What does Sound Cues mean?
Sound Cues are specific pre-planned audio signals or effects — either live or recorded — that are triggered at precise moments during a performance or production. In theater, sound cues are numbered and called by the stage manager, triggering a sound operator to play a specific audio element at the right moment. In film and television production, sound cues during filming might include practical sounds needed to motivate an actor’s performance — a doorbell, a phone ring, or a specific piece of music — that are played live on set so the actor has a real stimulus to react to.
Example:The stage manager called ‘Go, Sound Cue 14’ and the thunderclap burst from the speakers just as the child actor looked toward the window — the precisely timed sound cue making her reaction completely natural and immediate.
Example: The sound department played the doorbell sound cue live on set during the take so the child actor would have a real audio stimulus to respond to, rather than reacting to nothing and having the sound added in post-production.
Did you know?
In professional theater, the sound cue sheet for a complex production can run to hundreds of individual cues, each with precise timing, volume levels, and speaker placement instructions. A single theatrical production might have more sound cues than a feature film — because unlike film, where sound is largely added in post-production, theater requires all sound to be executed live and in real time during every performance.
You can also find “Sound Cues” and related terms in this category: Theater Acting.
