Topic: recording a comedy show

[shotyd]

I am going to record a comedy show this weekend with a internal mic (i have not gotten my mic yet [i have Edirol R-09]). low cut off, mic gain high and AGC on like a meeting setting?? what would be the best way to record a comedy show? thanks for helping!

[jkbyram]

the crowd around you is going to be very loud compared to the comedian unless you can get as close as possible to one of the PA speakers.  maybe then the comedy may be almost as loud as the crowd. idid a comedy show but not trying to hide it and was surprised how loud the crowd was.  the clapping is horrible in a room with no music.


i taped lavell crawford about 2 months before he was on last comic standing.

[shotyd]

last time I went to Irvine Improv I sat right next to the PA...so I think if I get there early enough, I can sit...or possibly request a seat right infront of the PA. and I'm going to see Wanda Sykes, so I'm sure the crowd will be very loud (?).  I'll give it a shot...

[shotyd]

the crowd around you is going to be very loud compared to the comedian unless you can get as close as possible to one of the PA speakers.  maybe then the comedy may be almost as loud as the crowd. idid a comedy show but not trying to hide it and was surprised how loud the crowd was.  the clapping is horrible in a room with no music.


i taped lavell crawford about 2 months before he was on last comic standing.

so the setting should be low cut off, mic gain high and AGC on? just want to do this right. i'm a newb. thanks for the help!

[rokpunk]

and I'm going to see Wanda Sykes,

i thought you said you were taping a comedian.

[shotyd]

and I'm going to see Wanda Sykes,

i thought you said you were taping a comedian.

isn't she one??

[rokpunk]

and I'm going to see Wanda Sykes,

i thought you said you were taping a comedian.

isn't she one??

i thought being funny was part of the comedian job description.

[danlynch]

I checked levels with John Oliver before the Mountain Goats on Friday night.   In retrospect I should definitely have recorded him, especially since he noticed me setting up and made a funny mention of it.

But my point is that its not just the crowd that will spike levels, but the performer will too, as they mumble, then yell, then speak quietly for a while, then laugh, etc.  Its really impossible to get decent levels without clipping at some points, even if you're right up at the stacks.

[jkbyram]

You are so right. I actually did a matrix of lavell crawford(my frind was sound man) and between him trying to constantly get the vocal oevel right and the crowd going from quiet to laughing, it was all over the place.

[cyfan]

I taped Doug Stanhope a couple times. While crowd volume is an issue, I had more concerns with the drunken morons all trying to tumble into my mic stand all night. You think wooks at a music show are trouble ...

tim

[gtalife]

....funny, my buddy FOH engineer taped Doug Stanhope a few weeks ago, i stopped by to retreive some gear, and there he is using it,
(like he normally does)!. Audio came out well from a "On The Fly Matrix" via SP C4's, UA-5, and the feed from the board. He's pretty funny.

[morst]

Unlike most music recordings, comedy shows will probably sound fine if you use a limiter. Though if you have enough headroom to record without the limiter, you can probably get better results by limiting the audio afterwards in your workstation software. I suggest using a look-ahead limiter like WAVES L1 or the freeware equivalent - Yohng's W1.

[shotyd]

I checked levels with John Oliver before the Mountain Goats on Friday night.   In retrospect I should definitely have recorded him, especially since he noticed me setting up and made a funny mention of it.

But my point is that its not just the crowd that will spike levels, but the performer will too, as they mumble, then yell, then speak quietly for a while, then laugh, etc.  Its really impossible to get decent levels without clipping at some points, even if you're right up at the stacks.

so since the mumbleing and yelling and all, I should turn the AGC on then? or should I put the volume to a normal level in a regular speaking voice?

[morst]

so since the mumbleing and yelling and all, I should turn the AGC on then? or should I put the volume to a normal level in a regular speaking voice?

AGC is not magic. It takes time to react. I suggest recording with no limiter, so that even the loudest peaks do not clip. You can use a software limiter AFTERWARDS, to process the sound and reduce the dynamic range.

[shotyd]

so since the mumbleing and yelling and all, I should turn the AGC on then? or should I put the volume to a normal level in a regular speaking voice?

AGC is not magic. It takes time to react. I suggest recording with no limiter, so that even the loudest peaks do not clip. You can use a software limiter AFTERWARDS, to process the sound and reduce the dynamic range.

people i asked have said to turn the agc on...so I'll give that one a shot. if that don't work...lesson learned.