Integrating USITT/TSDCA Sound Drafting Recommendations

Sound designers must communicate with sound engineers and other designers such as scenic, lighting, projection, and technical directors about sound system components, interconnections, physical positions and more. Until recently, computer drafting standards were not standardized. As the industry has evolved in our increasingly digital world, this has caused misunderstandings and unnecessary variation between design paperwork. These are problems which can cost a production money and time. Finally, TDSCA (Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association) has publicly compiled and presented guidelines for paperwork. There are several programs in the market that one may use to generate such paperwork elements. By exploring what is possible in Vectorworks, Omnigraffle, and ConnectCAD, I took a closer look at the common workflow methods of sound designers and acquainted myself with unfamiliar tools within the context of our departmental production of Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, Broadway sound designers were interviewed about their involvement in the creation of these standards. My goal was to gain a better understanding of why and how these recommendations were reached. Through working in these modalities, I learned about the pros and cons of each with regard to their cost and how compatible they are with other software. This process revealed why and how one should utilize one program over the other according to their needs, time constraints, and budget constraints. The sound designer’s role can be achieved by making concise, clear, accurate, and beautiful paperwork by using these carefully crafted standards in any of these three programs, each with their own unique qualities. By understanding which tool to use and by being consistent in our communication methods, we can establish a common language in our industry and make it more accessible for all designers to understand and create with.