Rolling Stones Superbowl Sound By ABC Was Attrocious

[EdwardGein]

First off, they didn't just improvise and record them cold turkey. ABC must have set their equipment up at least 24 hours ahead of time and ran through sound checks till they got the balance & sound right. For example, when I did record producing a decade ago, I only did one live album but we were set up many hours ahead of the performance and levels were tested, etc., till we had the proper balance way in advance. It's not like ABC just set their mikes up etc. at the start of the game. And we're talking million dollar equipment here. I really hope the idiot in charge of this loses their job. There is absolutely no exuse for this.

[Woochifer]

I can't speak for the 2 channel, but the HD 5.1 feed was the one I heard.

I understand the comments by some about the difficulties in setting up a live performance on the fly, but this was definitely a *very* bad audio job by ABC (I don't think any live performance could possibly be setup this poorly). While I don't really like the Stones and I did not care for their performance no matter how good the sonics were, *no one* deserved the audio butcher job ABC did.

---Dave

Hmmm, I think that might be a big part of the discussion, because I heard the audio in analog two-channel and it did not sound noticeably bad. It wasn't great, but it didn't sound any worse than other stadium shows that have gone out live over broadcast TV, especially one using a rig that has to be assembled and disassembled in only a few minutes. I guess that's why (aside from marching bands) almost all football halftime shows use canned music and a minimum of actual live performance.

[EdwardGein]

My comments were based on the 5.1 digital audio feed. To be honest, on the past few years I've been amazed at the incredible sound quality coming out of live musical performances on TV & this one was absolutely rock bottom. The blessing is, if there performance was as bad as people are saying here, the bad sound for me disguised all that, as I just couldn't bear to really listen it was so bad.

[SlumpBuster]

http://www.superbowl.com/features/en...time-honorroll

See SB XXVII. "Micheal Jackson and 3500 local children." It really could be alot worse than Mick Jager spilling his colostomy bag all over stage.

[Woochifer]

First off, they didn't just improvise and record them cold turkey. ABC must have set their equipment up at least 24 hours ahead of time and ran through sound checks till they got the balance & sound right. For example, when I did record producing a decade ago, I only did one live album but we were set up many hours ahead of the performance and levels were tested, etc., till we had the proper balance way in advance. It's not like ABC just set their mikes up etc. at the start of the game. And we're talking million dollar equipment here. I really hope the idiot in charge of this loses their job. There is absolutely no exuse for this.

Hersh/Ed -

None of us have any idea about the actual production preparation, and how much time they had for sound checks, etc., so it doesn't matter what procedures are normally undertaken to record a live concert, because this is the Super Bowl, not a Stones concert. First and foremost, we're talking about a football game. All of these other considerations with the halftime show are secondary at best. That's why the whole stage has to be assembled and dismantled in only a few minutes, and why nearly every other Super Bowl I've watched featured almost entirely canned pre-recorded music. We're not talking about a full-blown Stones concert with a few football plays sprinkled in as a diversion. If ABC took their time to setup the mikes and production booth, they would presumably focus more on getting the audio right for the actual game, right? If the audio problems occurred with the game itself, then that would be a bigger problem.

[markw]

I had no beef with the sound. It was, after all, a stadium event and never expect much from them. Secondly, the music and sound was less of an issue and the spectacle was the main thrust, and that they delivered.

God bless 'em for till being able to move like that and draw a crowd and may they continue to do so until nature takes it's course but, in my opinion and taste, they have long since stopped being musically significant and are a living relic of a long gone era.

When I want to hear the stones I know and love, I'll drop on one of those funny, flat, black things that are about 12" across with a little hole in the middle and spin at 33 1/3 rpm.

[Woochifer]

See SB XXVII. "Micheal Jackson and 3500 local children." It really could be alot worse than Mick Jager spilling his colostomy bag all over stage.

Yup, that halftime show made me cringe, especially since one of the provisions in MJ's contract was that the announcements all had to refer to him as the "King of Pop"! But, it could be a LOT worse since it doesn't sound like you're old enough to remember when "Up With People" did the SB halftime shows ... yeek!

At the rate things are going with these bloated overblown halftime productions, give me the Florida A&M marching band every freakin' year!

[s dog]

I hope someone loses their job on this one The halftime sound of the Rolling Stones at the Superbowl was attrocious and would have been rejected for a bootleg CD as not good enough. I don't know how a major network on a major show for a major band could allow this to happen. The Stones, not that I personally care- I think they sucked after Mick Taylor left, should be ticked off beyond belief at whoever did the sound. I'm sure with their monitors they weren't aware of this but it was recorded as if there was no PA run through or something. Absolutely ridiculous and no excuse for ABC. The sound by Paul McCartney last year was flawless & this was a disgrace. The terrible sound had nothing to do with their playing.

I went with 7 channel stereo thinking it would help the sound out a bit - It didnot help at all just sounded thin and weak.

