Topic: Noisy People Next To You Strategy?

[dave570]

OK, so pretend you are sitting in an arena/club where every seat is taken and you can't get up and find a spare seat for you and your friend who you came to the show with. Also pretend you are stealthing the show with low profile unidirectional mics and there is girl sitting two seats away from you who is screaming at the top of her lungs every 5 minutes as if someone is stepping on her foot because she thinks the musicians who are 80 yards away can actually hear her yell. Also pretend that there are people yapping near you about stuff that has nothing to do with the show at all but are intent on talking loud over the music to have a conversation with their friends. What do you do besides give them mean looks to shut them up? Offering them a copy afterwards? Would they even care??

[Giant_Rick]

I'd just enjoy the show

[Wiggler]

Every taper needs a can of super fart spray.

[M]

Sometimes the stars align and you are able to pull a sick tape and the others.....any number of things can fuck it up. 

Regarding inconsiderate patrons you just gotta hope for a couple tracks that sound good.  Inconsiderate people don't really care what you do to try and shut them up, hence being inconsiderate.

I have heard people (non-tapers) tell jerks to STFU, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

Try to ignore it and enjoy your night, as suggested.  The good tapes wouldn't be as rewarding if we didn't go through the troubles we do to get them.

[DisturbedPyro]

Every taper needs a can of super fart spray.

haha

[yltfan]

I have asked people to try to quiet down, at least during the music, with some success. If you can't move, and you know they are stepping all over the tape, and you care enough--try asking them to chill out, offer them a copy. I'd say it works 2/3 of the time, some times it doesn't help at all, and a few times, it's made things worse.

You can also try out different mics that will reject more of the off-axis sound (such as hyper-cardioids), but if the screamers are 2 seats away and loud enough, there's not much you can do mic-wise.

[acidjack]

OK, so pretend you are sitting in an arena/club where every seat is taken and you can't get up and find a spare seat for you and your friend who you came to the show with. Also pretend you are stealthing the show with low profile unidirectional mics and there is girl sitting two seats away from you who is screaming at the top of her lungs every 5 minutes as if someone is stepping on her foot because she thinks the musicians who are 80 yards away can actually hear her yell. Also pretend that there are people yapping near you about stuff that has nothing to do with the show at all but are intent on talking loud over the music to have a conversation with their friends. What do you do besides give them mean looks to shut them up? Offering them a copy afterwards? Would they even care??

Cheering between songs, I think you have to live with it.

Cheering during songs, I think you generally have to live with it, though there are exceptions for really drunk people who aren't even paying attention and just cheering randomly.

Talking/doing something totally unconnected to the music, I'd consider asking them to STFU, or hope someone else does.

In my view, you cannot expect others to respect that you are taping.  Taping isn't what you paid for the ticket for, and unless you work for the band or are in a taping-specific section, those are the breaks.  However, doing something that is disrespectful to everyone at the show, whether taping or not, can warrant asking someone to quiet down.

Just my $.02. 

[jlykos]

I don't do anything.  They have just as much of a right to be there as I do and unless they are doing something truly obnoxious like intentionally yelling idiotic nonsense directly into my microphones, I won't tell them anything.

In a jazz or classical concert, yes, I can see telling some loudmouths to hush.  But in a rock concert, it just won't work.

[Belexes]

Hope someone else is taping elsewhere in the venue and enjoy the show.

So much is out of your control when taping concerts you simply have to hope for the best.  There's a lot of luck and a lot less skill sometimes in our hobby.

[stevetoney]

I used to play golf with a guy or two that just couldn't function golf-wise if someone within 100 yards of them was moving, scratching their balls, shifting their weight, etc.  I always thought it was crazy to worry so much about things you can't control.

Try your best at the show to zone in on the music and just don't worry about what the recording will turn out like. 

Ask yourself, are you there to enjoy the music or to worry about things you can't control such that someone else can ruin your experience without even realizing it or trying.  Not only that, but why let the enjoyment that someone is experiencing at a show bring you down.  If someone is enjoying a show that much, that can be contagious and help you enjoy the show more.

For me, it's simply not worth worrying about, so I don't.  It frees me up to enjoy the experience.

Having said this, if it's a stand-up show without seating, the best advice I read here a couple years ago.  If someone is standing too close to your mics, all you have to do is crowd into their personal space.  Don't say anything or even look at them...while you're  watching the music and dancing away...just snuggle up nice and close enough that they feel uncomfortable about standing too close.  Within seconds, they'll move away.  Works every time! 

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

I take a look at the person...make a judgment if they are a moron/drunk idiot or not. If not, I ask them politely if they would mind having their conversation slightly farther away from my mics. Usually I just ignore them and they go away. Half the time when I just let them be,  I can't even here them on my recording.

[JackHenry]

Whilst spray painting a car, a friend suggested that if a bug lands on the wet paint, don't try and remove it. It's much easier to sand off the six legs later. Taking that into the audio realm, if someone is noisy, shoot them. It's easier to remove one peak in your recording later during mastering.

[mosquito]

Depends.  Sometimes I think I'll have a shot at getting them to be quiet, sometimes by helping them (I always have a flashlight), sometimes with something else, but always by being nice.  If I let it turn into a confrontation I won't be enjoying my time at the show.  If I don't think I can, either I'll move (like by standing in an aisle) or just let it roll and get what I can.  If nothing else, I'll be able to laugh at the drunks I recorded later.

For me, I've spent a chunk of time and money for the show to enjoy my time there just as the other people have.  If I can get a good tape out of it, I get to keep the cake too.

[rastasean]

I have been to some noisy shows before (because the only place people text message and talk are at shows) but the recordings are not terrible at all. I'm not expecting CD studio quality but there's chatter but for an entire conversation to be recorded, highly unlikely. Move your mics higher if thats the case.

But if people are directly under/around your mics, stand next to them and they will jet.

[boyacrobat]

zen them to deep sleep
or move

g