DCI San Antonio

[superOOk]

My review from the webcast:

Tonight's Fan Network stream had some very noticable hiccups, most notably at the "infinity chord" for Troopers, and parts of the almost every show. Major no-no. The audio tonight, however, was the best of the year on the Fan Network. What gives? I mean people are paying for this :)

Blue Stars -

Ok, this was my favorite show at the start of the season, but the show hasn't grown like a top 8 corps should. Very sloppy brass tonight. Had a solo holdover gone wrong, the mello line was amateur at best (standing still even), and the balance was all over the place.

I hope these guys can smooth out the rough spots, but really we shouldn't be talking about that at this point in the season. Very disappointing, because this is one of the most entertaining books written this year. If Bluecoats were playing this book, they would have a shot this year at medaling.

Ending on a good note: the last 30-45 seconds of the show (which have been recent additions) were noticibly cleaner than the rest of the show, both visually and audibly. Love the scaffolding covers and like I said, the show can sell.

Boston Crusaders -

What a surprise this year...Love the whistling and singing at the beginning, and LOVE the opening statement! Now there is a mello line! The guard is incredible this year, and is easily the best section of this corps. Brass is well balanced throughout the show (except for the leadup into the 1812 line). Percussion is the weak spot in this corps, but overall a very nice show.

One note about indoor performances like this. The backfield playing causes major issues with the mixing of the front pit. All corps should be aware and make the proper adjustments so the pit does not overpower the corps during these moments. BAC had a few moments like this.

Also, the white sabers against the white tarp doesn't show up from up top! A big whoops on design there...

Madison Scouts -

Definitely one of my top 3 openers this year. Every show should grab your attention RIGHT AWAY and this show does it. I was actually expecting a bit more power as they formed the "M", but it wasn't there. Definitely lacking talent in the brass line it seems. Balance wasn't there -- LOTS of individuals sticking out, especially in the beginning and ending of the show. I actually heard some intonation with the mellos, ouch. Scouts have really cleaned the middle of their show very nicely...

The speakers were placed out on the 35 yard lines, much wider than most corps so far tonight, and...it works! It may be a mic placement (they are on the 42 yard lines).

I know a lot of you have a personal connection with the NYC theme, and I can definitely appreciate the thematics going on here. It does have a flow to it, a story if you will, and that is better than a few other show designs (ahem, Bluecoats and SCV). The eerie sound after the first "crash" is something special. A buildup into a almost frantic feeling and then, POW! Great effect here.

I'm not a big fan of the closer. I like the solo and duets, but the execution and book (both music and drill) is mediocre to me. Lots of horns sticking out, breathing is not timed at all, very sloppy. This show overall is just lacking that WOW factor that the top 5 shows have this year.

Santa Clara Vanguard -

Bravo to the 2 guys talking into the left mic as the show started. Bravo.

I am a HUGE SCV fan, but not this show.

I'm beginning to think that the drill is severely impacting the sound. The hornline sounds awful at the beginning. I mean 13th-15th place awful. Or maybe it is the juxtiposition of the drumline quality? It really looks like the different staff all wrote a show without consulting each other. Really. I would put money on it.

The drumline is wonderful to watch and listen to throughout, the drill is extremely demanding and pretty well executed (as always by SCV), but the music ... I just can't get over it, sorry. I'm a brass guy :)

The beginning part of the ballad was the one shining moment for the hornline, very beautiful and balanced. Horns sticking out as the ballad progresses though, and that feeling is quickly gone.

Speakers out on the 35, pit/synth balance was good.

I truly think Blue Stars and BAC have a shot at beating them this year. It will be tough though, b/c SCV is rocking the drill/drums this year!

Phantom Regiment -

One of my favorite shows this year. Was my favorite by far until their changes after DATR/Denver. The ballad ending and transition into Elsa's have to be the worst changes by a corps this year. Very frustrating to see something like this go down...

Wow the dome really messes up the balance of most of these corps. One of the most balanced hornlines, tonight's PR hornline struggled. The power was not there at all, not sure if this was the recording or not. Their performance in Denver is by far superior to anything I have seen lately.

Any backfield playing was lost in the dome. The ending felt very awkward in that it was a bit too long on the last chord. Seems to lack the effect they were going for (I know that Juliet is doing her thing).

Either way, great show this year by PR, and not half bad tonight given the acoustics.

**** DCI, Please stop playing shows in domes! It sucks!!!!!!!!!

Cadets -

Holy cow these guys were on tonight. Hornline was powerful and balanced. Upper horns were incredible. Attacks were spot on. Drill is unbelievably hard, and it was more than pulled off.

Staging was excellent tonight -- the left/right angles/demons really worked for me.

Interesting moment right after the pole battle -- the horn members running to the left have to literally run down the field in a semi-sprint. Well, the last member of the corps at the back of the field looked like he/she was going to pass out and almost didn't make it. Please accept my apologize if this person is injured, but it looked very funny.

Backfield playing again was horrendous b/c of the dome. I really hope they open up the roof for Indy when they do the recordings (I assume this helps?).

Drumline was SOOOOOO clean as a whistle (better than SCV), and the show was not even in the same league as Phantom Regiment, not even close. This is a contender to win, no doubt. It is going to be VERY CLOSE between the top 4 this year.

Closer drill greatly effects the hornline sound at the end, which gets a bit sloppy, but I expect that to clean up shortly (hopefully for them!). It affected the crowd reaction quite a bit, as the quality just wasn't there.

But best hornline of the night by far, with 4 corps to go.

Bluecoats -

The staff should have NEVER allowed what happened tonight (that goes for ANY corps). There clearly was never a sound check done on the pit/synth. The pit literally drowned the entire corps out. A complete embarrassment to the entire corps really.

