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2 hours ago, jeffmolnar said:

Bloo even did a video on their in-ear monitors back in 2017, talking about how they enabled the hornline to play together despite being spread out all over the field.

We’ve known about the tempo earpieces for a while now.

100% guarantee that no horn players in 2017 Bloo used IEMs. It was just the front ensemble and quads. Also, pumping in a met to those would be a disaster in drum corps because of changing delay times with their movement. All that is being sent to the in-ears is from other live musicians.

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1 minute ago, Terri Schehr said:

I was in no way thinking Bloo was doing this. 

You are right, they are not.

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2 minutes ago, MGCpimpOtimp said:

100% guarantee that no horn players in 2017 Bloo used IEMs. It was just the front ensemble and quads. Also, pumping in a met to those would be a disaster in drum corps because of changing delay times with their movement. All that is being sent to the in-ears is from other live musicians.

I believe you are correct.  This became an issue when the FE was spread across the field.  I believe also one judge checked that there was no timing clues being used.

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Just now, Terri Schehr said:

I’d like to think, and I could be wrong, that I’d be able to tell after all this time. 

I'm sure you could.  Me? not so much ... must rely on my son's ears who can always tell who is doing what, with the entire ensemble playing.

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Just now, PamahoNow said:

I'm sure you could.  Me? not so much ... must rely on my son's ears who can always tell who is doing what, with the entire ensemble playing.

In all honesty, there is one brassline that has totally thrown me off with their sound for the last three seasons.   

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And that is where the kick is. These ensembles are so advanced that the things that they are doing are imperceptible to the common listener.

One group that comes to mind is Tarpon Springs, They have been individually mic'ing their WW for a decade now. Their WW's project like no ones business, and some of it is the arrangements but most of it is the subtle amplification of certain members in their ensemble to balance the sound.

For Bluecoats, what made me question the individual micing is the way that the brass ensemble projected during the second movement of their show. The nearest brass member outside of the tubas was at the front hash and that lick is clear as day and stronger than some of the moments that happen closer to the front sideline. The entirety of the second movement felt very live from the Field.

Also the end of Blackbird, which I once thought was the single pure Acapella moment of the show had noticeable amplification through the speakers in Buffalo during the last note of the crescendo. 

As for SCV, we already know they are micing the Contraline, they are also perhaps micing other individuals throughout the hornline. Their Volume has increased that much over the last three years.. 

Edited by Glenn426
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17 hours ago, karuna said:

Hypothetically what if that brass line was suddenly scoring really well by choosing the strongest players to mic and then controlling the mix?  

While this stuff sounds fishy and all, in reality judges can tell when half or less of the ensemble is being mic'd vs not. It's an obvious sound. I could tell years ago (before amps and mics) when a corps watered down their most difficult brass parts for only the best players. That sort of thing has been going on for years. Even the best corps have watered down their horn books to improve cleanliness going into finals week. 

Also, I believe it was 3 years ago (?) that SCV use field wireless mics on about 25 to 30 players who were playing different parts from the full ensemble, and then when they were playing with the full ensemble the mics were turned off. It was something like that. I didn't have a problem with it. 

It the end, all the mic/amp combo does is amplify the sound being produced by the instrument. That can be a good or bad thing depending on how well they play. But good musicians can tell the difference between 30 mic'd brass players and 80 acoustic brass players. The notion that you can make ensemble brass sound bigger by amping 4 or 5 folks to replace 20 or 30 is ridiculous. Listen to the great big bands (using mics)and while they are fantastic they do not sound like 40 or 50 brass, let alone 70 or 80. 

I think people are worried that some corps are cheating. No. That is not happening. If they are amping 20 or 30 players, it is for a certain effect or to help the players better produce their tone and articulation without forcing the sound. That is all. Nothing sinister. Very much what most corps do these days with solos. I get the sense this thread is bringing up the notion that some corps, or corps(s) are trying to cheat. Trust me, judges can tell who is playing, how many are playing, and what they are playing. They can then apply the appropriate credit for who is achieving the musical content, how it's done, and so forth. You simply cannot cheat the sound of a large brass line. Using 20 or 30 people on the field with mics does not cut the mustard. I enjoyed Future Corps (back in the day when they marched around Epcott and Disney), and that mic'd up style was what they did, but it's still not 80 brass. 

Edited by jwillis35
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18 minutes ago, Glenn426 said:

And that is where the kick is. These ensembles are so advanced that the things that they are doing are imperceptible to the common listener.

One group that comes to mind is Tarpon Springs, They have been individually mic'ing their WW for a decade now. Their WW's project like no ones business, and some of it is the arrangements but most of it is the subtle amplification of certain members in their ensemble to balance the sound.

 

In 2002 our town split into two high schools. We ended up with a total band of 32...19 winds, 6 percussion and 6 guard. We wireless micced all of the winds except the piccs, lead tpt and trombone player. It worked well for us.

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I watched SCV practice while they were town for the Arizona show.  It was too hot to have the electronics and mics out.  They sounded loud and in charge.  The only things you could not really hear were the soloists in the opener.  Believe me, these guys sound great with or without amplification.  

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