audiodb Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Well, here we are in year 3 of amplification, and it is still getting "affirmative action" on the score sheets. If it works, it gets credit. If it fails, it is disregarded. See no evil, hear no evil....well, certainly "hear no evil", at least. I was at the Columbia, SC, show, where I was treated to about four minutes of amplified voice courtesy of the Cadets. Only, said vocalization was continually marred by noise and cutouts. Vocals cut in and out rapidly and repeatedly, from obnoxious full volume to nil. Bursts of hum and static mixed with the thumps of wireless microphones being handled by performers. The entire ballad was disrupted by this distortion. All in all, nearly half the corps' musical performance was unquestionably marred to the point of ineffectiveness. I have attended several hundred drum corps contests over 25 years; never in my life have I witnessed anything crashing and burning as badly in a drum corps show as what I heard last night from the Cadets and their amplification equipment. Guess who won the contest? The very same Cadets, on top by the same point margin they have averaged in previous shows where (as far as I know) they didn't experience those same amp problems. Guess who won GE music? The Cadets. Judge Dave McGrath must have found all that noise to be very effective, because he had the Cadets on top with a 15.0, two tenths ahead of the runner-up in that caption. Guess who won ensemble music? The Cadets. Judge Jeff Prosperie, evaluating ensemble balance and blend, somehow found the Cadets four tenths superior to all of tonight's corps in his caption. What amazes me is that this is the year that DCI enacted a change allowing a staff member to operate the sound board throughout the performance of their corps. This change was supposed to fix things. From the number of corps sporting nearly-identical five-foot cubical consoles for just that purpose, it would seem that DCI and their member corps did some homework this time. Yet, the problems seem to be worsening. The man at the board could not fix the problems with the Cadets' PA rig. Their director, also standing down on the track, repeatedly signalled the sound board operator to tone it down, and still the loud cutouts and noise did not ease up. Isn't it time we went back to judging what actually happens on the contest field? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcat Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 As long as there is no category for voice, no. It will be an unjudged category. As long as there is no penalty or criteria or standardized tick value or any real guidance on how to reduce performance scores for amplification, no. It's "unjudgable", and that's the crime. Now that amps are "out of the kids' hands", no judge wants to step out and penalize since it wasn't the kids' fault. No judge wants to get into critique and get their ### handed to them because they don't have the vocal background. Besides, what execution category is it, anyhow? How many points is it worth? It will continue to get a "blind eye" until someone says how many points it is. Period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimEuph Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Couldn't agree more. Amplification and Electronics have been accepted and added as equipment that are able to be used by performers in shows. Thus, if a corps decides to implement such equipment, just as any other part of a show, they should be expected to be proficient, and their ability to correctly use the equipment should be included in the scoring (especially if it effects a large portion of the show as you refer to). If you draw a parallel it is even clearer. For example, look at some of the more original color guard equipment you see used by corps from time to time. If a corps decides to use something novel (2000 or 2001 cadets comma looking rifle things or 2002 PR's sickles), they are still judged on it despite the piece of equipment not being a "normal" part of drum corps, aka rifles, flags, sabres, horns, and percussion. Same goes for corps using unique percussive effects in the pit (only one I can think of right now is violin bows or whatever corps/year it was where they had guys with sledgehammers) .. surely those things added to the effect of the show and thus a positive effect on the score. if the performers screwed up or was not proficient, the scores should reflect that. Electronics are the same way and should be judged likewise. If you follow this line of thought however, then it should be rule that only a corps performer can operate the A&E (which is something I wholly agree with). I truly feel DCI has lost perspective when it comes to this issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuentinTarantino Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I agree with you audiodb that corps scores should reflect sound problems caused by amplification. What was the audience response to hearing the scores? Did anyone boo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimEuph Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Besides, what execution category is it, anyhow? How many points is it worth? It should have an effect on the GE Music categories. And just like GE in the first place, it should be at the judges discretion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 i have said all along no judge has the balls to make a call based on amps malfunctions. and now, the arguments for having the guy in the stands have yet again had a balloon popped by a big pin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcat Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 It should have an effect on the GE Music categories. And just like GE in the first place, it should be at the judges discretion. I was being specific. What EXECUTION category is it in? None. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimEuph Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 It doesn't need to be included in an execution category. It should have an effect on GE Music and Music Ensemble scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monoemono Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I was being specific. What EXECUTION category is it in? None. True, and that's a big problem. I do think they should be taking a drubbing on this from their GE score, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted June 26, 2006 Author Share Posted June 26, 2006 I was being specific. What EXECUTION category is it in? None. Well, singing has been allowed (on and off) since 1977. What caption has it's execution been judged in all that time? As for the amplification, it's effect on the ensemble qualities that are already being judged (balance and blend, tone quality, clarity, timing) should be assessed. The ensemble music judge must judge what he/she hears. Unless you're contending that amplified sound isn't music.... :sshh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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