Klarinet Archive - Posting 000349.txt from 2004/07

From: "Chuck Currie" <reedguy@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] re: clarinet to saxophone
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 12:21:46 -0400

Hi, Folks

In my opinion, no acoustical instruments need mic's unless playing a =
hall
with very poor acoustics, seating over 1500. Audiences are brought up =
with
home electronics and live pop music that is so loud that they have =
forgotten
how to listen.

I have heard many solo voices (non-classically trained...not beefy opera
singers) a capella in large halls with no mic...no problem. Same with =
the
Basie big band at the Chan center here in Vancouver. No mics except one =
at
the piano, a couple of presence mic's for cymbals and one for the =
soloist.

99% of big bands and 90% of wind ensembles already play too loud and =
have no
concept of pianissimo. Big bands play louder than symphony orchestras =
and
then screw it up even more with the mics. The only chance I got to see =
Dizzy
Gillespie with a big band (as opposed to the quintet which I saw many =
times)
was at Vancouver Symphony venue. The sound was so bad (poor balance and
real electronic buzz) that Diz cut the first set short to go scream at =
the
sound man. The second set was just as bad until halfway through the =
second
number. Diz went around and just turned off every mic on stage. =
INSTANTLY
better.

Mic's provide the sound man with the opportunity to really screw up the
balance. My sax quartet plays outdoor gigs without shell with a single
"presence" mic so that does not happen to us. For really large outdoor
venues we will mike every horn, but bring our own sound guy for balance.

Chuck Currie
Sax Noir Studio
www.saxnoir.com
reedguy@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Ormondtoby Montoya [mailto:ormondtoby@-----.net]=20
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 9:03 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] re: clarinet to saxophone

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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