HornTeacher Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 That's ok, Quad. We'll forgive you. This time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 The judge in me sees that the great discussion thus far is branching onto two different paths: performer (youth?) vs. adult (technician/sound engineer, designer) and mics relative to soloist's performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I suppose I'm a bit mixed regarding electronics. On the one hand I do like the sound effects when used well. Narration is a hit or miss for me. I thought Crown did it best in both 2013 and 2014. The jury is still out regarding Cadets this past year, but the problem for me was more the script and not the narrator and of the script had some tweaks I'm not sure I would not be saying that I thought Cadets nailed narration.I really enjoyed their show this past year and I am sure it will be one of those shows we will probably consider underrated n the years to come. Amplification of the front ensemble works for me, marching percussion and brass not so much, but for those of us who remember the "how loud can you get" and "How soft can you get" days, and can recall live performances of Phantom "Clair de Lune" with great subtlety or Madison's sheer intensity and volume of "Somewhere," amplification of brass and percussion will never be the same. However. whether we long for the good old days or your in the camp that thinks we're not moving ahead fast enough, electronics are here to stay. Now a pet peeve of mine regarding the use of electronics is having non-marching members controlling the sound while the performance is taking place. I seemed to notice it a bit more this past season. It also seemed as if the controls were monitored by people well over the age of 21. If we are going to allow electronics, and the electronics need to be monitored while the show is in progress, it should be done by a uniformed member of the corps, within the age of eligibility, and has to be of the of 150 members. If it takes away from a marching member, that's a choice the corps has to make. There can also not be an excuse such as they may not how to use the equipment since we're talking about a generation that has used electronics since about the age of 5. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornTeacher Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 (edited) www.youtube.com/watch?v=bndwy9IEnno (solo at each end of snippet) I hadn't seen that first one in a few years...just made it my 9-months-late New Year's resolution: to die before Barbara Maroney, so that she'll still be around to play this at my funeral. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbMe9FHpKUU (solo runs 0:05 -- 0:30) Edited September 9, 2014 by HornTeacher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Well that is very true... in a concert setting. However in drum corps you have to take into account drill position as well and it doesn't seem that corps are smartly placing soloists as to maximize their sound. Hence why I believe they sound much better with mics. Take BAC for instance. Initially, their soloist was at the very end sideline without a mic and you couldn't hear a thing. The rest of the ensemble wasn't even particularly loud. They eventually had to add a mic for the solo to even be audible. No question, the BAC solo was louder when amplified, but early in the season, prior to the solo being amplified, it could be heard and I found the distant sound rather effective. Granted, Lawrence, Bristol, and Lynn are not as large as Atlanta or Indy, but I did think the solo worked without amplification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 You have it backwards. The solo's quality suffers when it is not amplified because the soloist is focusing too much on being loud. Tone quality suffers. Can you imagine SCV's solo in the ballad not being amplified? People probably wouldn't be able to hear it or the tone would not be nearly as pure. I'll take tone quality over a personal grudge on electronics and amplification. I am 100% with you on this. Electronics, mic'ing, etc. have glitches at times: my opinion of awesome balance is different from designers/judges/other audience members at times. But I will take the good of amping & electronics over bad (or even perceived-by-others as bad) all of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Competition is a medium of what is happening now...not based on the best example of a particular sound, effect, or contribution as performed, polished, and recorded days, weeks, or months ago. Somewhere along the line, I think we've lost sight of that simple premise. And I think that is why judges focus more on what members are doing during a performance than electronics issues, or even sampling. I would doubt that any placement was lost or won due to a sample or electronics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gak27 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Well obviously G bugles could. Please point me to unamplified mello solos and I'll reconsider my stance. No need to get all flustered over my opinion. Wasn't SCV's "Bring Him Home" solo last year also unamped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 People have said on these boards that Crown shies away from solos because of a bad experience with them one year (or something like that - I'm paraphrasing). I don't know if that is true, but it has been mentioned here for what that's worth. Doesn't this solve this problem? I'm not sure Crown avoids solos; didn't they have, for instance, four trumpets on four trampolines widely separated from each other playing separate solos this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Take BAC for instance. Initially, their soloist was at the very end sideline without a mic and you couldn't hear a thing. The rest of the ensemble wasn't even particularly loud. They eventually had to add a mic for the solo to even be audible. That's an exaggeration. I saw the show at Ft. Wayne, where the soloist is unmiked. She was, as you note, at far left. I was sitting at the top of the stands and at about the right 40-yard line. I could hear her just fine. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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