Audio Noise Advice

[Tyler Dreher]

I got a very strange noise from a direct out from a soundboard at a live event i was shooting. Any suggestions of what to do?

It seems to increase every time someone speaks.

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[Battle Vaughan]

The "fuzz" seems to be centered around 2.5khz, I tried an equalizer with these settings:
30 band eq, everything flat but: -6dB at 2k, -18 dB at 2.5k, -18dB at 3.2k, -6dB at 4k.

Sample attached. I think this is something to do with the sound board preamps, unless you were using a wireless mike, which sometimes sounds like this. There is no overmodulation or clipping to account for the effect that I can see. Hope this helps....

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Getting a proper feed from the board is problematic. You can't come an hour and half before the performance and plug into their board and expect it to work. If the success depends on a board feed the client and stage manager have to be willing to run a test on another day and even then their equipment may not be able to deliver what you need. The safest bet would be mic up the talent with your own wireless lav (if they allow).

[Tyler Dreher]

I was sending the feed via a wireless mic. I've taken outs so many times from crappy venue soundboards and never had this problem but I go to a "business conference center" with one of the new all digital boards and it does this. Thanks for the help I'll eq it with those settings.

[Battle Vaughan]

Hope the settings help. There is not a lot of vocal information in those frequencies, mostly harmonics and sibilance, particularly with male voices, so little is lost with the eq.

I have heard that kind of "fuzz" on wireless when there were other wireless devices in use nearby, I presume this to be intermodulation interference, but I don't know exactly what causes it...best wishes!