[hank alrich]

Mike Rivers wrote:

Today we have house concerts (some of which, sadly, have PA systems) but
put more than about 150 people in a room with a performer up front and
the "Can't hear you"s will start making everyone uncomfortable. Some of
this is due to the fact that the performers don't learn to perform
without a sound system.

So much depends on the room. In some cases we can easily perform without
sound, and in others, even in a smaller room, no way. Acoustics and
floorplan matter.

There is also the question of the change of vocal quality when one must
push to fill space, instead of dealing with the lyrics and emotion of
the song without that need to push. Alison Kraus has not a powerful
voice, in terms of SPL. In terms of emotional delivery, we haven't many
contemporary popular singers capable of matching her. In my world, vocal
histrionics don't count. That's not emotion. It's a circus act.

When we must use sound reinforcement I am most pleased when my friend
and long-time associate Fletcher Clark mixes us. You will see a sound
system, and it will be contributing, but you won't hear _it_. He either
puts it just under our own natural SPL coming from the stage, or right
at the point where it equals out output. The result is great room
coverage without a sense of listening to a sound system instead of
listening to musicians.

--
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