Posted by The Voice of Reason on February 26, 2001 at 12:18:21:
In Reply to: Ask the Tuba Player posted by Bill Y. on February 25, 2001 at 00:08:38:
I can't stand this anymore!
The second suggestion of hydrogen/oxygen-filled balloons sent me over the edge.
Kids, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. These are explosives, and require expert guidance. Beginners stay away. Remember the Hindenburg? Same stuff.
Likewise shotguns. Outdoors; fine. But indoors, the concussion from real firearms might be too much. Problem is, you can't experiment non-destructively. It doesn't need to be so loud that everyone has to wear earplugs. When I fire shotguns, I wear hearing protection. For a reason. If people have to wince, they won't enjoy it.
If you use a synthesizer, you will need a powerful amplifier, and I mean REALLY powerful. A bridged 250 W/channel amp MIGHT be enough. And you need a real PA speaker, a big one, and not somebody's speaker from home. If you overdrive equipment that's too small, all you get is ruined equipment or, if you're lucky, a few blown fuses. Place the speaker face up behind the band, so that the sound will radiate rather than punch, and make sure the sampled cannon sounds like a cannon.
Outdoors, real cannon do wonderfully. But, again, it's not for beginners. Last time I played 1812 in a band, we invited the local Guard unit to bring about half a dozen Howitzers. That's enough so that they can reload them and stay with the music. Make sure they are set up downwind from both the audience and the band. Make sure they are aimed away from people--even firing nothing but powder there is a substantial muzzle flash. These guys are experts and will probably do it for free just for the fun of it.
Of course, the commercial bang-makers are a good choice, too, because they will come with instructions designed to make sure that all limbs stay attached to all bodies.
Rick "having nightmares about some of these descriptions" Denney