Topic: Crowd Noise--Newbie question

[lds490]

What do y'all do about loud applause during and between songs?  I've used my stealth rig (AT 831's mounted in croakies on my glasses) twice now and both times I've had this problem.  Both shows were jazz performances in very quiet rooms.  I had the gain control up way high because the music was not very loud.  However, the applause between songs was loud and clipped.  Also, clapping after solos, though not loud enough for clipping, is kind of jarring.

Should I set the levels lower to avoid clipping between songs.  I think the levels during the music would be too low then.

I know I can clean up the recordings using a program like sound forge,  Can somebody give me specific instructions on how to do this?  Do I want to normalize, compress, or what?

Thanks.

LDS

[pfife]

If it's between songs, I usually just notch down the volume a bit using soundforge.

When its in the middle of the song, I love it.  That's part of live music, esp. jazz!  It's a form of crowd participation, that contributes to the overall quality of the show.

What I can't stand is people jabbering to me while I am stealthing, or jabbering in front of the rig... there's not really anything you can do about it though, when it's on the tape... at least that I know of...

[creekfreak]

you can usually fix that with software, or use something that has a softlimit on it like the mini-me.

[Brian Skalinder]

Check this out:

http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?board=5;action=display;threadid=17482

[brandont_h]

I'm pretty tall, so I kinda act like a human mic stand when I'm stealthing.  Rare is the occasion where crowd noise makes much of a difference in my tapes.

[Brian Skalinder]

I'm pretty tall, so I kinda act like a human mic stand when I'm stealthing.  Rare is the occasion where crowd noise makes much of a difference in my tapes.

I used to dream of being tall (6'+) so I could dunk.  Then I dreamt of being tall so I could be a middle hitter.  Now I dream of being tall so I can be a human mic stand.  Times change...  

[drumminj]

I'll either reduce volume in between songs (in software), or use a compressor (also in software) after the fact, if necessary.  I guess reducing volume is probably best as you'll preserve the dynamic range in the applause whereas compressing can make it sound kind of odd.  Though, to be honest, I don't care as much about the sound of the applause, unless, as pfife says.  I have an acoustic show I matrixed, and the applause during the songs - after a solo, or some such, is great and totally adds to the feel of the recording.

[Tommy E.]

How exactly does the soft limit on the MME work or what does it do.  I have been borrowing one from callery until i can save enough money for a pre/ad combo of my own.  I used it tuesday night to record an orchestra and had the same problem but i didn't know what it was or what it does.  Now I have a pretty good idea of what it does and am curious about details or what limit to use.  Thanks