Cellphones and recording

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 11:28 am

I read somewhere (here?) that a cell phone can interfere with recordings, even if the ringer is turned off.

I've not had the experience, however, I was just on my land-line checking a balance with the long silence where the computer is accessing the info, and I started getting a rhythmic static sound.

WTF?

The cell phone rang a few seconds later, with the same rhythm.

Actually, it was on vibrate (I call myself when I'm lonely), and the static matched that.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:03 pm

There are a few threads about this already. Certain cel phones will cause interference with audio gear (down to and including car radios), even when set to "vibrate." And you will hear pre-ring interference as well as interference that's just the phone checking in with the cel tower.

Rule of thumb, turn off cel phones when recording.

ThePitz · Post by **ThePitz** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:43 pm

Yeah - I thought everyone was familiar with this - but very few people I talk to about it know what i'm talking about. Maybe it's just the crappy free phones I use that do it so dern much.

Cell phones have a sweet little swing rhythm they play whenever they talk to the tower. Quarter note, eighth notes, quarter note eight notes. It can happen when it checks the time and voicemail, too.

I'm pretty sure that's the reason they ask you to turn your cell phones off during takeoff and landing. It would suck for a pilot to miss an instruction from a control tower due to the cellphone song.

ThePitz · Post by **ThePitz** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:43 pm

Yeah - I thought everyone was familiar with this - but very few people I talk to about it know what i'm talking about. Maybe it's just the crappy free phones I use that do it so dern much.

Cell phones have a sweet little swing rhythm they play whenever they talk to the tower. Quarter note, eighth notes, quarter note eight notes. It can happen when it checks the time and voicemail, too.

I'm pretty sure that's the reason they ask you to turn your cell phones off during takeoff and landing. It would suck for a pilot to miss an instruction from a control tower due to the cellphone song.

antilog · Post by **antilog** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:28 pm

I always request people to turn OFF their cell phones - no ringing, no buzzing, no signals, nothing. They can wait.....

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:33 pm

I hear you guys, but it's hard to explain to the wife sometimes why you haven't picked up your phone.....even when you told her it would be off for 3 hours during a session. Well I guess that means she still needs me for some reason, so I probably shouldn't complain. Oh the joys of marriage! haha.

On a side note....every session I've interened on at a few different studios, the studio engineer/owner had his phone on and was answering emails or texts periodically.

aitikin · Post by **aitikin** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:52 pm

It really depends on the phone and the service. I know that, in my experiences, Sprint/Verizon never really cause this problem, but T-Mobile/AT&T/US Cell/Other GSM network has screwed stuff up. I also notice this more with the speakers than with the recording side of things, which makes me think it's only to deal with unbalanced connections, like instrument amps and the like?

I love it when I'm road tripping with people and I turn around and look the only person with a GSM phone (usually an iPhone) in the eyes and ask em, "Who's calling you?" before they get the call. It's a fun time.

casey campbell · Post by **casey campbell** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:42 am

this reminds me of a recording i was doing one time where the drummer forgot he had his cell phone on...in his pocket.

at one point while he was tracking, the cell phone starts ringing in perfect rhythm with the bpm of the song. strange. we kept the track...

centurymantra · Post by **centurymantra** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:20 am

If someone can't make a hit record with the built-in cellphone mic, then the problem is with them - not the gear!

centurymantra · Post by **centurymantra** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:22 am

On a more serious note, I did once have a problem with one of my Audio Technica AT4047 mics where it was making all kinds of crackling and hissing. I thought the mic had actually developed a problem, but it turned out to be caused by a cellphone that was on in the room.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:21 am

ott0bot wrote:I hear you guys, but it's hard to explain to the wife sometimes why you haven't picked up your phone.....even when you told her it would be off for 3 hours during a session. Well I guess that means she still needs me for some reason, so I probably shouldn't complain. Oh the joys of marriage! haha.

How would your wife feel if your bandmates rung you up constantly during date night? Bet she'd love that. Bet you turn your celphone off for those times.

You know, there was a time, not too terribly long ago, where if you weren't someplace that had a telephone installed, no one could call you. And y'know what? Wives and husbands dealt with it. The problem with a world where you can be reached anywhere, anytime is that people assume you will be reached anywhere, anytime and get upset if you don't respond. The problem of celphones in studios is not so much technological as it is cultural.

The studio is the cocoon, the fortress of solitude, the tree fort. Turn off the celphone and get on with the work.

jgimbel · Post by **jgimbel** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:04 am

Great post, dwlb, I agree 100%. When I record myself, I turn off my phone, make sure folks know I'm going to be recording so I'll be busy/not reachable, and sometimes even change the lighting, make it a little dimmer or whatever seems to fit. When I'm recording I'm really focused on what I'm working on, and the mindset kind of changes. Any time something happens, like if my phone rings, some major settings change, whatever, it kind of jolts me out of that moment. When I'm recording other folks, it seems that proves to be true, just by listening to playback. If folks are in their moment, focusing on taking what is that they're trying to create/document, and getting in onto tape/computer, that's when there's that real magic, which is exactly what we all talk about when we say "forget mics, preamps, compressors, medium, what is most important is a great performance". It's hard to play your heart out and focus when you just have to text someone back real quick. The worst for me is when someone literally stops an awesome take because they're getting a phone call (when it's not giving interference). The moment, to me, is the most important thing, and there are a million things that can rock you right out of that groove, with continuous accessibility to everyone who has your phone number being a top one.

Now leave me alone, TOMB, I have some recording to do

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:26 am

Ha!

At 7:15 here, not only is it on, but Hetfield is reading the lyrics from his cellphone as he, eh, "sings".

bestmixerever · Post by **bestmixerever** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:39 am

Turn 'em off as soon as the session is getting started. While they do interfere with gear, as we all know they interfere with sessions more. Use the land line to order food. And it's great for keeping fidgety traffic outta the control room: "You gotta go outside the room to use your cell, it really interferes with gear, thanks cupcake!" My rule is that unless you're expecting the delivery (no, not from your dealer) of your first child, phones off.

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:18 am

dwlb wrote:
ott0bot wrote:I hear you guys, but it's hard to explain to the wife sometimes why you haven't picked up your phone.....even when you told her it would be off for 3 hours during a session. Well I guess that means she still needs me for some reason, so I probably shouldn't complain. Oh the joys of marriage! haha.
How would your wife feel if your bandmates rung you up constantly during date night? Bet she'd love that. Bet you turn your celphone off for those times.

You know, there was a time, not too terribly long ago, where if you weren't someplace that had a telephone installed, no one could call you. And y'know what? Wives and husbands dealt with it. The problem with a world where you can be reached anywhere, anytime is that people assume you will be reached anywhere, anytime and get upset if you don't respond. The problem of celphones in studios is not so much technological as it is cultural.

The studio is the cocoon, the fortress of solitude, the tree fort. Turn off the celphone and get on with the work.

Ha! all very true. I totally agree with you, and as a whole I leave my phone in another room or turn it off, especailly when recording myself. You see I work out of my house and it's a pretty loose environment, but at a studio I'd try to collow the same rules. At my school, we had a batphone looking thing that was on silent ring with a light only. That seemed to work pretty well to avoid cellphone use.

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