The Score Magazine August 2017 issue!

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 10 Issue 7 August 2017

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India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE

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PATRICIA ROZARIO ON THE MUMBAI OPERA HOUSE...

USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN & SONS PLAYING THE SAROD, FAMILY TRADITION AND MORE

THE ALL NEW STORYTELLERS BAR IN PONDICHERRY, BEGINNERS GUIDE TO HOME AUDIO INTERFACES AND MORE

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USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN AND SONS

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SASKIA RAO DE HAAS

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PATRICIA ROZARIO

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STORYTELLER’S BAR, PONDICHERRY

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PAREKH AND SINGH 20

EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC IN BOLLYWOOD 21 TRADITIONAL INDIAN MUSIC INSTRUMENTS 22 5 ARTISTS TO WATCH LIVE IN CONCERT

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MUSIC AS A SOCIAL EXPRESSION

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MUSIC IN WAR TIME 25 BEGINNERS GUIDE TO HOME STUDIO AUDIO INTERFACES

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DIRECTOR'S NOTE Director, Strategy and Planning Ajay Prabhakar Director, Business Development Pragash VM Director, Marketing & Operations Sneha Ramesh Editorial Advisor Nikila Srinivasan Creative Director George Vedamanickam Creative Designer Manasi Doshi Content Contributors Aditi Sarawagi Shreya Bose Souvik Chakraborty Sreyoshi Guha Thakurta Sanchana Krishnan Sinjini Ghosh Suparno Saha Sriram Ravishankar

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Renowned Music composer AR Rahman’s fans were disappointed that he did not perform enough Hindi songs at this recent concert in Wembley, London. Some of the concertgoers walked out when he performed his Tamil songs and not enough of his Hindi ones. Some were also seen demanding refunds after attending the concert. These angered fans, took to Twitter to express their disappointment.

The irony is, the performance set list had about 16 Hindi songs and 12 in Tamil.

Why would someone want to go to a concert, knowing fully well that it is titled in Tamil and expect only Hindi Songs to be performed by the Mozart of Madras?

The concert title was ‘Netru Indru Nalai’ which translates to, yesterday, today, tomorrow in Tamil. Even when A.R.Rahman was awarded the Oscar, he dedicated it to God by saying, "Ella Pugazhum Iraivanukke".

Before they went to the concert, fans should have known what to expect from a musician like A.R.Rahman. I was also quite shocked that fans expect a celebrated Musician to sing only in one language that the fans know. Expressing anger through Social Media is free but it takes only 2 minutes to play devil's advocate and look at the bigger picture to make sense of it all.

If that reason wasn’t enough, I do not understand Hindi but I have tons of favorite Hindi songs. I do not listen to their Tamil version even if it available simply because it isn't the same as the original version. As music lovers, it is imperative to accept Music without any barriers like language.

Enjoy Music for what it is.

PRAGASH VM

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USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN & SONS It was a pleasure interviewing the legendary Sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on his entire journey, what he thinks about the current industry, how he picked up Sarod first and much more.

We also had a very interesting conversation with Ayaan and Amaan on their work currently.

USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN Could you tell us a little history about how you picked up the Sarod?

I cannot remember a particular day that I was initiated into the world of music. It was a part of me from as early as I can remember. Indeed, I cannot think of a moment when music has been separated from my life. For my father Haafiz Ali Khan, though, there was no question of a life outside music. Life itself was music and Music was Life. And so I came to inherit from him the legacy of five generations of musicians as naturally as a bird taking to the air. Music is the greatest wealth that I inherited from my forefathers.

Music is a precious gift of God. Research on this subject has shown that listening to appealing music allows plants to grow faster, cattle give more milk and today the medical world is using music as therapy. Certain ragas take care of certain ailments. In my life and journey from the age of 6, I experienced the ecstasy, peace, tranquilly, harmony, satisfaction and joy though various melodies and rhythm and ragas. The reactions of music kept changing according to my age and experience. Our musical seven notes are

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closely connected with our important cells of the mind and appealing music becomes the therapy for the musicians and the listeners.

You have been playing for the last 60 plus years. How have you adapted to the change in the music scene year after year for the last 6 decades?

A great deal of importance is given to tradition in Indian classical music. In fact, tradition and spirituality are the backbone of classical music whether it is in the form of the teaching system, or in the structure of ragas and talas. Great musicians or Gurus have been likened to pujaris or priests who perform upasana. That is why we touch their feet. It is not an act of subservience but an elevating and liberating action. It is a unique custom that truly belongs only to our culture. It is understandable to adopt or adapt to a modern way of life and merely seek to achieve technical virtuosity but this does not mean that we forget mean that we forget the most essential values of our tradition and culture

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Amaan and Ayaan today do strike a correct balance between the two worlds of traditionalism and contemporary times but it’s not something easy to do in today’s times. I see a great journey of Indian classical music being carried forward by brilliant musicians of the younger generation. These people are getting a readymade remedy to work on the research and time spent by me and all my contemporaries in all these years. Thanks to the net, I-pods, DVDs and CDs, we are at every home in the world. I am very happy that there are young dedicated musicians, they are also committed performers. I wish them all a very bright and successful future and I am sure that our classical music and legacy will flourish not only in India but all over the world. I am also very satisfied with the response of whole world to our country and its tradition.”

Bangash great acclaim which was further perfected by his son Ghulam Ali Khan Bangash. They were all our forefathers!

Having said all this, you eventually are what your music is. Your legacy should show on your work not on facts and history alone!! The Sarod has a steel fingerboard and a belly covered with goatskin. Over this are placed 19 metal strings out of which 11 are sympathetic ones. The plectrum is made of coconut shell called ‘java’. The strings are pressed with the edge of the nails and not the fingertips. This gives a very fine tone that suits the character of this instrument. The body is made of teakwood.

If there is one thing you wish could change in the current scheme of things in the music space, what would it be and why?

There is no formula so to speak to prepare next generation of musicians. There are brilliant young musicians in the generation of Amaan and Ayaan. I am not at all worried about the next generation. By the grace of god they can face the world very brilliantly. Today we have cell phones, I-pods etc, but nobody could create a thirteenth note. These twelve musical notes are the base of every kind of music in the world. In fact, music has connected the whole world.

We, the musicians of the world are like one big family.

Today, especially after 9/11, as a musician and as an artiste, I often think what is the contribution of education in this world? We are still struggling on account of religion and power. We need kind and compassionate people in the world and I see classical music as a means to nurture such feelings. There is room for music beyond technical brilliance and firework mastery. There is a word of punctuation even in music. Appeal, Aesthetics, Poise are all musical terms for me. I am very happy to see the progress of the students who are realizing and feeling music as a way of life.

For me, Music is not a profession but a passion. A way of life!

Education unfortunately could not create compassion and kindness in human beings. Today terrorism and destructive activities are at its peak. As a human being, I feel proud to see the achievements of a mankind. However, I feel that an educational degree is important for any artist today as a backup plan. Creative fields don’t have formulas or methods. I wish to have music shape the consciousness in a way that contributes to oneness in Children; it must be more practical and less theoretic! Music is the greatest wealth that I inherited from my forefathers; one that I am constantly sharing with my disciples. Therefore, there isn’t an instant coffee culture that I can follow! Only Practice can work and not any kind of digital correction!

Your ancestral heritage has been playing Sarod. Did you ever feel under pressure during your early years?

Although we automatically assume that Indian music and its instruments to be ancient, the Sarod is one example of an instrument that evolved from other structurally similar Indian and Afghan lutes around the middle of the nineteenth century. The Sarod as we know of today, traces its genealogy and origin back to Rabab of yore. All music evolves because of certain factors which makes it sociological reality rather than simply an aesthetic function. So it was with the Rabab, the folk instrument of ancient Afghanistan, Persia and several other countries, each with a variation giving it an identify of its own. The Pathan Bangash family who were from Central Asia pioneered the task and contributed to the evolution of the present day Sarod. It was the quest of Ghulam Bandegi Khan Bangash for something more that resulted in the modification of the Rabab with certain additions-the new element of melody being the high point of change . And it was this concept of melody, which gave the instrument its name SAROD-being literally a derivation from "Sarod"- meaning melody in Persian. These innovations won Ghulam Bandegi

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Having seen the transition in music through the years, how do you think technology plays an important role in the current scenario?

You have also been a great role model for your sons and helped take Sarod to the western world. Where do you see this instrument stand in future?

I am grateful to God that he has given us Amaan and Ayaan. The years I spent teaching them have been quite an experience. In a family where music is a way of life, and fundamental to it, training in its intricacies starts from the moment a child is born. When I held Amaan for the first time, I sang into his ear. On Ayaan’s arrival two years later, I did the same. In essence, their training started from that moment, soon after their birth. From the day they came into the world, they were both drawn to music.

Perhaps, a wise parent would not allow two sons to play the same instrument, but because music is the only wealth I inherited from my forefathers, I wanted to share it equally with both of them. As a teacher, it was the first time I was able to hold a student on my lap! As time progressed, their training and the musical knowledge that I have tried to pass onto them, continued in our music room. In the

course of Amaan and Ayaan’s training, which is an ongoing process for a classical musician, I never encouraged them to copy my style. As they matured as musicians, I was relieved to see that both the brothers were developing an approach that was distinctive and rather different from what they were taught. This I feel is only natural, for the music that an individual creates is a reflection of his or her mind and soul. Over the years they have received immense love and blessings from people in India and all over the world. From the beginning, Amaan has been a protective older brother to Ayaan. And Ayaan has always given him the respect and love due to an older brother. For lot of young people, they have become role models. I feel I too have learnt a lot while teaching them. Today, besides playing classical music, they have made albums of experimental music too. I have really enjoyed their collaboration with guitarist Derek Trucks, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, and cellist Matthew Barley. Subhalakshmi and I always hope to see them progress, be successful and happy. By the grace of God, they have matured into multifaceted personalities. I am sure that by the blessings, love and encouragement of music lovers, they will achieve their goals and everything what they deserve and desire. With time, they have become my closest companions in the music industry.

Most of our concert tours, especially the ones overseas, are together, and as a result we have been able to spend immense quality time, both as father-son and teacher-disciple. All concerts have been memorable, from numerous ones at the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., the Orpheum Theater in Vancouver, among many others.

Tell us about your current and future projects?

There is a US Tour lined up that includes my performances at Carnegie Hall in New York and Chicago Symphony Hall in Chicago. I also perform at the Beloved Festival in Oregon and at the Oudh Festival in Israel. I also look forward to my next release called Peace Worshippers on Naxos and my residency at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

What would be your message to aspiring and young musicians?

