The sound of music
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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Has the concert hall become the musician's battlefield?
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Alfred Selvaraj
It was a nightmare come true. The concert had just gathered momentum, with the artiste crooning soulfully into the mike when it emitted a menacing growl.
Suddenly there was a piercing shriek followed by a prolonged banshee-like wail. From then on, matters went steadily downhill. An hour and a lost battle later, the musician admitted defeat. Sadly, most artistes have a horror story to relate.
"The quality of the sound system can either make or break a performance," says Alfred Selvaraj, proprietor of Picture Productions. His sound engineer, Balaji, affirms: "Without proper feedback, it is difficult for artistes to perform at an optimum comfort level."
What is feedback? To the uninitiated, feedback is the return of amplified sound to its source, that is the device by which the artiste is able to listen to himself and gauge the quality and volume of sound. How is this done? "By providing a separate stage monitor (feedback speaker) which carries sound exclusively to the artistes on stage, independent of the speakers that carry sound to the audience. There can be one or several monitors depending on the number of performers," says Balaji. Senior vocalist Raji Gopalakrishnan feels the positioning of monitors is very important. "If placed right in front of the musician, there is sound distortion and a metallic ring to the voice, different from its natural timbre."
" Our two 12" stage monitors are placed on either side for best results," explains R.S. Kumar, sound engineer, Vani Mahal.
It is only when separate feedback speakers are not provided that problems arise. Requests by the artiste to increase feedback levels are misconstrued by listeners as "uncontrolled-amplification-by-artistes-out-to-deafen-the-audience." "Not so," says vocalist Sriram Gangadharan. " Communicating with listeners through music is our aim and without feedback it becomes an exercise in futility."
Balaji
Vocalist Neyveli Santhanagopalan agrees. "The ideal of manodharma sangeetha is one phrase leading seamlessly to another. If the performer has to strain to hear himself, the music stops flowing."
"The stage monitors and the audience-facing speakers should be connected to separate amplifiers. They should be distinct entities," states Kumar.
"Balancing — projecting the tone of voice or instrument by varying levels of treble, bass, sharp, etc., — and equalising, setting the decibel levels of voices and instruments in relation to each other, are crucial too. So is the placement of the console," adds Balaji. "This year, the Music Academy has given us special permission to place the feedback facing the performers beyond the last row of seats, enabling prompt action after observing their reaction. We have also provided a special headphone through which artistes can issue instructions to us without craning their neck or resorting to abhinaya."
Holistic approach
When sabhas stand to gain so much by providing good sound systems, why do they feature last on the priority list? Many sabhas do not have their own halls, systems or sound personnel and hire them when required. "It's a question of cost," explains Y. Prabhu of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. "Not all organisations can afford it. Our state-of-the-art sound system cost Rs. 8 lakhs-10 lakhs. Also, we benefited from a holistic approach. As we rebuilt our sabha we constantly consulted acoustics experts for building materials." Alfred Selvaraj offers a solution. "For classical music programmes we offer very reasonable rates, about Rs. 10,000-15000 for a week-long series."
The sound engineer or `mikeman' is the man of the hour. Gone are the days when he could take things easy by hanging out at the neighbourhood tea stall. The technological revolution decrees that he must learn to handle sophisticated equipment. "Just as artistes are expected to improve with each music season, sound personnel should also update their knowledge and grow in their craft," says Sriram Gangadharan.
Appreciation makes their day. ``When things go wrong, people complain but hardly anyone thanks us when the going is good. So, when singer Runa Laila openly acknowledged our contribution at The Hindu Friday Review November Fest, we felt very happy," says Balaji.
The December Season is Chennai's golden opportunity to showcase the best of classical music and dance to a global audience. Why not put our best foot forward?
Sound facts
Those sabhas which can afford to should update their sound equipment. Pronto. Suggestion: Find a local sponsor instead of waiting for Bill Gates' next visit to India.
The hall chosen should have decent acoustics. "Low hall rent, will hire," should not be the deciding factor.
Sound personnel must keep abreast of the latest advances in technology and equipment.
Artistes should arrive early for a sound check.
Attention artistes: You may compliment the sound personnel for a job well done. Sabhas must insist on provision of a separate feedback speaker, with the same zeal with which they provide special canteen facilities.
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