Hundreds of switches and knobs stretch across the soundboard in Hanson Auditorium. Junior Gabe Quint, student head of sound, has mastered those switches and knobs. 

The first week of November, the WD Music Program performed “Once Upon a Mattress.” Quint, along with all of the crew and the technicians working behind the scenes, is an essential part of the music program’s success. 

“I work with Evan Dunkel, who is in charge of lights, the crew, and the stage managers,” Quint said. “We make a whole big team.”

In his third year working on sound, Quint controlled the soundboard during rehearsals and performances. He made the audio clear for the audience and turned mics on and off as performers entered and exited the stage. 

“Alyssa Peterson and Rick Seeley have taught me so much and have helped me out tremendously,” Quint said. “Braden Wenger helps me out a lot. He gives me cues and callouts before performers go on stage. I couldn’t do it without him.”

Quint works under director Allyson Engelken, who felt proud of the production and every student involved.

“Sound is a complicated area to tech,” Engelken said. “Gabe knows much more about the soundboard than his directors do.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Quint and his team. Trouble with feedback forced him to be quick on his feet and think of solutions. 

“At the Thursday show, we had a lot of feedback, which is a really loud and high or low-pitched sound,” Quint said. “It’s the worst thing. You never want it in a show.”

To combat the issue, Quint found the simplest solution.

“Monitors are similar to speakers, and they allow whoever is talking or singing into a microphone to hear themself,” Quint said. “The problem with the monitors is that they produce a lot of feedback. For the Saturday and Sunday shows, I just unplugged them. After that, we didn’t get any feedback, so our problem was fixed.”

The musical cast rehearses with microphones for the last three weeks before the first show. 

“During those weeks, we fine-tune and make adjustments to make sure the settings fit the voice of the person who is talking or singing,” Quint said.

 “It amazes me every year how we’re able to go from 70 sheets of paper to a show with lights and sound and everything.”