Radio 3 playback via Iplayer: some advice please.

[Guest]

Hello i wonder if anyone could explain the reason for a persistent clicking/ticking noise in the background during the playback or music from Radio 3 on Iplayer. It only seems to happen when the music is playing and not when the presenter is speaking and is especially prevalent on the early music show. I am guessing it is a streaming receoption issue rather than anything to do with the computer or speakers but it is very bizarre.

One quick other point is why is the volume of the presenter voice overs always far louder than the music? This is the case on both the computer and the radio. I turn up the volume to hear the music at a decent level only to dive for the volume control when it ends and the presenter comes booming in at far greater volume. Sorry for this rather random post.

[salymap]

Welcome Mattbod.

I would like to know the answer to your second point about the volume. Hang on and I expect someone will have the answer as I'm afraid I don't know.

[mangerton]

Mattbod, welcome! What are you listening on? Laptop, desktop, iPad, smartphone? The ticking could be noise from your equipment, depending on what it is. It's more noticeable on the music because as you have pointed out it's broadcast at a lower level than the announcements.

The main reason for this is that the BBC no longer sees the need to employ sound engineers. This has been discussed on these boards at great length as a trawl through the records will soon show you.

[Mattbod]

Thanks for the welcome mangerton. I listen on a laptop with Bose speakers. The ticking is not a machine noise as i have put on earphones and it's there in the playback on background. It is best described as the kind of click you get from the seconds hand of a digital wall clock. I suspect it will remain a mystery as it doesn't happen when I listen on the live HD feed.

Thanks for clearing up the point about the presenters.

[johnb]

The argument about presenters being too loud goes back many decades. I remember, back in the 60s, an article in The Gramophone on this subject!

My own impression is that much depends on the listening volume. If the volume is low the presenters seem fine but if I am listening at more realistic levels the presenter's voice seems massively out of proportion.

[Dave2002]

Thanks for the welcome mangerton. I listen on a laptop with Bose speakers. The ticking is not a machine noise as i have put on earphones and it's there in the playback on background. It is best described as the kind of click you get from the seconds hand of a digital wall clock. I suspect it will remain a mystery as it doesn't happen when I listen on the live HD feed.

Thanks for clearing up the point about the presenters.

Probably not relevant to your situation, but I heard a very recent Feedback programme (Roger Bolton) in which a mystery knocking noise was mentioned on - for example - Radio 4 and some local radio. Didn't sound like your ticking though, and oddly even "they" didn't find out what the problem was.

[Frances_iom]

..It is best described as the kind of click you get from the seconds hand of a digital wall clock. I suspect it will remain a mystery as it doesn't happen when I listen on the live HD feed.

possibly the seek mechanism of the harddrive interfereing with the audio ( a voltage spike as laptop audio not hifi !)- if you can output as digital signal to say USB headphones or a usb enabled loudspeaker it should notbe present

[Mattbod]

Interesting Frances_iom and possibly. A bit annoying though since I have just spent £200 on these Bose Companion 20 speakers. Maybe laptop audio is not hi fi but in other respects such as listening to CDs on the Laptop, these speakers for clarity and power do give my Hi Fi a run for its money.

[mangerton]

Probably not relevant to your situation, but I heard a very recent Feedback programme (Roger Bolton) in which a mystery knocking noise was mentioned on - for example - Radio 4 and some local radio. Didn't sound like your ticking though, and oddly even "they" didn't find out what the problem was.

Yes, I read about this problem on a usenet group earlier today. It seems that local radio is particularly badly affected. The worrying thing is that "they" don't know the reason.

Frances_iom msg 7 - I think that is the problem that Mattbod is experiencing. I get a similar problem when transferring quiet material to my (getting rather old) desk top.