AUDIO BASICS FOR CARNATIC MUSICIANS

BHADRAM KARNEBHIH SHRUNUYAAMA DEVAAH!

Oh Gods, May we hear only the good with our ears!    

This post, addressed at (Carnatic) musicians, is a sequel to  earlier blogs of mine
 (http://veeraam.blogspot.com/2016/09/carnatic-music-audio-engineering-for.html AND http://veeraam.blogspot.com/2016/10/carnatic-music-additional-pointers.html) for amateur audio engineers who man systems for Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam programs.  Since no one starts a concert with a prayer that includes the line "Maa vidvishavahai (let us not wrangle)," I thought it worthwhile to record some lessons I have gleaned from over three decades at the mixer board, at least for the benefit of those musicians who  may want to improve matters.  My post is a set of requests/suggestions with some explanations on why and for what. 

     The quality and fidelity of the sound that is heard in a hall depends not only on the audio systems, the hall acoustics, and those managing the audio, but even more importantly on the musicians and their cooperation with those managing the audio. While it is  certainly desirable that musicians learn at least the rudiments of audio, the unfortunate reality is that there are but very few (Indian) musicians who understand them, and their  partial knowledge often makes things worse. (Sorry for my being blunt, but it is a comment that most discerning listeners and knowledgeable technical people will agree with.) Also, even if they were experts in audio,  there is no way a set of people sitting on stage can manage the sound quality heard in the hall since that is not necessarily what they hear on stage. 

1. Please plan your day so that sound checks can be done and adjustments made at least 20 minutes before the allotted start time.  Nothing annoys your (paying) audience more than being made to wait for inordinate amounts of time outside a concert hall for the fault of organizers and musicians not doing what should be obvious to all.  Be also considerate of the fact that your audience may include quite a few who cannot stand for extended periods of time.  (We honestly can't wait for the day when Indian programs will start punctually at announced times with the audience already seated.)

2. Please maintain, as much as you can, a constant distance from the microphone.  Understand that getting closer to the mic increases the bass of your voice while being too far way makes you sound hollow and not clear.  Occasionally at least pay attention to how you sound.  If you see that your volume has dropped down, check to see if you have moved too far away from the mic and readjust your position.  The audio guys can compensate with an increased gain, but that is more risky in terms of feedback etc.  If the audio people are in your line of sight, at least occasionally look towards them in case they want to alert you that you need to move closer.

3. Please do not keep your sruti box volume too loud as to drown everything.  Audiences find it annoying.  It also makes any adjustments to the sound very hard and nearly impossible.

4. Compared to what passes in India, Western audiences, including NRIs, like to hear classical music at a comparatively lower volume, being used as they are to the low ambient noise environment and overall lower volumes even in normal conversations that usually obtain in the West.  So, it is a good idea to leave the level of volume heard in the hall to the audio people and not to ask them to raise the master volume.  In addition to that, when volume levels in the hall are set too high, the same sound waves get reflected on the walls multiple times without adequate attenuation with the result that the audience hears multiple versions resulting in much degraded quality of sound. (Someday, organizations like CMANA may have their own halls designed with good acoustics and sound absorbing walls, but we just don't have that luxury now as we operate in whatever is available.)

5. With typical organizations not having a permanent venue of their own and with obvious cost constraints, they do not run separate systems for the hall and for the monitor.  So, kindly be judicious in making requests to the audio folk in increasing your volume or making repeated adjustments of bass and treble etc since these alter the sound not only as you hear it on the stage but in the hall itself.  Also, don't throw jargon like "give me more reverb" without knowing what it is all about and how it will really affect for different types of hall sizes, configurations, reflection properties, etc.  You are also better off if these advanced controls are not employed by non-experts without formal training, as I have seen in many performances that could have been much better had they been done without an improperly set reverb. (If you are worried about recording, don't worry; a good studio or technician should know how to add reverb during post-processing.  You could have performed in a dingy school library, but we can make it sound like you performed in a grand theater.)

6. It is important that you hear yourself and your accompanists well, and reasonable audio people do recognize the importance of that.  Insist on a stage monitor, and make sure that it is set at a level that you are comfortable and yet  does not cause problems for the feed to the hall.  With regard to the latter, please understand that there is considerable risk in increasing the monitor volume in that the sound emanating from them can create a feedback effect.  At higher volumes of the monitor, the monitor sounds get fed back into the microphones, get re-amplified again, and create both a distortion due to multiple signals and even more importantly the possibility of those terrible squeaks from an overload.  Just making sure of that and not being concerned about the hall related issues will also help you concentrate more on your music.

7. Please avoid injecting your own devices like contact microphones,  amplifiers etc into the system.   The small amps used typically on stage by individual players do not have the high fidelity needed for a concert hall. Similarly, each microphone has  response characteristics of its own and reshapes the sound offered to it.  When these characteristics are not matched to the desired frequency responses appropriate to your instrument, what results is often extremely sub-optimal.  When amplified, the imperfection sounds even worse.  Particularly, for various Carnatic instruments, where the materials from which they are made accommodate necessary attenuation of the frequencies generated to create continuity (particularly with respect to gamakam, nadam, etc.), these mismatches make you sound unnecessarily worse while even a moderately good non-contact microphone would do much better.  But, if you insist on using a contact microphone, please buy a high end one suited to your frequency range, test it well before purchase, record some of your own music and listen to it, and, furthermore, make sure that it is properly maintained and frequently serviced professionally.  As for using your own amplifiers, consider that it may appear rude towards your own team mates on the stage, and sometimes when more than one has it, it even leads to a competition in cacophony.  In addition to all the above, you cause the risk of a system failure if your own device happens to be defective or not to have the right impedance etc.

8. The time to let the organizer know of any special needs like an adapter for instance is not five minutes before the concert but a few days ahead of time.  Sometimes even sourcing the right piece takes time.

9. Good audio people recognize that it is your concert and you want to sound the best and will work with you to achieve the best results.  Establish some sign language with them so that if you think something is not okay (e.g., the mrdangam left is creating too much of a boom) you can let them know in an understandable way.

Someday, I am sure Indian communities and organizations as well as our audiences will evolve to a point where you can have the kind of quality obtaining in Broadway or great concert halls of the world in our programs too.  We realize that we are imposing on you various sub-optimal systems of our own and are highly appreciative of your understanding and cooperation.   But, let us also remember that compared to the Golden Age of Ariyakkudi and others, today's systems (including the ones used by many Indian organizations) are much more advanced and sophisticated and aiding the musician a lot more.  (The problem often may  be too many choices and controls, really.)   In any case, together, let us make the best of what we have even as we constantly improve.  That is the spirit underlying this blog, and do pardon me if you find anything offensive or strongly worded.

Your informed comments and suggestions to improve this piece are most welcome.
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Dr. V. Ramaswami is a former President and Secretary of CMANA, the Carnatic Music Association of North America.  He is also a composer with three setss of CD "Swarabharanam" and "Sadaa Namaami" performed to by Sri Sikkil Gurucharan, the former with V. Sanjeev and J. Vaidyanathan, and the latter two with Sayee Rakshit and K.V.Prasad.  He is thankful to the great audio/video scientists who invented many of the systems of today and with whom he has had the privilege to work in addition to the experience as a volunteer doing audio.