How About Some Common Ground?

[Fran Haring]

6 hours ago, Kamarag said:

A&E isn't going anywhere, but I do believe it will be reigned in a bit at the next rules congress. For example, I suspect that area microphones that are designed to amplify the brass/corps in general will be banned, and the rule re-worded to include only solo mics and/or mics for small ensembles.

I hope you're right.

Then comes the definition of "small ensemble."   LOL. 

[Fran Haring]

3 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

i thought that was the tenors choice of warm up spot and ignoring instructions to move elsewhere

One year it was that... another year it was the electronics issue.

Two close calls for the Crossmen.

 

[Fran Haring]

5 hours ago, CrownBariDad said:

How can you tell if you've been blocked?

In this case,  your life becomes one of sheer, carefree bliss. 

[Terri Schehr]

17 minutes ago, Fran Haring said:

In this case,  your life becomes one of sheer, carefree bliss. 

I'm feeling pretty blissful. 

 

Edited August 24, 2017 by Terri Schehr

[Liahona]

1 hour ago, Fran Haring said:

I hope you're right.

Then comes the definition of "small ensemble."   LOL. 

yep...small ensemble also needs to be described by an actual number of players.

[Schnitzel]

6 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

. . . these things are not showing on the sheets, and that is why we continue to see some problems. Start penalizing these corps over poor balances, malfunctions, overall poor quality and sound and you will see things change really fast. 

 

I think it might be a mistake to assume that problems with sound reinforcement are not currently being assessed or considered in ratings & rankings.  Actually, these conditions can affect ALL the music captions in particular ways.  Perhaps the fact that most all finalist groups had issues with sound design in Indy makes it seem as though "no one is paying attention."  DCI Music and Effect Judges are instructed in both the technologies and the expectations associated with A&E.

Also, constructing some sort of "penalty" deduction is completely antithetical to the scoring system in drum corps.  I can't imagine that groups would take these production responsibilities any more seriously with the addition of negative reinforcements.  They are already doing their very best to develop a totally new aspect of the activity, and spending a lot of time, effort, and money in the process.  Remember WGI Percussion when synthesized sounds and mics were "new?"  It took smart people awhile to figure it out, and occasionally, there are still problems.

Admittedly, sometimes we tend to "show off the latest toy" a bit excessively sometimes . . .

[Fran Haring]

8 hours ago, Liahona said:

yep...small ensemble also needs to be described by an actual number of players.

SCV would probably say 12.  LOL

[Lead]

18 hours ago, Bobby L. Collins said:

Can we all agree on this at the very least?  Can we all agree that when a corps' electronics and amplifcation malfunctions in the middle of a performance, that the G.E. scores SHOULD acknowledge and reflect that?  Can we all agree that if A&E is going to be allowed, that it needs to be proportionately weighted into the scoring system?

Can we at last agree on SOMETHING?  Or is this community bound and determined to be contrary for the sake of contrariness, despite all pretenses of rational thought and reason?

 

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I emphatically maintain that A&E should be banned entirely from the activity.  But if it's not going away and, more importantly, if it's going to continue to escalate, and to monopolize performances in the manner it does today, should it not be adjudicated and weighted into the scoring system accordingly?

I totally agree. It seems like electronics is a total high-reward/no-risk situation (i.e., "aww, so unfortunate that your mic cut out, but you get points for effort because I saw it at the show last week"). 

I 100% agree with you. 

The first thing that needs to be banned is the micing of individuals and then presenting them into the overall mix during ensemble moments (the practice that many of us in the activity have watched go on and have colleagues do on many many occasions yet the populace of this board has no clue that happens and in fact vehemently denies happens regardless of their ignorance to the truth). I don't mind micing a flugelhorn solo (or a flute solo, or a clarinet solo), but when you mic the 2 best players in each section and mix them in, trying to fool the judges into thinking the sound of the ensemble is pristine, there are MAJOR integrity problems. 

The problem is how to legislate that. But it needs to be done.

[wolfgang]

One issue I hope gets addressed is brass or brass-like sounds either played or sampled at the same time the horn line is playing. In a judged activity, this gives the people evaluating the brass a false perspective of what they are supposed to be evaluating.

[Cappybara]

21 minutes ago, wolfgang said:

One issue I hope gets addressed is brass or brass-like sounds either played or sampled at the same time the horn line is playing. In a judged activity, this gives the people evaluating the brass a false perspective of what they are supposed to be evaluating.

Can you give an example of when this occurred?