Eleran

Have you even been to hear the NYPhil or MetOpera, live in their houses?

Your Google skills are marvelous. Your reading comprehension skills, however, need improvement. The NYPhil engineer handles RECORDINGS and BROADCASTS and "live audio" on tours (i.e. remember those outdoor concerts in the park already discussed). The Chicago engineer is RECORDING the concerts. The MetOpera is engineering "broadcasts for radio, movie theater screenings" They are NOT manipulating sound then feeding it to the audience in the hall.

Not only is that a huge, sweeping generalization, it's one which I do not feel is correct. Please remember that the VAST majority of DCI members all got their start in high school marching band. DCI is just a natural progression. And I don't think anyone here is going to say that they are joining their high school marching band because it is a "rock star" experience. Playing in front of a bunch of parents, friends and alumni is not a rock-star audience. Even at finals, the lower half of DCI gets a marginal crowd at best. Just because members continue to sign up does NOT mean they love all this crap that is being foisted on them by designers. I can out you in touch with at least one member ...

You already provided them - instrumental music. And notice that orchestras unhappy with the way their sound is heard choose to alter the music hall - not their music. They don't hire a sound engineer to process their music. And guess what else - a lot of their halls STILL aren't great despite attempted fixes (much like a rotten show design, alterations can only polish the turd so much) - but they play there anyway, and WITHOUT sound engineers. [I'm mentioning this because you might not be aware, since you pass on all music composed prior to 1945] [see - there's that snark again ... I guess I can "do better"]. And as to your last comment, please - let me know which quality orchestras/opera companies are using amplification and equalization within their normal venues during their normal programming (I'm not talking some special Pops Concert). I'm very curious to know.

I believe you (possibly someone else) referenced a rehearsal comment to the mellos to not worry about volume because the mixer will handle that. So, if on Friday night in Alabama the mellos perform perfectly, at mp, and the mixer boosts their level all the way to the judges box, the judges might increase their score from 19.7 to 19.9 in Brass thanks to those marvelous mellos. The next night, the mellos continue to perform excellently, but at mp not realizing that a fuse just blew on the mixer, and no one in the stadium hears it. Under that scenario, on the night the lights went out in Georgia their Brass score SHOULD only be a 19.7 (all other things being equal). But does that actually happen? It's not a "tic" penalty ... they just lacked the additive moment to boost their score from 19.7 to 19.9, but it seams that judges tend to not start at 0 on any given night and add to that, but instead start at the previous night's score (i.e. 19.9), even though they won't subtract from that when one of the great elements goes missing.

No, not me ... just snarking again on the previous "every music is sound engineered these days" trope.

which tracks were professionally balanced by sound engineers in the studio ... can't forget THAT part!

Especially at around 0:32

Well, I was really just going for snark. I'll have to work on that.

The argument here being that all of music during human civilization was lame (especially anything written before 1945) until sound engineers came along to deliver it to our ears in its scientifically-proven best presentation. Did I summarize that correctly?

I'd be a lot more comfortable accepting that blanket statement if DCI provided attendance figures for all shows, not just Finals.

Neither can my son. 6 years in DCI, but he won't set foot near his college band. I don't blame him one bit.

Not at all, as you are imputing to me an argument that was not mine. My argument has always been that they sound better without the electronics/amplification, hence the comment that they sound better during encores.

Indeed they do not. They sound better.

45 minutes about "design" and they barely mentioned music at all.

Which is why you have 24 trumpets outside instead of 2-6 inside.

Yeah. Such as symphonies and opera, which are the live music performances I prefer. But thank you for telling me how to live my life, when its DCI that is changing its tune, not my preferences which remain the same.

But ... are ALL the players being mic'ed? Or just the stars (beyond the issue of solos)? That is I think one of the questions a lot of the others have here, beyond the issues that I have. What I believe some here are concerned at is that the wonderful ability of the most talented players is being amplified, while other player are being relegated to the aural background. Again - in my case, that concern is secondary to the simple desire to hear acoustic instruments acoustically.

But that's just it ... I don't go to a live drum corps show in a stadium atmosphere to listen to musicians play virtuoso scales at mp as if they're in a practice room., just blasted loud through a speaker. This activity has always been an outdoor activity and represented a balance of musicality with projection. That's what I go there for. If I want to hear the most musicality a group of instrumentalists can provide, I'll take a pass on a bunch of 20 year olds and go straight to the concert hall or buy a recording. That's my biggest issue. I want to hear what these young musicians can do - by themselves - in an outdoor environment, with all its difficulties. THAT is Drum & Bugle Corps ... at least for me. YMMV.

Of course, I knew I'd neglect to name a few special names who also deserved recognition for their unsung, unheralded and often unthanked roles: Justin Moore, JP Castro and Jose Wilker Augusto for terrific Administration work (and taking the time to say hello to an old fart who dropped in to see his son) All of the volunteers who fed, drove and otherwise tended to the safety and well-being of our members, including our own @Fan of the Arts who also provided a valuable daily blog for all

2 years mello; 2 years DM. Didn't have/make the opportunity for DCI

I'll give you that much. But that's about as far as I can agree with you.

That's simply not true at all. Trumpets (bugles) were originally outdoor instruments, for crying outloud! Giving an ensemble 76+ brass was the answer to having them play outside on a football field. With all that you are advocating, there is no need for more than 1 brass player per part. I guess the other 60 spots can go to colorguard and dancers then, and just let the 16 or so brass players sit on the sideline with microphones.

Exactly.