Where is the real WU

[Cdizzle]

I did sound reinforcement at church for several years. Same venue, same equipment and nearly the same number of people in attendance. I never knew how things would go during the service, even after early morning rehearsals and sound checks. There are many variables.

I wasn't there Saturday, so I can't vouch for the sound quality or lack thereof. But a having baselines, experienced technicians and a pre-event sound check does not guarantee all will go well. And unless it can be fixed by turning a nob, adjusting a slider or moving/securing a connector, there's very little you can do about it in real time.

There is a difference between being off a little bit and not being able to hear anything. The problem Saturday was the latter.

[SHOCKvalue]

There is a difference between being off a little bit and not being able to hear anything. The problem Saturday was the latter.

This. That's been essentially THE problem that some of us have talked about - sound volume.

[pie n eye]

Personally I'm thankful I couldn't hear anything Dancing Don Hall said. Honestly, I was too wrapped up in watching the game then conversing during timeouts that I didn't notice anything. I hope they get it fixed for those of you who were bothered by it!

[RoyalShock]

There is a difference between being off a little bit and not being able to hear anything. The problem Saturday was the latter.

You lose one amp, you're screwed until after the event. Things like that happen.

[ShockBand]

I think they have the operators "in house" from the athletic department, unlike many moons ago when staff from the WSU Audio Productions department ran sound. I did sound for many games in 89-90 and 90-91 seasons, and I always made sure I pumped that baby plenty loud, this was when the mains were below the scoreboard. The guy who trained me said when he was doing sound for games in the early 80s, he could pump master volume to the max and get no feedback when the crowd got loud, as the sound pressure from the crowd was enough to keep the system from feedback.

What Royal says is true, large scale audio systems are a bitchy mistress, but that said, with this being year three of this PA system there should be a lot better grasp of how to run it correctly. In addition to being able to save tons of presets on modern boards, you could have something as simple as a notebook that is kept at the board.

[shockmonster]

I did sound reinforcement at church for several years. Same venue, same equipment and nearly the same number of people in attendance. I never knew how things would go during the service, even after early morning rehearsals and sound checks. There are many variables.

I wasn't there Saturday, so I can't vouch for the sound quality or lack thereof. But a having baselines, experienced technicians and a pre-event sound check does not guarantee all will go well. And unless it can be fixed by turning a nob, adjusting a slider or moving/securing a connector, there's very little you can do about it in real time.

i can vouch that the sound had some problems but the basketball was so good, I hardly noticed.

[SHOCKvalue]

I did sound reinforcement at church for several years. Same venue, same equipment and nearly the same number of people in attendance. I never knew how things would go during the service, even after early morning rehearsals and sound checks. There are many variables.

I wasn't there Saturday, so I can't vouch for the sound quality or lack thereof. But a having baselines, experienced technicians and a pre-event sound check does not guarantee all will go well. And unless it can be fixed by turning a nob, adjusting a slider or moving/securing a connector, there's very little you can do about it in real time.

Well then what are the other variables? Honest question.

Is it stuff like air temp/humidity/pressure, because that's all that's left that comes to mind. The shape and material surfaces inside Koch when empty are a constant; the amount of sound absorbed or reflected by the 10,506 in attendance in a static context is really close to a constant; the overall sound pressure emitted by that crowd is variable, but the parameters don't change all that much. I'm not trying to play a sound engineer who stayed in a Holiday Inn Express here or anything, just thinking out loud.

[1972Shocker]

Seemed to be better at the Volleyball game that evening so maybe some adjustments were made. However, there are some variables as @RoyalShock: mentioned. I was sitting in a totally different location and obviously the crowd was much smaller at the Volleyball game. My most common issue and complaint with the sound is that it is often way to loud, but that may just be a matter of personal preference.

[RoyalShock]

Well then what are the other variables? Honest question.

Is it stuff like air temp/humidity/pressure, because that's all that's left that comes to mind. The shape and material surfaces inside Koch when empty are a constant; the amount of sound absorbed or reflected by the 10,506 in attendance in a static context is really close to a constant; the overall sound pressure emitted by that crowd is variable, but the parameters don't change all that much. I'm not trying to play a sound engineer who stayed in a Holiday Inn Express here or anything, just thinking out loud.

