Countdown problems?

[Peel Paint]

There is a problem with the concept of "pump up the volume on the recordings !" The louder you record your source audio to whatever medium you are using, you stand a good chance of distortion. I work in TV and some of the shows we playback from syndication (CSI Miami and NY) come from the syndicator too loud in places. When we playback the shows, they distort and splatter all over the place. If whoever is making the masters, can get the last mix down CORRECT, then you can crank it up. Cranking up too loud equals BLECH ! Just my two cents ! My theatre was fine last night.

It's not "Pump up the volume on the recordings" when you're recording them. It's "Pump up the volume on the recordings" when you play them back.

The DCI sound engineers are careful about this when recording. I know exactly what you mean, and you can see this problem you're talking about with pop music today including rap and hip hop: it's mixed right up to the -0 dB level with very little dynamic range. You can't crank that as much on playback without getting a lot of distortion. DCI still leaves a lot of dynamic range in their recordings. (You can check this out with software by ripping the DCI tracks to music editing software. Their peak is below -0 dB and you see a lot of room between the peaks and the average levels in the waveforms on the DCI recordings, unlike pop music recorded today at max.) Without software, you can still demonstrate this on your home equipment-- you'll notice that you often have to increase the volume setting on your amplifier when you play DCI CDs or DVDs compared to pop CDs these days for it to sound like it does in the stadium.

Now it's possible that DCI's use of proper recording techniques is part of the problem in the theaters. The theaters may not be compensating enough for this on playback. But theaters can do it. When they say, "It's as loud as it can go", they're being lazy. The person you're complaining to just doesn't have the authority or doesn't want to make the effort to go fix it. Check this post out by movie theater manager Cardman in a thread earlier this spring about this issue:

http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...e=oklahoma+city

Edited May 14, 2009 by Peel Paint

[Oldbuc]

The Penn Cinema, in Lititz, Pa. (Lancaster County) had the audacity to put a premium charge on each ticket, bringing the price to $20 a ticket. What a total rip off. They'll never see me again.

[Cathie Wiener]

In Ypsilanti MI, the Fathom commercial at the beginning was louder and clearer than any of the shows so it wasn't the system in the theater. DCI really needs to look at the levels on the feed because what could have been an awesome show was far from it. I was very disappointed.

I watched it in Lancaster, CA, with about 30-35 people and our Fathom commercial sound level was pretty low. When the show started it was the same low sound level and the lights in the theater were still on. I made my younger brother immediately go tell the management to turn up the volume and within a few minutes the sound was turned up to a decent level and the lights were finally dimmed. It wasn't DRUM CORPS loud but it was very acceptable. Just like many others we could definitely tell the difference in quality when the 04 shows came on.

And exactly how many years will it take for Steve Rondinaro to figure out to put the microphone in front of the person talking including himself? That kept me entertained for most of the incredibly lame audience participation segments.

[friceox]

It's probably not "loud" enough because of the compressors and limiters that are most likely being used in the theater. They're used to keep sound from spiking over a level that may be harmful to the speakers. I've also noticed that DCI records at a low level to compensate this, because of the various clips that may happen. I know for fact that on the 2002 dvd, the volume on Phantom's opener is a little whacky because of orchestral whip cracks that spike on the sound meter.

[sop2012]

In Norman ok...the sound was soft, the pixels were very blurry and they started 15 minutes late... not impressed

[Mistress Kelli]

One would hope that DCI would do some kind of organized market survey to determine the overall satisfaction of the folks attending any of these theater events to ensure they are providing something of value - I would not count on using online conversation to count for that, though.

In the meantime, for those who were in attendance, I suggest you might want to provide feedback to the theater

NCM/Fathom Feedback

JMO, but if they receive enough 'general' inquiries as to why the sound level cant be cranked, why so much technical glitches, etc, they may take notice. I'm sure they are willing to please their patrons, especially if they can do so to for a nationwide audience, even though we may be a small market.

the DCI broadcast is listed in the event drop down menu.

Thanks for the link - complaint submitted.

[Dave Scott]

I attended the DCI Countdown in Nashville and found it to be a waste of money. The volume was way too low and picture quality was dark and muddy. It was obvious the folks at Opry Mills Regal could care less about this event as they ignored several shouts from the crowd to "turn up the volume" and didn't even bother to bring up the house lights at the end of the show. I will not be back.

[jjeffeory]

The bottom line is Drum Corps is not a theater product, much like Grey's Anatomy would not look good on a movie screen. The ratio in which movies are filmed and the degree to which sound mixing is recorded is a very high budget process. Hence, this is why movies cost millions to make.

Drum corps looks and sounds good on a home theater, but the way theater acoustics are setup is for dialogue and rear effects. The speakers in a theater are too far apart and the depth of the seating makes us fill distant from the sound. Try this out, listen to dci on a high end head set, it sounds incredible. To me, it looks pretty good on a 4x3 standard TV. When stretched out, you lose quality and stretch out color pixation.

I went the first few years, but skipped this year. Until projectors in theaters are HD and dci is HD, it will never satisfy us. DCI should have Frank Dorrite (spelling?) get together with Lucas arts to film/record a show in high quality presentation, than and only then will a countdown be worthwhile.

If you're going to do something like this, you need to do it right. Drum corps is a theater product if one wants it to be. Drum Corps in the theater could be awesome, or it could be terrible.

[iloveamps]

Congratulations to all who got ripped off!!!

[Dave]

This thread makes me feel a lot better about working instead of going. These were the same problems I remember from the very first Countdown, and if they still haven't fixed them, I see no reason to shell out a bunch of money for a ticket when I can see all those shows on my own TV with much better quality all around. No matter who's fault it is, you'd think they'd be striving for better quality if they want to approach making a profit.