What do the commonly used terms “shikomi” and “barashi” mean in the music industry?
Have you ever heard the terms “shikomi” and “barashi”? Many of you probably aren’t familiar with these words.
This time, I’d like to explain these backstage staff staple terms—“shikomi” and “barashi”—from an audio engineer’s perspective based on my own experience.
What does the musical term “shikomi” mean?
When you hear the word “shikomi,” it’s a term that’s used in various contexts—like cooking, the workplace, and many other situations.
The musical term “shikomi” is the same as in other contexts,Things to prepare in advanceis referring to.
Mainly at live music venues,From bringing in the performer’s equipment to setup, sound design, and rehearsal is called “shikomi” (preparation).case and,Preparations that the live house staff can take care of in advance before the performers and the client’s staff arrive.I think there are two types.
For example, if you bring your own mixing console, the venue may move their mixer out of the way, rewire the connections, or leave certain cables disconnected.
Overall, the advance preparations leading up to the live performance are called “shikomi.”
Reference:We’ll show you behind the scenes of live shows and concerts! [The Job of Sound (PA)]
What does “barashi” mean at a live music venue?
After a live performance ends, we have to clean up.
After moving out the performers’ equipment, we will pack up the stage, the sound console, and the cabling.
thisDoing the cleaning upCollectively, this is referred to as “barashi.”
The idea is to break it down into separate pieces.
Setup for large venues
In addition to live music venues, for example,Wedding audioFor audio at events like general assemblies, the preparations differ from those for a live music venue.
For example, when we want to project the same video in a different room, we run multiple types of thick cables and even set up screens.
You also need to prepare the intercoms, set up the equipment for recording audio, and route the wiring neatly so no one trips over it.
Because the specifics of “shikomi” vary greatly depending on scale and content, flexible adaptability is required at each site.
The hard parts of prep and teardown
In the case of live houses (music venues), the opening time is fixed, so the schedule can end up being quite tight.
Before big events and the like, the sheer amount of prep work makes it hard because you never know when you'll be done.
Also, I sometimes feel that the teardown after the event is tough both time-wise and physically.
In cases like outdoor festivals, one of the challenges is that work can be affected by the weather.
Lastly
I wrote this for people who want to work behind the scenes in the music industry in the future, or for those who want to know what goes on behind the scenes at festivals and live shows.
Live shows are fun and give you a thrill you can’t experience in everyday life, but behind the scenes they’re surprisingly unglamorous.
There are many tough things, but since it’s a world full of people who love live shows, there are also plenty of ways to find enjoyment amidst the difficulties.
Volunteer staffThey may sometimes be recruiting as well, so it could be interesting to give it a try.