I can't comment on the show, BECAUSE I COULDN'T HEAR IT. Wow, that is all I have to say. Someone needs to re-evaluate what is going on with management here. From the show design to this, a complete WASTE of talent this year imho.

Blue Cubes (Devils) -

Loudest corps tonight. Hornline is amazing. Quality similar to Cadets overall, with less drill. Horn member balancing on one leg was cool.

Drumline was sick as well. Love the drum tuning, very crisp. Love the hornline tuning, as always. Just pure quality.

Say a little prayer duet was off tonight, but recovered. Please up the mic'd volume on this just a bit. It is obvious that the feedback after DATR (mics too loud) caused them to overreact and now the mic levels are a bit too low.

It is amazing how talent really takes over toward the end of the season. I gave this show NO CHANCE in early June, but they have cleaned this puppppy up! Well done BD.

Cavaliers -

Hornline sloppy at start. Tenor missed visual. Pit/Synth not as bad as Bluecoats, but were WAY TOO LOUD. Speakers out on the 30 yard lines, so I don't think this is a "placement" issue as some are saying.

Overall not well executed tonight. I can easily see them in 3rd tonight! Not by much though. The show is on another level and is really incredible. I love the Cavies for their execution and brilliance in performing any given show each year.

Crown -

Well this show has REALLY grown on me this summer. Probably my favorite show now, after Phantom Regiment's latest downgrade of changes.

I thought the pit/synth was going to be too loud until the hornline came in. Wow, 2nd loudest hornline behind BD tonight. I have to give them the edge over Cadets. Drill was top 3, and was executed VERY WELL.

Crown has a very legitimate shot at winning tonight.

The lower brass in the ballad was BEAUTIFUL. Hornline balance impeccable tonight. "Any way the wind blows...." oh my...

The new ending is a HUGE improvement. Reminds me of what we did back in '93 with our closer (Bluecoats)...we marched to the end of the field, turned around, and finished with a nice encore...LOVE IT!!!

My predictions tonight:

1. 90.2 - Crown

2. 90.15 - Cadets

3. 89.9 - Cavies

4. 89.7 - BD

5. 86.9 - Phantom

6. 85.3 - SCV

7. 84.8 - Bluecoats

8. 83.2 - BAC

9. 83.1 - Blue Knights

10. 82.8 - Madison Scouts

11. 81.5 - Blue Stars

12. 79.9 - Glassmen

Edited July 24, 2011 by superOOk

[Farmboy]

Tip of the hat: fastest full review I've ever seen on DCP. Are you a newspaper reporter in your day job? :)

[superOOk]

Tip of the hat: fastest full review I've ever seen on DCP. Are you a newspaper reporter in your day job? :)

I took notes as I watched all night. Thanks buddy...

[pbeau]

Bluecoats -

The staff should have NEVER allowed what happened tonight (that goes for ANY corps). There clearly was never a sound check done on the pit/synth. The pit literally drowned the entire corps out. A complete embarrassment to the entire corps really.

Same sound issues with Bluecoats at Finals last year. They don't get it.

[Jeff Ream]

we were told the ability to control sound from anywhere would fix this. yet more BS

[kaplac]

we were told the ability to control sound from anywhere would fix this. yet more BS

Well as far as I know, many corps have staff in the stands on the phone or with a walkie talkie that they use to talk to the staff member that's controlling sound.

I think last year there were instances were staff members were wirelessly controlling audio via ipad. This was before the rule proposal I believe.

It may have happened because the staff was simply in an inconvenient spot or the speakers were pointed directly at the mics but sounded fine in the stands.

[Kamarag]

It may have happened because the staff was simply in an inconvenient spot or the speakers were pointed directly at the mics but sounded fine in the stands.

If your scenario is true, then it's certainly a sound engineer fail, because DCI provides a space very close to where the judges are at most shows (and all regionals/finals) for the engineer to control the sound system from.

[FHdork]

One would think someone would have been tuning in to the Fan Network Broadcast. It's not impossible to imagine a corps contacting the sound board guy after the opener to say, 'ok...I know it will make our synth too soft in the stadium, but the synth is, literally, all we can hear over the fan network...so turn it way down....'

I guess that does not happen. Perhaps, though we seem to know they never get dinged for a too-loud synth...perhaps they DO get ticked for a too soft one...

Ah...that would be ironic...

[skywhopper]

Great review, thanks for posting all your thoughts!

I think a big part of the apparent amp balance problems over the streams from DATR and less so Minneapolis and now SA for some corps was just the placement of the mikes recording the show. I hope they get that addressed by prelims time. I don't want to pay for the cinecast and then be disappointed by how overwhelming the amps are, and worse, I don't want the recordings to be unfixable because the field mikes picked up too much amp sound.

As for the current rules about sound, I know there was a proposal that passed to allow remote control of the sound board this past January. Was that implemented this year? I thought they always waited until the following season (ie, 2012). Or is that just up to the rule proposal/board to decide? Certainly for a rule like this that wouldn't affect show design, I see no reason to wait.

[jwillis35]

I simply think the balancing problems are unavoidable. They're bound to happen no matter how many people you have making judgement calls from different positions in the stadium. This is the price you pay for using this type of equipment in the outdoors with acoustic instruments.

I will go on record as saying that I really like what some of the corps are doing with electronics this year. I don't want them to go away because done well they can add a lot of colors to the show. But I want them used carefully and in a manner that balances with the performers and does not take away from the main focus, brass-drums-guard-drill.

But anytime you use equipment for amplification, microphone feeds, and electronic sounds (especially sounds that are analog), and you are trying to combine that with a balanced performance of brass and drums in which the performers are covering various portions of a football field at different times of the show, well you have a real challenge on your hands.