[EdwardGein]

Believe me heads will roll! When U2 played the sound was flawless & I doubt their stuff was prerecorded. I can't comment on Paul McCartney except it also sounded great- total seperation of instruments, volume levels were correct, etc. The fact that this was done live in a stadium is no excuse for terrilble, it wasn't even mediocore, sound. Actually, while I admit I don't have an engineer's technical knowledge, I think everything, except the drums was digitally recorded anyway, so there shouldn't have been that terrible muddy sound. Again, keep in mind that this is the NFL's & ABC's apex event of the year with a huge amount of money invested & when you do something like that, you don't have shoddy sound quality for the half time show.

[toenail]

I listened to the Stones in DD5.1. Aside from a few level matching problems like a guitar solo being somewhat muted or lead vocals too quiet at times the show seemed as expected. The bigger issue for me was that Mick did what most do in that situation and sprinted around the stage so much that he started sounding like an out of breath aerobics instructor. BTW, it was quite kind of ABC to switch the pre-game Mick interview with Robin Roberts to low definition.

[Worf101]

Thank you very much Worf. I do not think people really understand just how difficult it is to setup a stage in ten second, and then get all of the levels perfect. Doing this for a concert takes days, not minutes.

Unless this was exclusively a live performance, your expectations should be realistically lowered. I do not think anyone is fathoming the difficuly in pulling this thing off is.

Worf, thanks for the SNAP! back to reality.

Side note; I am not defending ABC as an employee, I am defending the knowledge of difficulty and emphasis.

I knew if I didn't give em the low down, you would. LOL, now you know I can't lay "da snaps" on anyone round here... they'd ban me. I could never say "Da Rolling Stones was so old they looked like Albino California Raisins". Can't say stuff like that I'd get tossed.

Da "What'd you say bout my mamma" Worfster

[Worf101]

Mick is still dancin' around like a lunatic AND actually singing! Most of these pop-of-the-moment, little prima donna's can't do that...even when standing still.

Minimalist, straight-ahead RnR...two guitars, bass and keyboard...and Charlie Watts...still that same bemused expression, bashing away on the most basic of kits...it doesn't get any better.

Audiophile concerns? Sound quality?...when the entire audience was standing on the arm-rests at MSG in 1970-whatever, do you think there was concern for sound quality? Say whaaa? ..It ain't McCartney-pop, it ain't DSOTM with lasers and video screens in ancient ruins...it was three-friggin' songs at halftime...The only thing I cared less about was the football. I know it's only rock and roll...

jimHJJ(...but I liked it...)

Nice to see you back in the saddle and your ole self again... that last rant in Fave Films had me really, really, really worried!!! Thought Smokey had hit you in the haid one too many times.

Da Worfster

[Worf101]

Yup, that halftime show made me cringe, especially since one of the provisions in MJ's contract was that the announcements all had to refer to him as the "King of Pop"! But, it could be a LOT worse since it doesn't sound like you're old enough to remember when "Up With People" did the SB halftime shows ... yeek!

At the rate things are going with these bloated overblown halftime productions, give me the Florida A&M marching band every freakin' year!

God, man my blood sugar's headed for Mars, stop mentioning this White Bread pap will you??!!! No strike that, that last crack was an insult to white bread everywhere. Sigh.... the living embodiment of "Just Say No". I really didn't mind the bad songs, or the cheesey choreography, or the costumes from 50's movie musicals, no all that I could take. It's those fake-assed smiles they kept plastered on their mugs that killed me. The "Steopford Wives" vacuousness of their schtick..... god... I must be losing my mind writing about this crap.

Da "What the hell am I thinking about" Worfster

[Eric Z]

My last $.02:

I think the problem is they turned the Superbowl into concerts with a football thrown in there somewhere. The 5 hours of pregame, terrible national anthem, and extra long halftime show is way way way too much. What ever happened to the national anthem with one person (or maybe a few others) and a microphone? None of this huge event crap that noone cares about anyway.

The networks are just trying to gobble up more viewers who aren't interested in the actual game.

I really don't know why people get excited about the game- unless you're from Seattle or Pittsburg.

[jocko_nc]

Amen to that! Just play the stinkin' game already.

Historically, the Super Bowl is anything but super. Too much hype. Too much distraction. Too much of everything that has nothing to do with the game. Everyone looked out-of sorts Sunday, the players, the coaches, the refs, the entertainment. Too much time off. Too late in the season. Notice how good the playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl usually are? Just play the game already.

jocko

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I knew if I didn't give em the low down, you would. LOL, now you know I can't lay "da snaps" on anyone round here... they'd ban me. I could never say "Da Rolling Stones was so old they looked like Albino California Raisins". Can't say stuff like that I'd get tossed.

