electric tuba
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- Captain Sousie
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electric tuba
I am playing around with making an electric tuba. Now what I have to work with are a tuba, a couple of mutes, and a bunch of electronic equipment. I have a few ideas but I wondered if any of you had some briliant ideas to add to the mix.
By the way, I know that it has already been done but I want to try to create something new and different out of an old idea. And yes, I am out of my mind.
Sousie
By the way, I know that it has already been done but I want to try to create something new and different out of an old idea. And yes, I am out of my mind.
Sousie
I am not Mr. Holland, and you are not my opus!
- ThomasDodd
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- Captain Sousie
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- Captain Sousie
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- Kevin Hendrick
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Yup -- fuzz & octave boxes (that'll take care of the masonry and the glazing! )Miah wrote:I think you should look into running it through Gituar pedals and stuff like use a WaWa pedal, I have always thought that would be cool.
"Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent." -- Pogo (via Walt Kelly)
- Rick Denney
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Oh, you guys are so unhip. Jay Rozen was doing this when he played with the Creative Opportunity Jazz Orchestra in Austin Texas--about 20 years ago.Kevin Hendrick wrote:Yup -- fuzz & octave boxes (that'll take care of the masonry and the glazing! )Miah wrote:I think you should look into running it through Gituar pedals and stuff like use a WaWa pedal, I have always thought that would be cool.
Rick "yawn" Denney
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electric tuba
Rick, I'm surprised at you! Saying that those guys "are so unhip" may be true, but don't you realize you may also be damaging their self-esteem?
Serious, I doubt ANYONE could claim to have gone as far in that direction as Jay has. Although I am much more a traditionalist, I find the creative things he does to be both interesting, and often amusing.
Serious, I doubt ANYONE could claim to have gone as far in that direction as Jay has. Although I am much more a traditionalist, I find the creative things he does to be both interesting, and often amusing.
Ray Grim
The TubaMeisters
San Antonio, Tx.
The TubaMeisters
San Antonio, Tx.
- Chuck(G)
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- Dylan King
- YouTube Tubist
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You guys want to hear about tuba blasphemy? I do it all the time. In the cartoons I score I use a sampled tuba from the Vienna Symphonic Library. It is so much easier to play in the notes on the piano than to get my mics out and record tuba live. With the deadlines we get here in Hollywood, it is sometimes impossible to play live. Even when the composer is an accomplished tuba player himself.
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Electric Tuba
Doc, I think someone needs to tell Bloke that he doesn't need to get PERSONAL, here.
Ray Grim
The TubaMeisters
San Antonio, Tx.
The TubaMeisters
San Antonio, Tx.
- ken k
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So bloke, do you simply plug your mic into the box and then wire the box to the sound system?bloke wrote:It's fun to clip a mini phantom power wireless mic to the bell, and run the sound through one of these, when playing a "ride" on the changes:
sounds cool I will have to check it out.
ken k
Yamaha YEB-381
Mirafone 187 BBb
1919 Pan American BBb Helicon
1924 Buescher BBb tuba (Dr. Suessaphone)
Black plastic Coolwind BBb tuba
2001 Mazda Miata
2006 Suzuki Burgman 650
Mirafone 187 BBb
1919 Pan American BBb Helicon
1924 Buescher BBb tuba (Dr. Suessaphone)
Black plastic Coolwind BBb tuba
2001 Mazda Miata
2006 Suzuki Burgman 650
- ken k
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When the band would get up occasionally and "stroll", I would usually pour someone's just-bought entire pitcher of beer down the bell of my tuba...and then drink some of it. ...I would always look for that pitcher of "dark" beer - ' tasted better , and cost the poor sap more $$ to replace it up at the bar.
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[so would that taste better in a silver plated CC horn with rotary valves or a raw brass BBb or maybe a lacquered EEb with pistons?
k-
_____________________________
[so would that taste better in a silver plated CC horn with rotary valves or a raw brass BBb or maybe a lacquered EEb with pistons?
k-
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It's not a waste at all... there are LOTS of tuba players out there that play electrified in some sort or another... out of necessity.ThomasDodd wrote:What a waste of good electricity.
There is a VERY good reason for it too (other than the gimmicky side of it)
In reality, physically, the Tuba is actually NOT a very loud/efficient instrument -- not loud enough to play with a drumset player (while still keeping a good sound) Playing electrified allows me to play amongst types of instruments and in performance situations where the tuba is not normally found. It allows me to play quietly, subtly and for long phrases without having to honk and sound rough -- the louder you have to play acoustically, the less dexterity you have, playing amplified lets me keep that dexterity.
-- and, it works INFINITELY better than mic'ing in the conventional way and allows me to have control of the timbre (rather than some stoned sound guy) Positive response to it has been overwhelming.
Drummers for some reason understand a sound more when it comes out of a speaker too....
peace
joe
NYC
(ps -- why is this "off topic"??)
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Some random thoughts on the subject...Doc wrote:I played miked and/or through a PA all the time, albeit without any effects. Works great, and I can attest that dexterity is not compromised.
Doc
Playing miked can work just fine -- that is if the mic/pa/sound person are all satisfactory -- but so often that's not the case -- and I've found so much that the sound guy is usually to blame --- as just like most, they don’t understand the tuba or have any idea what it should sound like... even many recording manuals are incorrect with their approach to the tuba.
For instance a few years back I was doing a studio session for a jingle for a CBS affiliate in one of the bigger studios in Chicago -- and the engineer put a big fat diaphragm mic DOWN my bell like at least 12 inches. I trusted him and figured he knew better than I (and I was young and in awe because there was CSO players all around me too...) The final result (even though I played very soft) sounded like a big bass trombone.
I was not happy with the result (and did not know any better at the time)
Since then (and other similar experiences), when recording conventional sounding stuff, I take a bit more control when in the studio -- and most engineers ask how/where I want the mic. Sometimes I will go as far as asking them to change the mic if there is soloistic or exposed parts in the music (like when one recently insisted on recording me with a bass drum mic)
After it all, they are usually very happy with the result.
My point is that even some of the most experienced engineers have NO friggin idea how to deal with a tuba -- and a BIG secret for me has been learning how to deal with and control MY own setup, therefore my own timbre. Having an "electric tuba" setup allows me this luxury for live situations (not always for studio, as it is pretty temperamental)
I have heard rumors that Tommy Johnson always uses a specific mic with a specific EQ setting whenever recorded -- again, the studio situation is different than playing live, but the point being, he takes control over what the situation is, as most engineers have no idea how to record/amplify/eq a tuba.
Maybe Dylan can chime in on this...
With the tuba, our lucious "timbre" is our finest asset -- and using equipment in a way that "preserves" and wont comprimise that sound is important.
peace
joe
- ThomasDodd
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Electrifing a tuba implies something much different tha miking one. Just as an electric guitar is very different from a miked accoustic guitar.tubajoe wrote:It's not a waste at all... there are LOTS of tuba players out there that play electrified in some sort or another... out of necessity.ThomasDodd wrote:What a waste of good electricity.
I agree with everything said about miking, especially when performing with electric stuff. I won't start on "sound guys" other than agree that most are clueless, be it tuba or anything else. When was the last time you heard a band mixed well live? In a small venue?
And I agree, creating a good mike setup, with your own eq before the sound board is a good idea. Add a monitor for the back of the room so you can real time adjust for the idiot on the bopard too
- Chuck(G)
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- Captain Sousie
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- TMurphy
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- Kevin Hendrick
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