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San Antonio
Feb. 19th, 2006 11:23 amWell, I'm back.
It was a fun trip, though noisy to say the least. Why is it that trumpeteers can't play lower pitches when trying out an instrument? Every one of them seemed aimed for the stratosphere. Lots of djembe's in attendance this year.
I caught the UT Longhorn band (They sounded really good) and three choirs, one of which was a madrigal choir. My travelling companion told me they were even in rennaisance garb -- kudos to the director for getting a bunch of high school boys into tights. I also caught the TCU choir, and they sounded great as well. I was hoping to catch at least one more performance, but the hour we spent looking for a parking space made that impossible. I did catch a lecture from a guy from Shure about microphones. Most of what he had to say was stuff I already knew, but he did say a few things that made me think. The biggest was that if you're in doubt about where to place a microphone, place it next to the musician's head, as they are trying to make a sound that is pleasing to their ears, so that is where they will tend to sound their best. Interesting concept, and one I'll use in the future. He also mentioned the idea of placing boundary mics on the floor of the stage. That is one that doesn't work, and he said so, and it's one that I would never dream of trying. Boundary mics turn whatever surface they're attached to into a microphone, and that would be seriousl bad if that surface was the stage. (Side note -- if you go to a concert and they have sheets of clear plexiglass hanging from the ceiling, that's a boundary mic in action.)
Finding the car was a headache as well -- my travelling companion is a wonderful woman, but when it comes to direction sense, she's not going to the olympics in that field. The highlight of the night involved some unsure footing and a puddle placed stratetgically under my butt cheeks. I wound up flat on my back in a San Antonio street. Not her fault, but not something I want to repeat. I am sore in several places from that.
I met some new people while down there, and one of them reminds me a lot of Flaming Sword, but without the overarching bluntness. Cool people.
It's good to be back, though. Now, I'm just wondering if the university will close for Monday thanks to the weather.
It was a fun trip, though noisy to say the least. Why is it that trumpeteers can't play lower pitches when trying out an instrument? Every one of them seemed aimed for the stratosphere. Lots of djembe's in attendance this year.
I caught the UT Longhorn band (They sounded really good) and three choirs, one of which was a madrigal choir. My travelling companion told me they were even in rennaisance garb -- kudos to the director for getting a bunch of high school boys into tights. I also caught the TCU choir, and they sounded great as well. I was hoping to catch at least one more performance, but the hour we spent looking for a parking space made that impossible. I did catch a lecture from a guy from Shure about microphones. Most of what he had to say was stuff I already knew, but he did say a few things that made me think. The biggest was that if you're in doubt about where to place a microphone, place it next to the musician's head, as they are trying to make a sound that is pleasing to their ears, so that is where they will tend to sound their best. Interesting concept, and one I'll use in the future. He also mentioned the idea of placing boundary mics on the floor of the stage. That is one that doesn't work, and he said so, and it's one that I would never dream of trying. Boundary mics turn whatever surface they're attached to into a microphone, and that would be seriousl bad if that surface was the stage. (Side note -- if you go to a concert and they have sheets of clear plexiglass hanging from the ceiling, that's a boundary mic in action.)
Finding the car was a headache as well -- my travelling companion is a wonderful woman, but when it comes to direction sense, she's not going to the olympics in that field. The highlight of the night involved some unsure footing and a puddle placed stratetgically under my butt cheeks. I wound up flat on my back in a San Antonio street. Not her fault, but not something I want to repeat. I am sore in several places from that.
I met some new people while down there, and one of them reminds me a lot of Flaming Sword, but without the overarching bluntness. Cool people.
It's good to be back, though. Now, I'm just wondering if the university will close for Monday thanks to the weather.
