[Dixielandjazz] Parades amplification - afterthought

[Steve barbone]

Just a quick note about under amplifying. You sometimes have to compete with
all sorts of extraneous noise from both within the parade and along the
route. So, a word to the wise is BE PREPARED to ramp up your sound.

Examples:

1) One year we had fire trucks behind us. Besides having LOUD engines, they
would blast the siren every minute or so to the delight of the crowd. Fire
trucks are common in 4th of July parades.

2) Another time we had a one hundred piece band in front of us. Once again,
we had to ramp up sound to compete.

3) And there is always a sidewalk vendor or event, or two along the route
making noise.

So, it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Otherwise, you just blow your brains out
to no avail.

And, in this day and age . . . except for us old farts, THE AUDIENCE WANTS
YOU TO BE LOUD BECAUSE THEY ARE USED TO LOUD MUSIC AND HALF DEAF. :-) VBG.

Motto? "Whatever it takes to be heard by the folks in the back row." And
outdoors, those folks can easily be 50 yards away. Acoustic just ain't gonna
cut it unless you have a real brass band like Wiggins.

Cheers,
Steve