CrownBariDad

Spirit is having a family picnic on Sunday, also. I don't know if they will perform anything or not, but here's hoping.

It seems the easiest way to handle it is to edit one of the duplicates and replace all the text with "double post" or something similar. If there's a way to actually delete one of your own posts, I'm not aware of how to do it. Of course, all of us have wished there was a way to delete OTHER folks' posts from time to time, but that's another story. ;-)

What I had in mind was anything which would encourge the kind of shows we had last season. Many folks on these forums commented on how much they liked the direction of 2011 from all the Corps, top to bottom. I would like to see that continue. Merci!

Since I'm a "Mythbusters" kind of guy, I wanted to see if there was any correlation between loudness perception and measured values. But, as has been mentioned on this and similar threads, there are just too many variables to get accurate measurements. Thus, the jury is still out. So, this might be the season I take your advice and just sit back and enjoy Drum Corps. Also, due to the striking similarities between dB meters and hand-held digital recorders, I hated getting those dirty looks from the staff and ushers during the show. Thanks!

I actually brought a monopod (versus a tripod, for space/safety concerns) to Atlanta, but was not allowed to carry it into the venue. They kindly stored it at the Security desk for me until after the show. So, yes--it was hand held. There were a couple of performances where the brass was predominately left or right of the 50-yard line in the portions I measured. Since I was primarily measuring brass volume, I did point the mic at the "center of mass" for the brass on the field.

Hmmmm...while I was (secretly) hoping for some big changes in the judging system this year, I'm thinking you might be right. It might just be all spin, but in the end--nothing changes. Time will tell....

This might also work for high schoolers. (My wife teaches music at a local elementary school and does this for the 4-6 graders. They love it! The 4th-now-6th graders always pester her this time of year about "when are we gonna watch some more Drum Corps?") Pick either the top 3 or maybe the 3 most "accessible" shows from a single year. Show them to the kids (randomize the order) and then have them vote for the rankings. As they might not match up with the actual results, that gives you the opportunity to talk a little about how Drum Corps is judged. Good luck! Have fun!!!

I guess this would be doable, but you'd have to include "style points" (ah, here comes those subjective judges again) for intonation, choice of material, etc. in addition to pure dB measurements. Otherwise, the result might be loud, but not pretty--IMHO it needs to be both.

We'll have to see how the season goes, but I'm in.

Actually for Madison, the crowd reaction could not be factored out of the measurement, even using a directional mic. And frankly, I wasn't paying too much attention to the meter during the end of their show.

I tried to avoid using "impact hits" (especially when reinforced by the pit bass drum(s)) as the loudest value, but sometimes it was unavoidable. The whole point of the exercise was to avoid perception as much as possible and present some real measurements. It would be nice (if we do this in the future) if those participating would pool their measurements (and seating locations) so we might get a better picture on all of this. However, as has been said before--there are TOO many variables to consider when trying to make volume comparisons between Corps. Even the stuff I posted, I generally view as "gee whiz" data--not much more. Thanks!

I don't think anyone sitting with us in the Crown block seats breathed thru the entire solo. We were so afraid someone was going to yell "Go Crown!" or "Way to go Nick!" and spoil the moment. Thank goodness no one did. Kudos to ALL the fans!

Other than the Crown selections mentioned above (yes, I'm a homer), words escape me to describe the "Bring Him Home" bari solo from 2011 Boston Crusaders.

Totally agree! Also, the OP specifically targeted the loudest hornline. My measurements above included the entire Corps--brass, battery, and pit. As was noted last year, my measuring position down front may have picked up more PA reinforcement than the brass who typically aim for the pressbox.

