A Go with the Pros: Work Experience with RSNO
- karen robin
- May 19
- 5 min read
Updated: May 23
“How are you with heights?” Sam asked.
Unaware of what was ahead, Andrew and I nodded in agreement and in unison replied “fine”. This was the first question we had to answer on arrival at Glasgow Concert Hall, and for good reason. The next thing we knew, Sam McErlean, Audio Engineer for RSNO, was escorting us backstage through hallways, up lifts and down corridors, climbing levels gradually as we went, until we reached a black, skeletal, metal platform under the ceiling. The warm light from the main auditorium was shining through the slim metal slats underneath our shoes as we walked gently and carefully towards the centre of the space.
Our first job of the day was to help construct a Decca tree by lowering three DPA 4006 microphone capsules on long, long cables down towards the front of the stage and lower an ORTF mic bar loaded with Schoeps MK4s towards the back of the venue. We were setting up ahead of tonight's performance, where the RSNO would be joined by pianist Sir Stephen Hough for what was to be a spectacular display of dexterous skill. The day had been arranged by my lecturers at Fife College, and I was thrilled to be put forward for the opportunity to work a full day alongside the inhouse engineers. During my HNC I have been dedicated to saying “yes” to as many on location opportunities as possible, and thankfully it was my attendance at these events that would prepare me sufficiently for the job at hand.
Lost in the moment
It wasn’t long before Andrew, a fellow Fife College student, and I were set to work, and our next task was to take all the flight cases that we needed to the stage. This sounds straightforward of course, but behind the scenes, Glasgow Concert Hall is a bit of a labyrinth, particularly when you aren’t able to use the stairs. A couple of lift trips, hallway turns and double doors later, I had completely lost all sense of direction as had Andrew who, earlier that day revealed that he is also one of these people that regularly gets lost in car parks. We were pleased to have Sam to guide us and were anxious not to lose sight of his whereabouts at any given moment. When we reached stage right, we were able to step out and view the 2000 seater auditorium from yet another point of view. I was reminded at this point that it wasn’t my first time on this stage, as I had performed there while at school as part of the West of Scotland Independent Schools Orchestra (WOSIS) albeit this would have been nearly 30 years ago now. The same classic earthy, woody smell is still there though, according to my scent memory which was frantically making signals to me.
Setting Up for Showtime
We were provided with an input list for all the mics we’d be setting up on stage, and I was pleased to hold onto something which felt familiar to me. I saw some familiar brands on there too, including Schoeps which looked to be abundantly used with an array of capsules, and Neumann TLM170s towards the back of the orchestra, a classic mic for picking up brass sections.
I was also pleased to see an Audix D6 since we had been testing an Audix set in college a few weeks before by miking up a drum kit in the studio. Its destination was the bass drum alongside a DPA 4006, which again was a mic I had been acquainted with already in my previous orchestra work. It seems that trying out two different mics to record one instrument isn’t just something we are encouraged to do as students but is something that is practiced in industry too, with the same “let’s try it, why not?” mindset I am growing accustomed to. I must admit, this laid back, inquisitive attitude was unexpected when I first started hanging out with sound professionals, but on reflection it absolutely makes sense. I love that behind every individual that works in sound, there’s a creative voice keeping them in check and helping them to make decisions that aren’t limited to rules or the fear of failure.
I was expecting a team of engineers, but it turned out just to be one more inhouse engineer. I found out later that Ahan was in his third year at university in the midlands and as part of the course curriculum was assigned to a placement with RSNO for 12 months. I was immediately envious, naturally, but really impressed that a scheme like this existed for young and upcoming talent like Ahan, and I was struck by his maturity to up-sticks as he had to live in Glasgow. Clearly his time there was well spent as his knowledge and expertise was pretty apparent. Under their guidance the rigging took a good few hours to complete with plenty of time left to hear the orchestra run through a few pieces to get warmed up and allow us to perform a sound check from the control room.
The control room was a relatively new feature, having been constructed in 2021 along with the new auditorium space. On entering the room, you are immediately drawn to the mixing desk, which almost spans the entire width of the room. Multiple SSL desks have been expertly linked together below a large screen to watch the action from the stage. It looks impressive and is used in recording by the in-house engineers regularly to produce high quality recordings for TV and film.
The pieces chosen for the concert were incredibly well executed and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.1, did not disappoint. As his concertos tend to be, it was complex and physically unforgiving, requiring a huge amount of skill and dexterity. Sir Stephen had this in abundance, and it was a thrill to watch. As the piece continued to unfold, I was pleased to be sitting down!
As I always seem to be, I was surprised at how quickly we were able to dismantle everything on stage. There’s a calming, quiet focus about this part of the night that I really enjoy and repetitive tasks like cable coiling are strangely meditative to me. As someone who gets kicks from objects being orderly and well organised, storing away cables and mic boxes with colour coding felt an especially satisfying way for me to round off the day. I can’t wait for the next!
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