[David Grant]

Why is it that the mic gain always seems to be set way too high during
campain speeches? Is this a production effect that actually has a positive
influence on voters?

[hank alrich]

David Grant wrote:

Why is it that the mic gain always seems to be set way too high during
campain speeches? Is this a production effect that actually has a positive
influence on voters?

I think it's a reflection of the level of stupidity that is endemic to
most live sound these days.

--
ha
Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam

[tmaki]

David Grant wrote:
Why is it that the mic gain always seems to be set way too high during
campain speeches? Is this a production effect that actually has a positive
influence on voters?


Although in a slightly different context, both Scott and
Arny said it pretty succinctly:

"The general principle is that there are people with X years
of experience, and there are people with 1 year of
experience X times, and so on." - Arny

"You would be AMAZED at how amateur some of the folks in
that situation are." - Scott

Add to the "mix" the often expressed live sound/recording
maxim "Match the gain to the source" and you get a pretty
consistent technique. The source, in this case, being the
rather "high gain" of the political puffery, promises, and
rhetoric characteristic of the political season.

As we contemplate the outcome of the election(s), don't
forget the basic principles of good audio: Make sure your
source is as distortion-free as possible, maximize your
signal-to-noise ratio as early as possible, have a good
monitoring environment.

Vote early, and vote often...



TM

[[email protected]]

On 2008-09-10 (hankalrich) said:
David Grant wrote:
Why is it that the mic gain always seems to be set way too high
during campain speeches? Is this a production effect that
actually has a positive influence on voters?
I think it's a reflection of the level of stupidity that is endemic
to most live sound these days.
That's likely, but I"d assume David's talking about hearing
them via broadcast, radio or television. YOu'd think that
even if the guy doing the sr doesn't understand gainstaging
that the broadcast is taking a split from the microphone.
Maybe the op there doesn't have any more clue than the sr
system op.






Richard webb,
replace anything before at with elspider

[Scott Dorsey]

In article ,
wrote:

On 2008-09-10 (hankalrich) said:
David Grant wrote:
Why is it that the mic gain always seems to be set way too high
during campain speeches? Is this a production effect that
actually has a positive influence on voters?
I think it's a reflection of the level of stupidity that is endemic
to most live sound these days.

That's likely, but I"d assume David's talking about hearing
them via broadcast, radio or television. YOu'd think that
even if the guy doing the sr doesn't understand gainstaging
that the broadcast is taking a split from the microphone.
Maybe the op there doesn't have any more clue than the sr
system op.

Sound ops? In broadcast? You must be joking.... the TV camera op
just plugs his wireless head into the press box and lets the AGC set
the levels. The radio guys are even worse... they send a reporter to
plug the thing in.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[[email protected]]

On 2008-09-10 (ScottDorsey) said:
even if the guy doing the sr doesn't understand gainstaging
that the broadcast is taking a split from the microphone.
Maybe the op there doesn't have any more clue than the sr
system op.
Sound ops? In broadcast? You must be joking.... the TV camera op
just plugs his wireless head into the press box and lets the AGC set
the levels. The radio guys are even worse... they send a reporter
to plug the thing in.
Yah I"ve seen that with the TV guys when I was doing live sr
for an event. I'd give him an aux send from the mixer, with
a method of monitoring it so that I could adjust the level
so that his agc wasn't having to do all level control.
sUrprised the camera op too g.


AS for the radio guys, you'd think if a reporter is gonna
work in radio he or she would at least bother to learn about
setting levels and gain staging, but then ... what do I
know? Even if the management doesn't teach 'em you'd think
they'd have that much ionterest in getting a good product to
their listeners.



Richard webb,
replace anything before at with elspider

[Mike Rivers]

David Grant wrote:
Why is it that the mic gain always seems to be set way too high during
campain speeches? Is this a production effect that actually has a positive
influence on voters?

