Fake crowd noise in NFL stadiums for Week 1 doesn’t sound like an early hit with fans
Did the fake fan noise bother you Sunday while watching your favorite NFL team?
Many people took to social media to complain Sunday. Even the game announcers — Greg Gumbel and Rich Gannon — for the Las Vegas Raiders-Carolina Panthers game had something to say about it.
Gumbel and Gannon noted several times that the crowd noise piped into Sunday’s game was a little off. Short rushes got big cheers or the cheer came too early or too late — too often.
With no fans, the Panthers could play artificial crowd noise up to 70 decibels. IAC Acoustics, which manufactures sound-deadening products, says 70 decibels is as loud as a vacuum cleaner or about 20 decibels lower than the average NFL game. The New York Times reported that TV viewers will hear live sounds from the stadium but also crowd noise recorded by NFL Films over the past four years.
This sound is unique to each home field. According to the Times, NFL Films grouped sounds into different volumes and categories, so engineers can cue up boos, cheers and team chants.
According to many views in many NFL markets, the sounds need some work.
This story was originally published September 13, 2020 at 3:18 PM.
