Klarinet Archive - Posting 000348.txt from 2004/07

From: ormondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] re: clarinet to saxophone
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 12:03:30 -0400

Forest=A0Aten wrote:

> If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of
> the band is TOO LOUD!

Because of Bill's tagline, for the last year or so I've paid attention
to mic'ing when I go to jazz concerts. The fact has been that *all*
the instruments in a group, from trio to small band, have been mic'd.
This forces a mic on the saxophone as well.

Thus it's not really an issue of how loud the rest of the band plays.
It's more an issue of obtaining an appropriately balanced sound once the
decision has been made to mic individual instruments.

...and it seems to me that jazz groups use individual mics because
they're on tour and they must be able to cope with any unexpected
situation that pops up in an unfamiliar auditorium. Again, it really
doesn't involve how loud the rest of the band plays.

Perhaps another factor (????) is that most jazz groups are small and
don't have the 'acoustic horsepower' to overpower the personality of a
particular auditorium, whereas a full symphony orchestra does.
Therefore it's reasonable to ask (say) a large string section to play
louder or softer in order to compensate for some quirk of the concert
hall, but with a jazz trio, individual instruments need electronic help.

??????

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