I know this is an old thread...I saw them live 3 days ago. Naysayers in our ticket line mentioned this.
They are playing live!! I'm a sound engineer. Their technology is often touted in our trade journals. The only exception I think was some sleigh bells sounds and a little background audio for the LED screen presentation, which they openly admitted to.
All performers play and sing live. They run 140 wireless channels (RF), 48 of which are for ear buds of the musicians/singers and some staff. This includes stage tech - 3 Shure GX-4D wireless dual combiners, Shure UHF-R receivers for vocals and guitars, Sennheiser 2025 wireless microphone systems, 16 Sennheiser G3 IEM packs, and so on. This is technology for LIVE performances, and a lot of it!!
What most people are not understanding is the delay that occurs in stadium environments. The sound arriving to your ear does not match the movements of musicians, which is typical. When you hit a cord on a guitar or violin, that signal travels through that RF channel, the mixer, amps, etc. then through long cables to the speakers. The biggest delay is next, that distance from their Clair I3 speakers to your ears. All these millisecond delays ad up and trick the eye/ear.
From what I could tell, concealed by their outfits, mobile musicians had two body packs. One for their earbuds, and the transmitter for their instrument. Each musician uses earbuds so they can hear their personal instrument (in real time) and also the entire band at the same time, in real time. They do not rely on the audio coming from the speakers as those delays cause chaos for a musician or voice. Ever notice inexperienced people who sing the national anthem at large venues often freak out? It's because their voice isn't matching what's coming from the stadium speakers.
Next time you're at a concert watch the drummer. By the time your ear hears them hit the "ride" or "crash" cymbal (tallest ones) his stick has already hit a drum. It goes without saying each member of TSO is a seasoned professional musician, of live music. Rest assured there are no Milli or Vanilli's in the TSO performances.
They are playing live!! I'm a sound engineer. Their technology is often touted in our trade journals. The only exception I think was some sleigh bells sounds and a little background audio for the LED screen presentation, which they openly admitted to.
All performers play and sing live. They run 140 wireless channels (RF), 48 of which are for ear buds of the musicians/singers and some staff. This includes stage tech - 3 Shure GX-4D wireless dual combiners, Shure UHF-R receivers for vocals and guitars, Sennheiser 2025 wireless microphone systems, 16 Sennheiser G3 IEM packs, and so on. This is technology for LIVE performances, and a lot of it!!
What most people are not understanding is the delay that occurs in stadium environments. The sound arriving to your ear does not match the movements of musicians, which is typical. When you hit a cord on a guitar or violin, that signal travels through that RF channel, the mixer, amps, etc. then through long cables to the speakers. The biggest delay is next, that distance from their Clair I3 speakers to your ears. All these millisecond delays ad up and trick the eye/ear.
From what I could tell, concealed by their outfits, mobile musicians had two body packs. One for their earbuds, and the transmitter for their instrument. Each musician uses earbuds so they can hear their personal instrument (in real time) and also the entire band at the same time, in real time. They do not rely on the audio coming from the speakers as those delays cause chaos for a musician or voice. Ever notice inexperienced people who sing the national anthem at large venues often freak out? It's because their voice isn't matching what's coming from the stadium speakers.
Next time you're at a concert watch the drummer. By the time your ear hears them hit the "ride" or "crash" cymbal (tallest ones) his stick has already hit a drum. It goes without saying each member of TSO is a seasoned professional musician, of live music. Rest assured there are no Milli or Vanilli's in the TSO performances.