Band Over-amped?
Given the awesome event and atmosphere for the game against ND, was the band over-amped, in anyone else's opinion? (Looking for Bando or other band alum/member inputs, thoughts and commentary.)
Not necessarily a get-off-my-lawn complaint, just, it seemed like the band would start "The Victors" or "Let's Go Blue" at a pre-set volume, and then 2-4 seconds later, it would come blasting out of the north scoreboard...and not at Spinal Tap's "11" on the amp dial, but significantly louder.
Anyone?
September 12th, 2011 at 9:51 AM ^
The band can be at 11 anytime!
September 12th, 2011 at 9:52 AM ^
It sounded fine to me but i was in the corner near the other score board
September 12th, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
There was only one time, It was during the 3rd quarter, that I noticed any issue. Other than that one instance I thought they sounded great.
I was section 31 row B.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:04 AM ^
It seemed like the combination of band plus mike-ing overwhelmed the ND band, whenever they started up, the MMB would respond with a louder rendition of whatever was on call.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:00 AM ^
Think that depends where you sit. Where I was (same side of the field but near the other end zone) you can't hear them at all otherwise because they're pointed to the other side of the stadium. I thought the amping was fine.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:04 AM ^
My seats are in section 4 (south endzone, opposite corner from the band) and I think the speakers sounded great, especially because they helped drown out the ND band in front of me.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:09 AM ^
I was on the same side as the band on the 20 yard line. There were absolutely no problems I noticed. Sound came through load and clear as did everything else on the new speakers.
Kind of wonder how many watts those speakers are pushing out.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:15 AM ^
The student section can't hear the band without that amplification/"redirection." I sit 20 rows behind the band and I haven't heard them play a song when seated all year.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:17 AM ^
That's hyperbole, and you know it. There's no way you can't hear anything the band is playing from your seats.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:35 AM ^
You're right, but I can't follow the beat very well (such as trying to guess whether it's Hail to the Victors or not at times when it's not obviously being played, such as a TD). I don't hear the sound that the band wants you to hear, maybe I'm partially deaf, but I really appreciate the music being played over the stadium speakers.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:35 AM ^
I also sit 20 rows behind the band. You can hear noise when they're playing, but it's nearly impossible to tell WHAT they're playing.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:16 AM ^
Honestly, I've been having a really hard time picking up exactly when the band is and isn't mic'ed. I just don't hear a big/obvious difference. Might be where my seats are. I don't know anything about the policies involved, how it's decided or who decides when the band is or isn't mic'ed up, or even how the volume is controlled. So... I'm not much help on this.
I will just continue to point out that a 350-piece college marching band should not need microphones to be heard in Michigan Stadium.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:22 AM ^
My brother and I were talking about how loud and overwhelming the sound was, obliterating the ND band in the process.
Your point that the band shouldn't need microphones is a good one, but why not seated in the endzone facing most of the stadium? I've never understood why that wasn't done...
September 12th, 2011 at 10:35 AM ^
Always thought the band should sit in the top, middle of one of the end zones a la Penn State.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^
In the small stadium rennovation a few years prior to the big one, they built in that section for the band in the corner. The thinking, as I understand it, was wanting to keep the band as part of the student section. Obviously this is flawed and for sound quality the logical place is definitely the endzone, but moving them at this point would require another mini-rennovation and displacing the people that currently sit there. If it ever happens it won't be for a number of years.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:40 AM ^
They might not "need" a microphone, but I sure wish they would put one on them during halftime. My family and I have sat in the same seats in the South Endzone for well over 30 years. We really miss being able to hear the halftime show. Of course, we also missed having the small brass section breakouts travelling around the stadium as well. I think what I'm saying is that the new DoB needs to get off my lawn.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:25 AM ^
sounded great to me. The entire stadium was buzzing even during warm-ups. You could tell that someone had already decided to "crank it up" just hearing the lineups.
Go Blue!
September 12th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^
Here is the whole MMB intro (HD) from the game taken by me in the endzone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9QfGEAKHbM
Sorry for some kid talking next to me briefly at one point, he means well
September 12th, 2011 at 10:41 AM ^
Bonus Steve Everitt sighting at 3:42, as well.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:41 AM ^
From my seats in the endzone in the student section, I can hear both the band itself and the speakers. I don't mind; there's a couple seconds' delay, but it's still loud and clear. My parents' seats are in section 18, on the opposite side of the stadium, and this is the first time they've been able to hear the band clearly, and they've been going to games for 20 years.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:48 AM ^
My issue is that all I can hear from the band are the bass drums, and the only thing I can hear from the speakers are the trumpets. So you have to decide which to clap/cheer along with, usually the mic'd music wins out.
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<br>But yeah, forget about halftime or pregame, I haven't been able to hear either for the past 4 years.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:09 AM ^
If it's too loud you're too old!
September 12th, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^
And I was saying I wished the band was louder. We could barely hear them. I didn't think they were mic'd up at all honesty.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:28 AM ^
The amplification was obvious from where I'm at, directly across from the band. At times, they were blasting it so loud that I could no longer hear the band (playing directly at me) at all and all I could hear were the speakers in the scoreboard to my right. Dunno if that is a good thing or a bad thing--I guess if people can't hear the band it is a good thing, but it seems like there should be some other solution.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:42 AM ^
Watching the game on TV, I could barely hear the band or ND's band. And while it was easy to see how crazy the crowd was, the noise was drowned out on TV as well. That was disappointing. It must have been an ESPN connection thing.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:36 PM ^
We were on the 40 yard line, row 39. The band sounded amped but not too loud from there.