought.. .a vent that can't be heard is a mime.

Bob Abdou
www.mrpuppet.com