Musicians and listeners of music have been communicating with each other across all barriers through this 'language'

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from time immemorial. As we use flowers in worship, welcoming, honoring, departure, and celebration no matter what our race, origin, religion or language, we similarly arrange musical notes into 'bouquets' or compositions which display all our human feelings and emotions. Musical vibrations can convey moods and emotions and have the ability to mould and shape our consciousness. Different types of music can have different effects on the mind-both positive and negative. Our mind is like any living organism. It must be nurtured and needs stimulation to develop and grow.

Music is one of the most important 'foods' for the intellect.

Each musical note is connected to this most important part of our minds. Music has many faces. Conversation, recitation, chanting and singing are all part of music. Before I talk about the spirituality, I must clarify that there are only two types of music in the world. One is based on lyrics, text language, poetry also known as songs and the other kind of music which is pure sound like sound of symphony Violin, Cello, Sitar or Sarod. The sound through voice or instruments is the purest form of music. Songs become popular because of the language text or lyrics. It is easier to talk about spirituality through words but it is difficult to realize or explain the spirituality through the sound. I am grateful to God that I belong to the world of sound. There is an old saying that 'SWAR HI ISHWAR HAI.' I have realized the existence of God or the creator of the world through sound and music only. I cannot manipulate through sound because sound is very transparent. Language creates barriers; one can manipulate through words.

AMAAN ALI BANGASH Growing up in an environment with legendary musicians like your dad and grandfather, did you always feel the pressure to follow the path or was it easier since the foundation was laid?

Initially I was conditioned into music but now it's a passion and a reason for immense happiness in my life. Being Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Saheb's son, it's a matter of great honor and I feel highly privileged that God gave me the opportunity to be born to this family. My main concern is not to just get popular but the fear of embarrassing my father god forbid, if I am unable to make good music. Abba as we call our father is more of a father to us. Of course the change in role for us and for him to guru to father and back to guru is somewhat effortless; however, it is a relationship with two people, like batman and Bruce Wayne! He has been the most patient teacher and the most loving father. Abba’s teaching and philosophy is beyond music. It’s a way of life. The mantra taught by our parents has been to be a good human being first and good music will follow. Music is who we are and our nature reflects in our music. Therefore as siblings we know each other’s mind on stage. There is no rehearsal!! Our mother’s role has been immense in our lives. Being an artist herself who learnt from the great Rukmini Devi Arundale, she sacrificed her career for the family. Today, what we are, who we are all her contribution. As our father says, a mother is every child’s first guru.

We have heard that your dad used to play nursery rhymes on the Sarod when you were kids. That sure does imply that he wanted to imbibe this onto you at a very young age. Is that true?

It was the best move to attract children. It was the basic old McDonald, Do a deer etc. Our father is man of his principles and says that God watches every individual in this world and takes care of everything. The mantra taught by our parents has been to be a good human being first and good music will follow. Music is who we are and our nature reflects in our music. Therefore, as siblings we know each other’s mind on stage. There is no rehearsal!! The idea when we play duets is to create a bouquet of flowers though we have our solo careers too. My parents have influenced me on a personal, emotional and spiritual level. My parents continue to be my epitomes of being inspirational figures.

Has the journey for you two been easier, considering you had a stalwart as your father?

Abba’s teaching and philosophy is beyond music. It’s a way of life. The mantra taught by our parents has been to be a good human being first and good music will follow. Music is who we are and our nature reflects in our music. All I can say Is that it's a complete privilege to be the older son of a monumental icon. I have never figured out Kids of famous fathers getting rebellious on account of whose sons or daughters they are.

Parents are like Gods. Enjoy them and serve them.

What keeps you two out of the industry of Bollywood?

It is clearly not planned! We have many friends from Bollywood but work wise there wasn’t any offer that caught our attention. The closet we came to film music was the background score for American Daylight in 2003 by academy award winner Rodger Christian starring Nick Moran.

What is your take on technology being used these days in music?

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It’s great! The fact that things are working means people love it! Today, Indian artists have classical concerts selling out

all over the world. We need to understand that this has been a very intimate art form, initially not meant for masses. It was only post the aristocratic era that it opened its doors to the masses. Like one can’t compare cricket and chess, you cannot compare Bollywood to Classical Music. It’s like comparing sushi and chicken tikka! Today there are maximum numbers of youngsters learning music and also performing at all levels including posting themselves on YouTube!

AYAAN ALI BANGASH What was the first ever tune you learned?

When we were growing up, our father would always be very happy to see us listen to music, not just practice it. Not just his own music, but the music of an entire range of artistes from the era of our grandfather to the contemporaries of our father. We were never asked to listen to a particular artiste, or not to listen to another; to listen only to classical music and not to listen to the music of the West or Bollywood. The choice and the freedom was entirely ours. But it is only natural to be influenced by the music that your guru speaks of or refers to when he plays. We thus became engrossed in the world of Indian classical music that our father had grown up with, along with our own contemporary choices. To be a musician is in itself a blessing as you are really not answerable to anyone but yourself. For those few hours when you are onstage, you are in a creative frenzy, sometimes supernaturally unreal.

There are times when you get off stage only to realize that something special happened up there on stage that day. It is a blessing to be in a profession of what you love doing. It is also a non debatable factor that music is indeed the best way to connect to that supreme power that we have never seen. Be it any religion, music has always been the pathway to spirituality.

Peace' on this momentous occasion as a tribute to Kailash Saryarthi and Malala Yosufzai. Both Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai got this great honor for their work against suppression of children and their right to education. We performed on two occasions. The first was at the Nobel Peace Prize presentation ceremony. It was indeed a moment of pride as an India to see Kailashji receive this great honour. It was after thirty six years that an Indian received the Nobel Peace Prize. The second was at the spectacular Oslo Spektrum. It was perhaps the largest gathering I have performed in, outside India. This venue seated over 6,000 people including Prince Hakon of Norway and members of the Norwegian royal family in the audience of course along with both the Laureates. It was so wonderful to perform alongside Queen Latifa, Steven Tyler of the band Aerosmith and Nuno Bettencourt the great Guitarist from the band Extreme. The atmosphere back stage was magical. All artists were interacting with one another with the highest regard for each other's musical genre.

If you had a chance to collaborate with a particular artist, who would it be and why?

So many!!! It’s a long list and a journey full of surprises. We have been very fortunate to have received so much love and adulation from music lovers all over the world. It’s such a long journey! Sky is the limit. The main mantra is that we have never taken any concert for granted. You are as old as your last concert and every concert is the first concert of your life. We have done many collaborations in the past with Allman Brothers band guitarist Derek Trucks, American Folk song writer Carrie Newcomer, Grammy nominated Oud player Rahim Alhaj and also with the performed with London Philharmonia, Avignon Symphony Orchestra, Welsh National Oera, Britten Sinfonia and National Youth Orchestra of United Kingdom. Every field has its low and high phases.

How to strike a balance between sticking to the roots of your art form and also taking it to places across the globe?

Music is our life. From the time we were born, the language spoken was music; the air that we were breathing was music.

We took shape of the vessel like water. Though our father has been a very strict traditionalist, he has always believed in adapting to change. In all honesty, Indian classical music has no rules about how it should be presented or executed. That’s very individualistic. Over the years we have tried our best to make the Sarod reach out to a new audience, to listeners that perhaps would not be at a classical concert!

Tell us about your best tour till date and why?

There have been so many but the Nobel Peace Prize concert was special. We performed at the Nobel Prize ceremony and the Nobel Peace Prize concert. We presented 'Raga for

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SHREYA BOSE

Dutch maestro with The Indian Cello

SASKIA RAO DE HAAS

After finishing one of her concerts in France, a couple walked up to Saskia Rao de Haas and told her about one of their friends who had been diagnosed with cancer. He had played Rao de Haas’s CD every day for one whole year. They told her that this man believed it was her music that cured him.

It’s easy for stories like this to go to one’s head, but the inventor of the Indian Cello holds to her heart a mantra that has allowed her to coax, from stubborn strings, lascivious-yet-punishing-yet-pensive tones: Patience.

Reverence. Dedication. Discipline. Speaking to her evokes the kind of tranquillity you would experience at the end of a sermon by Thich Nath Hahn; you are convinced that things are ripe for a positive transition.

Maestro Rao de Haas spent her childhood in a Dutch village at the border with Amsterdam with windmills and a river and cows dotting green fields. Her parents played the piano, her sisters the flute and violin. Her early training was under Maestro Tibor de Machula who took pains to emphasise the how basic scales and exercises fit into the florid manoeuvrings of concertos and sonatas.

She experienced, with him, a technique characteristic of musical education in India: imitation. Rao would listen to him play, and instead of looking at the sheet music, would attempt to replicate him on the instrument. About a year after this began, it was discovered that could not read musical notations too well; she had been playing from memory the entire time.

Her introduction to the Indian classical oeuvre occurred through a recording of the Dagar Brothers that one of her teachers, professor Rokus de Groot, played in class.

Rao found herself irreversibly seduced by its easeful cohabitation of contrasts: the sounds unfurling both rigid and free, earthly and esoteric.

Her work finds truth in this playful duality. When she weaves her harmonic way through the Raga Bhimpalasi, it is with a skill imbued with copious soul, with precise, distinguished beginnings that shimmer into swathes of sublime rushes which tap into multiple emotional responses.

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Rao’s training under the revered Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia has allowed her to temper sensibilities fostered by traditional Western training. As artistic director of the Indian music program at the Rotterdam conservatory, he spent about 4 months a year taking classes in an intensively interdisciplinary curriculum which brewed a mosaic consciousness of melody: western art music, jazz music, popular music, tango,

flamenco, Persian and Indian music, composition and music education. Rao assiduously attended his classes, and they crafted her perspective and practice. She absorbed his conception of music as meditation, worship and existential path. As revealed by the divinity he breathes into the bansuri (bamboo flute), his mastery is the consequence of a spiritual acquiescence to his sound, coupled with the “practice regime of a former Soviet gymnast”.

Rao’s own expertise honours both her roots in the West and her heart in India. She exemplifies this in the Indian Cello, an instrument of her own design. Born of “the need to create a specific sound that was of a cello but with an Indian essence”, it is modified with a high extra string, 10 sympathetic strings and tuning, as well as decreased size allowing for it to be played while sitting on the floor (in the way of the Indian classical practitioner).

The instrument emanates a tone that is sparse, polished but unpretentious, and in the hands of Maestro Rao, infinitely malleable. She wields it like Orpheus’ lute, causing a device born in 16th century Italy to sing the Raag Vibhas and Miyan ki Malhar with unabashed ease.

Maestro Rao de Haas’ artistry is grounded in culturally heterogenous soil. She applauds the benefit of having been educated with wildly opposing techniques prevalent in traditions of the West and India. “Western teaching is all about encouraging to ask questions, to explore freely and to regard your teacher as a mentor whom you respect, but not as a distant unapproachable person…An Indian learning style is more bout surrender to the Guru who molds the student based his infinitely larger experience and knowledge. The student should do as he is told, since the Guru has his best interest in mind. For that reason, he is not encouraged to question the guru.” Her gurus pointed out the path that led her to glory, but left her curiosity untouched. Rao states that she has received the benefit of being given knowledge without being deprived of the right to question the knowledge being given: “There is no replacement for the guru shishya parampera, yet students should be encouraged to foster an inquisitive mind and be open to explore. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia told me that my mission should be to create a style for the Indian cello. Not play like another instrument or vocal style.”

