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2018 Rules proposals


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14 hours ago, Ediker said:

Because of sentimentality, fans are going to support the activity (and want to see their favorite corps) long beyond the point when they feel unhappy with the activity's direction.  Revenues and event attendance are important indicators, but do not show the whole picture.   

We are currently in a far swing toward the artistic/GE aspects of the activity, at the expense of the performance or sporting aspects.  It is important for us, as fans, to find a way to communicate that we value the level of excellence/performance that the MMs are attaining as much (or more than) a given show's GE punch.  We want to minimize or eliminate any electronic enhancements that interfere with our clear perception of how a unit (and each member) is executing the demands placed on them. 

As an audience member, seeing people deliver excellence under pressure is my whole motivation for watching any sport.  The importance of artistry (in DCI) is strongly coupled to the athletic and intellectual accomplishments of the MMs.  There are plenty of places to find artistry alone, and they are not as special as this activity.  

Excellent post.

It even appears that DCI is interested in knowing how fans feel about this, as indicated by the surveys they conduct.  But the bottom line fails to distinguish between a satisfied paying customer and an annoyed paying customer.  (And the surveys often do not reach ex-customers.)

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3 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Excellent post.

It even appears that DCI is interested in knowing how fans feel about this, as indicated by the surveys they conduct.  But the bottom line fails to distinguish between a satisfied paying customer and an annoyed paying customer.  (And the surveys often do not reach ex-customers.)

...or, worse, an apathetic paying customer who is only there in hopes of surviving long enough to see the activity rebalance the artistic and execution demands.  There's a whole center section of the stands that feels that way yet still buys tickets.  But for how long...?

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17 hours ago, Ediker said:

...We are currently in a far swing toward the artistic/GE aspects of the activity, at the expense of the performance or sporting aspects.  It is important for us, as fans, to find a way to communicate that we value the level of excellence/performance that the MMs are attaining as much (or more than) a given show's GE punch... 

If you're saying scoring reflects GE/art more than it should, then we agree. If you're saying the level of performance isn't adequate, then we disagree. 

For me, 2017 was an unfortunate example of judges rewarding bad programming with inflated GE scores and with GE creep into performance categories. Too many of the top six had programs that didn't challenge the brass appropriately (SCV, Cavies). Others had serious design flaws that got a total pass from the GE judges. 

Performance, however, continues to reach new levels of excellence. That's one thing I can't dispute about 2017 and the overall trend..

HH

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4 minutes ago, garfield said:

...or, worse, an apathetic paying customer who is only there in hopes of surviving long enough to see the activity rebalance the artistic and execution demands.  There's a whole center section of the stands that feels that way yet still buys tickets.  But for how long...?

I've pondered this for a while. And here's my view:

That apathetic paying customer has always been there in drum corps. It's one more unique characteristic of our culture - a chip on our shoulder and a propensity for drama and complaint. That curmudgeon will remain to annoy some of us for a while. And when he goes, he'll be replaced by another such apathetic customer, this one with a new reason to feel offended. It's who we are - or some of us, anyway.

HH  

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3 hours ago, glory said:

If you're saying scoring reflects GE/art more than it should, then we agree. If you're saying the level of performance isn't adequate, then we disagree. 

Performance, however, continues to reach new levels of excellence. That's one thing I can't dispute about 2017 and the overall trend..

Agreed.  The level of talent and performance in the activity today is stellar. 

What I was attempting to communicate is that when the electronic enhancements are done well, they help to demonstrate how good the MMs are.  A line is crossed when the enhancements interfere with how well the audience can perceive what is happening on the field and assess the skill of the musicians.  

I want to hear how well the musicians lock in pulse and pitch, achieve uniformity of timbre, and balance ensemble voices.  I hate listening to the ear-splitting product of a deaf audio hack who is butchering tone quality, piping in dubious tracks, and making me look in the wrong direction for every soloist.  

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Some really great posts.  Sticking with discussion about rules, my concern is nothing is addressed from a rules standpoint on electronic enhancement in terms of providing an obvious crutch.  We all know corps are using samples and loops to keep time- meaning you can basically hook up a Dr. Beat through the PA with some chord changes spliced in and be completely within the rules.  If I want to handpick a few "ringers" and mic them and run them through lots of processing to create a huge wall of perfectly in-tune layered sound I can do that as well.  Seamless and subtle mixing and enhancing is an extremely slippery slope in my opinion as it eats away at authentic live performance.  Couple that with the fact the audio engineers are just that- audio engineers- not kids.  Might as well hire Nile Rogers or Mutt Lange haha... Rules don't address this, to my knowledge.  

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7 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

 

It even appears that DCI is interested in knowing how fans feel about this, as indicated by the surveys they conduct.  But the bottom line fails to distinguish between a satisfied paying customer and an annoyed paying customer.  (And the surveys often do not reach ex-customers.)

This too is an excellent insight to which more attention should be given by the Indy office and the Directors.

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5 hours ago, glory said:

I've pondered this for a while. And here's my view:

That apathetic paying customer has always been there in drum corps. It's one more unique characteristic of our culture - a chip on our shoulder and a propensity for drama and complaint. That curmudgeon will remain to annoy some of us for a while. And when he goes, he'll be replaced by another such apathetic customer, this one with a new reason to feel offended. It's who we are - or some of us, anyway.

HH  

I'm sure some have a chip on their shoulder, but I'm referring more to those who more just shrug their shoulders.  And the long time fans I'm referencing aren't curmudgeons at all!  In fact, they smile and clap politely for the effort the kids put out, just as soon as they lower their hands from covering their ears against the thunderous goo from the sidelines.  

And you're, of course, right that he/she will be replaced.  But the point is that, with a little sensitivity to the fact that this new world of electronic music with analog horn and drum backup is not just more of the same that's been curmudgeon-creating for decades.  The additions of the past, as has been so much debated, didn't so perceptively change the nature of the sound coming from the field (no valves, two valves, three valves or marching tympani vs. grounded, or 128 members vs. 150).

The activity doesn't have to drive away apathetic customers, it needs to wow them again.  Surely, the DCI brain trust can figure out how to do that, right?  Or can they?

 

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1 hour ago, Guitar1974 said:

Seamless and subtle mixing and enhancing is an extremely slippery slope in my opinion as it eats away at authentic live performance.  Couple that with the fact the audio engineers are just that- audio engineers- not kids.  

Exactly.  <nutshell> Non-kids are eating away at the kids' authentic live performances. </nutshell>

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On 1/20/2018 at 1:42 AM, N.E. Brigand said:

Not no one. And in my opinion, there's been a lot more bad use of amplification than good use of amplification.

for years 04-11 i'll agree. since 11 i'll go 60-40% better than worse.

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