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There is a thread raging on the Yahoo Community Music BBS regarding amplification of bands. According to The Evansville Courier this morning, the Boston Crusaders drum and bugle corps competed in our annual 'Drums on the Ohio' with amplified instruments on the field plus narration. This is something that Drum Corps International never allowed until just this year.
I suppose the high school marching bands will follow suit shortly. I regard high school marching bands as 95% production and 5% musical ability anyway. Maybe narration and other dubbed material will help the shows.

Our community band uses mics for outdoor concerts, but in most cases even that isn't necessary. I am against them in general, but when we play on the 4th of July for a crowd of 50,000, there is no way, given the venue, for everyone to hear adequately without amplification.

Generally against aplification of acoustin instruments unless in a setting where there are other amplified insturments. So a guitar, fiddle, or banjo amplified with a pedal steel, and other electric instruments is OK.

A definate NO for drum and bugle corps. Maybe a loud speaker for a narrator if the group feels narration add to the presentation, like intros to pieces. But I don't see narration really fitting the show though. And nothing to gain by changing the show to fit a narrator.

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in some situations mikes can be useful. the houston symphony does a free outdoor concert series, and without the microphones it would be impossible. the only reason this works is that the setup is almost perfect, and is set to a reasonable volume, so it never has those bleeding ear moments. however, my bad experience was as bad as the houston symphony is good. at a jazz competition at a college, one of the trumpet solos was miked without any prior setup to make sure the volume was acceptable, and it was horrible. the band and solo was quite good, but the microphone volume was so awful that it put a bad mark on the entire concert. microphones require previous setup and testing. also, the performers need to learn how to play into mikes.

trumpet players should not squeal high c into a microphone 6 inches from their bell.

daktx2 wrote:trumpet players should not squeal high c into a microphone 6 inches from their bell.

We mic the keyboard and banjo in our Dixie group but it's all checked out before a performance. A trumpet is the LAST instrument I would mic. That could prove to be lethal!

I don't like microphones in general. If the venue really necessitates thier usage I would rather have a pair of mics in front of the group and nothing else.

Our local symphony tried their hand at an outdoor (evening) pops concert this past weekend. I had a good time, really. As soon as my wife and I got into our car afterwards we burst out laughing. Let's just say the orchestra was not used to playing outside. About halfway through the first half of the concert before starting the next piece they retuned - It didn't help. And the microphones, oh the microphones. They had them "strategically" placed throughout the sections. The orchestra wasn't used to that either. You know those little mistakes that nobody hears because the rest of the section covers them up? Not with microphones!

It kind of reminded me of the first time I ever recorded myself practicing - Oh the humanity! It seems as though microphones are just a cruel joke. Everything bad about your playing is magnified and everything good is squelched.

I like recording myself practicing. It forces me to be honest about how I think I'm doing, and makes it clear what I need to work on.

Philip "No longer playing in oblivion" Jensen

When I was a guitar player I preferred to reherse with full electronics
and perform accoustically.However this regimen fails as soon as the
crowd numbers 20 or more or as soon as the liquor kicks in.
I read that Jimmy Buffet travels with a small amp,mike and stand.
Just enough to be heard over the drunks.
Playing tuba in a trio requires a Shure SM-57 mike on a boom stand
three feet or less from the bell and jacked into the p.a.system with a
tad of reverb.We tried accoustic tuba with electric rythm guitar but solos
were lost.Now I know every note is going to be heard and the pressure
is on to play clean.Our 1000 watt p.a. doesn't have to be loud to fill a room and when the tuba is at the right level with vocals and guitar the
effect on the crowd is amazing.
The Fartman