The Indian Cello was built by Eduard van Tongeren, a Dutch lutier who has earned accolades for restoration of old, difficult and forgotten instruments. An electro-acoustic avatar of the cello has been created by French lutier Alexandre Letellier. Rao has designed five different models of the cello, most of which are used by her students.

Rao might have been initiated into the rich tapestry of classical music by her teachers, but much of the inspiration and experimentation emerges from her partnership with composer and sitar player Pandit Subhendra Rao, her husband since 2001. A protégé of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Subhendra Rao is known for his proficiency, prowess and extensive collaborations. Their classical jugalbandi is a thing of joy, merging the gentle, sprightly, elusive meanderings of the sitar with the earthy sheaths of cello strings.

Their partnership extends beyond stage and home to entrepreneurship. The Sangeet4All curriculum was born out of their belief that all children are entitled to musical education that actually offers some merit. Currently serving about 12,000 children and 50 music teachers, it comprises “an on the job professional development program for music teachers, effective musical games and activities, text books in the form of attractive picture books, songs, new small instruments, reading Indian music notation and flashcards.”

She calls it “the science of teaching music in an Indian classroom” as it takes care to incorporate classical Indian sensibilities into its structure.

Saskia Rao de Haas’ discipline is evident in a daily routine saturated with yoga and slow scales, care for her son, riaz, teaching, workshops, meetings, concerts, more riaz and working on the curriculum. She draws her persistence from her philosophy that hails music as imbued with “the power to unite people and…let them experience intimately what it means to be one with…the sense that we are all one, all connected by a higher power…” It has served her well, fostering a sound made unique not simply because of her skill in manipulating an instrument but in shaping an entirely new one.

For a world obsessed with definitions, discrimination and a superficial “advancement” at the expense of any lessons the past might have offered, Saskia Rao de Haas is a reminder of what might happen if artistic boundaries are relaxed, and the past is given a place at the table.

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SINJINI GHOSH

Dream Pop Duo taking over town,

: The partial Parekh and Singh: Indian Ghosts

You may not have heard of Ocean, Parekh and Singh’s 2013 Western Indie album. Inspired by acts ranging from Simon & Garfunkel to Marvin Gaye the duo re-released the now viral video for “I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll” under their new name and new British indie label Peacefrog. The video has been since dubbed Wes Anderson-esque, with the man himself having personally appreciated Parekh and Singh’s suits in the video. It has since its released gathered 7,53,476 views on YouTube and counting- a feat impressive for an Indian indie duo. With Nischay Parekh’s singing, guitar and synth playing accompanied by Jivraj Singh’s drumming and percussion effects, their music is of whimsical quality and unique sound.

The album has now seen more singles being released from it, “Philosophize”, and very recently- “Ghost”, in the May of 2017.

The tracks are of a cosmic, dream pop variety, and currently quite the pride of the Indian indie scene. The two have been friends since they were teenagers, and their music is reflective of childhood- tinged with the nostalgia of imagination and the fantastical peculiarity that only dreamy children can muster. “We just want to make pop songs in whichever way seems natural”, says Parekh, and their content is organic and genuine, more than anything. Friends from the start it’s perhaps this comradeship and bonhomie that allows their vision to be so unified, and ultimately achieves the sound, music and photography that they shoot for.

It’s not however their music alone that has heads turning and chins looking up- it’s their aesthetic. With poker faces, wry

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humour-laced suits and quirky cinematography, the band’s music videos have themes and palettes that absolutely delight.

Picture this: Wes Anderson having a pastel conversation over tea with Woody Allen and Kubrick in a Kolkata coffeehouse.

This is the aesthetic that Parekh & Singh channel in their videos. Shot by Misha Ghose and scripted by Parekh himself, the video is undeniably art- be it the mysterious bouncing blue ball that follows the duo around, or the hauntingly retro royal palace the video is shot in.

A year later, ‘Ghost’ came out just this May, and has over 3,41,000 views on YouTube. Avid consumers of pop culture themselves the boys are odd, spinning the cliché perspective of a dated India, their videos instead emulating a new world-class image of the modern, sharp, fashionable Indian. Their music and aesthetic appeals to and caters not only to the new batch of global but rooted Indians, but also carries international influence. Parekh and Singh’s unorthodox, floaty and creative sound and imagery is finally grounded in the landscape of Kolkata, lending a fresh breath of air in a time when item songs and desi rappers own the airtime and the ringtones.

Parekh and Singh to put it simply, are a twosome that are serving more than niche audience for once, carrying a hitherto never encountered flavour- and they are here to stay.

With singles that could very well be the soundtrack to your daydream, if you haven’t seen their visually delicious music videos on their YouTube channel yet, what are you waiting for?

ADITI SARAWAGI

EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC

IN INDIAN CINEMA The Indian music industry is waking up to new genres be it through its movies or independent artistes and bands playing across the country. Though new, different genres of music take a while to get mass attention, music aficionados have been very receptive towards experimental or avantgarde music which basically refers to artistes pushing existing boundaries of the traditional genres of music and experimenting with newer genres, sometimes blurring and sometimes even merging them to create new sound streams which are unorthodox with a distinctly new path.

Though folk music cannot be completely deigned to be said as experimental music, it is a genre which wasn’t considered part of the mainstream music scene in India. That has changed with many music directors incorporating folk flavours in their music and sometimes even dedicating whole compositions to the earthy tones. This can be seen in films like Peepli Live, Gangs of Wasseypur and Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. This results in some beautiful fusion music which is a treat to the ears and is a surefire sign of being part of Indian film compositions in the future as well.

Popular Bollywood music directors also work with experimental music and Amit Trivedi is one of the most admired music directors to work with newer genres. His music in Udta Punjab included trance and rap music with a darker edge to it. He also uses jazz tunes in his compositions at times. He calls his way of composition as ‘method composing’ leading to the soulful music he creates.

A lot of singers have also cropped up in Indian cinema whose style of singing is very different-be it jazz singer Shefali Alvarez, rock singer Suraj Jagan or even Vishal Dadlani who is part of a rock band. Similarly Anushka Manchanda and Mohit Chauhan are also a far cry from the sound we are used to hearing and yet they have changed the way music is perceived in the industry. Them along with Shalmali Kholgade, Mohan Kanan from Agnee and Shilpa Rao bring the indie pop flavour to the fore.

Not only is film music style changing but a lot of bands have also come up across the country working with different sounds. Local bands are experimenting with new styles including heavy metal and other distinctive desi and indie styles like emphatic rhythms, vigorous vocals and even bass styles. The rise in popularity in avant garde genres have encouraged these bands to try something different. They are experimenting with hard metal, desi beats, and even Punjabi and regional beats.

When talking about revolutionary changes in music, one cannot forget A.R. Rahman’s contribution to experimental music. He was one of the first artistes to bring in digital sounds and technology to recording studios and is a pioneer of progressive music. Other Bollywood music directors giving us new sounds to hear are Vishal-Shekhar, Swanand Kirkire, Sneha Khanwalkar and Ram Sampath amongst others who amalgamate the sounds from various parts of the world, technology and of course an Indian soul.

Opening up to new music has also brought international artistes to the country like Chammak Challo brought Akon to Bollywood with Ra-One and Kylie Minogue sang Chiggy Wiggy for Blue. Many Pakistani singers also have become part of mainstream Indian music be it Rahat Fateh Ali Khan or Atif Aslam. Electronic Dance Music or EDM which has taken the world by storm has also found its share of fans in India in music from movies such as Cocktail, Go Goa Gone and Dev D. Sufi music is another genre bringing global sounds to India.

A lot of new musicians are working with experimental music over the years and have introduced newer genres to the Indian music scene. People are way more accepting of newer forms and slowly and steadily, experimental music has made a place for itself.

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SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y

SOUNDS CLOSE TO HOME It was almost a mandate in Bollywood to use saxophone as a basic foundation over the ornamental percussions in the very recent past. And, today the popular Hindi cinema music is shifting fast to remixing and remaking old songs with EDM loops. What is wrong, with our music, are we so dry in our home, that we have always to go back to the waters of the sea washed away from a foreign land Our roots are deep seated in a variety of percussion and stringed instruments, which we hardly see or hear in our popular media, be that Television or film. We have so many diversity that it along can bring down the glory of mighty European operas to dust and blow up the potential of what actually is believed to be 'hit music' in our country. Tour through the most underrated musical instruments, that do not make the main stream music in most cases.

Rabab was actually renovated to a musical instrument called sarod.

Rabab is a surprisingly widely known stringed instrument as it has toured the length and breadth of places like Asia and Africa. The beauty of rabab like most instruments is in playing. It can be bowed and plucked as well.

Tambura is a long stringed instrument with a resonator made of gourd, tambura does not produce a characteristic melody that is mostly unheard of in popular genre, but also produces a great aesthetic value to the tradition or a culture it belongs to. Any tambura you would pick will talk of the precision involved in designing the intricacies of the body art done on it.

Morsing is one of the most quirky designs that a musical instrument can have. It is believed to have originated in Greece and was popularly used to sing lyrics. It is a tiny prong shaped instrument with a metal stick running through its length. The prongs are placed in the mouth between the upper and lower lip and the string is plucked producing a sound that could well replicate the mating calls of the animals in a pond.

Esraj is one of my favourite all time drug. Dilruba or Esraj is the successor of the Taus from the yesteryears. It is played with a bow and has 18 strings and frets along the necks. The Holy Gurmat Sangeet is accompanied with this instrument. It is interesting that except for one, the rest of the strings in this instrument are sympathetic strings. It is unfortunate though, that such a purely magical instrumental could not make it to mainstream music and is stuck only to the religious and the folks.

Swarmandal is the very oriental harp, that is mostly used with Indian classical vocals.

This stringed instrument is hooked to a wooden board and is free to use according to the musician. It is fascinating that this 36 string instrument can be tuned

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according to the preference of the musician and is not dependant on a set of rules. Unlike most instruments the use of this instrument varies from raga to raga. Besides, the swarmandal is played by the lead vocalist itself.

Ghatam is a clay pot, re alloyed with copper, iron and brass which is sometimes boosted with more water or clay as required. It has a wide range of tonality from the mouth to its bottom. While in the carnatic, ghatam accompanies mridangam, in Punjab the same is called garha and is popular in folk music.

