Recording the crowds

[kenkef10]

Hi folks

I've been listening to the Amused to Death album a bit recently. There's a texture Waters uses on What God Wants, of a big stadium crowd shouting 'What. God. Wants... God.Gets'. I'm wondering how he did that. It certainly sounds like at least 5,000 people all shouting the part, but did he get 5,000 people into a stadium to record the shout? Or was it done at a gig, where he used the audience already assembled and got them to do it? I've never heard of it happening.

In The Wall, there's that bunch of school kids he recorded for Another Brick In The Wall, but when that was done it became a news story, and well known that they recorded them. Again, I've never heard anything related to the big crowd sounds though.

Anybody know?

KK10

[TheEndlessWaters]

I found this on the Roger Waters Fan Club website. Don't know how reliable it is:

"In the CD liner notes, credit is given to the London Welsh Chorale. It is assumed that they were used to generate the sounds of the crowd singing."

[kenkef10]

Hi TheEndlessWaters. Thanks for that. I don't have the album (but have the new release on order). I've gone to the London Welsh Chorale's website, and they do mention 'contributing to works by Roger Waters...' but don't go into any specifics.

If they are the source of the crowd effects, they'd still have to overdub them shouting the chant many times to get that sound. But I guess if you've got 50 people, twenty overdubs gets you 1,000 shouting people. maybe that's 'all' it takes!

KK10

[Hudini]

I found this on the Roger Waters Fan Club website. Don't know how reliable it is:

"In the CD liner notes, credit is given to the London Welsh Chorale. It is assumed that they were used to generate the sounds of the crowd singing."

I just checked my CD booklet, and the information is correct. London Welsh Chorale is credited on 'What God Wants' Parts I and III, although it does not specifically say what they are credited for.

[kenkef10]

I was just talking to some people from the Chorale on another website. Even though it was so long ago, there are still a few members from then, still active in the Chorale now. And some of them still some of the sheet music saved as a souvenir. On the day, there were working titles of 'Chant, Spirit, Prayer 1, Prayer 11, Prayer 111, Dum Ping, Spirit part 111, It's A Miracle, God Wants, and Ending', that they worked on apparently.

What no one can remember is how they did the actual 'football chant' kind of thing.(Or if they did!)

KK10.

[mosespa]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the crowds chanting "Hammer" and "Pink Floyd" on The Wall were done by first recording a small-ish group of people multiple times, then blending that with voices whispering the chants.

Maybe that's how it was done here, too?

[kenkef10]

Sounds possible. Considering the folks from the Chorale don't remember having to do dozens of takes of any one thing, there must have been something else done.

Someone needs to interview Roger on his studio techniques. There would be quite a lot to talk about I think!

KK10