Electronics Question

[Quad Aces]

While the like/dislike of electronics in DCI debate rages on, I have a question to any of those with firsthand knowledge of their use:

Electronics are getting more and more tightly integrated into shows. How are electronic effects able to be synchronized with the music and marching on the field these days? I would imagine it's as far away from being a manual process (i.e. at this point in the show, someone presses a button and the pre-recoded effect plays) as possible. My guess is that would present a whole bunch of timing issues - did the person pressing the button press it exactly on time, did the drum major conduct slightly slower or faster than what the pre-recoded effect was recorded at, etc., etc.

There has to be a good way of automating these effects and letting a computer take care of the timing, right? Consistency day in and day out at live performances and rehearsals with these effects has to be achieved somehow. Anyone know how it is being done?

[RContra]

Despite the inherent digital nature of everything, it's generally a fairly "analog" process. It's more important than ever that drum majors lock in to the exact tempo so everything lines up with the triggered sound effects perfectly. Even if a rep during rehearsal is 2bpm off, staff will often check during reps with a met, and promptly fix the situation. It's extremely rare to have those random "hot" performances these days where tempos get kicked up by over-excited DMs. Drumlines would have their head. You can pretty much bet on everything being essentially locked into a 1-2bpm spectrum around the desired tempo at all times, and rarely, if ever, a wider range. Sometimes narrower. Even minute things like a snare entrance where the kids are told to anticipate their first note by a 64th note because of proximity to the pit isn't uncommon.

[perc2100]

While the like/dislike of electronics in DCI debate rages on, I have a question to any of those with firsthand knowledge of their use:

Electronics are getting more and more tightly integrated into shows. How are electronic effects able to be synchronized with the music and marching on the field these days? I would imagine it's as far away from being a manual process (i.e. at this point in the show, someone presses a button and the pre-recoded effect plays) as possible. My guess is that would present a whole bunch of timing issues - did the person pressing the button press it exactly on time, did the drum major conduct slightly slower or faster than what the pre-recoded effect was recorded at, etc., etc.

There has to be a good way of automating these effects and letting a computer take care of the timing, right? Consistency day in and day out at live performances and rehearsals with these effects has to be achieved somehow. Anyone know how it is being done?

The simple answer is a TON of practice. It's my understanding that it is illegal to fully automate the electronics, and they still must be controlled via individual triggering (obviously vocal phrases are triggered once for the phrase, and not for every word). Often that stuff DOES present quite a bit of time to ensure that electronics are perfectly in sync with the rest of the production, but that's no different than any other member's responsibilities. A lot of corps nowadays have an "electronics specialist" or designer on staff to coordinate all of that.

[gearwonk]

I would imagine it's as far away from being a manual process (i.e. at this point in the show, someone presses a button and the pre-recoded effect plays) as possible.

But that's exactly what some corps are doing. At the beginning of this years' Blue Stars show (which I otherwise liked), they played a sample of the Etta James version of "At Last." The pit played along with it, not really worrying about how well it synched up with the recording. I think the idea was that Etta sings it so freely on the original recording, it didn't matter if it was in sync.

I think that's a very cynical approach, as if there is no art to how a singer of Etta James' stature bends the time when they perform. Good singers know exactly where the beat is at all times, and the art is in how much to stray from it and when to snap back to it. There was nothing artful in playing a sample that had nothing to do with anything else that was happening. It might as well have been RFI from a nearby radio station for all it contributed to the show.

[RContra]

But that's exactly what some corps are doing. At the beginning of this years' Blue Stars show (which I otherwise liked), they played a sample of the Etta James version of "At Last." The pit played along with it, not really worrying about how well it synched up with the recording. I think the idea was that Etta sings it so freely on the original recording, it didn't matter if it was in sync.

I think that's a very cynical approach, as if there is no art to how a singer of Etta James' stature bends the time when they perform. Good singers know exactly where the beat is at all times, and the art is in how much to stray from it and when to snap back to it. There was nothing artful in playing a sample that had nothing to do with anything else that was happening. It might as well have been RFI from a nearby radio station for all it contributed to the show.

Shot one of my former indoor students who "marched" in their pit this past year a quick Facebook message. He said to check out a few Fan Network examples, and dagnabbit, he was right; the pit played to Etta the EXACT SAME FREAKING WAY EVERY TIME. Her ebbing and flowing was identical in each performance, so apparently they had figured out how she stretched time and adjusted accordingly so there wouldn't be any inconsistency. On the contrary to the above quote--they actually paid painstaking attention to how well it synched up and chose. Good singers know exactly where the beat is. Good pit percussionists always know that too, in addition to how time can be stretched consistently over top of it. You can tell especially by listening to how the brass would have to anticipate their entrance in order to synch with Etta's phrasing after they come in.

It seems like dealing with electronics like this adds a whole new dimension to learning how to deal with being in time on the field. Any pit instructors out there who can chime in with how they've tweaked their approach over the years?

[fsubone]

It's analog. Someone sat behind the keyboard in Crown's show and do the numbers when the vocalists weren't doing it. If it wasn't exactly correct, the whole show could be thrown off. Talk about a precision and high-stress job.

[cixelsyd]

But that's exactly what some corps are doing. At the beginning of this years' Blue Stars show (which I otherwise liked), they played a sample of the Etta James version of "At Last."

That may have been considered "pre-show", where pre-recorded material may be played without restriction.