For those unaware – yes, Mysore has pubs. Shocking but true. Sadly, it is going the Bangalore way, and while the ban on live music in places serving alcohol continues unabated in Bangalore, Mysore seems to have been unaffected by it all. The branch of Purple Haze in Mysore is hosting a rock / metal fest showcasing eighteen bands over the weekend before Diwali.
I had been there last evening to check out a few of the bands, including Crucifix Guide, Today’s Special and Ston’d (about whom I’ve written in the upcoming issue of RSJ) and during the whole time I was watching them bands perform live, I could only think of how the guy behind the sound console was not mixing the sound properly into the PA (public address), as a result of which the volumes of individual instruments weren’t being balanced correctly.
In some cases, you couldn’t hear the vocalist who was being drowned out by the guitar tones. The bass guitar was not heard in a few instances. If a band had two guitarists, their volumes weren’t balanced properly.
The guy in charge of sound at the pub couldn’t entirely be blamed either. This is because he is not aware of their setup, and isn’t aware of how the instruments and vocals are interspersed in each song, and whether there needs to be any modifications in the sound levels done across different songs. It isn’t his business either. All he needs to do is to keep all instruments at certain preset levels to ensure a minimum sound output that each band can adjust to. Think of it as being akin to the common minimum program for bands.
If each band has a dedicated sound engineer who knows all their songs perfectly, he can either take charge of the sound console, or assist the main sound guy in adjusting levels, to negate the most obvious complaint that most bands have of how the sound sucked.
For sure, a sound engineer is way more important to a band than even a manager is. At least in the initial phases of its existence. Unless of course, the manager can also double up as a sound guy.
i’m reminded of the mic guy at the Central Lecture Theatre at IIT Madras. There would be a classical music concert every month, sometimes more frequently, and each time, the sound would be perfect. This guy didn’t seem like he was formally trained in this, but years of adjusting the mics had led him to perfect this art.
In fact, we may not even have noticed him if not for the fact that he was on leave on the day of some light music competition. The volume levels were so crappy that day that we realized how good a job this guy would do.
@skimpy,
True, good sound engineers are hard to find. Which is why you have hajjar complaints about how badly shows suck.
Basically, the last few shows I put at palace grounds – including Scorpions and all were quite damaar simply because sound levels put jai sporadically.
We had a sound engineer at our newly established institute’s yet to be ready lecture theater. Since the sound system was not so easy to set up before each lecture while the junta was pouring in he had to check the settings. His testing sounded like calling out for the members of fairer sex. He would keep on repeating the phrase:
Halo chic, halo chick, halo chic one two three
Better than saying testing 123 or coming up with something lame like check check cash cash or some other naansense.