Topic: assisted listening devices at shows

[bonghitwillie]

how do you actually get one at a venue? do you personally go up to the place they give them out and say you are hard of hearing? seems weird to me.  do most venues have these things? is it a mono or stereo 1/8" out?  thanks in advance

[hi and lo]

If you're not hearing impaired, my view is that trying to gain access to an ALD device for recording is unethical.

[vanark]

If you're not hearing impaired, my view is that trying to gain access to an ALD device for recording is unethical.

This.

[Galen]

Most ALD's are broadcasted via shortwave and usually unstable antennaes at ranges below standard FM frequencies. The person who uses ALD pack supplied by venue (i.e.: same as transmitter) will generally hear much high end with little else. Is it worth it to go that route? To get an ALD pack you have to leave drivers license at whatever desk you need to get it from. Sounds like trouble.

[sparkey]

I've heard some very nice IEM recordings...rumor mill used to say that there were a couple of Shure models that most major acts used.

[Brian Skalinder]

IEMs are a different issue than ALDs; not sure if they're relevant to this thread.

As for ALDs, I've never used one, and haven't liked the recordings I've heard with them.  And I agree that using a house ALD is unethical, unless you're genuinely hard of hearing.  It's akin to parking in a handicapped space when you're not, in fact, handicapped.  Don't be That Guy.  If you want to go the ALD route, buy your own.

[med9]

me as well as a grea friend of mine are needing those handicapped spots. I was sooo pissed when someone without a handicap parking pass parked in a spot cuz they did not want to park far from the mall or did not want to look for a spot.  unethical is not even the word for those people who park illegally they should make it like passing a stopped school, a lower misdemeanor!

IEMs are a different issue than ALDs; not sure if they're relevant to this thread.

As for ALDs, I've never used one, and haven't liked the recordings I've heard with them.  And I agree that using a house ALD is unethical, unless you're genuinely hard of hearing.  It's akin to parking in a handicapped space when you're not, in fact, handicapped.  Don't be That Guy.  If you want to go the ALD route, buy your own.

[dorrcoq]

I was sooo pissed when someone without a handicap parking pass parked in a spot cuz they did not want to park far from the mall or did not want to look for a spot.  unethical is not even the word for those people who park illegally they should make it like passing a stopped school, a lower misdemeanor!

Weren't you carrying keys?   Just sayin'

[stevetoney]

me as well as a grea friend of mine are needing those handicapped spots. I was sooo pissed when someone without a handicap parking pass parked in a spot cuz they did not want to park far from the mall or did not want to look for a spot.  unethical is not even the word for those people who park illegally they should make it like passing a stopped school, a lower misdemeanor!

Then you have a situation like my wife experienced.  She has an emphysema like disability and at times like during the summer when humidity is up, she can't breath well and uses the close up spots.  At other times, she can breath fine and parks in regular spots.  Once there were ample handicap spots and she parked in a regular spot that happened to be one of the close spots to the store.  A bitchy old battleax saw her ADA license plate and had the nerve to bitch her out for taking one of the non-handicap spots.  Cathy just ignored her. 

As far as ALD's go, I use them in the movie theaters (I'm not just tone deaf) and I can't imagine these things providing anywhere's close to decent sound for music.  The theater units suck, but they're better than missing part of the audio.  Course, I'm sure the theater units probably don't cost more than $30 or $40 new, so what can be expected from something like that?  If you want to try and tap into the signal, don't even bother trying to use something that someone else would use...that's a non-issue because the sound you'll get will be crap.  I don't see a big deal though if you want to buy something of your own that's top of the line to get a decent sound.  I wouldn't do it though...you'd never know what you'd get out of the other end and whehter they'd even be broadcasting on the night you wanted to record.

[med9]

yes I do have a hearing problem both from shows and genetics so it is a real deal for me. I have a hard time hearing sometimes and ask folks on a regular basis to repeat themselves not due to not listening but unable to hear clearly! I also have some medical problems in which is sometimes to walk far disatances.

me as well as a great friend of mine are needing those handicapped spots. I was sooo pissed when someone without a handicap parking pass parked in a spot cuz they did not want to park far from the mall or did not want to look for a spot.  unethical is not even the word for those people who park illegally they should make it like passing a stopped school, a lower misdemeanor!

