Baron DeKalb's Regimental Tattoo - NIU 7/15

[PrfctTimeOfDay]

10 hours ago, phd-student-TTU said:

Do explain. 

Go back and watch a Broken Arrow, LD Bell (from when he was there) or William Mason show....the girls are broken up into usually 3 groups and do the same work over and over. Let's say it's 48 or 64 counts of the same work just repeated. Sometimes girls are turned backfield or alternated forward/backward to give the illusion of new work, sometimes it's done in repetition for the same illusion; But if you watch closely, you'll notice it repeats throughout their shows. When they aren't doing these same counts over and over they act as humans props or spin around in long flow-y (is that a word?) dresses. Hence what a lot of people in the guard world term: Faux Guards....not really 'teaching' color guard, just the same counts over and over again. It's brilliant for what he's trying to accomplish with effect for those high school programs, but it's truly smoke and mirrors when it comes to actual skill. 

Edited July 16, 2017 by PrfctTimeOfDay

[George Dixon]

15 hours ago, Cavie74 said:

One comment about the show tonight...

Speaker placement.

NIU stadium once had a track around the football field. The stands are cantelievered over the site of the former track.  Row one of the stands is probably 20 feet above the field and closer to the sidelines than probably any other venue in all of drum corps.  I'm certain the corps have a set configuration for there sideline equipment including their speakers. 

Unfortunately Cadets and Cavaliers didn't take the lip of the cantilever into account and had their speakers too far forward and were beneath the stands.  You could not hear the Cadets vocals and Cavaliers had a nasty reverb from an echo under the stands that reflected also off the back stands.  I thought it was pretty bad and demonstrated a lack of attention to a basic understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the electronic equipment.

yeah they needed those further back, raised up - very big "detail" to overlook 

[George Dixon]

15 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

The old man actually pointed that out to me before Colts ever hit the field.  I swear to God. 

He's not as dumb as he looks. Wait, that sounded bad.

He's a smart fellow! That's better lol

[George Dixon]

1 hour ago, PrfctTimeOfDay said:

Go back and watch a Broken Arrow, LD Bell (from when he was there) or William Mason show....the girls are broken up into usually 3 groups and do the same work over and over. Let's say it's 48 or 64 counts of the same work just repeated. Sometimes girls are turned backfield or alternated forward/backward to give the illusion of new work, sometimes it's done in repetition for the same illusion; But if you watch closely, you'll notice it repeats throughout their shows. When they aren't doing these same counts over and over they act as humans props or spin around in long flow-y (is that a word?) dresses. Hence what a lot of people in the guard world term: Faux Guards....not really 'teaching' color guard, just the same counts over and over again. It's brilliant for what he's trying to accomplish with effect for those high school programs, but it's truly smoke and mirrors when it comes to actual skill. 

god forbid someone doesn't impress the WGI guard gods

How about this question? Is it effective to the audience or NOT?

[Terri Schehr]

He helped set up the electronics and speakers for a tour with Cadets in 2014.   He'd look around at stuff like that.  He also made sure the backup wireless mic was charged up.  His career requires a meticulous nature.  

3 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

He's not as dumb as he looks. Wait, that sounded bad.

He's a smart fellow! That's better lol

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Terri Schehr

[PrfctTimeOfDay]

28 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

god forbid someone doesn't impress the WGI guard gods

How about this question? Is it effective to the audience or NOT?

I never said it wasn't effective, in fact if you go back and read what I wrote...I said the opposite.

For comparison, it'd be like a designer or director deciding to use an electronic drum kit instead of marching a battery.. .which I'm sure would tick off quite a few percussion oriented enthusiasts/musicians. It's about design choices and what works for your program. I personally hate "Faux Guards" for a myriad of reasons, but I never said they weren't effective.

If you want to see a program that marched a massive guard with legit color guard work, watch Carmel from last fall. They achieved the same 'effect' as a faux guard but with actual color guard work (while building a skill set for those beginner students). 

Edited July 16, 2017 by PrfctTimeOfDay

[xandandl]

14 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

He helped set up the electronics and speakers for a tour with Cadets in 2014.   He'd look around at stuff like that.  He also made sure the backup wireless mic was charged up.  His career requires a meticulous nature.  

 

Yah, the hausfrau sports a Teutonic last name, Prussian/German/Alsatian. He better be meticulous.

[quietcity]

15 hours ago, Cavie74 said:

One comment about the show tonight...

Speaker placement.

NIU stadium once had a track around the football field. The stands are cantelievered over the site of the former track.  Row one of the stands is probably 20 feet above the field and closer to the sidelines than probably any other venue in all of drum corps.  I'm certain the corps have a set configuration for there sideline equipment including their speakers.  

Unfortunately Cadets and Cavaliers didn't take the lip of the cantilever into account and had their speakers too far forward and were beneath the stands.  You could not hear the Cadets vocals and Cavaliers had a nasty reverb from an echo under the stands that reflected also off the back stands.  I thought it was pretty bad and demonstrated a lack of attention to a basic understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the electronic equipment.

 

 

This is a odd detail to overlook, especially for Cavies. This stadium has been used for drum corps for decades, and every mid-western corps is well acquainted with the infamous echo-chamber created by the vertical concrete wall beneath the cantilevered stands. (You can't really see this unless you are standing on the field.) Brasslines were always instructed to elevate their horns a little more than normal, to avoid the overhang. My first corps, the Fox Valley Raiders, held a weekend camp there in 1977(!), and we horn players had great fun applying the stadium's reverb effect to Jethro Tull licks. 

[xandandl]

1 minute ago, quietcity said:

This is a odd detail to overlook, especially for Cavies. This stadium has been used for drum corps for decades, and every mid-western corps is well acquainted with the infamous echo-chamber created by the vertical concrete wall beneath the cantilevered stands. (You can't really see this unless you are standing on the field.) Brasslines were always instructed to elevate their horns a little more than normal, to avoid the overhang. My first corps, the Fox Valley Raiders, held a weekend camp there in 1977(!), and we horn players had great fun applying the stadium's reverb effect to Jethro Tull licks. 

For years under Fiedler's lead, the Cavies rented the facility for practice sessions including playing with that echo to mimic the dome contests. New admin now.

[Terri Schehr]

18 minutes ago, quietcity said:

This is a odd detail to overlook, especially for Cavies. This stadium has been used for drum corps for decades, and every mid-western corps is well acquainted with the infamous echo-chamber created by the vertical concrete wall beneath the cantilevered stands. (You can't really see this unless you are standing on the field.) Brasslines were always instructed to elevate their horns a little more than normal, to avoid the overhang. My first corps, the Fox Valley Raiders, held a weekend camp there in 1977(!), and we horn players had great fun applying the stadium's reverb effect to Jethro Tull licks. 

Sound bounces around in there.  Strange place to march.