# What's That Hissing Sound?



## millionrainbows

My cellmate — err, wife asked me the other day during a string quartet DVD, "What's that hissing sound? It sounds like breathing." and I told her, "That's because they have vipers in their viols." Correct? 

What is that "hissing" sound? 

What's the "hissiest" string quartet recording you've ever heard?


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## Manxfeeder

In a string quartet, all that sniffing to send signals to each other bothers me. It may work in a concert hall, but it tends to distract from recordings. 

In my collection, it's a toss-up between the Vegh and the Lindsays as to who has the worst head cold.


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## Ukko

The problem is too close microphone placement.


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## millionrainbows

Hilltroll72 said:


> The problem is too close microphone placement.


You mean, the microphones pick up the snake hissing? ~giggle!~ A condenser mike would do that.

Nobody has actually explained where the hissing is coming from.


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## Ukko

millionrainbows said:


> You mean, the microphones pick up the snake hissing? ~giggle!~ A condenser mike would do that.
> 
> Nobody has actually explained where the hissing is coming from.


Nah, I'm talking about the sniffing. Or you wonder where _that's_ coming from? I'm guessing noses.


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## millionrainbows

Hilltroll72 said:


> Nah, I'm talking about the sniffing. Or you wonder where _that's_ coming from? I'm guessing noses.


You must be listening to a different hissing than I am. This hissing is long and sustained, like deep breathing (see opening post).


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## Ukko

millionrainbows said:


> You must be listening to a different hissing than I am. This hissing is long and sustained, like deep breathing (see opening post).


Deep breathing hisses? Where is your cell block anyway?


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## millionrainbows

Hilltroll72 said:


> Deep breathing hisses? Where is your cell block anyway?


Huntsville, Texas. It's on my profile. Death row. Ahh, the darkness! I think the hissing is snakes, definitely.


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## hreichgott

The hissing is coming from Gil Shaham.


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## GraemeG

Analogue recording? Background tape hiss on the original recording?
Something emitted by your loudspeakers/hi-fi; live electrical hiss? Local interference?
could be anything...
GG


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## KenOC

"It sounds like steam escaping." --Dom DeLuise

Bonus points for remembering the movie...


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## HaydnBearstheClock

the hissing sound is the background radiation of the universe.


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## Arsakes

Bad microphones 
or 
Bad position of microphones.


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## millionrainbows

I know what the hissing sound was. Nobody has identified it yet. I figured it was a common sound heard in many string quartet recordings, but apparently I was wrong.


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## musicphotogAnimal

millionrainbows said:


> I told her, "That's because they have vipers in their viols." Correct?


Yeah...that might make for a dicey concert. Hit vibrato on a high C and you get tagged.

Incidentally, is the DVD coupled with a CD release. Go to a music shop or library and hunt down the CD. If it says AAD then you see the answer for the "hissing noise". It comes from the analog recorder that they used to record the original performance=Analog recording; Analog Mixing and Digital tranfer to CD...meaning that you got a recording in CD format that's just a straight cut off a concert recording tape.

If I recall correctly analog recording always carried a hiss because of the microphone picking up ambient noise as well as the inner workings of the analog machine used to record.


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## elgar's ghost

Hissing/breathing sounds don't especially bother me in chamber works but I find footstomping to be a little more irritating. Why not have mats under each performer's feet? Perhaps that would provide better purchase for the 'cello spike as well if a holder isn't used.


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## millionrainbows

I think they should mike the feet, and have a special resonant foot-stomping box under their feet. The cello spike should be acoustically coupled to a resonating soundboard as well. Maybe this would put the Beat into CM.


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## millionrainbows

musicphotogAnimal said:


> Yeah...that might make for a dicey concert. Hit vibrato on a high C and you get tagged.
> 
> Incidentally, is the DVD coupled with a CD release. Go to a music shop or library and hunt down the CD. If it says AAD then you see the answer for the "hissing noise". It comes from the analog recorder that they used to record the original performance=Analog recording; Analog Mixing and Digital tranfer to CD...meaning that you got a recording in CD format that's just a straight cut off a concert recording tape.
> 
> If I recall correctly analog recording always carried a hiss because of the microphone picking up ambient noise as well as the inner workings of the analog machine used to record.


no, no. It's not a continuous hiss. I can tell tape hiss, and it's not that. (see opening post) I know what it is, but nobody else has come up with the right answer.


