Vanessa-Mae's Violins (II)

[aventine]

That is why I started this one, so that we may receive further responses that are ON TOPIC.

[aventine]

Btw, any posts not relating to this topic, (that is, more specifically, to do with closing threads etc.) will be deleted. If you want to talk about closing threads, look in General Discussions.

Thank you.

[foreverred]

Guys, I have no problems with talking about miming. I have a problem with name calling and hostility, which I felt in that thread. If the topic of miming will always result in hostility towards each other in the end, then maybe it's best to leave it. Do we have anything new to say in regards to that topic? Other than the back and forth "you are wrong"? Both sides of the argument have been thoroughly presented. Let the audience decide.

Please, I'd like this to go back on topic now. :bow2:

Actually, the thread was closed before Omar can give his thoughts about it.

I was looking forward to hearing his thoughts.

And the debate was not off-topic in the other thread, nor it is here. The topic is "Vanessa-Mae's violins" in which Omar writes about how he feels about Vanessa playing acoustic/electric violins in live appearances as opposed to studio. The miming had a direct relation to that.

As i've stated in the General Thread, the debate was certainly heated but it was not hostile. There was no namecalling or personal insults. Will it go nowhere? Well, the thread was closed within 24 hours of the issue being raised. Who is to say for sure? If it goes nowhere, then it goes nowhere. No one is being forced to read it.

--Benji

Benji, thanks to you and the rest of the staff and members who have given me such a warm welcome to the VMFF. Thanks as well to those who posted videos of Vanessa-Mae's performances in the 90s - this helped me further in my research of her sound.

I understand the misconceptions that a lot of traditional violinists (classical) and fiddlers (Celtic or country) have about using pickups on their acoustic violins and playing electric violins.

The electric violins made by companies such as Fender have given these instruments a bad name. The Fender violin has a harsh tone and is difficult to equalize, so I'm disappointed and shocked when I see a violinist playing this instrument live. Fender's electric guitars and basses are awesome - they should stick to that.

Honestly, you get what you pay for. Fender violins are about $400 online... and it's obvious. On the other hand, for an affordable electric violin, the Yamaha Silent Electric (SV-120) and Yamaha New Electric (EV-204 and EV-205) have AMAZING sound - the Silent sounds very acoustic when plugged in, and the New Electric is very edgy and modern, crisp and clear like the Zeta violins but for half the price.

It was obvious during those video clips of the "Red Hot Tour" that she was NOT miming. I know the tone of a Zeta Jazz violin anywhere and she was playing live and it sounded great! That instrument serves well for rock, jazz, and new age songs, where as classical crossover pieces like "Bach Street Prelude" and "I'm a Doun" are better with the acoustic.

Let me re-iterate that Vanessa-Mae would only mime performances (with any of her violins - Gizmo, Zeta Jazz, or Ted Brewer) that didn't require a full set of music for a concert tour - such as when she performed "Storm" and "I'm a Doun" for those English and German television talkshow appearances. Her band was present, but it would have been a frustrating hassle just to mic her Gizmo, set up her electric violin and band for just one song.

Trust me... violinists in PARTICULAR (not excluding other lead performers) are perfectionists when it comes to their sound. I've done television spots and radio shows here in the States where the soundperson had no idea how to EQ a violin on their board and I ended up miming the song - I'd rather give the impression of a stellar performance rather than perform live and it sound like you-know-what - and it's happened before.

Miming has nothing to do with electric violins sounding bad. Electric violins vary from each other in cost, tone and appearance just as much as acoustic violins do. If you invest in a cheap electric, that's what it will sound like. If you put time and money into a better instrument, you'll be happy - this is the reason Bond are now using Starfish instruments instead of Yamaha Silents. This is the reason I'm using my 4 and 5-string Zeta Jazz Acoustic Pro violins and a 6-string Violectra instead of a Barcus-Berry.

For a more simple comparison, I used to use the Fishman violin pickup and was satisfied until I heard it recorded and I hated it, so I moved onto the L.R. Baggs and now I'm totally pleased.

Artists like Vanessa-Mae and even younger artists to the scene like myself have invested time and money in searching for the best possible live sound but we will only perform live when we have had ample time to do a full soundcheck where our bands and we as lead performers can acheive the best sound possible.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts and opinions!

Warmly,
Omar
www.omarlopez.com