TubeNet

Lexan is not exactly lightweight, and is costly. Probably, you would not want anything like that attached to your tuba when even the slightest breeze came by.

What models are the three tubas, out of curiosity?

Professor Denny has spilled a lot of electrons about standing wave lengths and how tuba sound energy is projected beyond the instrument--worth a tubenet search.

How about investing in three clip-on mics and a bass amp?

bloke wrote:

Mark wrote:How about investing in three clip-on mics and a bass amp?

bingo...and a wireless system.

Joe,

Assuming they were to buy new, what would you recommend for mics, wireless and amp?

Mark wrote:How about investing in three clip-on mics and a bass amp?

This is a VERY good idea. Attaching anything by way of a sound deflector to your horn is going to affect the pitch. So will changing your upright bells to recording bells.

Mark wrote:

bloke wrote:

Mark wrote:How about investing in three clip-on mics and a bass amp?

bingo...and a wireless system.

Joe,

Assuming they were to buy new, what would you recommend for mics, wireless and amp?

Wireless mics, Audio Technica 2000 or 3000 series would be great. I have 2 of the 3000 (one handheld and one bodypack with a guitar cable and a lapel) plus I installed 3 of these set-ups here at the school last winter. I've been using mine for a number of years and love them. Never had any problems with them. The handheld mic does a pretty good job on tuba, but if you were to go with a bodypack system you would need to get a better mic to go with it than the standard lapel that comes with it.

Does it just stand to reason that 3 upright tubas in a concert band would be inaudible in outdoor performances? How big a band are we talking about? Are there bass clarinets and that sort of thing, can they be heard?

I'm just amazed that we'd be talking about amplifying the tubas in a concert band. The sound you get is so bad, especially if it's up to some rock concert sound guy, and unlike a stage setup I assume you would not have any effective monitors. If it's the kind of performance situation where everybody's playing super loud to reach the top rows of the stadium and a handful of sousaphones would just barely balance the upper horns, then sure, those 3 uprights are truly going to need some help, but that doesn't sound like what I think of as a concert band.

Looks like Sousa's 4 basses are all upright, in this picture


The picture was apparently taken in Johannesburg, by which time I'm sure he had played a few outdoor concerts, as I understand it the most popular touring concert act ever in his day - and not someone who would have failed to notice that his basses couldn't be heard.

It's my understanding that most of Sousa's concerts were indoors or in band shells.

Hey! Wait a minute!.... I just went to your web site and noticed that there are three sousaphones in one of the early photos. When did the idea of front-facing bells go away in your band?

I'm thinking perhaps you do more inside concerts than outside concerts and maybe your past/current directors have a recording bell phobia. Recording bells are pretty much out of fashion these days and I've even heard of directors telling tuba players to leave those 'in your face things' at home and use an upright horn.

Problem:

fulerzoo wrote:three of us (tubas) play upright bell horns and our sound goes up up and away. The audience says they cannot hear us over the rest of the band.

Solution:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=40455" target="_blank

Borrow souzys from your local schools. Better yet, invite good high school players to sit in with you as a recruiting tool, along with the request to borrow the souzys. Except for Independence Day, and possibly Memorial Day, they're just hanging on the wall or getting musty in their cases waiting for football season anyway.

Think ahead. When I was in the market for a tuba a few years ago, I realized I'd be doing both indoor and outdoor concerts as an amateur community player. I purchased a 186 that had both bells: the stock recording bell and a retrofit upright bell. To sweeten the deal, it was $1000 less than the comparable 186 conventional upright for sale of the same age at the same time from the same dealer.

There are some good deals on tubas with recording bells out there. For example, even 3-valve recording bell Reynolds Contemporas with a Helleberg-style mouthpiece sound good outdoors, and are under-appreciated, so therefore underpriced, even though they are basically the same as a King 1240.

Keep looking around and asking around. You'll find something.

fulerzoo wrote:I'm still considering all the options, one of which might be a sound deflector built on the top of the wall behind us (you can see the wall on our web site).

For outdoor concerts, you should always think of sound deflectors as potential "sails". If you go this route, make sure they are secure.

Faced with the same issue of not being able to get my sound going forward, rather than upward, I chose to go with a mic and amp. It's worked pretty well. I use a Sennheiser 602 (bass specific) mic and a Peavey TNT 115BW amp. It works. I fabricated a mount for my bell that is clean, stable and vibration free. It's pretty cool to be able to play lightly and yet have plenty of sound come through.

3000 people need to be aimed at a band shell.

From what I see on TubeNet, old Conn 2xJ are pretty inexpensive. Buy three with recording bells and you will have band with great bass foundation - problem solved

BTW When I was in the states last year 'mammoth2ba' and myself did a comparison of upright bell v recording bell on his Conn and the presence with recording bell was considerably MORE. I came away wishing I could fit recording bell on my Neptune!

Can't believe no-one suggested this:

Hey! Look at that! Sound deflector and mute all in one!

kegmcnabb wrote:Can't believe no-one suggested this: ....

PERFECT!

TubaTinker wrote:

kegmcnabb wrote:Can't believe no-one suggested this: ....

PERFECT1

BAT illustrated and a-commode-ated.