Bit o' fun: Fave background noises on recordings?

[Blast9]

Hi Guys,

The Alex Thomas show, www.bbc.co.uk/london Sat morning 2am til 6am BST.

A friend by the name of "Naked Man"(!) does this fun late-nite show on BBC Radio London. Last nite they did this subject on his show:

Fave backgroung noises on recordings

It was sparked off by me playing him "The Ocean" complete with John Bonham talking intro, squeeky kik drum/hi hat pedal, and telephone ringing during the gtr solo (around 1'38")...

Last night also included the end of David Bowie's "Life On Mars"... Another telephone moment, with a request for a glass of water by the man!

Give us yer faves, and I'll get him to give Gearslutz a big 'ello from the beeb, and feature some of them next week...

Or maybe you were involved in some of those classic moments?

Cheers

Blast9

[ttauri]

Not to imply that it was a "classic moment" or anything...

One time, I ended up putting the background noise into a recording. I was recording at a studio in Vermont (Noteworthy Studio) on a farm, and outside the air was thick with cicadas, crickets and such. The focus had gotten kinda zapped by some technical difficulties, and to change the pace, I got the idea to record some of the cicadas and put it in the song. So we stuck a boom out the window and grabbed some (at one point a bee flew up to the stereo mics and was buzzing around--neat effect!). So the song fades out into what were the actual background noises at the recording studio.

Every song I did there, we actually ended up using some sound recorded from the animal life there (one's got a cow mooing, and another's got a rooster).

Peece,
T. Tauri

[kevinc]

That`s great ttauri.

My favorite personal moment was when we were hitting the sauce a little too hard at the studio one night.

I accidently dropped the metal top of a beer bottle on our cement floor while my singer was in the middle of a take and it went clanging around for a couple seconds.

Initially I thought I`d have to edit it out but it turns out it was right in the beginning of the chorus and right in rhythm.

Sounds almost like the drummer added some percussion there.

I ended up raising the volume of it instead of deleting it just because it sounded so cool to me.

[Blast9]

LOL!

Great stories...

I guess the bees sounded more scary in stereo! Stick 'em through a Crate to get that authentic "bee in a jam jar '80's sound"

Anybody know what they might've used to record John Bonham's infamous intro?

Big fat room mics into big fat pre's?

I believe Jules may well have one of the Helios channels from the Rolling Stones' mobile studio used on "Houses Of The Holy"... Bonham lives on!

[Simon Lomax]

I have certainly played around a fair amount with background sounds being that ambient and atmospheric music is my speciality!

But my favourite moment of background noise on a recording is probably just before track 4 on the Sigur Ros ( ) album with the sound of squeaking chairs and amp hum, it just sounds sweet and organic - maybe it's the sound of the old neve broadcast desk they track their stuff through?

Simon

[Stizz]

We recorded an interview with Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues about 10 or 15 years ago, and he mentioned that you can hear a music stand or something ( I can't remember exactly) fall in the background of one of their big hits with an orchestra (again, I have no idea which song) - glad I could contribute some good details here...

[matt]

The first background noise I remember noticing was the coughing during the intro of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". Maybe caused by some herbal "enhancement"???

Great Thread!!


Matt

[Drumsound]

I really like the beginning of "Peter Pumpkin Head" by XTC. You hear the guitarist (Not sure if it was Andy Partridge or not) pick up his cable and plugs it in then play the first chords.

There are a few Ben Folds moments including a phone on "Steven's Last night in Town." On the first album there's a moment in "Jackson Cannery" where he slams his hand down on some low keys and somebody says "That's pretty good, try it again" and he answers "Ya think so?"

[Simon Lomax]

Come to think of it - do you reckon that every producer or engineer has recorded an impromptu phone ringing at some point in their career? especially with mobile/cell phones!

Si

[Blast9]

Damn right!

i remember sitting in a mastering room, and getting told off for having my cell phone on (interference etc)...

Hey... It was MY CD!!

[ttauri]

It's kinda slowed down, but towards the end of New Order's "Lonesome Tonight", I swear that's the sound of someone hocking a loogey (to use the parlance of our time).

Whether it was intentional or not (if it is indeed what I think it is), I dunno.

Peece,
T. Tauri

[Jan Folkson]

Back when my studio was still in my house I was cutting vox on a major label project. Half way through one of the takes my kid neighbor starting jumping on a pogo stick outside. The performance was the best out of a days work and upon comping we actually chose some phrases that had pogo stick in the background. You can't really hear it in the track...but I know it's there

[Blast9]

LOL... TTauri, that's great!

"Hocking a loogey"!!! I'm assuming that means... er... "clearing one's throat, and ejecting said blockage"

Gonna track that one down!

[BevvyB]

This isn't really a background noise on a record, but its a wierd production thing that some people may not be aware of. Anyway, it's hidden, and you'd never find it unless you knew.

On Grace Jones 'Slave To The Rhythm' album there's a track one from the end called 'Don't Cry - It's Only The Rhythm'

The main feature of the track is that it does some severe panning - the main body of the track flips to one side while on the other side a wierd sample plays a funny blippy tune

If you sample that blip

and slow it down

You'll find its actually a sample of the title track itself. It actually IS the first few seconds of Slave To The Rhythm pitched up!

'Not a lot of people know that'

Originally posted by Jan Folkson
upon comping we actually chose some phrases that had pogo stick in the background. You can't really hear it in the track...but I know it's there

Other things that have accidentally been on the vocals of tracks I have recorded: Sander, tree cutting, kitchen cutlery, vacuum cleaner, woofing from dog, miouwing from cat, doorbell, radio interference from local cab firm, toaster pop, kettle clicking off, jewelry jangling (man that one can drive you nuts when you can't find what it is and you realise that it's actually on the singer) etc

[Knastratt]

About ten years ago I did an artistic piece intended for like ballet or fun. While writing and recording it the neighbour mowed his lawn. It took him like as long as it took me to finish the song. I wasn't doing any acoustic tracking so I left the window open.

A day later while listening to the track i realized something was missing. The sound of a lawn mower! So I shot a video of a friend mowing his lawn and mixed the sound, aired it at a local network channel.

Do I have to say I didn't get laid for months. All I had to do at the pubs were explaining what the f**k I meant.

Howly Jeezes.

[sysexguy]

I'd have to dig out the vinyl to find it but it's either "Message to Love" or "Power to Love", Jimi at the Isle of Wight and .....his guitar rig starts picking up some walkie talkie stuff......

Anyone know more about this ie. which song, and what leaked into what????

Anyway, I always thought it helped the vibe

Andy

[Blast9]

Yeah Bevvy B...

You're right about jewellery!

Just check out The Isley Brothers "Better Love"....

You can clearly hear Ronald Isley's bracelets/chains jingling thru that toon as he's belting it out!

SYSEXGUY ...

I've heard "Hey Joe" on the Hendrix Concerts CD (the compilation with the bright "oil painting" cover... At the beginning of vrs 1 you can hear a police radio goin' off....

The best track on there is "Bleeding Heart (blues in C minor)... Such emotive soloing... In tune too!

Just check out the jazzy lick right at the end.... Never heard anyone do that! Just Inspirational!

[Simon Lomax]

Not so much background noise in a recording more of an out and out mistake. I can't remember which track but I remember that on an early Shadows single Hank Marvin plays an almighty plunk at the end of a solo - I suppose the rest of the track was good so they let it ride . . .

Actually isn't a Shadows track just a Hank Marvin solo?

Si

[Blast9]

Would that strat/Burns twang sound the same without those specs?