On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:41:56 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

Oh yes indeed. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra was the very
first jazz orchestra. Six violins.

Which wouldn't be heard against open brass etc. In a purely acoustic
environment you use an arrangement of the music that allows the quiet
instruments to be heard. With multi-miked SR this isn't always the case.

Violins aren't as quiet as some people imagine.

"Laurence Payne" NOSPAMlpayne1ATdsl.pipex.com wrote in message
...
On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:41:56 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

Oh yes indeed. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra was the very
first jazz orchestra. Six violins.

Which wouldn't be heard against open brass etc. In a purely acoustic
environment you use an arrangement of the music that allows the quiet
instruments to be heard. With multi-miked SR this isn't always the case.

Violins aren't as quiet as some people imagine.


Dave probably made his comment without taking the trouble to
listen to any of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra recordings. One
can even borrow reprints of the scores for study. The original
recordings were mainly pre-electric, but still the strings can be
heard very well. It's all down to the skill of the arranger
as to how tone colours are used, and the way section
balance is achieved.

Paul Whiteman's arrangers, Ferde Grofe, Tommy
Sutterfield and in particular Bill Challis were masters
in orchestral voicing - written strings figures against
saxes or woodwind which sounded very good indeed,
and also brass in harmon or cup mutes. Clever stuff:-)
Even in tutti passages the strings can still be clearly heard.


Iain

In article ,
Laurence Payne NOSPAMlpayne1ATdsl.pipex.com wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:41:56 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

Oh yes indeed. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra was the very
first jazz orchestra. Six violins.

Which wouldn't be heard against open brass etc. In a purely acoustic
environment you use an arrangement of the music that allows the quiet
instruments to be heard. With multi-miked SR this isn't always the
case.

Violins aren't as quiet as some people imagine.

True - but getting adequate separation with them as part of a 'pop'
orchestra is - as indeed is the case with some other acoustic instruments.
All those mics you see ain't window dressing. ;-)

It's a chicken and egg situation. Before the days of sound re-enforcement
any band or orchestra and their vocalists etc had to be internally
balanced. A combination of how the 'score' was written and the conductor
and of course having an adequate number of musicians in each section for
the required end result. Once you provide amplification the goalposts
move. A crooner can be heard where once required a tenor on kill. ;-)
A bass guitar can drown out a kick drum. Etc. Or you can reduce the size
of a section and they'll still be heard. They won't sound as good, of
course, but the alternative cost wise is not to have them at all. All
pretty obvious stuff I'm afraid.

--
*Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film *

Dave Plowman London SW
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