heyboiay Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 This has been talked about many times before, but I feel like it needs to be addressed again since it has been around 4 years from the induction of synth to DCI. In my personal opinion if you use the synth to double brass whether it be only on impacts/chords, or even the whole book, it is an insult to the players. Whether it is a hornline of 20 or of 80, I feel that synth has no place playing along with the brass. For sound effects or solos/unique parts sure whatever but NEVER with the horns. What do you guys think? Am I the only that cares/feels it detracts from the sound when I hear the fake low end? Or that it's an easy excuse to make up for a weaker low brass/hornline? Should judges discredit corps that use to much as it hides weaknesses? If anyone can shed some light as to why this practice is so prevalent and allowed, that would be awesome. Thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tez Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I dislike it both because of principle (I think brass sound should be purely acoustic), and I think it literally sounds bad (doesn't blend well with the real brass). But I can't decide which one of those is my biggest reason for disliking it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I think it's a cop out if you have weak low brass...and if it's overpowering it sounds like a huge low brown note fart. Maybe that's just me. If you don't know what the brown note is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_note Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyboiay Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 Sounds so fake, I just wonder why corps aren't getting points taken off or something when using in conjunction with their brass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I simply do not care! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 it's terrible. first it just sounds bad. second, you have 72/80 horns on the field. You don't need someone to add extra oopmh by pushing a button. Ridiculous. and lastly, it irks me that when it is atrociously bad, it doesn't seem to be reflected in the scores. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumcorpsmademeaTuba Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 As far as I'm concerned, if synth overplaying is a bigger threat in a show than the tubaline overblowing and producing awful tones, I think it's a good trade-off. Ideally, neither situation happens unless it was intended as an effect, but I don't really automatically trust judgment when people tout a tubaline for excellence, because too often they're only touting that they play really loud, and not necessarily very well. Still, most often tubalines fall nowhere near producing such characteristically bad sounds while still projecting them. I must also mention I do not typically fall in love with the sound of a marching tuba or tubaline. Obviously we're not working with an orchestral $50,000 horn that Gene Pokorny or the like would use, but my judgments aren't ever exactly fair anyway, so I'll continue comparing them. What are used today are much better than the sousaphone, and much better than what used to be used, but they're still too gravelly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 surely an electronic tuba sound doesn't sound better than an actual tuba... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 It's not just the contras that get doubled. In the Cadets show this year in particular, the midranges are being supported by the synth as well, but this has happened a lot over the past four years. The synth has such a presence in shows these days that I feel like it should have a separate caption. But then that would just encourage more and bolder use of the synth, so forget I said anything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1223 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 (edited) Synths add another layer of color in all parts of the range. I think its very cool to have say... a great organ patch in the mid range with the baritones. That color combination is very effective and while some people may choose to say that this is a crutch or cheating its only about the sonic whole that is created. The mix is great when its nailed (and corps do often nail it). However, just like you can hear acoustic stick outs in the hornline or if the battery is too loud for the brass in certain places if the synth is not in the correct balance/blend its the same thing. So I don't see how it is any different than any other error that corps need to deal with daily. Very much appreciate the use of synth/effects in corps performances even if it's "doubling" brass in a highly effective way. Edited August 5, 2013 by charlie1223 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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