Dennis, et al., I have to admit to only scanning through posts on this discussion, but I want to weigh in with a point that I believe has been amplified by the situation in NYC.
No matter what you do with a MIDI performance, the sounds are still electronically produced, and most importantly, must be electronically amplified through some sort of speaker system to be heard. One can spend gobs of money and manpower to get the acoustical issues as right as possible, but in the cases where (a) a real orchestra is run through an electronic system, and mixed into a mono or (rarely) stereo output, or (b) electronic instruments are employed to take the place of an orchestra (or part of it), then this situation is always inferior to an unamplified orchestra in hall built for such music. Obviously, I am not speaking of music that is intended to sounded through electronic means. I heard an interview with a Broadway producer who said that since the orchestra is amplified anyway, it's not a far step to use an amplified MIDI performance. I realize that the logistics of modern Broadway shows are what they are, but I still believe that everything from these type of productions to Pops concerts rely too heavily on amplification. There is nothing I hate more than seeing an orchestra on a concert hall stage where they might have played a Brahms Symphony the previous evening with no amplification, play a Pops concert with everything miced like a studio orchestra. I always think I might as well have stayed home and catch a radio broadcast. Excellent players, playing excellent acoustically-designed instruments, all with great ears to listen for balance, all being carefully balanced by a conductor, and then all being mixed by a guy in the back of the hall, and sent together through the same speaker cone. It's a real mess in my opinion. Why go to the hall? I know my opinions won't change the realities of this, but I should hope I'm not alone in my feelings about this. Dennis' points are well taken, but I think that in the case of MIDI being used in the stead of performers on acoustic instruments, this is an important point. The other point is that I, too, would always rather have a not perfect live acoustic performance of music that was composed to be heard that way, and believe that the music is much less valuable without the dimension of performer interpretation applied. Tim _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
