Hi all, so my son will be at NY unifieds this month and Montclair wants you to bring a pre-recorded accompianment. I have that done and on our ipad. I have to buy a speaker, should it be battery operated or can it be a plug in device? If anyone out there has any advice, I would surely appreciate it before I go out and buy one. Thanks!!
My D has a battery powered Oontz Angle 3, and it has surprisingly good acoustics. Her dad is a “sound snob” and chose it for her over models that are 2X as much.
Thanks @owensfolks ! I had not even thought of needing one. What else am I forgetting for unifieds, oh boy!
Other than producing decent sound - I think fool-proof is the most important quality! On that end, battery powered with a hard wire connection seems to have the least possibility for problem in the audition room. The last thing you want your student worried about or wasting time in the room on is trying to find a power outlet or make sure a bluetooth is properly linked. Though I know most other options would work 99% of the time, I have nightmares about my D fiddling with sound and blowing 2 minutes of an audition that only allots three to five minutes in the room
As long as you practice - connecting the bluetooth takes no time at all. D used a JBL Charge in the 2014 audition cycle - worked well via bluetooth everywhere she needed it… and she still uses it! Two tips: 1 - set phone to “do not disturb” to prevent texts/calls from interrupting the accompaniment and 2 - create playlists for schools that you need this setup for - so you aren’t fumbling around your phone to find the right track (16 bar/32bar - ballad/uptempo/whatever else you have in your bag of tricks) Most important thing is a speaker that will be loud enough in a large ballroom that your singer can still hear it when s/he is singing full volume. (Not all audition rooms are large ballrooms - but for the ones that are - you don’t want a speaker that won’t give you enough sound) Check audition requirements - not all schools require you to bring your own backing track/speaker set up. (but it’s good to have just in case!)
You may not even need one, @sabersunshine. I think my D only has one school that specified they won’t have an accompanist. But certainly if there’s any possibility of doing one or more walk-ins, it would be prudent to be ready with recorded accompaniment and a playback method.
@kategrizz I love your suggestion re having a school-specific playlist. I am going to recommend that to my D.
@owensfolks - I have to give all the credit for that idea to my D. She came up with it. She had several auditions that did not have accompanists - so she thought through what she needed for those pretty thoroughly.
@kategrizz I was reading some old threads and specifically made the note for the specific playlists. My S had all live accompaniment (but he did not go to Chicago Unifieds) and my D is an Acting major (sang acapella when required to sing). It is a GREAT suggestion!
It has been a while since my daughter went thru this process, but I would recommend having pre-recorded accompaniment with a speaker, even if the school doesn’t require it. When my daughter did the LA Unifieds years ago, there was a big storm on the east coast and several schools had trouble getting staff to the auditions. She went into one audition where they had no accompanist and were having kids sing acapella unless they had pre-recorded music. It was definitely throwing some of the kids off. Fortunately my daughter had recorded everything just in case. The last thing you need during an audition is anything unexpected- better to be prepared! It is so easy to throw your tracks on a phone and grab a small speaker to use, just in case.
Thanks everyone for the info. I know for sure that Montclair does NOT have a live accompanist and specifically states that you have to have your own recorded music with your own playback. Ugh. The other school that he is auditioning for at NY unifieds has a live accompanist. Go figure!
We had a Bose speaker that could be blue tooth or plugged in. It was a good investment because she still uses it to practice 3.5 yrs later. Also FYI technology wise, if your kid needs a new phone for college, get one with the most memory. My daughter records a lot of music for rehearsals, her dialect lessons, and her voice lessons.
@Walker1194 - Yes! Thanks for that tip! My son does need a new phone and he is always running out of memory. Ugh! More money!! I think I need to win the lottery!!!