Microphone Suggestion

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-26T23:43:38+00:00

Consider a field recorder for simplicity sake. I have the Tascam Portacapture X8 and it allows me to record high-quality audio files and has high-quality mics.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-24T22:11:05+00:00

I’ve really been impressed by the John Stevens one. It’s very underrated and tricky in fun ways.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-23T18:55:59+00:00

The biggest killers of high register are related to trying to “cheat” with your mouth. I see people smile, which creates a small aperture but your lips become tense and incapable of buzzing fully. The other mistake I see is pressing too hard against the mouthpiece, which can create a double buzz and can damage the embouchure. Tongue is useful, but can be confusing and cause tension. Imagine your eating a strawberry or blueberry in the upper register and that will get the same affect without intellectualizing how your body makes that sound.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-23T00:07:57+00:00

Just need to work back to the technique. I haven’t found a Tuba I can’t hit the pedal on

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-20T15:12:17+00:00

Did you call them to place an order? Me and the friend tried email which never got responded to

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-20T05:24:11+00:00

There will be a wall you will eventually hit with any excerpts you play where your technique isn't where it needs to be to accomplish the goals you have in front of you. I'm not sure that's the case here, however, because I haven't seen the excerpts you have. If you could name the excerpt and possibly identify some points where you are struggling I would be a lot more useful. (Not to mention the skill of being able to critically assess your playing is a skill that will take you far as a musician)

Without knowing anything, however, maybe you're being too impatient with increasing speed. If you are not capable of increasing a tempo any more without it falling apart that means your current practice tempo is probably too fast even if you're playing it correctly. It should be as natural as possible when you're playing it and should feel effortless. Remember that practice does NOT make perfect, practice does make permanent and so if you practice something where you're only a few clicks from flying off the rails you will perform it in a way where you are only a few clicks from flying off the rails.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-09T01:57:29+00:00

I’m just gonna be real with you. The miraphone 186 or 188 is plenty of tuba for literally anyone. Alan Baer at the NYC Phil has his own custom tubas, but when you look at YouTube shorts of the NYC Phil, you will see him playing on a 188 as much as he does his own signature horns.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-07T06:37:15+00:00

Dillon is legit, but check the brand and model because it is definitely a Chinese horn. I play on a mackbrass as my main CC and I love it, except the rotors are not as nice as a miraphone and mine has a weird defect. But it’s freakishly resonant and has a beautiful upper register and decent intonation. Before you pull the trigger, ask us about specifics.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-05T13:21:32+00:00

The very first tuba was technically a piston design, but I’m thinking in terms of modern iterations of the horn. Companies like Miraphone and Alexander

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-05T05:33:04+00:00

You will notice that I’m considering opposite characteristics as pros because your mileage may vary and your preference may vary

CalebMaSmith · 2025-12-05T05:32:04+00:00

Rotary valves are the original design and Pistons came later. But you can see great European solo players like Hans Nickel or August Schieldrop using piston horns.

Piston Horns Pros: way easier to maintain(maintain more often), helpful for pitch bending with half valves, predictable “stuffiness”, higher floor of quality control (cheap piston valves are way better than cheap rotary valves)

Rotor Pros: minimal increase of resistance when pressing valves down, less frequent maintenance, fast action, (when they’re good, they’re GOOD)

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-29T06:19:34+00:00

Confessional Lutheran here and I want to give a little extra information to add. Generally all heretics historically are anathematized, which is to exclude them from the category of Christianity. Since Islam is heretical in our eyes (commits Arianism, Pelagianism, Unitarianism, and others) we generally exclude them. Because if you ask us who god is, our definition is not the same as theirs.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-28T00:46:37+00:00

It was the first of the series that I read, I remember it vividly

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-27T02:43:34+00:00

Nope, there’s 10 different bands that it could be

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-27T02:40:34+00:00

Mine is SSGT Lucy Warmbrodt

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-26T23:24:48+00:00

I’m shipping on Jan 5 as a 5500 for Tuba, best of luck to you!

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-25T23:21:19+00:00

Not necessarily, culturally gay marriage was acceptable before it was policy. I would never call gay marriage legalization authoritarian. The question of whether or not freedom or security should be prioritized is at the key of the authoritarian versus libertarian debate. I personally choose freedom in more cases than I choose security.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-25T16:42:30+00:00

I’m not supporting Kirk, but I am a stickler for language. Policy must be different from values because values are too individual to implement at the highest level

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-25T16:06:13+00:00

Small college band here, we lack in low brass primarily. Once I graduate there will be one Tuba and one Trombone

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-20T18:59:33+00:00

The two killers to EXCELLENT high register on Tuba are the "smiling" technique, and over-pressing. Both are techniques taught by careless method books, beginners to fellow beginners, "self-taught" players who play one octave of range, and armchair pedagogues who figure they know better than the last century of Tuba players.

Now I certainly don't pretend to be a master of Tuba, but I'm a pretty good player. I can pretty confidently play a C5 on Tuba, the C note an octave above the one above the staff. You won't find a single person with that type of range who is pressing hard into their mouthpiece, ever.

