Topic: Besides obvious noises, what else affects recordings?

[Kush]

Fireworks can ruin recordings when taping outdoors at small music festivals.
I don't know what the fascination is with lighting off fireworks during a band's set but I've had it happen to me on 3 separate occasions this summer.

[guitard]

Air conditioning!!

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=69724.0

[cyfan]

If I'm concerned about some behaviors among the audience, I might mention I'm taping and even bribe them with a copy if they help me out...but in the end, if they wanna sit there and yell obscenties in my mic all night, that's the way it goes.

Are you kidding? I somebody was intentionally yelling right into my mics they would be wearing the mic stand home as a necktie.
I am not kidding.

[ts]

Check out this review 5 posts down. I was accused of belching in my mics by some UK wanker. http://www.archive.org/details/plf2006-02-10.akgC463B.tonys.32376.sbeok.flac16. I guess that could be considered unwanted noise

[Humbug]

Check out this review 5 posts down. I was accused of belching in my mics by some UK wanker. http://www.archive.org/details/plf2006-02-10.akgC463B.tonys.32376.sbeok.flac16. I guess that could be considered unwanted noise

Thats really funny..of course not all UK people are wankers. By the way, did you?

+t for the chuckle.

Humbug

[ts]

Check out this review 5 posts down. I was accused of belching in my mics by some UK wanker. http://www.archive.org/details/plf2006-02-10.akgC463B.tonys.32376.sbeok.flac16. I guess that could be considered unwanted noise

Thats really funny..of course not all UK people are wankers. By the way, did you?

+t for the chuckle.

Humbug

I know your'e not all wankers. I've been called a cowboy and a crazy yank. Did I burp? Don't remember. Could have been the Boddingtons

[(((KB)))]

These things are pretty obvious, but they've happened to me in the past.

Direct mic obstuctions...
seems to happen mostly when running stage-lip, on-stage, or mics at head-height. Mics that are blocked in some way (heads, hands, bodies) from a PA or an Amp on stage etc. for a brief time can muffle the recording. I've had people actually put their hand in front of them, take off the wind screen, fiddle with them and what not. If you saw a cell phone sitting next to someone... would you pick it up and start fiddling w/ it? Sorry, just venting...hahaha.

wind...
can be a big annoyance it "flutters"(for lack of a better word) the high end or you hear wind "whooshing" noise. Sometimes windscreens just won't help. Also, I've had huge gusts of wind blow my mic placement off which resulted in some audable wierdness on the recording. Kinda sucked, I guess the stand thumb screws weren't tight enough. Hahaha, end user error I suppose.

Rain...
can be an annoyance as well... I've heard umbrellas flap and rain drop noise on recordings. Again, not much you can you do about it.

-K

[tiberiusbkirk]

I would add alcohol to the list.
I've noticed as the show goes on, some crowds get rowdier and start whooping and hollering and lots of clapping.

[Church-Audio]

One word FARTING. its bad and sometimes it just can not be stopped and it always seems to happen in a quiet section. Not that I have this problem but I know people that do.

Just a curious question I have since I haven't been taping that long. Reason I ask is because last night I was recording at a local bar for a friend of mine's band and I had 2 smokers to the left of my stand & rig and 2 smokers to the right. I tapped all of them on the shoulder and motioned for them to please move since it was affecting the recording. Of course that was probably a load of bullsh*t, but I did that so I didn't have to breathe all of that in for the whole night. I haven't listened to the tape yet, but does cigarette smoke or smoke of any kind (if there's a lot of it) mess with recordings any? Also, other than your obvious talking and noises, is there anything else I should be alert for in the future as something that will mess with my recordings? I've heard a little about cell phone interference; is it that bad? Hopefully I can save some future recordings with your help. Thanks in advance!

[beefstew]

You know what could really mess up your recordings?   The sound of a penis pump being operated under your desk or maybe under the soundboard...

We have got to get an audio clip from the court record for the TS archives..





Foster told authorities that she saw Thompson use the device almost daily during the August 2003 murder trial of a man accused of shaking a toddler to death.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060818/D8JJ3HLO0.html

how the hell is a dead toddler arousing???

[eman]

I have found there are a good number of people who like to be in the back of the room, and tend to the center. Seems like if they were smoking, they were trying to be courteous to the majority of the crowd who were up front.
If the room were not so very full, and you had a blocker or two, then you could consider moving forward and letting the riff raff use the back wall. Your sound would probably improve anyway.

[neiljung]

Soundguy chatting with all his friends and members of the opening band who come back to talk to him.

[dgodwin]

40-something yuppies who can't hold their alcohol trying to act cool by clapping off-beat, freak dancing at a jam band show, flirting with kids half their age, and just being general asses.