Don't you? ;-)

I posted this back in Sep after 2011 Finals--for reference only, not implying anything scientific, your measurements/perceptions may vary, etc. ATL Thread Indy Prelim Thread ====================================================================================== [i thought this might be better in its own thread since it's really about the Indy Preliminaries measurements.] I really didn't have great seats for Prelims this year -- Section 139 Row 23 Seat 10 which is the next to last row in the back of the lower section on about the right 40 yd line -- so I was considering not posting the Prelim measurements, but why not? Overall, it looks like the Prelims were a few dB below Atlanta mainly because I was a bit further back. Below, the first number is from Atlanta, the 2nd number is the Indy Prelim measurement (loudest value). We'll try again next year. I promise I'll upgrade my meter so I won't have to switch ranges, so I won't miss anything. Oregon Crusaders: N/A 104 Blue Devils B: N/A 107 Pioneer: 106 101 Jersey Surf: 112 112 Teal Sound: 109 105 Mandarins: 109 104 Cascades: 110 106 Crossmen: 112 107 (Prelims: Warmup facing backfield 92 dB) Pacific Crest: 108 104 Colts: 111 110 The Academy: 110 105 Glassmen: 113 111 Troopers: 110 107 Blue Knights: 108 102 Blue Stars: 108 105 Spirit of Atlanta: 113 108 Santa Clara Vanguard: 111 106 Boston Crusaders: 107 104 Madison Scouts: 119 115 Bluecoats: 111 107 Phantom Regiment: 114 111 Carolina Crown: 120+ 115 The Cavaliers: 113 113 The Cadets: 110 104 Blue Devils: 109 110

DCI Finals should move to the high school stadium next to my house so I can walk to the events and not have to pay for a hotel. 'Nuff said!

Thanks for the reply! I think the loading bar may be not detecting when loading is complete. As I mentioned above, if there is just one loading bar on the screen, I can scroll around it and still use the forums. I've verified I have a good connection. BTW: I've even seen this loading bar using MSIE on my computer (only on DCP forums), but it is always out of the way and quickly disappears. When I point Safari to the forums URL, I get the same app I'm using with the same problem. Oh, well....

I'm using the IP.Board iPhone app (iOS 5.1). Whenever I'm browsing the threads in a forum, I often see this dark gray "Loading..." bar over the list of threads and it doesn't go away. If it's just one, I can deal with it (but it sure is annoying). Sometimes, there are 2 bars which makes it nearly impossible to select any threads to view. (I have a screen shot, but not sure how to embed it in the post from my computer.) Any ideas how to get rid of this Loading bar? thanks, randy

The problem I was thinking about is altitude sickness--a real problem for those of us who hang around sea level. If you figure 23 WC Corps at 150 members (or so), that's over 3000 members. Just throwing out a WAG (wild a** guess), if 0.5% can't take the change in altitude that's around 15 members. Even if it's only one, if that one is your lead sop, featured guard, center snare, DM, etc., it probably won't be good. But we all know that members, unfortunately, get injured and the show must go on. Just something to consider.

I had thought about that, too. My first live DCI event was Drums Along the Rockies when I lived in CO. Loved it!!!! But, as the sign at the Air Force Academy stadium (at about 1000 ft higher than Mile High) warns visiting teams--"Air is Rare". How much of an impact that would have on Finals I don't know.

I can drive to Indy--it's a long day's drive, but doable. It's a 3-day drive to the west coast (can't afford the outrageous baggage fees to fly the kids equipment back) and I can't afford to miss the extra days at work (self-employed). Finals need to be centrally located to make it accessible to as many folks as possible.

I was almost going to say "Ballad - Cadets" WHAT??? But, then I saw you put "Solo - Boston". YES!!! I'll probably still be remembering that moment when 2011 is referred to as "back in the day".

I had always thought you needed more French Horns because their sound was being directed towards the back of the orchestra and away from the audience. Plus, they almost always use their hand to shape the sound. In this setting, I've heard the rule of thumb is you need 2 horns to balance 1 trumpet. (If someone has already said this above, sorry. I haven't had my coffee yet.)

From what I've seen and heard of the show, this could be the year. Great music!