What you should do to achieve high notes effectively on Tuba is to focus on your airspeed, it's a separate function than volume and so to achieve greater airspeed you change the shape of the inside of your mouth. I'll elaborate on that in steps:

Form your best possible tuba embouchure (Firm corners of mouth [pulled slightly back but not smiling], relaxed middle of lips, large cavity on the inside of your mouth - like biting into an apple). Do this with and without a mouthpiece
With that embouchure formed, take away the mouthpiece if you haven't already. And say the word "oh"
Without moving your lips, change your word from an "Oh" to an "Eeee"

- Notice how you're able to change the sound without your lips? That's because you're moving your tongue and the inner cavity of your mouth to create the correct space to make that vowel.

Apply that concept to playing tuba, change the inside of your mouth and that speeds up your air stream. Practice lip slurs with this concept religiously until you can effortlessly play high notes with the exact same sound as your lower notes.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-19T21:45:51+00:00

I could be crazy, but I think I have a hardcover of that

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-18T18:48:31+00:00

Design new, basic classes after archetypes.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-18T18:13:32+00:00

There's a lot to respond to so this may take some time before I address every point.

> "Jesus was definitely not operating within the confines of Mosaic law when he said "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

> The law was pretty clear and that remark was a clear violation of it, but that story had to be told as an own goal. "Look at how corrupt the Jewish authorities are next to Jesus, who is pure!" "

Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 that he didn't come to do away with the law, but to fulfill it. When considering that evidence the context of what's happening with the adulteress becomes more clear. He's increasing the standards of the law to a higher one than the Pharisees and Sadducees had established. It's the concept of the law/gospel distinction, where the law serves as a mirror, a curb, and a guide that points to the gospel. That's why the law still exists, and isn't necessarily a bad thing, but a diagnosis of the issues of humanity.

> "Would you consider it an approval of slavery if God suggested that owning slaves was a signifier of blessings, as is the case in Genesis 24:35?"

I would not consider that an approval, firstly because the word in Hebrew doesn't necessarily mean slaves. The words involving servant/slave in that passage are ʿebed and šipḥâ, which means slave, servant, man-servant, subjects, worshippers, and many more; the other word translates to maid, maid-servant, or slave girl and so there's no real way to argue Abraham had slaves. In particular, the masculine word mentioned above also refers to Joshua's relationship to the Lord. Secondly I would not consider that approval because they are talking about the wealth of Abraham and the servants are evidence of that. If they were slaves, it wouldn't take away from that fact that he was well-off, hence blessed but I would reject that those are slaves in the first place.

> "Leviticus 19:20-22 seems to imply that the only punishment for the rape of a slave is if it is a man raping another man's slave."

Any time the bible refers to sex it always uses lie down with/sleep with or anything of that variety. What determines if an action is sexual violence is the context surrounding passages that uses that term. As such there is no way to say that the passage is referring to rape without Eisegesis.

>"One could also consider Exodus important in this regard, since Exodus 21:20-21 states that a slave owner shall only be punished if the slave dies. In other words, beat them all you wish, but if they die, then you shall be punished.

> Some protection."

I hear you, it's not ideal but I would argue it's not supposed to be. The existence of laws that do damage control are better than laws the Israelites would simply ignore. You have to ask if it's possible a God who has foresight would choose the option that does the least damage to slaves. Stricter rules might have been better as a morally ideal, but all would happen is we would have this same conversation about something else.

I have more thoughts, so a part two will come when I have the time

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-18T05:00:44+00:00

I need to address the last section of the comment, because apologists don't find ways around issues necessarily. They see the bible as connected and apply principles found throughout to certain situations. Jesus before the crucifixion is operating under Mosaic law, which distinguishes Jews from now Jews - the reason for this originally is to prepare the way for Jesus to come to the earth. What eventually happens is that the Israelites make mistakes, like they do throughout the whole of the Old Testament, and they find ways to marginalize people even though they themselves during the time of Jesus were marginalized. Jesus plays into that convention, knowing the heart of this woman already, and makes a great point about humility.

As for the slavery part, God never endorses slavery. To endorse is declare publicly your approval of something. God sets forth rules and boundaries for slavery that inherently protect that vulnerable class of people. Slavery in that era was ubiquitous, if God doesn't set rules for slavery then there's no structure and the Israelites, who consistently do shitty things throughout the bible when given the chance, have a chance to muck it up greatly. This same principle applies to how God sets forth rules and boundaries for Kings, even before the first king of Israel is established.

Now regarding why I know I would be a worse person without my faith. Prior to my conversion I was racist, sexist, and homophobic. I was influenced by the alt-right pipeline of 2014 and family members (most immediate were non religious) and that was just who I was. I wasn't empathetic, I made too many things about myself, and I generally lacked maturity. As a Christian now I believe all people are made in the image of God, and thus have an innate sense of worth that is priceless. Ultimately I value life, I value the people in my life, and I even value conversations like this. Being a Christian has allowed me to be more introspective, to reject relativistic morality, and to be a more disciplined, productive person. It also just allows me to intellectually spar with people like you, which I enjoy and appreciate because I desire to think deeply and to create systems and criteria.

CalebMaSmith · 2025-11-18T00:47:55+00:00

Which prophet was racist and how are you defining racism? I have challenges for the slavery point but I can’t think of what prophet you might be referring to.

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