In a few hours time we're about to play a concert, that will be recorded for our next Morris Open Live-CD "Tomorrow's Tradition". (I'm scared as hell, trust me )
And actually I do wonder, what would you prefer as a listener, should we leave the applause on it, do you prefer no applause at all or should the applause faded out?
On the Live-CDs we recorded before we left the applause full time, but I'm not so sure about it anymore .
Thanks for your input - and please keep fingers crossed!
Claus
Tell us something.: I used to be a regular then I took up the bassoon. Bassoons don't have a lot of chiff. Not really, I have always been a drummer, and my C&F years were when I was a little tired of the drums. Now I'm back playing drums. I mist the C&F years, though.
Lunasa's 'Kinnity Sessions' was recorded live but there is no applause. The band says that it's because the audience was so polite to the fact that they were recording, they waited a long time before applauding after every number. When they got back to the studio they realized the gap was awkwardly long and decided to not include any applause on the CD.
I don't know if this helps, really.
I found it odd that it was live with no applause until I heard the explanation. I think a live recording should have applause. It gives it energy.
"Meon an phobail a thogail trid an chultur"
(The people’s spirit is raised through culture)
Yes, definitely. It is a strong reminder to the listener that the track was recorded live. These days it is common to splice together, cut and paste segments and over-edit, loop-together tracks to get that "perfect" recording. That "perfect" recording gets so over processed that it often has all the life and flavor of a TV dinner.
If the applause is louder than the music, definitely watch the levels and adjust accordingly.
I like the points BillChin makes. The playing and the audience response are part of the whole live performace. Leaving the applause there seems to me to make it more authentic and more enjoyable.
Put me in the opposite camp, I really hate crowd noise and applause. In fact, I typically stay away from purchasing live CDs. If the recorded band is alive and vibrant and all together in their playing, then I don't need to hear the sound of applause to enhance my experience.
To me, it's in the same category as a laugh-track.
i make mix cd's and find the applause really annoying. on some cd's, i would like to hear the applause but i would like to be a separate track so it could be avoided. this is probably a good reason for putting in the applause
Rose tint my world. Keep me safe from my trouble and pain. 白飞梦
I prefer crowd noise left in. All live albums we've done, we have 2 room mikes to pick up the ambience of the room and the presence of the audience. Of course, depending on the audience's reaction, you may want to take that into account. You can always set the ambience low in the mix.
I love the sound of people's reactions between and during live tunes.
Tell us something.: I used to be a regular then I took up the bassoon. Bassoons don't have a lot of chiff. Not really, I have always been a drummer, and my C&F years were when I was a little tired of the drums. Now I'm back playing drums. I mist the C&F years, though.
I went with the "fade" choice because I couldn't really make up my mind on this one. Usually I find it obtrusive and kind of annoying, but there are certain recordings in which I think it really gives it a nice, intimate feel, and actually contributes to the atmosphere. I guess the best formula is to just keep it tasteful.
Charlie Gravel
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde
Tell us something.: Mostly producer of the Wooden Flute Obsession 3-volume 6-CD 7-hour set of mostly player's choice of Irish tunes, played mostly solo, on mostly wooden flutes by approximately 120 different mostly highly-rated traditional flute players & are mostly...
Claus,
It depends on the recording. On the WFO CDs, it is often impossible (from an audio editing standpoint) to remove the applause. Each set needs a little time to end and sink in to the CD listener, so it can be unpleasant to cut it off too quickly. So I leave a little, and then end or fadeout. On WFO3, there's actually an audible "Thank you" from the performer. I prefer not to have the interruption of words on instrumental tracks, but I don't think it really could have been handled any other way. Now, for studio recordings, I'd like to caution the engineers to leave some silence at the beginning and end of each take. I've received some recordings that started rather abruptly, and it's good to have some of the room "atmosphere" on either side of the track.
Kevin Krell
International Traditional Music Society, Inc.
A non-profit 501c3 charity/educational public benefit corporation
Wooden Flute Obsession CDs (3 volumes, 6 discs, 7 hours, 120 players/tracks) https://www.worldtrad.org
I like it in a live recording. My favorite live albums are the ones where the recording is non-stop from track one through the entire album. Gives you the intimate feel of being in the pub with the band. I actually find it more distracting when you hear the audience fade in and out between tunes/songs. Unfortunately you cannot control the audience's response to a certain extent so hopefully they won't carry on for minutes after each tune but a quick round of applause is not distracting to me. Definitely monitor the levels though and make sure the audience isn't as loud as the band. If you are interacting with the audience in-between tunes (as most good performers do) then keep your voice well above that of the audience.
I also hate crowd noise on recordings and tend to avoid LIVE recordings for that reason. If the performance is good enought to warrant putting it on CD then a couple of seconds of crowd noise faded out is acceptable. A performance really has to be one of those special - almost magical interactions - IMHO (not really so humble really) - to warrant a CD in the first place.
I find I have "live" recodings of many groups and individuals, and invariably I am p***ed off by someone coughing or other extraenous noises - slap in the middle of a favourite passage. I am also very sensitive to the much poorer miking and acoustics of a live gig. Generally I dont play my live recording very much - with one or two exceptions.
sorry for being the grouch about it!!!
Tony McGinley
<i><b>"The well-being of mankind,
its peace and security,
are unattainable unless and until
its unity is firmly established."<i><b>
Tony McGinley wrote:I also hate crowd noise on recordings and tend to avoid LIVE recordings for that reason. If the performance is good enought to warrant putting it on CD then a couple of seconds of crowd noise faded out is acceptable. A performance really has to be one of those special - almost magical interactions - IMHO (not really so humble really) - to warrant a CD in the first place.
I find I have "live" recodings of many groups and individuals, and invariably I am p***ed off by someone coughing or other extraenous noises - slap in the middle of a favourite passage. I am also very sensitive to the much poorer miking and acoustics of a live gig. Generally I dont play my live recording very much - with one or two exceptions.
sorry for being the grouch about it!!!
I'm in the same camp. Applause can be ok on the first listen, but for repeated listenings I find it increasingly annoying. An it always tend to be too loud. The exception is when it's documenting a performance which is an event -- like the Dylan London recordings or Monterey Pop. Come to think of it I preferred the filmed versions of those events.
Doug
I haven't bought live recording in a very long time.
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