Kanjira resembles almost a tambourine and is a leathered percussion that is used mostly in carnatic music. While the popular soundscape occasionally forays in the mridangam of the Southern classical genre it hardly manages to touch this difficult to play and much more interesting piece of instrument. Kanjira requires expertise and precision because it has a pretty sophisticated pitch tuning system. Amazingly, there are records of the use of this instruments in places like the Eastern part of the country and even the valleys of Nepal.

Kamanche is one of the most authentic and primitive bowed instrument that predates the existence of rabab or sarangi.

Veena is an archaic instrument of seven strings that find references in both mythology, religion and history which dates back as old as the cave paintings. It is believed to deliver all the gamakas in carnatic music, which in itself is a feat that only few vocalists are believed to have.

It is nothing short of surprises that our music end up sounding the same; while we have so much of meat at our backyard rotting for no good. It's time we demand some taste and variety from our composers, it's time that our music starts sounding a little less dependent on the visuals and is largely focussed on the merits of the qualities associated with music exclusively.

SANCHANA KRISHNAN

5 Artists You Absolutely Need to Watch

[Live] In Concert!

Technology is a beautiful thing. It has brought the solar system into our bedrooms and concert rooms into our very ears itself! But if you want to really live music, not merely allow it to enter and exit through your ears, it is the concert experience you seek. There is something about feeling of the beats and vibes resonating through your body, that elevates the musical experience. The visual treat at concerts is another miracle that has greatly been posted by technological advances, now turning them concerts into a splendour of light, colour and smoke. Because we are living in the time where death metal and dub step exist side by side, here are five diverse, current artists whose concerts you absolutely have experience in this lifetime if you are a music buff!

Contemporary : Coldplay Coldplay is a band that has undergone phenomenal transformations since its inception way back in 1996.

The past two decades have seen them shift from rock to pop rock to synth-like elements and instrumental influences to now, something along the lines of electronically produced dance music. But Coldplay’s music touches the soul like no other. And Chris Martin is an absolute beast when he is onstage, and you need to experience Coldplay for that electricity alone! The trippy visuals that dance across huge displays onstage is another extra mile Coldplay goes towards giving audiences an unforgettable concert experience.

Current favourites : Something Just Like This, All I Think About is You, Adventure of a Lifetime

Pop : Ariana Grande Ariana has been riding high on the wave of recent news, and for good reason, too. The 24-year old poster has shown just how large her heart is by being super proactive after the terror attack during her Manchester concert that killed 22 people. Philanthropy aside, the energy at Ariana’s concerts are crazy. She is big on the idea of self expression, which clearly passes on to the audience as well. The diversity is huge, the flavours are varied, the colours are loud and the vibe is positively fantastic.

Current favourites: The Way, Problem, Love Me Harder

Alternate : Radiohead Thom Yorke is a phenomenon who will change your life, truly. I am very convinced that he inhabits several dimensions at once. With his eyes half shut as always and a strange vibration roiling off him, the singer songwriter who leads Radiohead transports you into another state of being all together. You don’t just go to a Radiohead concert - the concert happens to you. Stand next to the speakers to take your experience towards the lands of the surreal!

Current favourites : Daydreaming and Burn The Witch from their latest album, A Moon Shaped Pool

Singer-Songwriter : Beyonce Queen Bey officially established that she can do anything and everything with that leaning chair stunt she pulled off at the Grammys. This soulful musician has truly proven the range of her talents by allowing us, the audience to experience her music as a string of emotions punctuated by bold statements. Her latest album, ‘Lemonade’ has been much acclaimed - and with lyrics as powerful as those in ‘Formation’, you can expect a musical experience that goes above and ‘bey’ond anything you would have ever expected!

Hip Hop, Rap: Kendrick Lamar Move over Eminem, we gotta new home boy in town! Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly a force to reckon with.

The Grammy-winning artist has an infectious energy onstage, which sizzles with his capacity to twist and turn language into a harmony of meaning and melody. It is madness, really, the havoc he wreaks onstage. No surround sound system yet invented can match up to the splendour that is Kendrick Lamar!

Current Favourites: Humble and Duckworth, from his smashing new album ‘Humble’.

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SREYOSHI GUHA THAKURTA

MUSIC AS A

Social Expression Musicians in the Indian Music Industry can be seen as carriers of influence. It is a well established fact that auditory and visual aids impact human brains the most.

Sometimes it’s just a catchphrase from a song people are familiar with, and sometimes it goes to the extent of changing elements prevalent in the society such as fashion, language and individual identity. So we can say that “influence” is a rather risky term to use synonymous to something being popular and well accepted.

The popular choices of music today reflects the culture and in a way we can trace its influence by following the dynamics in our society. We witness the fingerprints of the present youth in the lyrics and music of almost all the “Bollywood party songs”. These songs mainly focus on, partying relentlessly, objectifying women, selfies, promoting drinking and smoking, drug addiction- like they are an integral part of the youth culture in India.

In this current age, society is evolving far more chronically than ever before, thus reflecting various styles of music that are embryonic. The outrageous rap artist Honey Singh mainly sings along these lines and as a result, we see two kinds of audience reacting to it- one section liking what he produces and the other vehemently opposing it. Therefore it is safe to conclude that music brings out the power of rationality in society.

Music too keeps a tab on choices all around society. There was a time the Indian band Kailasa and Indian Ocean were famous for their off-beat music and their experimental

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genre. It has now been replaced by Coke Studio. We generally see Coke Studio producing music that is folk based and their lyrics give us an insight on the folk culture they belong to. This conveys how society worked way back in that time and with the fusion of fresh music from the modern era, the final music gets a whole new content to itself with respect to society.

If we go back in the 90s we see how Bollywood songs created a ripple throughout the youth culture. One such film was Kuch Kuch Hota Hain and its songs which made the youth society back then identify Sharukh Khan and Kajol as style statements. Even today music plays an important role in shaping the choices of the people in a particular society.

It is not absolutely uncommon for us to see music that fuses with active politics of a country and hence weaving out a completely new genre of music. They started out as mere political ballads and now they have turned into songs that inspire millions to stand up against injustice.

Mehengai Daayen Hai was a hit from the movie Peepli Live that put across us through music and words, the plight of the farmers and the increasing number of suicides among them. Even today it is an issue that needs to be dealt with.

The musical figures that influence society till date also conversely influence other musicians thus giving birth to new kind of music and musical genres. Furthermore, society does not only listen to music, but it makes it.

SUPARNO SAHA

MUSIC IN

WARTIME

The starting of a war challenges the typical desires of regular daily existence. This is especially genuine when war, political clashes or uprisings stand up to us continually on TV and in daily papers. The occasions, propensities and distractions of common civilian presence, which appear to be so convincing under standard conditions, all of a sudden seem trivial when set against war's passing, devastation and dread.

A standout amongst the most troublesome circumstances for nations and people to experience is war. History has demonstrated to us that music was utilized as an approach to enable people to adapt and arrangement to the injuries, stress and issues brought on by war. While some may imagine that music was first utilized amid WWI or WWII only, that is not the situation. In all actuality music was utilized amid wars going back a number of years prior. While the instruments and devices may have changed, the message of music amid the wars itself, has continued as before. In spite of the fact that innovation helped assume a noteworthy part in how music was extended, the utilization of it backpedals to hundreds of years ago. In many points in the Bible we read about how music was utilized by fighters to enable them to win vital fights. The Greeks were likewise said to be driven by flute players who played tunes keeping in mind the end goal to lift up the military.

Music's similar imperviousness to being appropriated in wars ends up being its redeeming quality. This part of music might be the one measurement of human expression that is never harmed by the damage we do others, and by the violence we make and support. It survives all endeavours at abuse and restriction.

Apart from the wars of prior circumstances, music is currently utilized distinctively today due to innovation. Nowadays, troopers and regular people approach cell phones, PCs and numerous different contraptions. This enables them to tune in to music in a substantially greater manner. In view of these choices, music is currently utilized as a path for them to adapt to the worry of war. Individuals utilize music in tough circumstances similarly as they do when feeling miserable, hurt, cheerful or needing some solace. It is additionally utilized as a mental apparatus to shield officers from being upset. One of the issues many fighters confront today is post traumatic disorder which makes some of them never be the same. Those soldiers who utilize music as an apparatus to keep in contact with the external world and relatives, tend to fare obviously better than other people who don't.

Regardless of the class, music has assumed a noteworthy part in how wars were lost and won, both by the nations and individual warriors. To keep the string of cheerfulness alive, music plainly needs to wind up as a bigger portion of life when war strikes. Music in wartime ought to end up as an indication of that inside ourselves which we may have overlooked. In a period of war, entertainers, writers and audience members should consider music a cure to self-importance and selectiveness - as a careful but all inclusive demonstration of humanity and individual declaration. May the making of music thrive when we require it most.

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SRIRAM RAVISHANKAR

Patricia Rozario One of India’s most well known faces of Western music and director of the country’s first full fledged opera production ‘Il Matrimonio Segreto” - Patricia Rozario talks all about the production and her journey as the ’Soprano in Saree’ India’s expansive musical culture and popular media has given general audiences a rather vague and hazy image about Western music and Opera, unless you are a connoisseur of the art form, of course! What is popularly mimicked as “shouting” or “screaming loudly” is an age old art form with a rich heritage running for over 300 odd years! Opera, in fact Western Music itself in India has been quite a niche since its arrival from the British times.

Except for the passionate few, the rest of them have barely accessed the music until artists like Zubin Mehta put Indians on the world map of Western musicians. On the lines of such heritage, meet Patricia Rozario, a Mumbai based British Soprano who is one of the country’s finest musicians. She has performed at the English National Opera, Opera North, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and the Garsington Opera in England, and has performed on stage across Europe in Aix-en-Provence, Brussels, Frankfurt, Ghent, Innsbruck, Lyon and Stuttgart.

“When Patricia and I inaugurated the opera house musically last year, we immediately thought ‘Now that the opera house is open, it is time to put an opera in there whenever we can. Since we teach Indian singers, we thought it is absolutely perfect! It is a purpose built space for opera,” said Mark Troop (Piano) as we began talking about their first full fledged Opera Production ‘Il Matrimony Segreto’ featuring a completely desi crew which staged at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai. “We chose a light comedy, not too grand not too very early opera. we thought our students can cope with it. Its comic! it has marriage in the title which is good in India - “The Secret Marriage”- Its a comedy of manners!

Its light and sparkling. We thought it is better to do that than the really heavy ones- it will fit really well in the opera house,” he briefed. Talking about the opera house, the historic building in Charni Road, Chowpatty is India’s only surviving opera House form the British Times built in 1911.

“All of these opera houses are built on the european model of the opera houses; So they look similar, sound similar, have the same type of acoustics, so this opera is perfect for that,” Troop exclaimed!