Besides atmospheric conditions (which shouldn't cause issues strictly related to volume), equipment malfunction and failure. There are so many components - sound board (with plenty of smaller components), microphones, amplifiers, cables, speakers . . . people.

[SHOCKvalue]

Seemed to be better at the Volleyball game that evening so maybe some adjustments were made. However, there are some variables as @RoyalShock: mentioned. I was sitting in a totally different location and obviously the crowd was much smaller at the Volleyball game. My most common issue and complaint with the sound is that it is often way to loud, but that may just be a matter of personal preference.

This isn't directed at you or anything, but if you don't want "loud" then don't go to such things as concerts and sporting events in person. Save your money and watch it at home. "Loud" is part of the energy and experience of WSU MBB. CKA should be loud, and one should cheer and scream on their part to make it even louder, not discuss shop with your neighbor. Loud is why our arena has been ranked as one of the most intimidating home courts in college basketball.

If you desire quiet, go to a Creighton game.

[WUs Your Daddy]

I am sorry but a 5' Wu does bother me. This is all about branding. Besides basketball games, Wu goes to a lot of events, some of which are attended by other mascots, what message does it send when Big Jay or even the Sonic styrofoam cup towers over Wu. For years we demanded a large Wu be painted on the court, now we have it an we run a prancing smurf out there.

[1972Shocker]

This isn't directed at you or anything, but if you don't want "loud" then don't go to such things as concerts and sporting events in person. Save your money and watch it at home. "Loud" is part of the energy and experience of WSU MBB. CKA should be loud, and one should cheer and scream on their part to make it even louder, not discuss shop with your neighbor. Loud is why our arena has been ranked as one of the most intimidating home courts in college basketball.

If you desire quiet, go to a Creighton game.

Of course it was directed at me but that's okay. BTW, did not say I do not like loud. I love it when the crowd and the pep band really get cooking. If anything I thought the crowd at the HPU game was rather subdued, but that is not unusual when you are playing an exhibition game against an overmatched opponent. My comment was directed to the Sound System being TOO loud at times. I have never been to a Shocker game where the crowd or the pep band was too loud.

[SHOCKvalue]

Of course it was directed at me but that's okay. BTW, did not say I do not like loud. I love it when the crowd and the pep band really get cooking. If anything I thought the crowd at the HPU game was rather subdued, but that is not unusual when you are playing an exhibition game against an overmatched opponent. My comment was directed to the Sound System being TOO loud at times. I have never been to a Shocker game where the crowd or the pep band was too loud.

It really wasn't directed at you. I don't mince words, and don't care a great deal about offending or not, so when I make a point of saying I'm not being an arse to you, I really am not. The "you" in that post was generic, at least after the fifth word of the post.

Anyways...

The sound volume of the PA can be contributory toward increased and more involved crowd noise. Just like quiet music in church begets quiet singing, and vice versa. There's no better way to suck the energy out of the arena, before the game even starts, than to have the volume so low for the intro stuff that people literally have to stop clapping or cheering in order to hear it.

[engrshock]

To me the sound system was plenty loud. I just could not make out much of what was being said.
They did have this figured out last year but it seems like at the first game every year there is a learning curve of how to set the sound system up.

[1972Shocker]

The sound volume of the PA can be contributory toward increased and more involved crowd noise. Just like quiet music in church begets quiet singing, and vice versa. There's no better way to suck the energy out of the arena, before the game even starts, than to have the volume so low for the intro stuff that people literally have to stop clapping or cheering in order to hear it.

Good point, although I have never experienced that latter. The issues I most commonly have with the PA system is clarity with the spoken word. Not so much with the music and video. For example, the "Bring 'Em Out, Bring 'Em Out" chant was loud and clear at least where I was sitting on Saturday. However, I can understand how that may not be uniform throughout the arena.

I wonder if what works well for those kind of things maybe isn't the optimal settings for the PA announcer?