What do you observe that leads you think the mic gain is too high? Is it
that you're hearing clipping or other forms of distortion? Too much
background noise?

Many of these recordings are made by inexperienced people or with
equipment that doesn't allow the operator to adjust the record level
(such as a video camera with automatic gain control, or a cell phone, or
a pocket recorder) so that's the way the audio comes in to the
production room.

Audio that just sounds loud (at any listening volume) or distorted often
sounds exciting - think fuzzy electric guitars - and does tend to excite
the listeners, some of whom may be potential voters.



--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me he
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
)

[Dale Farmer]

wrote:
On 2008-09-10 (ScottDorsey) said:
even if the guy doing the sr doesn't understand gainstaging
that the broadcast is taking a split from the microphone.
Maybe the op there doesn't have any more clue than the sr
system op.
Sound ops? In broadcast? You must be joking.... the TV camera op
just plugs his wireless head into the press box and lets the AGC set
the levels. The radio guys are even worse... they send a reporter
to plug the thing in.
Yah I"ve seen that with the TV guys when I was doing live sr
for an event. I'd give him an aux send from the mixer, with
a method of monitoring it so that I could adjust the level
so that his agc wasn't having to do all level control.
sUrprised the camera op too g.


AS for the radio guys, you'd think if a reporter is gonna
work in radio he or she would at least bother to learn about
setting levels and gain staging, but then ... what do I
know? Even if the management doesn't teach 'em you'd think
they'd have that much ionterest in getting a good product to
their listeners.



You misunderstand what the product is with radio. It is not an audio
signal sent over the airwaves. The product of radio is our ears,
listening to the commercials. Similar to television where the product
is the viewers eyeballs watching the commercials.

--Dale

[[email protected]]

DAle wrote:

AS for the radio guys, you'd think if a reporter is gonna
work in radio he or she would at least bother to learn about
setting levels and gain staging, but then ... what do I
know? Even if the management doesn't teach 'em you'd think
they'd have that much ionterest in getting a good product to
their listeners.
You misunderstand what the product is with radio. It is not an
audio signal sent over the airwaves. The product of radio is our
ears, listening to the commercials. Similar to television where
the product is the viewers eyeballs watching the commercials.
NOt that part I misunderstand at all. I figure that earst
that tune away, or eyes that turn away aren't giving
attention to your commercials. i know if it sucks I usually
spin the dial g. If all that's available sucks, I hit the
big off switch. This means I'm *not* listening to, or
viewing the commercials g.




Richard webb,
replace anything before at with elspider

[Ken Winokur]

On Sep 15, 8:35*am, wrote:
DAle wrote:

* * AS for the radio guys, you'd think if a reporter is gonna
* * work in radio he or she would at least bother to learn about
* * setting levels and gain staging, but then ... what do I
* * know? *Even if the management doesn't teach 'em you'd think
* * they'd have that much ionterest in getting a good product to
* * their listeners.
* *You misunderstand what the product is with radio. *It is not an
* *audio signal sent over the airwaves. *The product of radio is our
* *ears, listening to the commercials. * Similar to television where
* *the product is the viewers eyeballs watching the commercials.
NOt that part I misunderstand at all. *I figure that earst
that tune away, or eyes that turn away aren't giving
attention to your commercials. *i know if it sucks I usually
spin the dial g. *If all that's available sucks, I hit the
big off switch. *This means I'm *not* listening to, or
viewing the commercials g.

Richard webb,
replace anything before at with elspider

And why oh why are they still using those small condensers on
goosenecks (Shure?) for all the congressional meetings and
investigative hearings? Invariably the speaker leans into the mic,
pops his "P's" and sends shockwaves into the tv speakers of millions
of Americans. Somebody should have noticed this on day one and said
"this mic just doesn't work for this application" and sent them back.
Can't they at least afford bigger wind screens? Perhaps they could
sell off an extra F-16 jet, and buy up a bunchy of SM57's (battle
tested and impossible to kill).

Ken