Cutting through the brief conversation Troop and I were having, Rozario walked in elegantly and introduced herself shortly as she sat down by the sofa next her ancestral baby

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grand piano. Without wasting much time, we got talking about her beginnings as a musician, “We grew up with my mother teaching me and my brothers, the piano (as you can see). My parents both sang, so we learnt to sing with them.

And in this area of Santacruz, all the adults organised a festival with great enthusiasm. Every child in the area was allowed to perform or participate in a competition - vocal, piano, and violin. Choir, plays, recitals - very unusual! This was my platform to develop the experience of getting up on stage and communicating with an audience. I didn’t realise that my bachelor’s degree in English and French, would be such a great asset to learning this art form! It really helps you connect to the pieces you’re singing with greater confidence! The literature is what did the magic!Then, when I went abroad, I went to the Goth Institute to learn German, Italian at Guildhall (school of music and drama) where I went on to study, I was firmly convinced that I would come back after three years. During my time at the Guildhall, I went to numerous competitions in Spain, Salzburg, Holland, England etc. which helped float my name around. Soon enough, I had agents coming to me offering work. Before finishing college, I met Mark which was a huge sock for my parents (laughs)! but i gave them some time to come around it,” she recollected. From there, started Rozario’s illustrious career as an Indian British Soprano often remembered as the ‘Soprano in Saree’.

One of her most notable appearances was across Europe in The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by Sir Georg Solti.

She has also given concerts in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and as part of The Proms in England, and abroad in Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Halle, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Cologne, Leipzig, Madrid, New York City, Paris, Riga, Rouen, Strasbourg, Vienna, Winterthur and Zürich. She performed in a production of Elvis Costello’s Meltdown. Rozario has made numerous recordings of the works of composer John Tavener. Gifted with a voice described as “liquid gold”, Rozario’s wide concert and opera repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music.

She is an exponent of bel canto – the fabled method used by the great Italian singers of the 19th century. Feted for her achievements, Rozario is a recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, royal honour OBE, and is a fellow of the Royal College of Music.

As we gently moved onto the opera production that she was directing, a child-like grin brimming with pride and excitement spread across her face. Talking about the singers and how she decided her cast, “In December we started planning and targeted the singers. With every opera, the composer decides how many singers and what type of voice an opera needs. In every score, you will see the names of the character and the voice type that is needed to execute that character. So we’ve studied the score and scouted for voices accordingly. So in this piece, there are tenors, sopranos, mezzos, and baritones in this piece. Now they have all come here (form across India and abroad) and we have been working together,” she explained.

Roazrio slammed out the entire production exactly on the lines of how a professional opera is done in Europe. “Even though all my singers sing wonderful, they are all still under training and I hope the seasoned Bombay listeners who visit Europe’s opera halls regularly bear this in mind,” she chuckled. The production consists of players from the Symphony Orchestra of India, and singers Shreya Nayak, Natasha Agarwal, Anoushka Pokhare, Farah Ghadiali, Vedika Chandran, Anna Nair, Kersi Gazdar, Sandeep Gurrapadi, Oscar Castellino, Rahul Bharadwaj, Darwin Prakash Leonard, and JW Johnson.

Speaking about the current scenario of Western music in the country, “Its a really exciting time for Western music in India, in the last seven years I’ve noticed. Now with the SOI (Symphonic Orchestra of India), the Opera House opening up, Prithvi Theatre, and parents easing up on their children doing music unlike our times, there has never been a better time for Western music in India. Alongside such facilities, we need to establish proper teaching organisations that will give seekers the right history, background, and technique to lay their foundations right. I have great hope for India! Youngsters come and approach me with such hope, inspiration, and prepared for the hard work, it is through such that one is redeemed and gets to the heights of excellence,” Rozario continued. Since over 7 years, Rozario and her husband have been training Indian students and working with a variety of voices under their ‘Giving Voice Society’ which organises masterclasses and workshops thrice a year across the country.

Il Matrimonio Segreto Composed during late 1790s by Domenico Cimarosa for the Vienna court opera, ‘Il Matrimonio Cimarosa’ is arguably one of the greatest opera buffa besides those of Mozart.

Synopsis: Geronimo, a wealthy and deaf Bolognese merchant, has two daughters, Elisetta and Carolina, and a sister, Fidalma, who runs the house. Fidalma loves Paolino without realising that he has been secretly married to Carolina. Elisetta is to marry Count Robinson, but when he arrives, he falls in love with her sister. Carolina fails to dissuade him. Geronimo remains oblivious. Geronimo agrees to the count's marriage to Carolina. Paolino is distraught and approaches Fidalma for help. She interprets his pleas as a proposal, causing Paolino to faint into her arms. Naturally, Carolina enters to see Fidalma cradling the young man and she is only just won round by her husband's protestations of love. The count, endeavouring to distance Elisetta from him, behaves appallingly. Carolina and Paolino try to run off together, but are caught by Elisetta who, assuming the man to be her count, summons the others. The plot is then unravelled, Geronimo blesses the marriage of Paolino and Carolina, and the count agrees to honour his obligation to Elisetta.

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Pondicherry’s popular hotel Promenade in June, launched its themed bar named Storyteller’s. This place will provide a space for artists from the community to share their art.

We spoke to Mr. Dilip Kapoor, the Founder of HiDesign properties and Kapil Thirwani, the man behind the amazing sound at the venue.

What inspired you to start the Storytellers' Bar? Dilip Kapoor: Any community needs places to gather, to meet, to share and entertain . Pondicherry, with its strong community focus from the Ashram and Auroville, which are among the most successful "communes" in the world, has a special heritage and interest in communities. With the tourist boom in full swing in Pondicherry, we felt the Promenade with its incredibly central location would be an ideal meeting place for locals and tourists. The lounge brings together entertainment, socializing into a space that has the heritage of Pondicherry and Auroville built into it.

How did you discover a need for Music or performance based venue in Pondicherry?

Dilip Kapoor: Music is the most widely enjoyed entertainment, and Pondicherry had no such space. The need to provide a space for artists from our community, and to those who want to share their art with Pondicherry from all over the world, has long bee

What was the most difficult task before you could launch the StoryTellers' Bar? Dilip Kapoor: To have a space that could be sufficiently interesting for the best in this field. We are a small city, how do we get the attention of people like Simran Mulchandani, Kapil and Ayaz? I had to tempt them with a visit to Pondy, and

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a personally guided tour around Pondy and Auroville: that did it, they were personally in love with this community and did this creation as much out of love as business.

What is the vision for the Storytellers Bar as a music venue?

Simran: The Storytellers' Bar is more than a music venue.

While music will play an intrinsic part in it, and we plan on a cosmopolitan mix of Indian artists and those from around the world, we want to tell stories through many different mediums. Therefore we are looking at theatre, comedy, poetry, film, photography, art...Stories can be expressed in so many ways and The Storytellers' Bar has been set up to explore those avenues. Also it isn't just our vision, this is a community project and we want the community, be it residents of Pondicherry and Auroville, or visitors to the town, to contribute with their thoughts, suggestions and stories.

What kind of Music and programming can we expect and how often will there be live gigs?

Simran: Once season gets going which is around mid-August, we plan to program 3-4 live nights a week, at least one movie night and some workshops on film, theatre, comedy etc with some live elements to them. We are still feeling the pulse of the scene and so things will be organic for a couple of months, but we are looking for a lot of input from the community, tapping into a lot of local talent.

How has your journey been so far with HiDesign, Promenade, Le Dupleix and the latest addition to the family which is the Storytellers' Bar? Dilip Kapoor: The Hidesign business continues to be central, and near additions are natural follow-ons as they represent the same lifestyle but are expressed through our strong sense of community and dedication to this city.

How did your education and early experiences in life help in building a brand like HiDesign from scratch? How did you expand your horizons to owning one of the best properties like The Promenade and Le Duplex in Pondicherry?

Dilip Kapoor: My education in the ashram brought a strong sense of clean aesthetics, beauty to be found in simplicity. My interest in Auroville has brought a strong sense of ecology and sustainable operation with nature.

Quickly tell us about setting up Sound / Acoustics for Storytellers' Bar. Kapil Thirwani: The space presented to us was a long, rectangular basement with limited height. All the wrong ingredients for a performance space. We had to use these methodologies here 1. Use delayed loudspeakers for the electro acoustic design to encounter the length challenge

4. Use isolation design in low frequency energy balance 5. Use minimal absorption and more diffusion for room acoustics to have live taste to venue

How is the setup different from other usual Music venues?

Kapil Thirwani: Looks like a regular restaurant with posh interiors but the acoustics are hidden in the interior design.

Form and function I would say.

Engineered sound system design and engineering with inputs on acoustics for interior design to bring the best out of venue.

What are the other projects you have worked on?

Kapil Thirwani: Bluefrog, Hardrock CafĂŠ, Playboy, Socials etc. in India. A lot of performance spaces and bars around the world have the Munro tag.

3 Myths about setting up Acoustics for a Music Venue like Storytellers' Bar. Kapil Thirwani: 1. Reflective surfaces when shaped right can diffuse sound

2. Splay less on side wall to avoid early reflections

2. The right system engineering, placement and optimization is a must for venues

3. Use directive sound energy techniques to have minimal destructive interference due to height

3. Make the place live rather than dead. Let the dynamics speak and music have its peaks.

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Aston Origin & Aston Spirit Microphones Aston Origin The Aston Origin is a high-performance cardioid condenser microphone utilizing one inch (1″) gold evaporated capsule. It is versatile enough to use with most instruments and excels on acoustic guitar and vocals. Its hand-selected capsule is teamed with high-end Transformer-less circuitry using only the best components.

Aston SPIRIT The Aston SPIRIT is a switchable pattern, microphone utilizing a 1” gold evaporated capsule. A switch on the mic body selects from Omni, Cardioid or Figure-of-Eight polar patterns. It is versatile enough to use with most instruments and excels on acoustic guitar and vocals. Its hand-selected capsule is teamed with high-end transformer balanced circuitry using only the best components.

The Spirit is designed to deliver a beautifully open sound with sparkling harmonics. This highly accurate microphone gives a stunningly natural and transparent recording, capturing all the detail in the high range but without adding the harshness that some condenser microphones seem to.

Features: Built-In Pop Filter Aston’s vocal condenser microphones have an exclusive meshknit pop filter built into the wave-form head. The random weave allows sound to pass while virtually eliminating unwanted plosives at the source. It also shields against multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation making our microphones ideal in critically sensitive electronic applications. This completely encapsulating, single piece, mesh cage is formed of stainless steel, so won’t rust with use, and can even be removed and washed.

Wave-Form Mesh Head The Aston Origin has our signature waveform mesh head. This unique design not only looks great but delivers an unprecedented degree of protection for the heart of your microphone, the capsule.

The shock resistant waveform design allows the head of the mic to distort if given a heavy knock, and then return to its normal position, without any damage at all. It also offers a degree of offaxis rejection, helping to eliminate unwanted artefacts from your recordings.

