[Dixielandjazz] Balance or Cacophony?

[Stephen G Barbone]

One man's balanced sound is another man's cacophony.

What is perfect band and/or instrumental balance? What you heard live  
in a club in 1945? Nah, iIMO it depended upon where you sat, and/or  
who you ask. Same for the use of microphones. For every Chuck Hedges  
who uses a mike, there is a Kenny Davern who rarely used one. For  
every Bill Watrous who uses a mike there is a Glenn Dodson who laughed  
and said the mike is a crutch for those who never learned how to play  
properly. It seems that the older guys who learned how to play in the  
1940s and 50s know how to play LOUDLY and softly, without  
amplification. <grin> IMO, the only way to achieve "perfect" balance  
is in studio.

Like some have said, set up a mike but don't use it and you will get  
complaints that the sound is too loud. Play the same gig at the same  
volume with no visible microphones (like in Broadway theaters) and the  
folks will say the sound is perfect.

Point being that balanced sound is what you, or any other individual  
thinks it is. It is an opinion of one person that others may, or may  
not agree with. And it depends upon their reason for being in the  
audience. Like I remember playing with my un-amplified trio in a small  
restaurant last year. The music was American Songbook, Gershwin, Kern,  
Porter etc. Most everybody loved it except a table of 8 who asked us  
to play more softly because we were interfering with their conversation.

The hard part is, as John Wilder's posts point out, is for band  
leaders to learn all they can about sound reinforcement and to use  
that knowledge to help their bands sound like whatever THEY want it to  
sound like. Take responsibility for the band sound. And then, to  
ignore the many different and opposite opinions from wives,  
girlfriends, audience members etc. Otherwise you'll end up like the  
guy who tried to be everything to everybody in "The Martian  
Chronicles", finally dying in the attempt.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband