Topic: Tricky Balcony Recording Advice

[DSatz]

Gutbucket, boundary placement gives you a 6 dB increase in sensitivity to direct sound along with a 3 dB increase in diffuse sound pickup. The net effect is a 3 dB decrease in diffuse sound pickup relative to the direct sound.

--best regards

[Gutbucket]

Yes, that's what I was hunting for, thanks!

[stevetoney]

JB63...it's been a few years since I had a rig like yours, but I never considered roll-off to be an effective solution for minimizing clapping and crowd noise, although I don't really know what frequency the typical hand-clap is.  Roll-off is usually targeted at minimizing overly bassy sound and it usually targets frequencies in about the 100hz and lower range.  Applying compression in post is the more typical solution to the overzealous clapper (who usually can't keep time with a beat  ).  You might be having different results with your rig though...just giving you some food for thought.

[jb63]

JB63...it's been a few years since I had a rig like yours, but I never considered roll-off to be an effective solution for minimizing clapping and crowd noise, although I don't really know what frequency the typical hand-clap is.  Roll-off is usually targeted at minimizing overly bassy sound and it usually targets frequencies in about the 100hz and lower range.  Applying compression in post is the more typical solution to the overzealous clapper (who usually can't keep time with a beat  ).  You might be having different results with your rig though...just giving you some food for thought.

What I found, when I was using the DPA4061s > Oade Mod SBM1 > DAT, was that without the rolloff on, the nearby clapping, especially right next to you, would overload the waveform and make a huge SNAP sound that would be unrepairable, especially during the music.

I have some Bill Frisell tapes that are almost ruined by leaving that filter off. When switched on, it would minimize slightly the impact and make it something I could lessen in post. I'll dig up some old tapes and post a picture...

[Gutbucket]

What I found, when I was using the DPA4061s > Oade Mod SBM1 > DAT, was that without the rolloff on, the nearby clapping, especially right next to you, would overload the waveform and make a huge SNAP sound that would be unrepairable, especially during the music.

I have some Bill Frisell tapes that are almost ruined by leaving that filter off. When switched on, it would minimize slightly the impact and make it something I could lessen in post. I'll dig up some old tapes and post a picture...

That's most likey simply an issue of the clapping being significantly louder than the music and the levels set so the recording clips during applause.  Switching in the filter lowers the SPL level of the clap by cutting some of it's bass energy, yet the same result (without the low cut effecting the frequency response of the music) could be obtained by recording at a lower level.  Of course, in doing that the recorded level of the music would also be lower.  The crucial question is then: "does that make a difference?"

The answer for me has been, "no, it doesn't".  The noise floor of the room has always been higher than that of my equipment, even if I set levels to accommodate a close, loud clapper.  So for quiet material I simply set levels by clapping loudly myself before hand.

[realworld example: Bill Frisell, 4060>MMA6000 or CA-UGLY>R-09 (24bit)  <<which is probably only recording 16 or 17 useful bits anyway, but that's a different discussion]

[jb63]

Wow. A lot of info to digest from you guys. Those last 2 gutbucket posts alone could spark some conversations!

Anyway, I thought i'd put links to the balcony tapes I pulled here. I'm on a train in Philly typing on a phone, so please forgive any snafus and my lack of details. Very detailed info is in the flacs and there is a text file you could nab.

St Louis Source 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/?rzncfl5sphcah
St Louis Source 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/?78aus1o4r44p8
St Louis Source 3:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jf6u4qw7e2gkx

Akron Source 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/?l5rejcdcvdt88
Akron Source 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/?q4x6k5o87ozv3
Akron Source 3:
http://www.mediafire.com/?4ek531ra2f2rc

In Akron I was way too far from the pa and you can hear that, but it was all great fun. In St Louis we were the perfect distance and I taped hot with the korgs and got great results. That place has the best mezzanine EVER.

Enjoy!