La Scalas; Don't Do That! (long)

[DizRotus]

I always knew that no good deed goes unpunished (For the entire background, see Music playback in band room , Four abused Lascalas need a good home - sold , WWPWKD? First music across generations? ). After repeated gushing praise for the sound of the La Scalas from the band director, I got an email stating that something is rattling in the left speaker.

Naturally, he isn't available to demonstrate the problem, so I arranged to get the band room unlocked by a night custodian. My 15-year-old son and I took every possible tool to address every possible problem.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />

We fired em up . . . . . and they sounded . . . well . . . fantastic. The Doobie Brothers at 100+db, and no rattles. The drum solo from Diana Kralls, Live in Paris, track 7, Devil May Care, also at 100+db; nothing but tight solid percussion. Neither my son nor I could hear a problem.

The aluminum trim was the first suspect. It was all still tightly secured by the silicone and screws; no rattles there. I opened the bass bin; everything tight as expected. Nothing was loose. Nothing was rattling.

Today I went back while the director was there. He put in this Paul Simon CD that looked like it came in a cereal box, cranked it way up and said, Hear that? Yeah, I hear that. The drum on that CD sounded like crap at low volume and now it sounds like REALLY LOUD CRAP. Garbage in and garbage out.

He didnt seem to be buying it. The fact that everything sounded perfect on good recordings, irrespective of the volume level, hadnt persuaded him that the problem was the CD, not the speakers. In an attempt to demonstrate what I was explaining, I pulled out Paul Simon and put in the Live In Paris CD, without touching the volume. With the volume at 12:00 Oclock, Paul Simon was loud and bad. At the same setting Diana Krall was extremely loud and still good.

Im temped to take my single driver rear horn project speakers over there to demonstrate that the crappy CD will sound bad on them too. I tried to explain that he will hear a lot of things that hes never heard before. Some good and some bad. Hes still loves the way they sound, except when they rattle when he plays that Paul Simon CD.

Patient: Doctor, it hurts when I do this (raising his arm).

Doctor: Dont do that.

[crazytubepower]

some people are funny

[D-MAN]

It's the "pearls before swine"-thing.

DM

[Duke Spinner]

some people ......

are brain dead

[CaptnBob]

And here I was thinking the rattle was going to be the springs on the bottom of a snare drum...

[DizRotus]

And here I was thinking the rattle was going to be the springs on the bottom of a snare drum...

That thought crossed my mind also. In fact, the percussive sound is of such poor quality on the recording that snares could be at least part of the problem. Whatever it is, it sounds bad at low volume and horrible at high volume.

[Marvel]

Which Paul Simon CD was it? Some of his stuff is really good, but some

had some 'interesting' recording techniques, to say the least.

Bruce

[psg]

That drum solo is pretty good isn't it!

On the concert DVD, the DTS track is incredible.

[bkrop]

Why don't you get that putz of a band director to let his first chair

(best) trombone player and most inept trombone player to play the same

piece on the same trombone, would the difference in sound be the

trombone's fault?

P.S. Don't try this with a triangle![]

[DizRotus]

Which Paul Simon CD was it? Some of his stuff is really good, but some had some 'interesting' recording techniques, to say the least.

Bruce

I don't recall, but It's not Paul Simon's fault. The recording quality is poor, not the quality of the music.

[SilverSport]

Diz,

Last night I was playing my new Diana Krall Christmas (There...I said it!) CD and heard a rattle through my K'Horns....darned if that old bass wasn't vibrating a hollowcore door in an unpstairs bedroom (where I keep the 'puter)

Wild.

Bill