Getting rid of noisy kids

Dean Sensui · January 28th, 2009, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

Pass out candy...something really sticky like toffee or Tootsie Rolls?

Or, "Pass-out" candy. Tootsie Rolls spiked with Ritalin? :-)

What about using three or four "zone mics". Unidirectionals pointed toward the band in fairly close proximity?

It's going to be hard to eliminate the noise. But maybe it can reduce it somewhat.

Or perhaps work with the shopping center management and have the kids under control during the performance. Fat chance, huh?

Dave Blackhurst · January 28th, 2009, 02:52 AM

Wow, I was all excited to check this thread, thought maybe you'd found a place I could drop my 3 li'l buggers off. Dang.

Any chance you could ask the mall cops to close off the play area for a "toxic barf spill" for the time you're playing? Maybe hire a couple extras to come in in those bright orange suits and start poking around the area a half hour before you start? I'll bet the moms will have Screech Jr. outa there, toot sweet!

It's a tough audio situation when you've got kids in the background - I've done a couple school plays where there was a screamer to one side of the camera, and the audio on that track killed a few li'l hairs in MY ears...

I think you MIGHT be onto something with the ambient track which you could pull in and out of the mix, and then some close/solo mic'ing as already suggested. I know by your chosen mics that you're fairly serious about your sound, but maybe a gaggle of cheaper mics (which I'm sure will offend your ears) would yield a result that 99.9% of listeners would be thrilled with. You want to keep the audio standard set high, but most people really don't hear that well anyway to catch the last 5-10% improvement.

The lip-sync trick isn't all that bad either... really... you could even record individual performances that way, in case anyone plays out of tune <wink>!

Ken Campbell · January 29th, 2009, 01:58 AM

I always thought the answer to getting rid of noisy kids was Swiss boarding schools...

Out of curiosity, why would you want to completely eliminate the noisy kids? I might think they add to the ambience of the moment. Maybe just use hypercardiod mics or shotguns to minimize the little brats?

Matt Ratelle · January 29th, 2009, 10:13 AM

After hearing the audio, I don't think it's that bad for a public performance. If I was the one shooting it, I'd probably do what Brian suggested earlier and just throw in a few shots of the crowd, and of the kids running around. The worst thing in videos is when there is sound off camera, but you don't really know what it's from. If the video were to start out with a wide shot that included the crowd, before tightening in towards the band, that would establish where the noise is coming from, and most of the viewers would automatically forgive the sound quality(which isn't bad for a live recording in a large room with so many people in it).

Jay Gladwell · January 29th, 2009, 10:48 AM

I think Matt has provided the most reasonable/workable answer to the problem.

Marco Leavitt · January 30th, 2009, 03:08 PM

I wonder if this one of those situations where you could use two microphones and phase reversal to remove the sound of the kids? Never had much luck with it myself, but I'm throwing it out there.

Jim Andrada · January 30th, 2009, 04:21 PM

Yes, I had thought about the phase reversal stunt. I'm trying to set up a somewhat controlled experiment to see if I can make it work.

I don't necessarily want to remove ALL the uproar - just the parts that suddenly interfere with the flow of the music.

I had a similar problem in another recording with someone coughing at just the wrong time as the solo line was fading away- was able to trim out the cough and fade the instrumental out a tad early and it worked just fine. Noise in and of itself doesn't annoy me but interfering with the feeling of the music is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

I know I'm worrying about this more than I need to, and everybody has been happy with the recordings. It's just a personal challenge/learning experience so I can do better the next time.

It's tough being an old nit-picking perfectionist!

January 29th, 2009, 10:13 AM	#19
Matt Ratelle Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Catharines, ON Posts: 63	Go with the flow... After hearing the audio, I don't think it's that bad for a public performance. If I was the one shooting it, I'd probably do what Brian suggested earlier and just throw in a few shots of the crowd, and of the kids running around. The worst thing in videos is when there is sound off camera, but you don't really know what it's from. If the video were to start out with a wide shot that included the crowd, before tightening in towards the band, that would establish where the noise is coming from, and most of the viewers would automatically forgive the sound quality(which isn't bad for a live recording in a large room with so many people in it).

January 28th, 2009, 02:52 AM	#17
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Wow, I was all excited to check this thread, thought maybe you'd found a place I could drop my 3 li'l buggers off. Dang. Any chance you could ask the mall cops to close off the play area for a "toxic barf spill" for the time you're playing? Maybe hire a couple extras to come in in those bright orange suits and start poking around the area a half hour before you start? I'll bet the moms will have Screech Jr. outa there, toot sweet! It's a tough audio situation when you've got kids in the background - I've done a couple school plays where there was a screamer to one side of the camera, and the audio on that track killed a few li'l hairs in MY ears... I think you MIGHT be onto something with the ambient track which you could pull in and out of the mix, and then some close/solo mic'ing as already suggested. I know by your chosen mics that you're fairly serious about your sound, but maybe a gaggle of cheaper mics (which I'm sure will offend your ears) would yield a result that 99.9% of listeners would be thrilled with. You want to keep the audio standard set high, but most people really don't hear that well anyway to catch the last 5-10% improvement. The lip-sync trick isn't all that bad either... really... you could even record individual performances that way, in case anyone plays out of tune <wink>!

January 29th, 2009, 01:58 AM	#18
Ken Campbell Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Milan, Italy Posts: 140	I always thought the answer to getting rid of noisy kids was Swiss boarding schools... Out of curiosity, why would you want to completely eliminate the noisy kids? I might think they add to the ambience of the moment. Maybe just use hypercardiod mics or shotguns to minimize the little brats?

January 29th, 2009, 10:48 AM	#20
Jay Gladwell Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,244	I think Matt has provided the most reasonable/workable answer to the problem.

January 30th, 2009, 03:08 PM	#21
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	I wonder if this one of those situations where you could use two microphones and phase reversal to remove the sound of the kids? Never had much luck with it myself, but I'm throwing it out there.

January 30th, 2009, 04:21 PM	#22
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	Yes, I had thought about the phase reversal stunt. I'm trying to set up a somewhat controlled experiment to see if I can make it work. I don't necessarily want to remove ALL the uproar - just the parts that suddenly interfere with the flow of the music. I had a similar problem in another recording with someone coughing at just the wrong time as the solo line was fading away- was able to trim out the cough and fade the instrumental out a tad early and it worked just fine. Noise in and of itself doesn't annoy me but interfering with the feeling of the music is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. I know I'm worrying about this more than I need to, and everybody has been happy with the recordings. It's just a personal challenge/learning experience so I can do better the next time. It's tough being an old nit-picking perfectionist!