The Loudest Hornline of 2011?

[ibexpercussion]

I know I have several friends who marched in 1994, and they said they were all taken by surprise when they heard the Glassmen that year. A friend who marched for the Cadets said they were getting ready to go to warm-ups at a show, and they heard the "group in the stadium" and said HOLY #@$%, who is that. To later find out it was the Glassmen.

[TheClutch]

I know this is an older thread, but I thought it'd fit.

[Hook'emCavies]

I am wondering if The Cavaliers horn line will be as loud or even louder from last season. I have to admit... I liked the energy from that horn line last year. So hopefully they can keep up the hard work!

[Triple Forte]

I know I have several friends who marched in 1994, and they said they were all taken by surprise when they heard the Glassmen that year. A friend who marched for the Cadets said they were getting ready to go to warm-ups at a show, and they heard the "group in the stadium" and said HOLY #@$%, who is that. To later find out it was the Glassmen.

Yup...

1994 was the first time I saw the Glassmen (to my knowledge)...and that hornline put out some major sound !!

[SynthLine09]

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

I must ask, was your db meter mounted in the exact same place each time, or were you simply holding it and 'pointing' at the corps.

[audiodb]

Wow....where to start?

Like CrownBariDad admits, his metering approach has it's limitations, and your mileage may vary. This is a topic with which I have some experience from recording shows, so I can see several reasons why.

First of all, let me emphasize that there is no way to settle this matter quantitatively. Too many inseparable variables prevent us from "measuring" brass volume in the setting of a DCI field contest.

For example:

1. Judging from the dB meters I look at (i.e. on recordings), peak dB moments are almost universally achieved by percussion instruments. This is particularly true in the past 30 years, owing partly to the growth in size of drumlines, partly to the development of their equipment over the years, partly to the end of close-mic technique in recording field contests, and partly to the development of the pit.

2. Bear in mind that CrownBariDad is not leaving his dB meter on for the whole show to catch the true peak moment, but rather, judging for himself when he thinks the peak is coming, and turning the meter on then. There could be reasons for choosing that approach....but that method might catch the true peaks for some corps and not for others.

3. There really is no way to isolate the peak dB impact of a hornline from that of the drumline or pit, given that they play together so much of the time.

4. Along those same lines, crowd noise can't be ruled out either. Sound dissipates over distance, so a loud noise close by can easily top that of a distant sound source. Perhaps CrownBariDad or his neighbors, likely fans of Carolina Crown, are contributing to the chart-topping peak results for their own favorite corps.

5. And then....are peak dB readings really the most relevant measure of a brass section's perceived power? Brass strength, as I perceive it, is not exclusively in the momentary impact of an accent, but also in the sustained volume of a note, preferably one that is four beats or longer in length.

My own take on things is that the differences between brass sections are not nearly as wide, in dB, as the data distribution CrownBariDad obtains with his dB meter. And my own impression of the 2011 field is that hornlines were more closely-matched in volume than many other years. With the exception of SCV, the whole top 18 let me know they brought full brasslines to the show. I can't decide who was loudest this year. (But don't fret....Crown is on my short list!)

[Michael Boo]

Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine taking a decibel meter to Lucas Oil Stadium any more than I could see myself going across town and taking a radar gun to the Indianapolis 500. Kind of sucks out part of the fun of just experiencing the joy of being there...in my personal opinion. I love loud, but seeing the loudness quantified would kind of put a damper on the emotions for me. I'm concerned I would think, "Oh, that is absolutely magnifi...oh, it wasn't as loud as I thought it was."

Having said that, I'm in favor of fans doing whatever it takes to maximize their own live experience.

[CrownBariDad]

I must ask, was your db meter mounted in the exact same place each time, or were you simply holding it and 'pointing' at the corps.

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.

[CrownBariDad]

Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine taking a decibel meter to Lucas Oil Stadium any more than I could see myself going across town and taking a radar gun to the Indianapolis 500. Kind of sucks out part of the fun of just experiencing the joy of being there...in my personal opinion. I love loud, but seeing the loudness quantified would kind of put a damper on the emotions for me. I'm concerned I would think, "Oh, that is absolutely magnifi...oh, it wasn't as loud as I thought it was."

Having said that, I'm in favor of fans doing whatever it takes to maximize their own live experience.

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!