Posted by didn't read too carefully, eh? on January 28, 2001 at 16:01:32:
In Reply to: Why does Sam use Bill Bell Tuba? posted by Steve Inman on January 27, 2001 at 18:17:29:
If you re-read my question, and the partial answers I provided to my own question, you'll see that the venting of frustration isn't at all necessary. I proposed in my answer that he must be getting the sound he wanted out of the horn, and that in a recording session, you can use "close miking" to make smaller instruments sound huge. This is often done with acoustic guitar to enhance the bass response of the instrument.
So my question was not born of a fettish for big instruments, but one of technical curiousity in the recording studio, with the spin-off question of live performances.
So, let's try again for the easily frustrated: Assuming Sam P. uses the Bill Bell model because he gets the precise sound he wants to get in the studio, THEN, DOES HE ALSO PERFORM LIVE with this same horn? Others have suggested that he often DOES NOT. If so, then WHY NOT? If the B.B. CC provides him with his best "singing voice", why not perform live with this horn too? I have a very hard time telling how well a horn projects, or how its voice sounds in an auditorium when I'm on the playing end of the same horn. If Sam uses different horns for live performances, how would he (or any of us) decide which horn would sound the best for a live performance?
Far from being a post with the intent of asking why Sam doesn't use one of the mythical CSO Yorks, I'm exploring the possibilities of success with a non-standard, "non-glamorous" choice of tuba.
Please read thoughtfully, and ponder with me instead of immediately jumping to incorrect conclusions.
Steve Inman
Kokomo, IN