[LAU] Pro Audio? OT rant.

[Gene Heskett]

On Thursday 27 December 2012 19:04:41 Len Ovens did opine:

> On Thu, December 27, 2012 3:23 pm, Neil wrote:
> > For example, a Sure SM58 does not faithfully reproduce the human
> > voice, but when it comes to live performance they sound "right"; they
> > meet our expectations.
> 
> Reminds me, I was watching a Christmas special with my wife from the
> Philippines with normal you tube sound (lossy compression) where they
> had every singer who was somebody in the Philippines, singing. A lot of
> the performers had side address large diaphragm mics, but I guess they
> ran out and there were a few (less well known or newer acts) with
> sm58s. I was surprised at how closed they sounded compared to the
> others even after mangling with mp3 to get a slow enough stream speed
> for youtube.
> 
> Still I guess you can use the sm58 to help build the stage...

They weren't that tough.  Our 5 car news staff used up a 10 pack of sm58's 
a year, and thought nothing of it.  The old "not my car" attitude as they 
crawled out of the wreck.  I never could figure out how they did it either, 
everytime I checked the car kits, the mics were reasonable well stowed.  
Cables were generally a mess though.  This is the same news crew that would 
get smack in a deputies face as he was escorting the suspect through a 
hallway at the court house, get slammed out of the way and shortened a 
$7,000 camera lens about a quarter inch on a door frame, all in one 10 foot 
piece of video tape used.  Then they'd bring it to me, complaining the back 
focus must be jammed, it wasn't adjustable any more.  They had, with their 
attitude of get the story at all costs, just did $10,000 worth of damage to 
a $21,000 DVC-PRO camera, because when you jam the lens that hard, the 
prisms that separate the colors were usually cracked too, and that was a 
$5,500 item.

After the second such in 3 months, we put them on notice that the next one 
doing it was canned, on the spot, and would be sued for the damages.  They, 
with one exception to prove we were serious suddenly were a lot more 
careful.

> No they don't sound very natural. They aren't used in way that helps
> either... less than an inch away from the mouth.

Where the screens tend to get plugged with dried spittle.  I've run a bunch 
of them through the dishwasher.  Not the mic of course, just the screens.

Cheers, Gene
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