Terrible Sound in Lucas

[Quadman1]

They won't. The only way that might happen in the future is if they put in a good drainage system.

You would think that would be something DCI would've looked into before signing an extended contract, but you know, it's DCI.

Seems like Lucas is as bad or worse than Montreal's Olympic Stadium (the "Big O") was in 1981-1982. Although I believe the 1982 finals attendance was the highest ever, that stadium sucked for drum corps. As a spectator there in '81, I recall hearing most notes on the 1st or 2nd echo, with only BD's and SCV's hornlines powerful enough to cut through to the audience before the sound bounced around that warehouse-like excuse for a stadium. As a competitor in '82, at least the weather in Montreal was mild (especially compared to the following year in Miami).

What the heck is wrong with the leadership of DCI? No TV contract, 10 consecutive years in Indianapolis (whoo hoo!), and an echo chamber venue for a musical performance competition event? Good grief! For my money, the best accoustics for drum corps were in the now-decrepit Legion Field in Birmingham, AL ('79-'80). Of course we also had vintage Spirit of Atlanta, BD, Phantom, and Madison G bugle hornlines pushing the stands back a few feet in those days.

[crfrey71]

I believe the Lucas Oil folks told them that the roof would never be opened for them. One, it's right before preseason football and they certainly can't take any chances on weather messing up the field. Another, is that DCI would get billed, if the roof was to be opened. That's my thoughts.

I wonder how the open class corps dealt with the acoustics? They don't get to play in the domes like the big boys do.

Edited August 9, 2009 by crfrey71

[Jeff Ream]

it seems most people either say it got better with ore people or they just got used to it.

[Peel Paint]

The sound was pretty freakin' disappointing. We were on the 20, mid - high, and were glad we knew what it was 'supposed' to sound like. A bit of ambiance is a wonderful thing, but too much is too much - five (plus) seconds on the reverb decay! Cavies sounded best, with SCV a distant second, and how the music judges could discern what what was going on is a mystery.

In the press box, through the sound system with headphones on??

[Bydloyoho]

Hmm, I certainly won't be preordering any DVD's this year until I hear a sample of the audio.

The Quarterfinals APD has the worst audio of the summer and I'm not willing to waste another penny. I'm already upset that I wasted money on these poor recordings.

[JimF-LowBari]

it seems most people either say it got better with ore people or they just got used to it.

Guessing more bodies soaked up the sound waves....

Used to think this didn't make much of a difference then played in a concrete hockey arena as people came in (old HersheyPark Arena). Should have been recorded and sent to people who study properties of sound waves.

[Leland]

I only got to see some of Top 12 from the 5...

The acoustics sucked, but it wasn't all the stadium's fault, either.

From the field as a performer, it really wasn't that bad, because the echo noise was a constant drone. Normal destructive echos are clear slap-back-type echos, but those weren't happening here.

From the stands, and understanding that I was way off to the side (which is where I've watched most shows, too), it was terrible. What was really killing the clarity was simple: too many bass sounds, most of which were coming from the synth keyboards.

I've seen the same thing happen many times, both in drum corps and in other ensembles, both amplified and acoustic. Add too many voices in the bass register and their pitch - their harmonic support - turns into a big, rumbly mess. Even a rock band in a bar can sound like garbage if the bass guitarist insists on playing running 16ths and chords all night.

It's enough to have bass drums and contras with the occasional banging of timpani for effect. But, just as the addition of one ingredient can ruin a cooking recipe, the amplified bass notes from the pit turned the bass register into a blob. Not even the marching basses were able to come through outdoors, let alone in the oil dome.

The CDs and DVDs are going to be awful, too, unless they were being recorded by mics mounted at the front of the middle deck. But, since they were at the sideline, you'll hear the loudspeakers instead.

Speaking of which, that mic placement is what wrecked the theater broadcast. The sound mix being transmitted by DCI was very pit-heavy, especially when the synths sat in the lower octaves. Theater operators, therefore, had no chance to turn up the overall volume because the loudest noises were coming from the pit amps.

Cliff's: Indoor stadium + booming synths = fail. Sorry.

[Ed Boxer]

Ok, my take - I was in the first row of section 240 on the 50 all 3 nights. All middle voices and below were either lost or mud in the echo. You could not hear PR's contra line!!! That says a lot about the hideous acoustics. Percussion was mud, bass drum lines - inauduble. The most annoying was, any quiet section that you thought you'd actually be able to hear, either didn't carry and/or was partially drowned out by the noise coming from the air conditioners.

At the airport this morning I talked to several kids from several corps. From what they said, it wasn't as bad as Atlanta, but there were acuostic dead spots on the field where they could not hear each other over the echo.

Most disturbing for me, because of the poor acoustics, it was very difficult for the corps to make a connection with the audience. This negates all the hard work these kids have been doing all summer. DCI should be looking for the best acoustical venues for finals. LOS is a major failure.

[yabetterbelieveit]

I will NEVER step foot into this stadium again. I know I'm not the only one too... 6 out of the 6 people I was with all have decided that regionals are the only place for shows next year. The sound was garbled, echoey, and basically horrible. The stadium is way, way too big with not enough escalators.

I think having the roof closed sucked out all the energy from the corps, the crowd, everyone. Listening and watching, I was bored by shows I absolutely love anywhere else (particularly HNC). Every corps felt flat and lacking energy, and the crowd hardly clapped anywhere in the 600s. This on top of them playing Lady GaGa and the Black Eyed Peas as every corps came back on for scores made this the worst finals anyone in my group had been to. Never going back to Lucas Oil again.

[Jeff DeMello]

I think having the roof closed sucked out all the energy from the corps, the crowd, everyone.

I wasn't there, so I can't say either way (though I do agree with this statement) ... however, I don't think that having the roof open or not would have made a great deal of difference in sound.

The roof was open in Montreal and it S*CKED! So I would assume that it wouldn't be any better in Indy.

I hope that EVERYONE that has an issue with the this venue, for whatever reason, contacts DCI and (in a respectful way) tell them their issues.