First Laugh Tracks...

…Now “Cheer Tracks?”

 

That is the revelation stemming from the investigation into the audio glitch that occurred in the Pats-Colts game Sunday. Now you know – the networks pump in canned crowd noise to enhance the viewing experience.

 

Profootballtalk.com has all the info:

“CBS has taken the blame for the skipping sound in the crowd noise early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Pats-Colts game.  Some folks believe that the audio glitch was a direct result of attempts by CBS to add crowd noises to the broadcast.

The audio of the incident is right here.

As Chris Mortensen of ESPN mentioned during Monday NFL Countdown prior to the Ravens-Steelers game, some networks have been known to enhance their productions by adding their own canned crowd noise. 

We've heard from several sound experts over the past day, and our research confirms that one of them is actually a big wheel in the music and television industry.  Here's what said unnamed sound expert had to say about the phenomenon, without prompting:

"The sound was a glitch a digital playback machine, which was providing additional crowd noise to be piped into the broadcast to cover for the crowd's quiet spots, or to enhance the 'up' feeling on a big play.  Multiple types of demeanor or 'feels' are available to be triggered, to properly match the game's mood.  It does not replace the live crowd, but is used for enhancement.  The machine (computer, actually) had a brain fart.  It happens."

The problem, as the source pointed out, is that CBS doesn't want to admit that it essentially does in our living rooms what the Colts have been accused of doing at the stadium -- artificially manipulating the live sound.”