what does recorded in front of a live studio audience mean
Studio audience A studio audience is an audience present for the filming of all or part of a television program, or to a smaller extent, radio programs. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack (as opposed to canned laughter). Additionally, live studio audiences produce an energy from which the actors can feed off, as well as push them to perform to the best of their abilities. Unlike relying on the ideal chuckles that a laugh track consistently provides, actors have to work for the laughs. A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants. On some game shows, contestants are taken from the studio audience, such as with The Price Is Right.
How I Met Your Mother Episodes were generally shot over a three-day period in the Los Angeles-based Soundstage Studio 22[22] and featured upwards of 50 scenes with quick transitions and flashbacks. However, the "Pilot" episode was filmed at CBS Radford.[23] The laugh track was later created by recording an audience being shown the final edited episode. Thomas claimed that shooting before a live audience would have been impossible because of the structure of the show and the numerous flashforwards in each episode and because doing so "would blur the line between 'audience' and 'hostage situation'".[24] Later seasons started filming in front of an audience on occasion when smaller sets were used.