Dear John, I agree that the acoustic world should be...as it says... acoustic. But the situation he's dealing with is an extreme example of an acoustic 'dead-zone'. Certainly my first response was simply to focus the existing sound more efficiently, the choir-shell idea is certainly the best for this purpose.(IMHO). I agree with you entirely! But we do have to acknowledge that there are times for sound amplification, and indeed times when it is absolutely essential to support the sound and allow the audience to get full benefit from the artist's efforts. We did not mike the Baldwin in the reflective cavern, we simply focused the sound a bit. We did mike the Yamaha, but there WAS no piano-sound without some (electronic) help. I let Avery know the two extremes I had dealt with, and left it to him to decide on the applicability to his own needs. (He has privately posted me that the sound-shell idea may fly. He was also interested in the sound-systems because the pianos are located in a new venue each year... he never knows WHAT he may need to do, until they decide where to hold their shindig. Could be almost any kind of acoustic dilemma or... possibly a dream?). I certainly understand and agree with your expressed opinion. But will admit that I've recieved good results in otherwise disappointing situations with a little help from my (sound-techie) friends. It's a wide world, isn't it? Sincerely, Jeffrey T. Hickey (Radical Piano-forte Technophile) ps- People truly do not realize how much is lost in "Digital-Sound" systems. Those highly touted CDs, for instance, lose a HUGE amount of flavour and color of tone to the whole concept! All these systems are relying on a "sampling" of the music in tiny surgucal slices; They tend to kick out as "noise" much of the true character of the music... be it acoustic, vocal, orchestral, or the latest grunge band from Seattle with a new release. We have a gentleman out here who patented a new speaker-wire with tremendous increases in it's ability to allow signal to flow without flaw or deformation. What does he listen to in his custom sound room? Yup... those old vinyl discs. He cannot tolerate the silky smooth, overly purified, disgustingly 'clean' sounds that digitizing produces. I agree with him, too! Try the experiment at home; Find an old record that you have a matching (...new! improved! sound-enhanced!) CD for. Crank them up and compare 'em. The CD will sound like a poor tape with too much DOLBY in comparison... truly listen to the backround of the record. Here all those little grunts and puffs from the players? Hear those shifting chairs and creaking floorboards? The digital system will read these as random "spikes" and assume them to be noise! It's amazing how much is lost in the translation. There are variations in the extremes this goes to, of course... but there IS much to be said for true acoustic performance (...and digitizing ain't got it!) IMHO jef
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