Topic: WHAT is happening in this wav?

[Roving Sign]

From an on-the-fly matrix - This sounds like a brief static zip - I thought maybe the singers mic channel overloaded...but this looks different.

Im thinking pencil tool...

[bluegrass_brad]

What is happening at each of those peaks?  A drum hit, singing?

[ethan]

I'd guess analog clip.

[Craig T]

I believe the 722 suffered the same issue at one point.  When you'd hit digital 0/over, it would invert the signal instead of the "table top" look.  They fixed it in firmware:

1.67
fixed - bad overload behavior from 1.60 fixed
fixed - CF no longer erroneously shows "full" after deleting files and emptying trash with a Mac
fixed - time remaining now changes properly with ext word clock
fixed - linked units now advance take simultaneously with file split
fixed - user bits now properly track take number on both hard drive and compact flash
changed - FireWire screen now says "...don't disconnect firewire cable..."
added - upon update, it now prompts the user to update the date/time
released March 24, 1006

[Roving Sign]

Just to expand a bit...

This was using the JB3s A/D...fed from my mixers RCAs...

Overall - the levels look fine, in not a bit conservative. There is no obvious looking clip.

The segment above (where the zap occurs) is actually just a fraction of a second of singing - check the times

Its definitely associated with the vocals...Im thinking this actually came from the soundmans mixer - the vocal channel may have red-lighted.

Another competing theory...dont laugh (actually do!)

The sound man had one of those little rotating pizza ovens and was running it off the same electric as the PA.

I hear a few pops in this recording that Im certain are the pizza oven cycling on and off.

Im wondering if an oven pop combined with a vocal peak might make this happen. (I haven't examined any of the pops yet...if they are similar, that might be it...)

[Roving Sign]

here's an mp3 sample of the moment...

[Roving Sign]

overall view of the whole song...(this is the version that was normalized 3.3 db)

[Roving Sign]

JB3 is HD...

I must say - Audacity Pencil tool rules! Cleaned this up very nicely...

Im really thinking this pizza oven may have been the culprit...

Here's the fixed segment...

http://www.rovingsign.com/hexbelt2008-07-12t12fix.mp3

Here's the original just for comparison - note the first blip doesnt really seem to sync with the vocal as much...(right after the "handful of pills" line)

http://www.rovingsign.com/hexbelt2008-07-12t12prefix.mp3

[easy jim]

I've had that exact type of inverted spike before on a couple of my recordings - both SBD feeds.  One of those times, I am certain it was analog clipping from one of the drum (tom) channels on the SBD.  The other time, I think the output levels from a SBD feed I received were too hot and were clipping my R-4 Pro at the analog input stage.