Chassis Part of the beauty of our microphones is the custom finish of each chassis. There is no mass-produced paint job finish. Instead, each chassis is individually tumbled for up to 4 hours to give it a very hard-wearing, and extremely beautiful, finish. To perfect the look, each microphone is separately engraved with its legends and our brand mantra… ‘The art of performance’

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8 tips for

Music Production

in Home Studios

We are in a world where everything is digital when it comes to making music. We don’t need anything more than a laptop with the right software and sounds. All we need is the right set of techniques for making your tracks sound good. Here are some production tips for efficient production.

1. Layering kicks and bass

4. Side Chaining

Instead of using just one kick sample, you can even layer kicks for example, like if you are using say an 808 kick, you can add another layer of kick which doesn’t have the same characteristics of the 808 but compliments the 808 and adds to the highs of the kick. This gives you a round and fat kick sound.

Similarly, instead of using just one bass sound, it's good to layer a few bass sounds, this will cover more frequencies and will make it sound sonically good and fat. You can add a sub bass if you are not using an 808 and the add a synth bass over it to make it sound good. Sometimes even layering an acoustic bass sound might work out. But layering is never wrong.

We are able to see many artists come up with amazing records from their laptops. In this era of electronic music, you cannot hear one track that is not side chained. By side chain I mean when the kick and the sub bass don’t clash or meet at the same time. This is very common in EDM or House. My go to plugin for sidechaining is the Nicky Romero Kickstart.

5. Track grouping

Always group tracks with similar frequencies after adding individual effects on each track. It will be easier to add an overall effect like reverb, sidechain or even eq them overall to make it sound even better.

2. Quantizing

6. Using sends for effects

Quantizing is a major part of a production when you are dealing with midi. When it comes to electronic music it's almost fully quantized and sounds like a mechanically produced track.

When it comes to acoustic drum production, a majority of the times its good to quantize to almost perfect level say 90% quantized. If you are quantizing it to a 100% then it is good to use the swing option to give it a human feel to it.

The swing option is present on all DAWs and this gives more liveliness to the rhythm and to the melody.

3. Removing the lows

Almost for all the layers, this process is a must, go to your favorite eq, and make sure you do a low cut for almost all the sounds so that you can have the kick and bass setting in properly at their frequency without having a frequency clash with other layers. This will also clean up your song and will remove the unnecessary low frequencies and will not make it sound muddy. This can be done for any genre of music and to any track that you are producing. This is one of the golden rules of producing clean music.

Always send effects like reverb, delays through busses and not directly on the insert of every track. By doing so, you will reduce your CPU load by a huge margin. This gives more tweaking opportunity to edit the wetness of the reverb or any other effect you add. This is something I do for every track and its super helpful.

7. Exporting & Headroom

The last stage is when your track is ready for the final mix.

This stage is when you are done adding your own effects to your track. This is part of the production process.

It is a must to know how effects like reverb, eqs, compressors work. This way you will know how exactly you want your track to sound and what you need to do to make it sound good.

It is better to have a pre mix of your song ready for the mix engineer.

After this is when you export/bounce every track and send it to your mix engineer. Make sure you have enough head room for the track to be mixed and mastered. Never send your stems for mix with hot levels.

Author: Vishal Ramakrishnan, Global peace song of the year award winning composer and music producer. He is also a music production trainer.

For more details visit: www.vishaladitya.com

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MALIK ARSHSAQ

Beginners Guide Now that the technology required to record and produce music has become extremely accessible, the number of people involved in it, both as professionals as well as enthusiasts, have grown exponentially over the past couple of decades. Earlier, musicians had to move mountains to get their music recorded whereas, today it’s become commonplace for musicians to have their recording set up in their bedrooms, a home studio if you will. Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) have revolutionized the playing field and opened up so many possibilities. The one piece of equipment that holds every DAW based recording setup in place and acts as the hub is the Audio Interface.

As a result, the audio interface is the most important gear-choice that you’ll make because this is the piece of equipment that your home studio will be built around. These boxes have your microphone preamps, direct inputs, line inputs, outputs, and converters. So the first step that you’ll take towards building your home studio set up is narrowing down on your options of interfaces that meet all your requirements while fitting smugly into your budget. We’ll jump right into the factors that you will have to consider while picking an audio interface for your home recording set up.

Your first requirement would be to look for an audio interface with a connection port that is compatible with the computer that you own. The device might have a USB, firewire, thunderbolt or PCI connector. Quite often, people overlook this and end up with an interface that isn’t compatible with their computer. This way when you finally wind up shopping for the interface, you can look at your options with the connection type that is permitted by your computer.

The next factor that you would be looking into is if the interface has the specifications required to handle the kind of recording sessions that you intend to have. For example, if you’re a singer-songwriter who wants to record either a guitar or a keyboard, simultaneously along with the vocals, then an interface with two inputs, a mic level, and a line level, is all you’ll need. This would work just as well if you just want to record one input at a time and then layer by over dubbing. In case, you intend to record a jazz trio, for example, and you want to use 4 mics on the kit (a kick mic,

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a snare mic, and two overheads) and at least one mic each on the guitar and bass amplifiers, in which case, you would need at least 6 mic level inputs in your interface. You should choose your device based on the number of instruments that you’d be recording simultaneously and the miking techniques that you’re going to implement to record them.

You should also keep in mind the type of inputs that your interface has to offer. For example, if you need to record 8 mics simultaneously then an interface that contains, 4 mic level inputs and 4 line level inputs won’t do because you absolutely need 8 mic pre-amps. The pre-amps that are used in your interface play a huge role in the quality of the recording that you will end up with. Therefore, it is advisable to look for an interface that is built with wellreputed pre-amps.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the software that comes with the sound card, which works between your interface and your DAW plays a huge role in determining how efficiently you can work with the interface. If you have a software that is inconvenient or not particularly userfriendly, in a lot of instances it could really get in the way of your work flow and slow you down. While investing in equipment, you should understand that your requirements as a musician or a producer in the near future may not be exactly the same as what it is at the moment. For example, if you’re a hip-hop producer but if you have an inclination towards jazz instrumentation and can see yourself being involved in a session that would require you record a live jazz band, then it would be wise to invest in an interface that’ll enable you to do so. As opposed to being forced to buy a new piece of equipment every time a slightly different set up is required.

After looking at all the technical specifications, the next factor that will ultimately determine your options is the amount of money that you are willing to shell out to get your hands on these products of modern science. So, to make life easier for you, we’ve classified the best interfaces out there in each budget category, so you can get your money’s worth.

HOME STUDIO AUDIO INTERFACES Under Rs.15,000 Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Behringer U-phoria UMC404HD

Pre Sonus Audiobox USB 2X2

This USB powered box comes with 2 combo inputs, which allows each input to be used as either line level or mic level inputs. This USB device is a great option as it allows you to record at higher sample rates than most other budget interfaces with lower latency.

This monster of an interface has amazing money to performance value with 4 combo inputs each laced with MIDAS pre-amps, 4 outputs, 4 TRS inserts for external processing units and zero latency monitoring capabilities.

This sturdily built interface has 2 combo inputs as well and is perfect to start out with your home studio.

Pre Sonus 44VSL

M-Audio Fast Track Ultra

Focusrite 18i8

Arguably the best interface at this price range, this device has 4 brilliant mic pre-amps in the form of combo inputs with 4 additional TRS inputs in the back that allow you to at high sample rates.

This device is an absolute beast with 4 mic pre-amps out of which two are combo inputs, along with 6 TRS inputs at the back. In addition, it also has two TRS insert jacks that can be used to patch in a hardware processor. To round it all up, M-Audio blesses us with 6 TRS outputs that should be more than sufficient to work in a home studio set-up.

This USB interface is extremely useful when it comes to tasks such as tracking a live band in real time since it has 4 mic pre-amps in the form of combo inputs, 4 TRS inputs in the back and the option to use external pre-amps to track all the 18 inputs.

Under Rs.30,000

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OV-1 The Meters Music OV-1 are wired noise-cancelling headphones. It is designed and built by Ashdown Engineering, a company famous for its pro amplifiers and other studio equipment. The most unique feature about OV-1’s design is the VU meters on both the ear cups. They aren’t just for show. Turn on the Auto-noise Canceling (ANC) on the headphones and the meters will light up and start bouncing along with the music.

ACTIVE VISUAL MONITORING The VU meter featured on the left and right ears of the headphones are a line-level signal indicator, designed to give the headphones a dynamic look as people around you can ‘see’ the level of the music you’re enjoying.

They work exactly like the meters on a professional mixing desk, bringing a touch of the studio to your everyday listening

PROTEIN LEATHER A more sustainable alternative to real leather. Protein leather can be produced to the same standards every time with out the problems you get with real leather. The material is breathable, unlike real leather where sweat from long periods of use can course unnecessary wear and tear.

AUDIO INPUT & USB Keeping things neat and tidy the moulded jack socket allows the user to plug in and play with ease time after time. The USB socket is there with an LED indicator for charging your headphones with the provided USB cable.

Ensuring hours of Meter rocking music.

LIGHT WEIGHT ALLOY FRAME

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The design is very important but materials that can bring your design to life are what makes them special. with OV-1 we wanted this to be the case with a light weight alloy bracket for light weight construction to ensure hours of comfortable listening. Design to stand the test of time.

Bose Professional LAUNCHES Panaray® MSA12X Modular Steerable Array Loudspeaker

Bose Professional recently launched the Panaray® MSA12X Modular Steerable Array Loudspeaker.

Unique Features of the product • The self-powered Panaray MSA12X features a slim, unobtrusive acoustic design with twelve full-range 2.25-inch transducers (with 75 Hz – 14 kHz response) in a columnar line array configuration, to provide consistent audio levels with outstanding vocal intelligibility and fullrange music reinforcement in acoustically challenging spaces.

• The MSA12X model includes 12 internal power amplifiers (50 watts per channel; total 600-watt rated power) and onboard DSP to allow digital control and beam steering of array vertical coverage patterns.

• Proprietary Articulated ArrayTM configuration allows wide, 160-degree horizontal coverage. Independent level and EQ control is supported for two separate beams per array, and onboard memory stores up to 10 user-selectable presets. The MSA12X features both Dante™ network connectivity and line-level analog input.

Design • The modular design allows up to three MSA12X units to be vertically arrayed to increase coverage distance and low-frequency pattern control.

• The slim, low-profile elegant enclosure mounts close to surfaces, blending in with the visual aesthetic of a space, and its digital control eliminates protruding pitch brackets.

• An integrated mounting bracket allows up to 90-degrees of pivot away from surfaces. Design, setup, and control of beam coverage is provided by Bose Professional Modeler® and ControlSpace® software. The MSA12X is available in either black or white finish and is paintable.

