Cingular phones in the studio.

[TVPostSound]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRG1iB8NF14

Is this not true or what??

[BRH]

that's funny

[CCH]

Those phones are always messing with our unbalanced intercoms and the mac speaker outs. I thought the FCC had stricter rules about equipment causing interference. Anyone want to weigh in on this?

Its especially bad with the new iphones. Clients have to practically sit on them to keep them from interfering with their speaker-phone conference calls.

When ADR isn't an option, has anyone been able to successfully remove that noise from a dialog track when its covering a word or two? If so, what tool did you use? I don't even think that the Izotope RX spectrum repair could properly remove that noise and keep the dialog intact.

Love that video though.

-CCH

[5Moes]

Those phones are always messing with our unbalanced intercoms and the mac speaker outs. I thought the FCC had stricter rules about equipment causing interference. Anyone want to weigh in on this?

I see it the other way around. Cellphones are transmitting on FCC authorized frequencies, at FCC authorized power levels. They are operating correctly, within spec. Manufacturers of audio equipment need to start designing more robust RF resistance into their gear, to cope with an increasingly RF rich environment. In particular, makers of allegedly "professional" audio gear really need to step up in this department.

They know how to do it...proper shielding, and a few chokes and/or bypass caps in the right places are usually all that is required. Many companies just don't bother, to save a few pennies per unit. Determine exactly what piece of gear in your signal path is picking up RF energy and converting it to audio, and complain to the company that made it.

[Eric L]

When ADR isn't an option, has anyone been able to successfully remove that noise from a dialog track when its covering a word or two? If so, what tool did you use?

Yes. The pencil tool. It took about an hour to remove four instances of it during a documentary interview. You can't adr those things.

[philper]

I see it the other way around. Cellphones are transmitting on FCC authorized frequencies, at FCC authorized power levels. They are operating correctly, within spec. Manufacturers of audio equipment need to start designing more robust RF resistance into their gear, to cope with an increasingly RF rich environment. In particular, makers of allegedly "professional" audio gear really need to step up in this department.

They know how to do it...proper shielding, and a few chokes and/or bypass caps in the right places are usually all that is required. Many companies just don't bother, to save a few pennies per unit. Determine exactly what piece of gear in your signal path is picking up RF energy and converting it to audio, and complain to the company that made it.

That's an interesting perspective. To me, audio and video gear that is preexisting ought to have some rights against a new technology interfering with it, with in reason. In any case, I have yet to see or hear ANY audio or video equipt, no matter how professional, that can withstand a close burst of GSM energy, especially in either a studio or more especially a temporary location type setup. The noise from those devices is very destructive, and owners of them should be polite and turn them off before they cause interference. It is ironic that the most expensive phones cause the most trouble.

Philip Perkins

[5Moes]

That's an interesting perspective. To me, audio and video gear that is preexisting ought to have some rights against a new technology interfering with it, with in reason. In any case, I have yet to see or hear ANY audio or video equipt, no matter how professional, that can withstand a close burst of GSM energy, especially in either a studio or more especially a temporary location type setup.

Hello Philip. What you see as interesting, I consider pragmatic.

When automobiles first appeared on roads, there was a serious problem in that the noisy engines would spook the horses pulling the conventional buggys and wagons. In many places, laws were passed requiring motorists to employ a flagman to walk a hundred paces in front of their car, so oncoming horse-drawn traffic would be warned about the approaching gasoline powered menace.

When is the last time you saw a man with a flag walking in front of a car?

Point is, technology marches on and it's up to others to adjust. We're living in a wireless age: TV & radio, cellphones, bluetooth, wifi, etc., and it's only going to get worse. Now they're developing methods of remotely powering equipment...actually providing operational energy wirelessly. The genie is out of the bottle, and we can't expect people to forsake their wireless conveniences to protect our studio environment. It's not about right or wrong, it's about being realistic.

The good news is that it's manageable. Manufactureres can EASILY filter out and harmless divert RF energy to ground, but we need to let them know it's important to us. I've got just one device in my studio that picks up the dreaded GSM RF fingerprint, my Tannoy subwoofer. Thankfully it's just in the monitor path, and doesn't get recorded. I've greatly reduced the problem by simply snapping a few split toroid cores onto the power and input leads, but I still hear it sometimes. However I don't blame the phones, I blame Tannoy for skimping on their design. Similarly, if my roof were to leak during a thunder shower, I'd blame my roofer and not the rain. Next time I'll buy a different brand of subwoofer, and hire a different roofing company.

Personally, I think turning off a cellphone is always the polite thing to do. I miss the days when my phone was connected to my house, instead of carried in my pocket.

[froyo]

Hello. While I do agree almost completely with what 5Moes says, there is something to be said about the fact that cellphones and wireless gadgets are a somewhat recent phenomenon, whereas studio gear has been around much longer. In other words when manufacturers were designing and perfecting their gear, cellphones and GSM interference were not an issue. So it's almost like you are saying we have to buy all new gear at the studio just because people use cellphones now. I am exaggerating of course, and as I said I agree with your points, but it is a pain to have to deal with one more issue that seems unnecessary some times. But times do change and we have to change with them.

[philper]

Hello. While I do agree almost completely with what 5Moes says, there is something to be said about the fact that cellphones and wireless gadgets are a somewhat recent phenomenon, whereas studio gear has been around much longer. In other words when manufacturers were designing and perfecting their gear, cellphones and GSM interference were not an issue. So it's almost like you are saying we have to buy all new gear at the studio just because people use cellphones now. I am exaggerating of course, and as I said I agree with your points, but it is a pain to have to deal with one more issue that seems unnecessary some times. But times do change and we have to change with them.

Agreed. And along with technology behavior changes as well. In the days just after we got rid of the man walking in front of the car with the flag, cars were given absolute hegemony over the roads, as they still have in many countries. We realized that that was not a good idea and gave pedestrians the right of way over cars, including crosswalks, stoplights etc.. So how about we consider the studio and a 30 ft zone around my soundcart and mic fishpole an audio "crosswalk" and keep the GSM phones out of it? I don't see the point in making an arguement that behavior that is clearly counterproductive to the task at hand is OK. (How about if cel phones emitted brilliant flashes of light when they rang instead of sound--how many of those would be allowed to be used on movie sets?)

Philip Perkins

[philper]

This might help: from Gearslutz:

>>

try using Neutrik EMC series XLR connectors on your critical components - they filter most interference from GSM cell phones. i installed them where I work for live shots to satellites... no problems since.

http://www.neutrik.com/us/en/audio/2...oductlist.aspx <<<<

Philip Perkins