Da "What'd you say bout my mamma" Worfster

I dint say nothin bout yo mamma. If you lay down the snaps, you won't get banned. If I lay down the snaps, I would be so banned that I would have to find a new country to live in.

I heard it through the grapevine that you were right about them looking like albino raisins. I was told that eventually they all will have scaffolding ericted around their mugshots for major reconstruction. The was said to cost Polands entire operating budget for 2006.

ABC sound technicians also had to wrap sound deaden material around each persons joints. The said all of those rattlin old bones was getting into the mix.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Amen to that! Just play the stinkin' game already.

Historically, the Super Bowl is anything but super. Too much hype. Too much distraction. Too much of everything that has nothing to do with the game. Everyone looked out-of sorts Sunday, the players, the coaches, the refs, the entertainment. Too much time off. Too late in the season. Notice how good the playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl usually are? Just play the game already.

jocko

Step away from the hate-o-rade, that stuff is no good for ya! They have to have some kind of build up, don't ya think???

[GMichael]

I heard it through the grapevine that you were right about them looking like albino raisins. I was told that eventually they all will have scaffolding ericted around their mugshots for major reconstruction. The was said to cost Polands entire operating budget for 2006.

ABC sound technicians also had to wrap sound deaden material around each persons joints. The said all of those rattlin old bones was getting into the mix.

What can you expect from a bunch of 60+ year old, former drug addicted, rocked their butts off for decades, white men to look like? Just be happy that the wind didn't pick up so that all their extra skin started a flappin' in the breeze.

[GMichael]

Step away from the hate-o-rade, that stuff is no good for ya! They have to have some kind of build up, don't ya think???

Well, from a corporate, we want to make money, point of view? Yes, they sure do.
From a pure sports fan, let's see the game, point of view? Nah.. Tee it up and kick it.

The build up is fun though. It makes for great parties. And I loved seeing all those old Super Bowls and highlights all weekend.

[Resident Loser]

... that last rant in Fave Films had me really, really, really worried!!! Da Worfster

...did you ever taste a Walker's Highland Oat Cake?

jimHJJ(...not to worry, everything's the same as it ever was...or so I'm told...)

[Woochifer]

I dint say nothin bout yo mamma. If you lay down the snaps, you won't get banned. If I lay down the snaps, I would be so banned that I would have to find a new country to live in.

I heard it through the grapevine that you were right about them looking like albino raisins. I was told that eventually they all will have scaffolding ericted around their mugshots for major reconstruction. The was said to cost Polands entire operating budget for 2006.

ABC sound technicians also had to wrap sound deaden material around each persons joints. The said all of those rattlin old bones was getting into the mix.

Wow! And to think, the only observation I had was the usual "Keith looks like death warmed over" and "Is Ron still in the band?" schtick.

Step away from the hate-o-rade, that stuff is no good for ya! They have to have some kind of build up, don't ya think???

Hey, if the Florida A&M marching band was good enough for Broadway Joe in SB III, no reason to think we can't bring that kind of halftime entertainment back to the game! When you got people watching the Super Bowl just for the commercials or the halftime entertainment, then something's wrong with that picture!

[gonefishin]

What did you expect? They are the Stones!

Which, at best, are a cheap tribute band of themselves.

dan

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Wow! And to think, the only observation I had was the usual "Keith looks like death warmed over" and "Is Ron still in the band?" schtick.



Hey, if the Florida A&M marching band was good enough for Broadway Joe in SB III, no reason to think we can't bring that kind of halftime entertainment back to the game! When you got people watching the Super Bowl just for the commercials or the halftime entertainment, then something's wrong with that picture!

I am all for the marching band during halftime. I did so many halftime shows in my day that I puked green grass for years. The last halftime show I did with the Renegades, we got a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted 3 minutes. That was longer than the home team got!

I really do think it is time for the NFL to returns to its roots regarding halftime. It is just too commercial to be enjoyable. I do like the commercials though. Sometimes they are more entertaining than the game itself.

[Woochifer]

God, man my blood sugar's headed for Mars, stop mentioning this White Bread pap will you??!!! No strike that, that last crack was an insult to white bread everywhere. Sigh.... the living embodiment of "Just Say No". I really didn't mind the bad songs, or the cheesey choreography, or the costumes from 50's movie musicals, no all that I could take. It's those fake-assed smiles they kept plastered on their mugs that killed me. The "Steopford Wives" vacuousness of their schtick..... god... I must be losing my mind writing about this crap.

Da "What the hell am I thinking about" Worfster

Worf -

You came out of your coma with all gunzablazin'. With that post, you totally outdid yourself -- I'm friggin' speechless!

Living embodiment of "just say no" -- that's a line for the ages! All I could think of as a comparison for Up With People was a Disneyland parade gone wrong and multiplied in scale like a petri dish in a frat house bathroom!

[Eric Z]

The most exciting games in pro football are the divisional and conference championship games! The superbowl ain't so super anymore!!!!