kusankusho Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 It's a nice change from being told that I'm stupid and stuck in the past. Oh wait a minute - that's my daughters saying that. Never mind.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storkysr Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) I agree also, Guelph Bass King...................Of course 5 keyboards cannot "blend" with 65 brass playing at FF. If you wish to accomplish this then use 36 keyboards! It is the nature of the instruments and external or otherwise artificial dynamic control or enhancement is, IMHO, NOT acceptable or desireable. Edited August 31, 2006 by Storkysr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplefunk Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 It's a nice change from being told that I'm stupid and stuck in the past.Oh wait a minute - that's my daughters saying that. Never mind.... Any body who know Cpt. Picard personally, tops my list :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 It's a nice change from being told that I'm stupid and stuck in the past.Oh wait a minute - that's my daughters saying that. Never mind.... You win the 2006 Sally Field "They really love me" award! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn craig Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) every stadium these kids play at is going to have a different feel to it, and needs to have the sound adjusted accordingly. otherwise, most pits will just be too loud all the time. from my experiences, the pit instructor will tell the member to play with the exact same dynamic expression every time. if it turns out that in a given stadium reacts in a way that makes the member sound too loud, then by all means, they should turn them down a little, but the member is not in a place to be able to judge how their sound will react coming through a speaker 50 yards away. Doesn't that also apply to the hornline and battery? Staff are not aloud to interfer with them. Edited August 31, 2006 by shawn craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Begines Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) Goodbye Drum Corps Planet Edited August 16, 2008 by Begines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROO Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Normally I'd side with Jim, as I think he's the cat's meow! But not this time, Sorry Buddy. I'm all for adjusting levels during a show. Stadiums are different, and PA's sound different in each venue. We are talking about live performances. Miccing is here to stay. We need to offer the best sound possible each and ever performance. How can we just pre-set and pray that it will sound OK? That's just crazy. As for adjusting Dynamic levels of individual players during a show... I seriously doubt there is much if any of this going on. If a member is out of the balance, he/she is not doing their job on the field, and as a pit tech, it's time to break out the whip! Board players are taught to play together, like any other section. A player out of balance would/ should be caught by judges. It's pretty easy to tell if the section is playing at 3 inches and one person is playing at 9. For me personally, I'm in love with amping the pit. I love being able to here the low end of a marimba being played properly. No pounding. No beating the crap out of equipment just so it can be heard. Good technique. Being able to hear things you normally wouldn't have in pre-amp drum corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 For me personally, I'm in love with amping the pit. I love being able to here the low end of a marimba being played properly. No pounding. No beating the crap out of equipment just so it can be heard. Good technique. Being able to hear things you normally wouldn't have in pre-amp drum corps. Agree! I remember walking in to a stadium in 2004 and hearing the Cadets rehearsing on the field....the sound of the micced marimba was wonderful. And...both technique and mallet selection is improved with amps...which will lengthen the life of wooden bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Normally I'd side with Jim, as I think he's the cat's meow! But not this time, Sorry Buddy.I'm all for adjusting levels during a show. Stadiums are different, and PA's sound different in each venue. We are talking about live performances. Miccing is here to stay. We need to offer the best sound possible each and ever performance. How can we just pre-set and pray that it will sound OK? That's just crazy. As for adjusting Dynamic levels of individual players during a show... I seriously doubt there is much if any of this going on. If a member is out of the balance, he/she is not doing their job on the field, and as a pit tech, it's time to break out the whip! Board players are taught to play together, like any other section. A player out of balance would/ should be caught by judges. It's pretty easy to tell if the section is playing at 3 inches and one person is playing at 9. For me personally, I'm in love with amping the pit. I love being able to here the low end of a marimba being played properly. No pounding. No beating the crap out of equipment just so it can be heard. Good technique. Being able to hear things you normally wouldn't have in pre-amp drum corps. If you don’t know Roo, he’s an incredible pit tech and arranger, and a guy I have a ton of respect for. I love it that I was on a staff with him for four years. Knowing Roo as well as I do I knew as soon as I saw him posting that he would disagree with me. But Roo I don’t see what is so special about the pit that they should be “managed” during a performance while all other sections are out there doing it on their own. See my “bass in a dome” analogy above. Even if I could electronically adjust the muffling without physically chasing the line around the field (ridiculous, I know) it would be as much a cheat as adjusting the levels on the pit. At that point the staffer playing the dials is to me an over-age member physically contributing to the show. No staff member should do that regardless of section, no matter how nice they make the finished product sound. It is what it is. When the kids are performing the adults are done. We talked before about hearing the subtleties of the different instruments, and yes, it sounds nice. But as a spectator I watch the battery and in particular bass lines. There are plenty of times when I can see the sticks moving but I can’t get all the grace notes etc because this is a large ensemble art form. You are not going to get it all. I was at a jazz concert on the weekend and noticed the same thing – some stuff does get lost in the ensemble. I’d love to hear all that great battery stuff but I can’t justify miccing every drum and upping the volume at key moments just to make me happy. For some reason the pit is deemed to be different in that regard and I’m afraid I just don’t get the distinction. You know me buddy – I’m old. Remember our staff meeting on the amped voice in 2005????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 But Roo I don’t see what is so special about the pit that they should be “managed” during a performance while all other sections are out there doing it on their own. See my “bass in a dome” analogy above. Even if I could electronically adjust the muffling without physically chasing the line around the field (ridiculous, I know) it would be as much a cheat as adjusting the levels on the pit. At that point the staffer playing the dials is to me an over-age member physically contributing to the show. No staff member should do that regardless of section, no matter how nice they make the finished product sound. It is what it is. When the kids are performing the adults are done. So are you more against changes during the show or miccing them in the first place? We talked before about hearing the subtleties of the different instruments, and yes, it sounds nice. But as a spectator I watch the battery and in particular bass lines. There are plenty of times when I can see the sticks moving but I can’t get all the grace notes etc because this is a large ensemble art form. You are not going to get it all. I was at a jazz concert on the weekend and noticed the same thing – some stuff does get lost in the ensemble. I’d love to hear all that great battery stuff but I can’t justify miccing every drum and upping the volume at key moments just to make me happy. For some reason the pit is deemed to be different in that regard and I’m afraid I just don’t get the distinction. They stilll blend in ...only the presence of the voice with mics makes for a better balanced sound. Now you can hear the lower marimba and vibes as part of the whole sonority of the ensemble...before amps they tended to just disappear completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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