Amplification Is Good!

[apoch003]

Heh, came in for the last few years of marching tymp and bells (started before most corps even HAD marching bells).

One of the things I enjoyed most about early corps was that the sound coming off the field was honest. If you didn't have enough low range or drums (or lousy players in either) that was just tough and you dealt the best you could with the problem. Or as they say in Sprint Car circles "You run what you brung".

OK, what the heck did that paragraph have to do with the current amp situation?

Amps were originally brought in to help the pit. Before the first amped season was over a bunch of corps were amping vocals and singing. What I see in the near future is amps and electronics used to help the balance in all sound making sections of the corps. Have already seen enough posts that "getting the best sound is the only thing that matters" so this would be the next logical step to achieve that. And if that sound too wierd and "never will happen" for you consider a few years ago the majority of corps fans would say that Bb and amps would never happen either. Not to mention creating pits a decade or so earlier.

Edit: Pits also were originally optional. Anyone care to guess what a corps would lose off their score if they didn't have 10 tons of stuff in the pit area today. (Ripped off from a thread I started about a year ago.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But you make a point about why it's a cheat to use amps. Getting the best sound by AMPLIFICATION, rather than by expertise and experience and actually TRYING, is simply a cheat.

[sburstall]

Edit: Pits also were originally optional. Anyone care to guess what a corps would lose off their score if they didn't have 10 tons of stuff in the pit area today. (Ripped off from a thread I started about a year ago.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So was v-r, 2-valve, 3-valve and Bbs. If you don't follow the crowd you'll be run over.

Here's a question. All things being equal (referring to instructional staff and member's talent), you had a D1 corps using v-r (redesigned for 200#) and another use the lastest and greatest marching Bb, who do you seriously believe is going to win?

Edited July 20, 2005 by sburstall

[AnaheimAlumni]

Phantom Regiment doesn't use amps and they are Phantastic!

[Lancerlady]

Somebody told me in another thread Phantom was using amps. So which is it..please tell me. Are they using amps or aren't they?

Oh and the only thing amplification is good for, in my opinion, is rock concerts... :)

Not drum corps.

But here we go again....

[PhantomR]

pretty much everyone on this site labels me as a borg for the new era.

I constantly defend the corps that use amps... does that mean I like them? Not necessarily.

In fact, I am indifferent. I could care less if they stay or go. I don't care much for "drum speak" or the "beat poem" from Crown last year, but if they stay in the pit, I'm fine with it.

If they were to leave next year, I wouldn't care. IN fact, I would quite possibly be very happy. It would end ALL of the arguments.. well... at least MOST of them.

but, yeah... I'm relatively new to the activity, so of course I pay ALOT of attention to the new era. I do love old[er] stuff. in fact, some of my favorite shows are from the '80's.

~>conner

[RB Ripley]

Really How many more points do you get when you amp your udu?

I'm just tickled she said "amp your udu"... :P

Edited July 20, 2005 by RB Ripley

[Matt_S]

Here's a question.  All things being equal (referring to instructional staff and member's talent), you had a D1 corps using v-r (redesigned for 200#) and another use the lastest and greatest marching Bb, who do you seriously believe is going to win?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The corps that plays the best. With v-r and with Bb, we've heard some corps play beautifully and others play rather poorly. In the end, it comes down to the performer.

Now let me ask you this: If you give a kid today a horn to play, which is he going to be most comfortable with and therefore sound better on, v-r or Bb? Since Bb is what he grew up on, I would wager good money that he sounds far better on the Bb than he does on the v-r. With that in mind, of course Bb is going to score better, because the sound is better. It's not because the judges favor Bb over v-r, it's because they favor good sounds over bad, and it's far easier for kids today to produce a good sound on Bb than on v-r.

Now, a follow up question. If Bb is more conducive to producing a great sound, why should any corps stick with v-r? If they are producing a better sound with Bb, then they are producing a better show, and performing your show at the highest level should the goal of any performer, in DCI or not. Yes, every corps has dropped v-r, and yes every corps has added a third valve. But they do this not because they are lemmings. They do this because they are better for it, and because they produce a better show. That's all the justification they need.

[AggiePhil]

God I love amps. You stone age guys should go back to sleep. :P

[CVQuesty]

God I love amps.  You stone age guys should go back to sleep.  :P

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You say that, but I'd bewilling to bet your seating never had you right in front of the speaker so that you couldn't hear the rest of the corps when the pit was playing.

The only instance where that isn't the case is when the individual speaker is mounted under each unit. BD does this very well.

[Einstein On The Beach]

God I love amps.  You stone age guys should go back to sleep.   :P

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This can't be serious

I'm 18, and not that big of an amp fan. I mean, if they're there, they're there, and I like a FEW of the things done with amps thus far, but I also dislike other things corps have done (Boston and Crown last year, of course. While they didn't bother me as much as some on this board who were foaming at the mouth over it, I really just wish they had down without the narration and lame attempt at Rent). So yeah, I don't think it's fair to say, "Oh all you old guys who hate amps, just go away". I don't even know any people in my age bracket that like amps, as evident by the past posts in this thread alone. Probably just the rich BOA schools that can be 10-stack Marshall amps and sunglasses for their marching bassoon soloists

Edited July 21, 2005 by Einstein On The Beach