I know I'm not imagining things. I've been watching the Tour on OLN and have noticed there is a person who yells (kinda sounds like Bobcat Goldthwait) over and over again at irregularly regular intervals...particularly in the mountain stages when crowds of people are shown lining the route. It is the same identical yell each time and sounds to be from one person...can this person be everywhere all the time? I also have picked up a lack of motorcycle engine sounds. I think the crowd sounds...not all of them...are looped. What say ye?

I seriously doubt it; its loud there in person, no need to use a soundtrack.

I also have picked up a lack of motorcycle engine sounds. I think the crowd sounds...not all of them...are looped. What say ye?

I have no opinion on the sound track part, but the microphones they are using must be killer. I have yet to hear wind noise.

The aforementioned yell sounds like "Hey yay yay!" Listen closely. It is the exact same person every time.

I seriously doubt it; its loud there in person, no need to use a soundtrack.

There have been plenty of recently (last few years) televised cycling races, where on a climb full of people yelling and going crazy, you could hardly hear anything.
It's just like watching soccer on TV for example. Sometimes the audio is so badly edited that you cannot hear the tens of thousands of people in the stands.

The aforementioned yell sounds like "Hey yay yay!" Listen closely. It is the exact same person every time.

In France, people cheer for a bike race by yelling, "Allez, allez, allez!" It sounds like "Ah-lay alayalay!" You're probably hearing different people giving the same cheer.

In France, people cheer for a bike race by yelling, "Allez, allez, allez!" It sounds like "Ah-lay alayalay!" You're probably hearing different people giving the same cheer.

That sounds like what I'm hearing. So much for my theory...

...kinda sounds like Bobcat Goldthwait...

That's funny. :roflmao:

And much of what you hear when the commentators are talking is from their fixed location at the finish area. That explains the caravan noises, same crowd, sirens, etc., throughout the telecast.

As to wind noise, the mikes on the motos seem never to pick much up. They wear big furry covers, which may possibly explain that.

And much of what you hear when the commentators are talking is from their fixed location at the finish area. That explains the caravan noises, same crowd, sirens, etc., throughout the telecast.

As to wind noise, the mikes on the motos seem never to pick much up. They wear big furry covers, which may possibly explain that.

When you are watching the riders get close to the finish line, sometimes it is hard to estimate how much further it is to the line from the vantage point they give us on TV. But in the background you can hear an announcer on the PA system at the line for about the last 100 meters or so, and the volume gets louder as the riders (and the cameraman on the motorbike) gets closer to the line.

You're probably hearing some smenge under the OLN booth near the finish line, or even from another network commentator in a neighboring booth.

That sounds like what I'm hearing. So much for my theory...

I almost spit out my coffee reading this thread :D

Sorry about resurrecting this thread but...I've listened carefully to some of the mountain stages and am still hearing this yelling person. It sounds more like Pee Wee Herman. It would be one thing if I was hearing "Allez Allez Allez" from several different persons but this is all coming from the same person. I am opening up again my theory that OLN is injecting this recorded soudbyte into the stages that involve some climbing with plenty of spectators along the sides of the road.

It may be the driver of the motorbike yelling at people to get out of the way, could be a race official as well, even a cop just doing his job of clearing the road ahead.

It may be the driver of the motorbike yelling at people to get out of the way, could be a race official as well, even a cop just doing his job of clearing the road ahead.

There ya go, that makes the most sense.

How about a coach yelling at his rider, that's constant.

It would make since to have canned crowd noise so you don't have to worry about broadcasting something the FCC would have a problem with.

It would make since to have canned crowd noise so you don't have to worry about broadcasting something the FCC would have a problem with.

Yes. I've heard French cycling fans love to swear at the riders in English as they pass by. :rolleyes:

There's this one guy with a cowbell I hear ALL THE TIME-- it's freaking me out!

It sounds more like Pee Wee Herman.


I think you may be right...I think he's just trying to get a lift, though.

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=212187

I was watching stage 17 on tape last night. It appeared that there were times that cowbells on the audio matched up perfectly with a guy in the video ringing a cowbell, making me think its not canned. however, I never heard the thunder sticks which you could see, which made me think there could be something to the canned argument.

I was watching stage 17 on tape last night. It appeared that there were times that cowbells on the audio matched up perfectly with a guy in the video ringing a cowbell, making me think its not canned. however, I never heard the thunder sticks which you could see, which made me think there could be something to the canned argument.

True, but you can hear the engine of the motorbikes rev up when they open up the throttle. And for that matter when they are going through places with few spectators, there isn't much crowd noise.

They must use special mikes on these things so as to not pick up wind noise, and it is possible that these mikes don't pick up the thunder sticks very well. Perhaps what they are airing is some combination of canned crowd noise and sound from the camera on the motorbike, but I would tend to doubt it. I would need to watch a segment again and see how much the sound changed when they went from one camera to the next.