PDA

View Full Version : Later with Jools Holland has been sounding weird of late!



RochaCullen
02-06-2011, 14:58
Anyone know who's been given the sound production job on Jools Holland of Late, as they are making a balls of it. :mental:

I was watching a recorded episode of Jools Holland's show last night. And the sound was chronic. I am aware with the advent of HD that they have perhaps changed things a little to make the most of the format, broadcasting in surround sound, placing the band in front and crowd at the back. But for me it has totally killed the sound. After much fiddling with my AV setup, basically forcing my surround amp to play in 5 channel stereo, I started to hear some of the detail I was missing, but the downside was it drowned out the lead vocalist.

Does anyone know what is going on?

It sucked the enjoyment out of what was to be a great show featuring James Vincent McMorrow, which I was really looking forward to.

Nathan

The Grand Wazoo
02-06-2011, 15:12
I haven't seen this episode yet, but I've always had a big beef with the sound quality on that show - for what seems like the opposite to how you found this.
On anything other than acoustic music, it's usually balanced so that all else is secondary to vocals, and the dynamics of electric instruments are so badly compressed as to be all but destroyed. Put a band who like to use the gain controls on their amps in there and they're pretty much emasculated.
Hmmm.....so now it's still crap but in a different way?

Virkon
02-06-2011, 16:46
I find I always have to crank the vol well up on Jools.

Thing Fish
02-06-2011, 16:49
Recently I have hardly been able to hear the bloody thing. Even with the volume full up on my PC its as quite as a mouse.

chris@panteg
02-06-2011, 18:17
I'm glad somebody else seems to think the sound is poor i was starting to think its just me lol , it is bloody compressed to hell and i always find i have to up the volume and even with my Yamaha amp cranked up its still pants .

howlindawg
08-06-2011, 09:14
I found centre channel output seemed lower than the main sperakers.
Forced the amp into Stereo mode and all was good again.

Macca
08-06-2011, 12:12
The whole show has gone downhill, not just the SQ, and Holland becomes more annoying with every broadcast.

IMHO;)

colinB
08-06-2011, 12:28
Always looked forward to the show and have found it as exhilarating as a live concert but i miss episodes from the last two series and dont fret about it.
Reading this thread now i know why.

Macca
08-06-2011, 12:32
Sky Arts are sporadically showing old Whistle Tests so i have been 'taping' them - no Holland related bollocks and the music is a damn sight better too:)

howlindawg
08-06-2011, 12:35
I still enjoy the show. It's on series link so I never miss an episode and we can watch it at our leisure.

An occasional sound glitch isn't going to prevent me from enjoying the show and occasionally finding an artist or album release that I like and hadn't previously been aware of.

camtwister
08-06-2011, 19:08
It would be interesting to evaluate recordings of older shows against the contemporary to assess accurately the changes you mention. I haven’t listened seriously for a number of seasons but I was involved with both the live studio sound and the broadcast mixes, some fifteen years ago. I’m not an employee of Auntie but was working as a sound engineer for several bands that appeared over a few years. I remember a lengthy discussion with the senior broadcast mix engineer about the compromises required in television audio before a programme in 1996. I contributed to the mix of the set by the band that was employing me that day and monitored on a remote VDU rather than the nearfields - the intention being to hear what the majority of viewers/listeners at home would get and mix accordingly. It was all strictly two channels in those days. In defence of the audio technicians working on the programme in that period, they were conscientious about presenting bands in the way that the musicians wanted to be heard.


I’ve worked on television shows with less understanding crews. Do you remember “Saturday Live”? This was hosted by Lee Hurst and featured Harry Hill, with a band playing one or maybe two songs per broadcast. A group that were paying my wages at the time were booked. The backline was supplied by 'Orange' and, as you probably know but could otherwise guess, all of their amps and cabs are covered in vivid orange vinylette. We hadn’t even made it to the middle eight of the first song in rehearsal, when the Director declared that the “ugly boxes” on stage were too “orange” and spoilt the set design. In an explosion of pique and umbrage, for which he took gyp for days afterwards, the band’s guitar tech. started ripping off yards of Gaffa tape and could not be persuaded to stop until he had entirely smothered all of the gear in the matt black sticky stuff.

We started again and made it to the third verse before the director declared over the comms that he had a bad audio feed. There was apparently a “loud banging noise all over the mix”. I replied, sitting in a mobile rather than the Gallery, that my feed was clean. “No”, he moaned, “there is definitely a thumping noise spoiling everything.” I suggested that we listen to each channel in turn for distortion or noise. We’d have had about 24 lines from stage to console. We started with the first: kick drum. The drummer hits his pedal. The Director’s voice spits into my headphones, “There, there! That’s it! Hear it? That banging noise!”

“It’s supposed to sound like that”, I replied, “that’s his bass drum.”

Jac Hawk
18-06-2011, 22:58
Prefer OGWT much better especially the old ones with Bob Harris, ye gotta dig the beard;)