Places it can be used at Designed for use in houses of worship, auditoriums, museums, transportation facilities, lecture halls, conference facilities and theaters, the Panaray® MSA12X Modular Steerable Array Loudspeaker will be previewed during the 2017 InfoComm show and are scheduled for Fall 2017 availability.

For more information, please visit http://pro.Bose.com.

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Vote for your favorite bands and help them win Sennheiser Top 50 Season 3!

More than 500 bands registered representing different genres Sennheiser announces top 100 bands finalists for Sennheiser Top 50 Sennheiser, in its pursuit of providing a platform to the upcoming talent in the country, today announced the top 100 finalist shortlisted for its coveted Sennheiser Top 50 Season 3- a battle of Indian bands to compete and make their way to the coveted list of Top 50 best bands in India. The third season received an exceptional response with over 500 bands registering from different genres. Voting for your favourite bands is now open, so get voting and help them provide a chance to showcase their talent and be judged by some of the leading artists in the industry- Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Raghu Dixit and Papon.

Sennheiser saw maximum number of registrations from the East zone followed by West, North and South. The third edition of Sennheiser top 50 saw an increase of over 50% in terms of the previous editions. Seeing the immense amount of talent growing in the country, it was a tough task for Sennheiser’s internal and external jury members to choose the top 100 out of the 500 entries received. The next phase involves voting within zones to choose top 3 bands from each zone, who will then battle out at regional finales to get into top 4 as well as revealing ranks from 5 to 50 basis 70% jury decision and 30% public voting.

Mr. Vipin Pungalia, Director, Sennheiser Professional Segment India, commented on Sennheiser-Top50 saying, "We are beyond thrilled to have received this overwhelming response from all the zones. All the entries have been beyond compelling and selecting the top 100 amongst the 500 entries received has been a beyond tough task. There is great talent in the country and we want to offer them the right platform to showcase it. With the right jury and mentors we are sure that we will witness some great talent through this journey. “

Mr. Vipin Pungalia

Raghu Dixit

The winners of each zone will be announced by zonal finale held in 4 zones, North-Delhi, South- Bangalore, East- Guwahati and West- Pune. This will then be followed by a grand finale in Mumbai where the top 4 bands will battle out infront of the jury to become number 1.

Sennheiser is further raising the stakes this year with the most credible jury in the music fraternity, 2-year endorsement by Sennheiser which will give them access to Sennheiser gear by being the face of Sennheiser for the next year and prizes worth 20 lacs that will leave you drooling!

Voting for your favorite bands is now open across India on www.sennheiser-top50.com

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Casio Privia PX-350M

The original Privia was the answer to many pianists’ prayers: the first (and for some time the only) serious 88-key digital piano at an unprecedented price and weighing only 25 pounds. This made it a catalyst for increased competition in the under-a-grand piano market: 128-voice polyphony graded and weighted keyboard actions, and ample supplemental sounds are pretty standard these days. What does Casio do to up the ante? For the latest Privia, the PX-350M, they plunged their resources into a piano playing experience so improved... it’s astonishing.

Piano Sound and Feel Compared to the previous flagship Privia (the PX-330), Casio has tripled the sample size of the main piano sound. They’ve also adjusted the key sensors such that there’s a lot more going on than what you may be used to from a digital stage piano. For one, the keys transmit high-resolution MIDI to the internal sound engine (as well as any external software that can interpret it), so instead of 127 possible velocity values, there are 16,256.

On a graded keyboard, the hammers are (or seem to be) heavier and slower in the lower range, just like on a real piano, and they get gradually lighter as you ascend. The PX350M has this, and also something called Hammer Response, an algorithm that accounts for the time it takes for the heavier hammers to hit the strings at a given MIDI velocity.

Also, the key surfaces have a prominent texture that gives your fingers grip, wicks away moisture, and makes it hard to go back to stage pianos that don’t have it.

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The PX-350M has sustain resonance, which simulates the sound of all the strings vibrating in sympathy with actuallyplayed notes when the damper pedal is down. Check out presets like “Grand Piano Dolce,” which dials in resonance like you would reverb or chorus. The effect is magical.

Casio also touts AIR (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator), their digital strategy for interpolating between the four velocity-switched sample levels. It works. You get smoother dynamics, finer control, and longer samples with barely noticeable loops. Slam down an octave near the bottom and it growls away for what seems like forever.

Bottom line: You have to engage the same level of mental and kinesthetic concentration that you would if playing an acoustic grand. Once you do, you have a very expressive instrument at your fingertips.

Other Sounds and Features What Casio didn’t do was tamper with the already robust feature array of the previous deluxe Privia, the PX-330. For the Rs. 8000 bump up from the PX-160 (which features the same piano sound), you get 250 sounds, a 17-track sequencer that records and plays MIDI files via driver-free USB2, a programmable drum machine with 180 rhythms, autoaccompaniment, and auto-harmony—the latter two with a bit of cheese factor but darned fun nonetheless.

There are cushy Rhodes simulations, a nasty little Wurly that’s the go-to EP on anything funky, Clavs that cut, and a serviceable smattering of organs. New in the PX-350M are a super-wide stereo string patch and some ballsy drum sounds.

The bass/piano splits (with both acoustic and electric

" The Privia PX-350M has the soul of a real acoustic grand. It’s inspiring and emotional in a way that I haven’t experienced in a digital piano outside of the best virtual instruments and most expensive hardware digitals. Kudos to Casio for their commitment and execution. "

basses) work in many situations, and you’ll be grateful for the pitch-bend wheel, which you can whip out at least once a night even on piano trio gigs.

One new feature which comes out of the box—but after a couple of uses is to be found indispensible—is the audio recording. Plug in a USB flash drive, hit a couple of buttons, and you can now record anything that goes on in the instrument as a CD-quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) WAV file. This is great for capturing fleeting songwriting ideas, documenting practice for feedback from a teacher, or turning a solo gig into a demo.

On the Gig We took the PX-350M out of the box and directly to a 150seat jazz quartet gig. Going through a pair of Barbetta 41C keyboard amps, it took me a few songs to nail my sound.

Most digital pianos, we now realize, are more forgiving than a well-miked acoustic grand. That’s what this Privia—with its sensitive dynamics and wide separation—sounds and plays like in a live situation. For the first few tunes, we had to concentrate on our voicings and touch. Then, it began to sound like a good recording of a live performance. A week later we played a 500-seat corporate gig through a pro sound system with a stereo direct box and wedge monitor. Again, it was like playing a miked acoustic, only now we knew how to take advantage of it. For example, you don’t necessarily have to twist the volume dial to make it louder—you can simply dig in more.

The PX-350M sounds fine through its internal speakers as well as the signal from the Privia’s line outs is hot enough

that you can leave the keyboard volume knob below three o’clock and just raise the gain on your amp, P.A., or recording interface without adding to the noise floor. We tested this, and the results were loud and pure.

A final nit: On a dark stage, it’s easy to reach for and hit a Registration button and recall a sound category.

Registrations save the entire state of the instrument and can include rhythm and auto-accompaniment that starts right up. Pre-programming registrations (a good idea in any case) can save you an embarrassing moment here.

Conclusions The Privia PX-350M has the soul of a real acoustic grand. It’s inspiring and emotional in a way that I haven’t experienced in a digital piano outside of the best virtual instruments and most expensive hardware digitals. Kudos to Casio for their commitment and execution.

PROS: Uncanny grand piano playing experience. Audio recording of your performances. Graded action with textured keys. Giggable EPs, organs, basses, and General MIDI patches. Ultra-light.

CONS: One needs to buy a case for the PX-350M separately as that makes it so much easier to carry to a gig.

Bottom Line The latest Privia delivers the most realistic piano experience you’ll get for under a grand and rivals the sound and feel of stage pianos that cost many times more.

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Harman Professional India installation at The Sumi Baptist Church, Zunheboto, Nagaland

The installation is a reinforcement of Harman Professional India’s presence in the House of Worship segment in North-east India.

When Harman Professional India came on board for sound, light and video control systems, the Church had already received a suggestion of utilizing Line Array Systems for sound. Being a domeshaped structure, this would have worked against intelligibility of sound, rather than in favor of it. The team from Harman’s end along with System Integrator Mr. Calvin Baker from Toshniwal World and the world-renowned consultant Mr. Kelvin Ashby-King from T2 Consulting suggested a Distributed Point Source System, which would boost speech intelligibility and uniform audio distribution across the venue. T2 Consulting were responsible for the acoustics, lighting, stage-lighting, video, and audio consulting for this project.

Calvin Baker of Toshniwal World said, “The equipment had to be transported via a combination of exceptionally bad roads and 9-10 hour drives through remote forest areas. Akum Jamir from Crescendo, Dimapur had executed the installation on our behalf.

They unboxed about 60-70 boxes of speakers which were then mounted on brackets and hoisted up. Tuning the systems were also a mammoth task. On the inauguration day, there were more than 10,000 people inside, with a couple of thousand people standing outside as well! It was one of the most memorable installations.”

The legendary Kelvin Ashby-King of T2 Consulting said, “While this project was memorable for many reasons, the travel involved in getting to the site was certainly not one of them! What was memorable was the opportunity to work on a project of this scale, with a group of amazing people who had a vision they wanted to fulfil now, and leave it as a legacy for the future. The project had many challenges, and it has been a long one; 6 years, from start to completion. Harman via AMX were also able to provide Video over IP solutions for this project, making video signal transmission simple and straightforward. The beauty of projects is that they are never about one person, they are groups of people working together toward a common goal and we had a great experience working together with the Building Committee and the Chairman of the Committee, the SI and the manufacturer as a team. Such experiences are always a lesson on what makes a project successful.”

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The project housed 5 Harman brands in all. The JBL AM series (AM7315, AM7200, AM5212) formed the main P.A. system, while the AC series (AC18, AC28) also played a part. Amplification was taken care of by Crown, with the main unit being the XTi6002, with DCi4|1250N and DCi|600N also playing their parts. The Soundcraft Si Performer 3, a 32 Channel Digital Mixer along with the Soundcraft Mini Stagebox 32 formed the console setup. AMX took care of the Video over IP needs, with the NMX-ENC-1122 and the NMX-DEC-1222, along with AMX N-8001 being the network controller and the NT-ST-701 being the touch panel controller.

Martin Professional lit up the scene with its Rush PAR 2 CT Zoom, the Rush PAR 1RGBW, Mac Quantum Profile Moving Head Spots and the VC-Dot 4 CW 200mm, controlled by the Martin M2Go. Mr. Kiyello Yepth, Chairman of the Sumi Baptist Church said “We are very satisfied with the light and sound fixtures. Harman products are a class apart. I am surely recommending Harman to others!”

