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Guitar1974

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Everything posted by Guitar1974

  1. At the show I recently attended I was surprised how much brass was coming through the PA- and not just the infamous "goo", I'm talking whole horn line. I was sitting on about the 40 where most corps set their speakers and it was very obvious. Again, I find the mic'ing of imbedded players in the line and then fading up/down to allow them to cut through the mix during key times the biggest potential game changer looming. As far as mic'ing the whole line, I just feel it takes away from the awe of it all. Blowing the stands down with amps and speakers isn't impressive. Crappy rock bands have been doing this for years... The hornlines this year are amazing- amps and effects just put a fake/generic sheen on it all. And this is from a professional guitar player who relies on amps for my livelihood haha...
  2. I find it concerning because I believe the biggest "hook" drum corps has is the amazing sound and power of acoustic brass- pure human power (well, for the most part still...) I am surprised nobody seems to mention much about SCV and the fact they have an ensemble mic'd wirelessly for the whole show, fading them in and out to support the horn line- especially during technical licks. To me this is a huge can of worms- if it catches on we could quickly see a few horns speaking for the entire line- it seems SCV has figured out how to do this pretty seamlessly. The question then becomes when is it too much? Will people care if the amazing horn line they are hearing is really just a dozen players doing the lions share of the work with amp support and clever arranging to mask it and make it appear the entire line is contributing? Seems phony to me, but nobody seems to mention it. To me it diminishes the art and purity of it.
  3. Yes- there wasn't a drum major retreat- they just announced the scores. Everyone in the stands just looked at each other and went home. Lots of remarks about it being really anti-climatic. I know full retreats have been done away with long ago, but at least with drum major retreats there was something to clap for haha...
  4. It seems they could organize it so 5 bass drums could be left to play them off... Iowa was a tradition for decades. I'd think the current members would want to clapped off the field every night. I'm just surprised they ditched it.
  5. I was at the Hamilton show and noticed- to my disappointment- that Cavies didn't play their bass cadence "Iowa" as they exited the field. When did they ditch it? And why would they? One of coolest hype moments of an entire DCI night is the crowd clapping along to Iowa as the Cavies left the field. I understand that corps don't troop the stands anymore due to all the props and stuff (too bad, I always loved hearing the cadences as a fan and as a corps member in the 90's it felt great to get the up-close applause), but why can't we at least get Iowa? Those lost elements are the very things that made DCI feel like the "big leagues" IMO, added a lot of entertainment and cool-factor.
  6. For me I don't even think of the rules in terms of competitive fairness that much. I just like to be entertained and love the power and sound that is uniquely drum corps. I don't find electronic sound creation or amplification very entertaining. Prior to amps and synths all sound effects were done acoustically, in real-time, in plain sight Foley-style and it was really creative and entertaining to hear and see. Start adding amps and effects and I might as well go watch a Daft Punk show on YouTube haha... And this is coming from a full time professional guitar player who depends on amps day in/day out.
  7. Everyone always mentions the need for GE and thus adding electronic elements, but ironically it is the old bread and butter moments that always get the best crowd response: LOUD beautiful chords as only corps hornlines can provide, fast drill, great drums, high tosses and dynamic musical moments. T the Hamilton, OH show I sat along with my 11 year-old son, lots of HS band kids, fellow corps alumni, and retirement-aged fans. What did they all respond to most and like best about the shows... Loud beautiful chords (Crown opening statement), cool drum licks, high tosses, and dynamic musical moments. Old school drum corps. The electronic stuff could have been left out entirely and I don't think anyone would have cared. The huge props didn't really seem to enhance much, either. The one thing everyone seemed to universally not like- singing. The horns were fantastic and needed no amplified support- seems like a waste of money and effort hauling all that stuff around all summer haha... If GE is related to audience excitement and "wow factor", amplifying the horns doesn't seem to accomplish anything other than tear at the authenticity of the human-powered experience. Anyone can buy big amps and blow the stands down, nothing impressive about that.
  8. At the Hamilton, OH show there was a lot of amp support for the horn lines, I was sitting right in front of the speakers. I was amazed at the amount of sound the amps were pushing- not just low frequency "goo", whole horn line. I loved the shows, but was left wondering what it would have sounded like unplugged. Like looking at an amazing photo but knowing it is Photoshopped... Funny thing is the horns- Crown and Coats in particular- are amazingly good. They don't need "support" IMO.
  9. I attended the Hamilton show last night and really enjoyed all the corps. I was sitting on about the 40 yard line and immediately in front of most the corps speakers. I was surprised how much of the horn line was being pumped through the speakers- a lot of brass, not just "thunderous goo"- the whole line. The lines sounded phenomenal, but it left me wondering how they'd sound unplugged. The soloists all played through mics and were heavily processed- delay/reverb/etc. Bluecoats especially seemed to lean on the amps- it was a cool effect when they played backfield and were coming through loudly in the amps, but it really showed how much "support" the amps can provide. Kinda like hearing a singer who sounds great but knowing you are likely hearing autotune and lots of studio buffing... I wonder how much processing and amp support we are really hearing. In relation to the rules, it seems it is somewhat of a free-for-all now in regards to amplifying horns. I guess technically 10 horns could mic up and part everyone's hair with pure amp horsepower like going to a Metallica show and it'd be okay per the rules? Seems odd to me, and takes away some of the mojo of a purely acoustic line IMO. Are there rules about horn amplification anymore?
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