Making noise out of music
P. S. KRISHNAMURTI
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Sound system should enhance not hinder a concert.
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What is life without technology? And music is no exception. Trouble arises when we begin to venerate technology, often even the technician, forgetting that the former is only an aid and the latter a mere helper. Take for instance, the sound system manager, popularly referred to as the `Mike Man.' He plays an important part in building the composite edifice of the kutcheri. A bad sound system in the music hall can mar a performance more deeply than is normally imagined. A common instance is ``howling" - a squeal which begins with a mild disturbance at a low volume, reaching a deafening crescendo.
One way to stop it is to reduce the volume control of the amplifier, cut down the amplification, and thus the positive acoustic feedback from the loudspeakers into the microphones. However, this often is not a permanent solution. Howling is the result of casual and ignorant design or control of the elector-acoustic system, which includes both the electrical parameters and hall acoustics. As with all maladies, the real solution lies in bestowing proper professional care and attention before the concert. It is imperative to be clear about the basics of a whole series of complex concepts and contexts - the dynamic range and frequency response of the amplifier, the range of variation in the pitch of the programme, the placements and alignments of the loudspeakers, the reverberations in the hall due to the reflections at the walls, ceiling and floor, the vibrations of the floor of the stage, the adjustment of the gain and equalisation controls, and so on. Some features may need to be incorporated even empirically.
Another way the sound system can mar concert quality is through the manner in which the gain controls (amplifications) of the different channels are set (such as for the main artiste, the violin, mridangam and other accompaniments). In certain cases of music, mostly of the western genre, the drums predominate during certain passages. In such portions, the drum could do with more artificial emphasis than the other instruments. Carnatic music presents a different platform altogether. Here the percussion instrument is an eloquent and brilliant catalyst in the overall musical experiment, and if handled aesthetically, can raise the concert to delightful heights.
Mikeless
In a popular sabha a couple of years ago, after repeated their repeated attempts to reduce the volume did not succeed, the audience had to stand up and vociferously demand that the sound be reduced. It was only after the lead artiste, T. M. Krishna in this case, endorsed the request that the Sound Master obliged.
One wonders why the sabhas cannot keep the sound managers in their place. It is interesting to note that the late Palghat Mani Iyer, no doubt to the chagrin of many, opted to decline (or even prevent) the use of the microphone in the concerts in which he figured. He wished to eliminate at least one insolent and obtrusive non-contributor!
The sound technician has to develop sensitivity to the musical element in the concert. The bottom line is that there is need to inculcate professionalism at every point. There should be the stamp of professional quality, character, method and conduct in our individual roles in the overall effort. This is where one sees a striking difference between our ways and those in the West.
The sabhas will do well not to treat the sound system expert as holy cow and make him realise that he exists only because of the concert.
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