Sunil Karanjikar, Sr. Manager - Application Engineering at Harman International India felt that “Working on this project was an uphill task (pun intended). Kelvin Ashby King is extremely particular with the way an install is executed. He has a great ear for music and knows exactly how a place should sound once he has designed it and imagined it in his mind. With 58 Loudspeakers mounted at different levels across the building, we had to design the Amplification and DSP is a way that we could exercise maximum control over the system to be able to time align every Loudspeaker and ensure coherent localization of the source. The Dome Structure at a height of almost 160ft. meant we have to keep individual Loudspeaker levels in control, while providing even coverage and maximize direct sound across the venue” They also managed to add a fair bit of color to the inside of the Building and altar with the Rush by Martin series of LED PARs. The PARs also provide ambient and Reading light to the congregation sitting under the dome since conventional Lighting fixtures would not be able to provide the same intensity considering the physical mounting distance.

Yamaha Announces new CLP600 Series The NEW Digital Pianos are CLP625, CLP635, CLP645, CLP665, CLP675 and their flagship CLP685 Yamaha has introduced the all-new CLP-600 series, boasting a range of developments and enhancements to its awardwinning Clavinova digital piano range.

Introducing GrandTouch and ebony keytops The newly developed GrandTouch keys offer more responsive touch and a greater dynamic range than ever before. The pianist can experience a natural, balanced response from the tip to the very back of each key. The black keys on all keyboards of the new CLP-600 series are finished in ebony.

Synthetic ivory key tops reproduce the tactile surface of the real ivory keyboards that were once used in older acoustic pianos. It features highly absorbent material that prevents fingers from slipping even after hours of practice, while retain-ing the ideal texture and feel.

Real grand piano tone Two world-renowned concert grand pianos in one. The powerful tone of the flagship Yamaha concert grand, the CFX, and the unmistakable sound of a Bösendorfer Imperial are available at the touch of a button. In the CLP-685 you will also find the Yamaha C7 Studio Grand. In additional to this, all models from the CLP-635 upwards include an Upright Piano voice.

Piano Room Physical modeling techniques provide authentic reproductions of internal grand piano reverberations and offer rich, endlessly varying expressive capabilities. VRM

CLP635

reproduces the resonance characteristics of the strings for every note on the grand piano keyboard in nuanced detail.

Enhanced Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) for rich and bright sound In a grand piano, sound resonates throughout the body of the instrument, producing a rich reverberation that envelops the listener in sound. These phenomena are reproduced perfectly in the Clavinova through Yamaha Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) technology. The piano body resonates just like an acoustic piano. The acoustic system of the Clavinova reproduces the sensation of the entire piano vibrating, just like the feeling of playing an acoustic piano.

Even headphones produce a larger than life experience.

Thanks to advanced binaural sampling technology, you can enjoy the highly realistic sensation of playing a concert grand piano even when you are using headphones. For the first time Yamaha’s advanced binaural sampling technology is now available on the Clavinova. The technology uses samples from the CFX recorded with specialized microphones that capture locational information and other nuances discerned by the human ear. The resulting sound is so natural, so enveloping, that you’ll soon forget you’re even wearing headphones at all.

The new CLP-600 series of pianos breaks down the barriers previously felt between a pianist and their digital piano.

The new models feel and respond in a truly organic way. We are delighted to further enhance the range with a series of features which we are sure our customers are going to love.”

CLP645

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Harman Professional India's Audio and Lighting solutions at Justin Bieber concert in India

It was a dream concert not just for all the “Beliebers” but also for everyone involved in the production as the one – of – a – kind concept demanded high production values of international standards, best of the equipment and top of the line crew.

Production of this stature possess many challenges on the teams and The Purpose World tour came with its own. Sunil Karanjikar, Application Engineer, Harman Professional India joined hands with Sound.com team and worked on the system design for the show. Commenting on the system design he said, “Working on a project this scale with one of the top Touring artist presents its own set of challenges. The sheer size of the venue calls for a lot of precision as an error of a couple of degrees in the Horizontal and/or Vertical aiming of the arrays can literally put huge amounts of audience out of the coverage areas. The fact that Mumbai is extremely Hot and Humid at that time of the year meant that the Audio crew could only work through the night to execute this project. Although the PA design and positions were marked in CAD, we realized other elements such as scaffold for Screens etc. had changed since original design. We had to quickly re map PA positions to ensure we were still getting the intended coverage”. He further added, “Working through the night made it much easier to execute the set-up efficiently. With 214 VTX and VerTec Loudspeakers and 170 Crown ITech HD Amplifiers used on the project, we had to design a robust and redundant network system to control the System keeping in mind the extreme heat during the day and time of the event. The production quality was top notch with a great display of Lighting and Pyrotechnics. Ken “Pooch” Van Druten is one of the best Mix Engineers on the circuit today and he ensured that the Audio System was used to the maximum with some brilliant Dynamics throughout the concert.”

For the concert, the venue was deployed with a complete Harman PA solution with JBL VTX V25II used for the main powered by Crown amplifier T12000HD, Flown subwoofers VTX S28, ground Subs VTX G28, Front fills – VTX V20, Side fills LR – VT4888, Delay LR and Outer LR – VT4889. For the first time in India there was a side flown subwoofer rig to throw a lot of Bass

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into the stands and improved the low frequency extension right behind in the ground.

Rig used at the Show: 64 JBL VTX V25-II used as Main PA LR and OUTER LR 24 JBL VTX S28 used for FLOWN SUB LR 36 JBL VTX G28 used for GROUND SUBS 24 JBL VT4889 for DELAY LR and 30 for DELAY LL RR 24 JBL VTX V20 for FRONT FILLS 12 JBL VT4888 for SIDE FILLS 172 Crown iTech12000HD amplifiers 32 MAC Quantum Wash 132 Mac Aura XB 32 Martin Led Atomic 3000 Having the largest inventory of Martin Professional lighting in India, Star Dimensions took the baton of delivering the visual spectacle for the show. While acoustically the venue posed its set of challenges, the soaring temperature took its own toll on the crew and the power eating equipment especially lighting but the never say die spirit of the whole crew delivered a perfect show at the end! Martin Mac aura XB wash played a key role at the main stage, they were subtle yet impactful.The inventory used for the show included 136 Mac Aura XB, 40 Mac Quantum Wash, 36 Atomic 3000 LED. Commenting on the successful show, Prashant Govindan, Sr. Director Harman Professional India said, “It gives me immense pride in saying that we have broken all our previous benchmarks with the successful production of the show and added another feather to our crown. It is the dedication of our esteemed partners such as Sound.com and Star Dimensions, which never let them stop striving to outperform in their respective fields, and Harman Professional India is committed to support them in every execution”.

ROLAND GO:MIXER – Audio Mixer for Smartphones

Perform, Mix Audio, and Record Video with Your Smartphone—All at Once Your cell phone has an awesome camera on it, but if you’re doing streaming or YouTubing, you’re going to need to look elsewhere to make your audio mix come together. Musicians and podcast heroes rejoice: Roland‘s Go:Mixer might just prove to be the silver bullet to make magic happen.

Record high-quality audio directly to your smartphone with the Roland GO:MIXER. Connect your microphone, guitar or bass, keyboard, and even your music player, then connect your smartphone via USB. Mix to taste, then record your

Super-Easy Audio Capture GO:MIXER’s plug-and-play convenience enables you to capture outstanding audio in your videos in real time, letting you focus on performing instead of fussy technical details Connect and Mix Multiple Sound Sources GO:MIXER allows you to combine five sources at once via inputs for a vocal mic, guitar, stereo keyboard, and two stereo line-level devices (such as music players, drum machines, etc.). Just set up your best live mix while monitoring the sound.

Ultra-Mobile Audio Companion . GO:MIXER delivers ultra-clean stereo digital audio with no background noise to disturb your performances. If you’ve only been using your phone’s built-in audio for your music videos, you’ll notice a difference immediately when using GO:MIXER!

Sing Along With Your Favorite Tunes If you’re a vocalist who wants to sing along with your music collection, GO:MIXER has you covered. Simply connect a

music player to GO:MIXER, and then enable the convenient Center Cancel function to reduce the volume of the main vocal in any song you play.*

Take Vlogs and Other Web Videos to the Next Level . With the ability to mix narration, bumper music, and other sources live with pristine audio, GO:MIXER lets you produce great-sounding videos quickly and efficiently

Roland GO:MIXER Features: • Compact mixer for use with iOS and Android devices • Mix inputs for Guitar/Bass, Mic, Keyboard, and external audio devices • Center Cancel function removes vocals from pre-recorded material for karaoke performance • Powered from your smartphone, includes cables for iOS and Android • Capture better audio for your social media videos The

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7 tips to

Record Electric Guitars & Bass in Home Studios

Recording Electric Guitars at home studios using our Audio Interface is always a challenge. Many folks tell me, “I don’t get that Rock tone or Great Sounding Guitar at my Home Studio” This is a very common problem everyone faces and particularly the starters.

Here are 7 Easy Steps to get great Sound from your Electric Guitar 1. Use a Proper DI to record your Electric Guitar directly into your interface. Most of your interface has built-in DI. Set the switch to INST or DI and ensure your gain levels are not crossing -10 dBFS in your DAW. This will have enough Headroom for your post processing during Mixing.

2. To record using the Guitar Amp, use a Dynamic Microphone like the SM57 which is one the best for Electric Guitar. Place the mic slightly at the corner of the Speaker cone about 2.5 inches from the Cabinet. This is not a written rule. Try to move the mic around this area and stop at the Sweet spot. You will have a great tone of the Amp sound in your DAW! The size of the cabinet does not Matter!

3. To record a Bass Guitar at home, always try to record directly using the DI or into the Interface itself. This will avoid low Frequency when your room is not Treated properly.

4. EQ on Electric Guitar - Always add an HPF ( High Pass Filter) on your insert channel in your DAW and roll off to 110 Hz as you don’t need that LOW rumble boomy Sound in your mix. This will give you some space in your whole mix for the Kick Drum and Bass Guitar to set well in your Mix. Trust me, HPF is like a Magic wand to your mix.

5. EQ on Bass Guitar - I would suggest you set your HPF around 65Hz or 70Hz. This is just to remove some unwanted LOW rumble noise in your Bass Guitar.

6. Compression on Electric and Bass Guitar - I usually set my compressor around 3:1 and adjust the Threshold not more than -15dB This threshold depends on how loud or soft I want my mix. Have a Gentle -3dB of Gain Reduction on your compressor and see how much Makeup gain has to be increased in your mix.

7. If you have a treated room, try to record your Electric or bass using two tracks. One with the Mic and other using DI. Now add a Saturation Plugin in your DAW and Guitar AMP simulator like the SANS AMP on the DI Track. You can blend both the Track to get a good guitar sound in your Song!

Author: L. Baba Prasad. He is the Owner and Chief Sound/Mix & Mastering Engineer at Digi Sound Studio.

He also teaches Sound Engineering & Music Production courses.

For more details visit: www.digisoundstudio.com / www.digisoundacademy.com

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