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## elgar's ghost

millionrainbows said:


> I think they should mike the feet, and have a special resonant foot-stomping box under their feet. The cello spike should be acoustically coupled to a resonating soundboard as well. Maybe this would put the Beat into CM.


Groovy. Perhaps there could be a secondary 'cello spike then the whole thing could be converted into a kind of theremin (as long as someone didn't mind lying on the floor under the 'cellist to activate it - perhaps that would rule out a female 'cellist wearing a skirt, though...).


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## millionrainbows

elgars ghost said:


> Groovy. Perhaps there could be a secondary 'cello spike then the whole thing could be converted into a kind of theremin* (as long as someone didn't mind lying on the floor under the 'cellist to activate it *- perhaps that would rule out a female 'cellist wearing a skirt, though...).


Sounds like a job for the Big Lebowsky! :lol:

And it would be the perfect setup for John Lee Hooker to sit in, but he's dead.

Still no correct answer! I thought you people were CM experts!


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## HaydnBearstheClock

millionrainbows said:


> Sounds like a job for the Big Lebowsky! :lol:
> 
> And it would be the perfect setup for John Lee Hooker to sit in, but he's dead.
> 
> Still no correct answer! I thought you people were CM experts!


Hehe, nice reference there to the Big L.


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## Chrythes

Might be the distant sound of a cymbal from a jazz session.


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## Quartetfore

The day that the Mandelring Quartet recorded the quartets of Robert Volkmann must have been in the middle of the flu season, what sniffing!!


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## Karabiner

millionrainbows said:


> no, no. It's not a continuous hiss. I can tell tape hiss, and it's not that. (see opening post) I know what it is, but nobody else has come up with the right answer.


I know what noise you mean, but can't describe or identify it either. It happens a lot on both string quartet and viol consort recordings.


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## PetrB

If the players would trim their nose hairs, the deep inhalation an exhalations through the nose would not make that nasal Aeolian harp singing sound, though some of us would miss it, an extra-musical musical perq.


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## Novelette

PetrB said:


> If the players would trim their nose hairs, the deep inhalation an exhalations through the nose would not make that nasal Aeolian harp singing sound, though some of us would miss it, an extra-musical musical perq.


To say nothing of aesthetic considerations! :lol:


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## musicphotogAnimal

millionrainbows said:


> I know what it is, but nobody else has come up with the right answer.


Maybe someone needs to tell the violist to quit snoring???  Cue the viola jokes?

"What's the range of a viola? 50 yards...if you have a good arm?"
"How do you get a viola player to tacit? Shoot him?"


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## millionrainbows

PetrB said:


> If the players would trim their *nose hairs,* the deep inhalation an exhalations through the nose would not make that nasal Aeolian harp singing sound, though some of us would miss it, an extra-musical musical perq.


Oh, gosh, PetrB, you are so close! ~giggle!~


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## Kieran

The hissing sound on my recording sounds like someone let the air out of the cellist...


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## HaydnBearstheClock

The nasal hairs vibrate and make wonderful music, let's join them.


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## millionrainbows

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> The nasal* hairs vibrate *and make wonderful music, let's join them.


Close, very close, but no cigar.


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## niv

Man, yesterday I was listening to a SQ and I heard those noises and I got very curious, then I read this thread!

PLEASE REVEAL THE ANSWER, millions!


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## millionrainbows

The horsehair bows scraping on the strings.


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## HaydnBearstheClock

niv said:


> Man, yesterday I was listening to a SQ and I heard those noises and I got very curious, then I read this thread!
> 
> PLEASE REVEAL THE ANSWER, millions!


dude, forget about it, the nosehair bows scraping the strings are making the nasal hairs vibrate, which makes the hair vibrate, among other things. You hear all these delicious details; instead of complaining, you should be grateful.


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## Weston

I'm just happy to have an explanation for the sniffing. I never knew it was a signal. I thought they were taking a deep breath to concentrate, but always hated the sound. It's the audio equivalent of HD tv.


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## Ukko

millionrainbows said:


> The horsehair bows scraping on the strings.


Wrong! It's helium escaping from the balloons suspending the microphones. Need longer strings.


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## moody

The person who always sniffed throughout his recordings was George Szell.


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## Karabiner

millionrainbows said:


> Close, very close, but no cigar.


People say that about my Churchill impression.


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## jeanmarc

Sort of sounds like a broom sweeping the floor to me.

*1:13* Takacs - Beethoven SQ #15


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## HaydnBearstheClock

I remember hearing a cat meowing once in a Haydn quartet recording.


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