What could degrade a recording over a set?

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Monkeyfist
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What could degrade a recording over a set?

Post by Monkeyfist » Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:18 pm

Going over some live tracks, and the first 5 sound fine, but half way through the sixth and on into the 11th track it becomes more and more degraded to the point where there is so much static noise I can't even make out the music. Nothing was adjusted, no levels were changed to my knowledge, and I was by the console nearly the whole time, and when I wasn't by no one else was either. I checked all my cords, connections, mics, nothing seems to be out of sorts. Could it have been ambient interference of some sort that I wouldn't have noticed? We were outdoors, so that may somehow have played a role in it. Hmmm...
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MechaGodzilla
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Post by MechaGodzilla » Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:41 pm

What kind of noise? Something electrical, like you were sharing power with the lighting? Or maybe the wind just picked up?

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Post by Monkeyfist » Wed Jul 26, 2006 1:17 pm

Static noise, massive amounts of pop as well in parts where there was a lot of playing. I think they may have turned up thier own levels on thier amps, but even in parts where there were dynamic breakdowns it kept sounding unintellegible. One thing I didn't check were the diaphrams on my mics, but I imagine that would have a uniquely different effect. Perhaps heat. I am really wondering whether it is a factor of equiptment or elements.
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Mark Alan Miller
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Post by Mark Alan Miller » Wed Jul 26, 2006 2:29 pm

What were you recording on?
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The Scum
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Post by The Scum » Wed Jul 26, 2006 3:28 pm

Another guess: crummy mic stand that relaxed through the set, and a mic wound up physically touching something, and rattling?

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rhythm ranch
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Post by rhythm ranch » Wed Jul 26, 2006 6:14 pm

Did anything in the chain have a battery in it that was dying?

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Post by Monkeyfist » Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:46 am

About the recording, no wireless mics, but I think I figured out what happened finally, the longer I thought about it, I thought maybe they did adjust thier own levels somehow, and so when I talked to their guitar player, he had admitted they did push up the fade a few times as thier set went on. It's not my recording or my gear I was using, so no real loss for me, but it still bothered me, and then when I finally found out what had happened, I was a little peeved. But then why get frustrated over them doing it to themselves I guess. They have to live with the recording. Not to mention it was the first time I had done anything like this in a long time, and my name won't really be tagged onto it. I still wish they had just kept my mix dialed in the way it was though. It probably wasn't the best but it sounded clean at least. And now I have a few more things I can look for in the future to make sure this doesn't happen again. And I think maybe a tazer might be a good purchase to keep the "I know what I'm doing" guys off the board.
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Post by Mark Alan Miller » Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:22 pm

Wow - so they basically overloaded your recorder's inputs with their quest for more SPL.

Interesting to know... I suspect this is a good case to make for setting a little extra headroom into the chain for such an instance. Like when I get levels on a drummer I always allow that they are gonna hit a lot harder when they are going for a take then when getting sounds - even if I ask them to play as hard as they think they are going to possibly play.

EDIT: Whens I catch typos, I likes to fixes them.
Last edited by Mark Alan Miller on Thu Jul 27, 2006 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
he took a duck in the face at two and hundred fifty knots.

http://www.radio-valkyrie.com/ao/aoindex.htm - download the new record (free is an option!) or get it on CD.

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rhythm ranch
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Post by rhythm ranch » Thu Jul 27, 2006 7:34 pm

You could also use a pre-fade aux send for the feed to the recorder. Then they can make any adjustments they want to the faders without bothering your to-tape mix.

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Post by Monkeyfist » Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:59 pm

Thanks for all the inputs, all the advice that's been posted has been a help for sure and I will try out and apply it. Also trhinking of buying a cattle prod for a primary defense. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this, been slammed with the return of my ship forthcoming and a family emergency, so plese forgive my absence in replying.
If you have legs and are on fire you are never blocking a fire exit.

M. Hedberg R.I.P.

www.10lblibido.com
www.hotlaundry.net
www.myspace.com/10lblibido
www.myspace.com/hotlaundry

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Post by coniferouspine » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:19 pm

There is a hilarious list of little maxims about all the things that can go wrong with a live recording, written by Robert Fripp in the liner notes to one of the King Crimson archival live albums...maybe I will try and dig it up and post it later when I get around my CDs. My favorite rule was "Tuning a mellotron doesn't."
"Every song needs a cranked marshall for mojo, even if decorum requires muting the track."

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