Then you have a situation like my wife experienced.  She has an emphysema like disability and at times like during the summer when humidity is up, she can't breath well and uses the close up spots.  At other times, she can breath fine and parks in regular spots.  Once there were ample handicap spots and she parked in a regular spot that happened to be one of the close spots to the store.  A bitchy old battleax saw her ADA license plate and had the nerve to bitch her out for taking one of the non-handicap spots.  Cathy just ignored her. 

As far as ALD's go, I use them in the movie theaters (I'm not just tone deaf) and I can't imagine these things providing anywhere's close to decent sound for music.  The theater units suck, but they're better than missing part of the audio.  Course, I'm sure the theater units probably don't cost more than $30 or $40 new, so what can be expected from something like that?  If you want to try and tap into the signal, don't even bother trying to use something that someone else would use...that's a non-issue because the sound you'll get will be crap.  I don't see a big deal though if you want to buy something of your own that's top of the line to get a decent sound.  I wouldn't do it though...you'd never know what you'd get out of the other end and whehter they'd even be broadcasting on the night you wanted to record.

[bonghitwillie]

i don't want to be unethical. i did not realize i could buy one. do all venues use the same frequency? are the ALDs freq agile?

[nameloc01]

Please make sure you upload the recording as soon possible too..preferably somewhere where everyone will know what you did, and what to look for at the next show when someone tries it.

[med9]

time to take this portion of the thread offline pm or whatevee not for public discussion

[stevetoney]

i don't want to be unethical. i did not realize i could buy one. do all venues use the same frequency? are the ALDs freq agile?

I'm not sure what you can do or whether anything is available for purchase. 

I don't know of music venue's that use ALD devices.  Seems kinda silly to me to think that you'd have amplified music being piped into an ALD.  I realize that not all music is loud amped up music, but people singing into mics and all...just saying that seems wierd to me that there would be a need for ALDs in that environment.

[SeanceMascara]

I used one once to record from thinking I would get a fantastic recording but what I got was garbish and unlistenable. It was the muddiest recording I've ever heard and had constant cellphone interference throughout it. As a result, I won't do it again. It's not worth the hassle in my opinion.

[Thom Joad]

I used one at Radio City in 2003.  I was hand-holding a set of ccm4's into my DAT rig, and my D5 was just sitting there unused, so I figured I'd try it out to see what I could get.  It was a mono output.  Not much low-end.  Sounded compressed.  Almost like an "AM radio" sound.  Output was kind of hot.  I was glad I had the recording when I needed to patch ~ 15 sec. in the AUD that I made, but I've never listened to the ALD one again though since it obviously sounded worse than the Schoeps, third row, DFC.

I've worn hearing aids since I was 5, so I didn't feel too bad taking one.  I felt even less bad when I learned that they had 10 of them in the box office for people to use.  I was taking the first one of the night, and the woman told me I would most likely be the only one. 

IMO, these are mostly used by folks who do not already wear hearing aids.  The one I used came with one earbud.  I do not understand why someone would take out one of their aids to put one of these in at a show.  The aid is programed to allow you to hear normally.  The ALD is programmed generally for all types of hearing loss.  You would have one ear hearing normally, and the other not.  Most of the people to do not wear hearing aids that should are elderly.  I knew there would not be a lot of old folks at the show I was at, so I really, really, didn't feel bad about taking one.

Again, it was kind of neat, but  IMO you'll make recordings that you'll never want to listen to again because they sound so bad, so why bother. 

[taperroy]

 sent ya a pm regarding my experience with alds.....

taperroy     (who also has a police scanner, and doesnt feel bad "stealing" the signal using that device, either)

[Scooter123]

I bought one.  Most venues use one of the two types sold.  Most ALDs have scanners on them to capture the half dozen band widths the ALD receives, then it locks on to the particular band that is receiving a signal.  Sometimes it will lock onto a static filled band or a partial bleed through of the actual ALD signal, so you need a headset to figure out which band is the actual ALD signal.  Output is mono, and can sound sorta flat and is highly compressed.  The headset wires often act as the antenae, so I'll carry and extra long 3.5 trs cable and wrap it around an arm or neck.  If you move the wire around a lot, you'll get some signal drift. 

I use them to enhance an audience tape, and mix it somewhere north or south of 50-50 depending on the two sources.  I think they are great and see nothing unethical about using them, if you've purchased the ALD.  They are cheap--about $100 or so--and about the zie of a pack of cigs.  If you want to capture both audience and the ALD you'll need a four channel recorder (too big for steath) or bring two bit boxes in and fool with the different clock settings in post.