From: Bill Shute, San Antonio College

In regards to sitcoms/variety shows shot in front of a live audience...

I have attended tapings of a number of sitcoms and a few Tonight Shows,

and my experience is that the actual response of the audience is

"sweetened" with canned laughter and that the mix is usually about

40% real and 60% canned. I have a very distinctive laugh and can

thus recognize myself on the soundtrack, and I remember jokes that

only got light laughter suddenly sounding full when the show aired,

with my guffaw surrounded by a sea of laughter that wasn't there live.

However, the "real" response was always used as a foundation for

the sweetening, much like a basic track is then added to with overdubs

in the recording industry.