GDT: Buf @ Car

[toastmasterbone]

As I'm listening to it, her inflections on the call are pretty bog standard. Putting aside the sound mixing issues, which are quite bad, there's not much that differentiates her call from the average PBP except for the pitch of her voice.

So yeah, I really do have a very hard time believing there's not some unconscious bias going on with people's takes on her.

She called a great game. Because it's ESPN, however, everyone doing the morning recap has to fit into that particular "style" of affectated voice. White, black, brown, male, female... it's the same damned voice. She introduced the game, and called the game in that affectation. It's the same thing if you ever meet a local news on-air personality—it'll give you a middle ear effusion when the voice coming at you doesn't have any natural tonality. If she'd non-ESPN her voice, she'd be dynamite.

 

[MinJaBen]

She called a great game. Because it's ESPN, however, everyone doing the morning recap has to fit into that particular "style" of affectated voice. White, black, brown, male, female... it's the same damned voice. She introduced the game, and called the game in that affectation. It's the same thing if you ever meet a local news on-air personality—it'll give you a middle ear effusion when the voice coming at you doesn't have any natural tonality. If she'd non-ESPN her voice, she'd be dynamite.

I had no problem with her voice. I have, however, had a problem with all ESPN announcers/Play-by-Play people since they started the ESPN+ broadcasts due to their volume of the speech relative to the rest of the broadcast sounds. They seem to me like they are calling the game in the other room.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I had no problem with her voice. I have, however, had a problem with all ESPN announcers/Play-by-Play people since they started the ESPN+ broadcasts due to their volume of the speech relative to the rest of the broadcast sounds. They seem to me like they are calling the game in the other room.

Yeah, it's really bizarre that they can't tell that's going on or don't care. And it'll be even worse in the playoffs as buildings get louder if they keep the fan noise so loud in the mix. It's just crazy. It's not like it should be vastly different from the other sports they cover.

Overall, I haven't minded their coverage at all. But they've frequently had issues with the sound.

 

[LakeLivin]

The Caps did it in their inaugural season, the experiment ended after half a season due to sweat stains. They were standard in the early days of hockey, when pants came in two colors, white and natural canvas. They were gone in the NHL (apart from the Caps and the later one offs), at least, by 1930, though 5 of 9 teams were still using natural. The Black Hawks were the first to use dyed pants in the NHL, when they came into the league in 1926. The Maroons in 37-38 were the last to use the natural color as a team, and the last use I can find was by the NHL All Stars at the Babe Siebert Memorial Game in 1939 (versus the blue pants-ed Habs)

Interesting. Hard to be sure from just a couple old photos, but that looks like it might actually work. It'd be curious to see a Canes version. I'm guessing that modern fabrics might eliminate the staining problem.

 

[Svechhammer]

I had no problem with her voice. I have, however, had a problem with all ESPN announcers/Play-by-Play people since they started the ESPN+ broadcasts due to their volume of the speech relative to the rest of the broadcast sounds. They seem to me like they are calling the game in the other room.

I was at the game last night, so didn't get to hear the broadcast but did see the highlights on Youtube. Their sound mixing is ridiculous. They have the noise on the ice cranked way too loud, I don't need to hear every skate and stick tap at full volume, and it absolutely shouldn't be louder than the broadcasters themselves. And its not even realistic. its just terrible, and it makes it impossible to hear what either broadcaster is saying. Seriously, whoever is handling the sound mixing for that crew needs to figure that shit out, because its unwatchable.

 

[AD Skinner]

I enjoy hearing the odd f bomb after a whistle

 

[Chrispy]

I was at the game last night, so didn't get to hear the broadcast but did see the highlights on Youtube. Their sound mixing is ridiculous. They have the noise on the ice cranked way too loud, I don't need to hear every skate and stick tap at full volume, and it absolutely shouldn't be louder than the broadcasters themselves. And its not even realistic. its just terrible, and it makes it impossible to hear what either broadcaster is saying. Seriously, whoever is handling the sound mixing for that crew needs to figure that shit out, because its unwatchable.

I think because of the frequency of Leah Hextall's voice, it has even more trouble cutting through that crowd noise than a more baritone or bass voice would.

I also think if ESPN cleaned up this audio issue, a lot of people would be more positive about her PBP call. I thought she did well; it just took a lot more effort to hear her than it should.

 

[Svechhammer]

I think because of the frequency of Leah Hextall's voice, it has even more trouble cutting through that crowd noise than a more baritone or bass voice would.

I also think if ESPN cleaned up this audio issue, a lot of people would be more positive about her PBP call. I thought she did well; it just took a lot more effort to hear her than it should.

It doesn't help that the ESPN crew has the high end noise cranked up to 11 on the broadcast. That alone effectively signal jams her voice and makes it hard to hear, but even then, it was tough to hear her color commentator as well. They need to tone that shit down, and even dull it a little over what the actual volume would be for a broadcast.

And I agree, from what I could hear she's pretty good. The problem is that half the time you couldn't hear her.

 

[Tryamw]

I think because of the frequency of Leah Hextall's voice, it has even more trouble cutting through that crowd noise than a more baritone or bass voice would.

I also think if ESPN cleaned up this audio issue, a lot of people would be more positive about her PBP call. I thought she did well; it just took a lot more effort to hear her than it should.

Like I said the Volume (Pickup of the crew was terrible) this is NOT EITHER announcers faults.
and I did feel like her voice was filtered.. Maybe it was just the pickup but it just didn't have some of the stuff that makes me feel it's right..

 

[Stickpucker]

Wow took Jordo this long to hit 10g.

He's been better but that's pretty bad.