[Dixielandjazz] on stage delays

[James Kashishian]

Bob Ringwald beat me to it by writing the following:
Paul et al:
While your technical info is correct, the problem with hearing drums or
other instruments that are 10, 15, 20 feet away can be compounded by the
various echos bouncing around from the ceiling, floor walls, etc.......


Paul, I was going to come back to you on the same subject.  All the
figures in the world, and you obviously know them better than I, can't
cancel actually standing on a stage and:

1.  trying to decide to play with the trombone I can hear acoustically
(me, myself) or the other guy I can hear coming from the back of a large
auditorium.  The guy from the back of the room is in sync with all the
other horns that are bouncing back with him, but are certainly not with
the band that is on stage with you!   

2.  play with the pianist, who you are directly in front of, or with the
drummer, who is over to the left of you.  Standing in the middle can
usually sort it out, but real fast tunes can get hairy! If you are scat
singing to a tune like I Found A New Baby at a breakneck speed, then you
just might want to walk over and get "yo head down, baby" right next to
the drummer, or you're gonna get turned around on the beat, I promise!
At that moment, I'm not worried about milliseconds, or seconds, or
whatever, all I know is there's different things happening around that
stage, and I have to decide quickly who my boss is!

By the way, this is all sounds "together" to the audience, and I can
guarantee you the guys are grooving as though they are one, but it's all
the bouncing of sound that can throw you off, depending on where you are
standing.

Steve mentions not wanting monitors.  If it works for him, ok.  I
actually prefer not having monitors, and have the audience speakers a
little behind the band, so I can hear what's going on, plus I know what
the audience is hearing.  This is a neat way of monitoring, but will
usually get you into trouble with the sound guys:

1.  they charged a pile for all those monitors, and want to show those
that are paying that all that gear was needed.

2.  they are convinced they will have feedback with the speakers behind
(horrors of all horrors!) the mikes.  Secret, keep the levels low!  Of
course, that kills all the fun the sound guys can have, then.  :>

I suspect that is what Steve does, 'cause if he's playing big venues
like he says, then he's just got to have massive delay from the
reflected sound....and, the ensuing problem of "who do I follow".

Jim