Late night thoughts: Amplification & Electronics from the Judging standpoint

[Fred Windish]

Ediker -

I am quite tired of bureaucratic delays. We have FAR too much of that in Washington, DC!   I truly believe some important improvements can be made quite simply without any formal agreement.  I'll suggest one . . .

If vocal is to be amplified by artificial means, the amplification device must be hardwired. 

I see no reason why the outstanding vocalist for Carolina Crown (just for one example) could not have been integrated from a position much closer to the front sideline. A loudspeaker supplied by DCI for every corps' use (if needed) could be made available. 

[Bobby L. Collins]

2 hours ago, Tim K said:

A few years ago a Carolina Crown snare had a GoPro attached to himself and it caught his drum coming apart. People commented that the battery did not sound like drums. That's a GoPro issue. GoPros do not do a great job st picking up audio and that's not their purpose. They are action "point of view" cameras so the accuracy of capturing field sounds would be questionable. GoPros from the stands would be worthless unless you're measuring audience reaction. Camera phone video is fine for amateur use but have faults. Since reasonably good video cameras would not be allowed in most shows, and certainly not Indy where camera bags are inspected and people are told they would need to come back without their video cameras, a good DSLR videos both on the field and in the stands would be needed to make this point.

Always excuses to refute common sense.

The quality of the camera is irrelevant when there is a full hornline sound coming out of the speakers and 90% of the horns are laying on the ground while their players are staring at their hands.

[cixelsyd]

57 minutes ago, Ediker said:

I believe GH expressed in one of his live feeds that the bureaucracy surrounding rule changes would not be able to make changes, evident on the field, until the 2019 season.

That is odd.  When Jim Mason wanted trombones for a show already under design, his proposal mushroomed to "any brass", was approved unanimously, and took immediate effect for the upcoming season.  So it is not bureaucracy that would prevent a change effective in 2018.

[Ediker]

40 minutes ago, Fred Windish said:

Ediker -

I am quite tired of bureaucratic delays. We have FAR too much of that in Washington, DC!   I truly believe some important improvements can be made quite simply without any formal agreement.  I'll suggest one . . .

If vocal is to be amplified by artificial means, the amplification device must be hardwired. 

I see no reason why the outstanding vocalist for Carolina Crown (just for one example) could not have been integrated from a position much closer to the front sideline. A loudspeaker supplied by DCI for every corps' use (if needed) could be made available. 

Yes, some improvements can be made without any codification.  Much like certain industries self-impose standards in anticipation and preparation for impending law and regulation changes.  If the pressure starts now, the offenders might begin adopting certain changes.

[Ediker]

5 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

That is odd.  When Jim Mason wanted trombones for a show already under design, his proposal mushroomed to "any brass", was approved unanimously, and took immediate effect for the upcoming season.  So it is not bureaucracy that would prevent a change effective in 2018.

I think I heard GH described the process on the Marching Roundtable exclusive interview with GH, available on yt.  Something about the rules and code of points change meetings happening in January of the previous year.  So the changes decided for 2018 happened in January 2017.  Not familiar with what happened re: trombones, etc.

[Fred Windish]

10 minutes ago, Ediker said:

I think I heard GH described the process on the Marching Roundtable exclusive interview with GH, available on yt.  Something about the rules and code of points change meetings happening in January of the previous year.  So the changes decided for 2018 happened in January 2017.  Not familiar with what happened re: trombones, etc.

DCI can do whatever it wants, obviously.  Seems to me, if it conducts a conference call among a dozen Corps Directors, agreement of just 7 individuals can make things happen. "Where there's a will, there's a way,"  as I've often heard said.

 

[Ghost]

1 hour ago, Fred Windish said:

 If vocal is to be amplified by artificial means, the amplification device must be hardwired.  I see no reason why the outstanding vocalist for Carolina Crown (just for one example) could not have been integrated from a position much closer to the front sideline. A loudspeaker supplied by DCI for every corps' use (if needed) could be made available. 

This may not have worked for Boston this year.  She provided visual movement that added to their show.  And it sure would not have worked with their singer in 15.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Ghost

[MikeN]

12 hours ago, wolfgang said:

* B) No doubling of any brass part by an electronic instrument whether by a live player or sampled recording. (Electric instruments like electric guitars, electric violins, vibraphones, etc. are ok.  This is specifically dealing with electronic keyboards doubling any brass part. 

*C). No parts of a chord played by the brass shall be performed by an electronic instrument. (This needs to be better worded I admit. If the allegation of horn lines playing root/fifth and synth playing the third are correct, this would make that practice illegal.  Note this is not technically doubling if the brass are not playing those notes in a chord, but if this is being done, it distorts the sound being judged in the press box by giving basically an aural illusion.)

Slippery slope.  Why can a violin double a brass part but a synthesizer cannot?  Basically, a synth can't play any of the same music as brass?  What about using the synth not as a "tone", but a piano?  Do they get the same restrictions?  So Rach Star, with it's piano concerto, couldn't happen because the brass and piano wouldn't be allowed to play the same notes? 

Mike

 

[JAZZER]

Designers will always seek the create competitive advantage within the rules, even pushing boundaries. Musical arrangers have always sought to maximize ensemble [& soloist] strengths and minimize exposure of the error or weaker components.

You are correct that the governing body will need to continue to refine & more importantly define.

Reminds me [not a fan btw] what apparently takes place in NASCAR.

Reading this article with DCI eyes makes one ponder a few things, for sure!

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/nascar-basics/nascar-engines1.htm

 

[Fred Windish]

35 minutes ago, Ghost said:

This may not have worked for Boston this year.  She provided visual movement that added to their show.  And it sure would not have worked with their singer in 15.

With instances as you describe that require the vocal come from someone moving too far away from a corded mic, I'd be OK if that person has his/her voice prerecorded and used as an overlay. 

Edited August 22, 2017 by Fred Windish