Can You Block Out The Blare Of Vuvuzelas ?

[Raistlin]

<P class=first>The one-note drone of massed plastic horns is the soundtrack to the 2010 World Cup. There'll be no ban, so is it possible to block out over-vuvuzealous parping ?

Loud enough for you? The incessant drone of vuvuzelas blown from start to finish of a World Cup football match can reach 130 decibels - louder than a referee's whistle or a chainsaw at full rip.

While those in the stadium can revel in the atmosphere - and perhaps invest in the "vuvu-stop" ear plugs reportedly selling like hot cakes - fans outside the Rainbow Nation can be less forgiving.

On TV or on radio, it can at times be a struggle to hear the commentary, let alone the familiar singing, cheering and jeering from the crowd. Complaints ring out from bar-room and barbecue, social media site and radio phone-in. A vuvuzela is tuned - to use the term loosely - at the B flat below middle C, and has a similar frequency to speech tones, says Trevor Cox, president of the Institute of Acoustics. This makes it particularly tricky for broadcasters to tune out, as to do so would dampen the commentators' voices - and not in a good way.

I'm looking at its wave patterns and there are at least six very strong harmonics in there. It would sound really horrible to notch these out - if one coincides with the vowel sound e, you won't be able to hear the -es in the commentary. It would sound unnatural."

To "notch out" is sound engineer speak for making a sound filter to block a certain frequency.

Various online vendors claim to sell vuvuzela filters - such as a 45-minute MP3 noise-cancelling track to play during each half - and a German computer programmer has posted instructions online - in German - for building your own using a soundcard-equipped computer and specialist software.

But buyer beware, says Professor Cox.

"It's physically impossible to play a sound to cancel out another sound coming from your television. It sounds constant, but the noise is too random to be cancelled out. How can they know when England will fail to make a save and the vuvuzelas will go even more crazy?"

So while broadcasters cannot simply block these frequencies for fear of disrupting words of wisdom from John Motson et al, sound engineers have been advised to dip certain frequencies when the massed horns are a-blowing particularly loudly.

"They can also change the balance between crowd noise and the commentary box, as these have separate mics. But they wouldn't want to take out the crowd noise completely, because then there'd be no atmosphere," says Mr Cox, who is also professor of acoustics at Salford University.

Viewer complaints

The BBC has so far received 224 complaints about vuvuzela noise, a figure that may rise sharply once it broadcasts its England match (against Slovenia) next Wednesday.

"We have already taken steps to minimise the noise and are continuing to monitor the situation," says a BBC spokeswoman. "If the vuvuzela continues to impact on audience enjoyment, we will look at what other options we can take to reduce the volume further."

[bothwell_buyer]

I found the solution!! :yahoo:

I switched to a non-football channel and the noise stopped! :yahoo:

Just think how loud the noise will get if Engerlanner progresses to the 2nd round!

Or just mute the TV and switch on the sub-titles.

[Raistlin]

I found the solution!!

I switched to a non-football channel and the noise stopped!

Just think how loud the noise will get if Engerlanner progresses to the 2nd round!

Or just mute the TV and switch on the sub-titles.

I understand that they are not showing the football on Scottish TV due to lack of... Football skills :D

[Bizarra]

I know I have a terribly one track mind but I had never heard of vuvuzelas

before, & quite honestly the first picture to come into my mind was of a woman yodelling through her vulva

[Raistlin]

I know I have a terribly one track mind but I had never heard of vuvuzelas

before, & quite honestly the first picture to come into my mind was of a woman yodelling through her vulva

That's one blow job you'd never forget

[Phoenix999]

Like Vic I do not suffer from the noise.... I simply watch a different channel

[Bizarra]

I know I have a terribly one track mind but I had never heard of vuvuzelas

before, & quite honestly the first picture to come into my mind was of a woman yodelling through her vulva

That's one blow job you'd never forget

[Anagram].....vuvuzelas = Vulvasuze = an expert in the afore mentioned Art

[Raistlin]

I know I have a terribly one track mind but I had never heard of vuvuzelas

before, & quite honestly the first picture to come into my mind was of a woman yodelling through her vulva

That's one blow job you'd never forget

[Anagram].....vuvuzelas = Vulvasuze = an expert in the afore mentioned Art

It's also musical, the Cleft of Venus

[Bizarra]

I know I have a terribly one track mind but I had never heard of vuvuzelas

before, & quite honestly the first picture to come into my mind was of a woman yodelling through her vulva

That's one blow job you'd never forget

[Anagram].....vuvuzelas = Vulvasuze = an expert in the afore mentioned Art

It's also musical, the Cleft of Venus

If you have a Video of it....... post it in "Music"

[Raistlin]

I know I have a terribly one track mind but I had never heard of vuvuzelas

before, & quite honestly the first picture to come into my mind was of a woman yodelling through her vulva

That's one blow job you'd never forget

[Anagram].....vuvuzelas = Vulvasuze = an expert in the afore mentioned Art

It's also musical, the Cleft of Venus

If you have a Video of it....... post it in "Music"

I'm always humming it

[Bizarra]

I know I have a terribly one track mind but I had never heard of vuvuzelas

before, & quite honestly the first picture to come into my mind was of a woman yodelling through her vulva

That's one blow job you'd never forget

[Anagram].....vuvuzelas = Vulvasuze = an expert in the afore mentioned Art

It's also musical, the Cleft of Venus

If you have a Video of it....... post it in "Music"

I'm always humming it

In the real world, existing outside this one, you are a Humming Bird? I've heard of trannys, but this is ridiculous !

Management.....Hellooooo. Is anyone there?

[Raistlin]

You just had to call for them...

[Jay B]

I find the sound quite enjoyable it's a little taste of culture :D

[Raistlin]

I find the sound quite enjoyable it's a little taste of culture

Was that a smack in the mouth you ordered...

[Bizarra]

I find the sound quite enjoyable it's a little taste of culture

Was that a smack in the mouth you ordered...

He didn't have to order one You get one, free, with every sensible, on topic reply :lol2:

[Raistlin]

I find the sound quite enjoyable it's a little taste of culture

Was that a smack in the mouth you ordered...

He didn't have to order one You get one, free, with every sensible, on topic reply

On reflection I think it was irony