Master Player of Indian Music Discovers The 'Kya Baat' Sound of the AKG C 2000 B
(AKG | Posted 2003-05-22)
It is believed that, in order to grow as an artist, every musician must make his or her own contribution, create something new and develop a personal style to the music they play. When it comes to Indian music, widely considered an intensley personal reflection of the musician's inner soul, the meaningless of simply 'covering a tune' confirms this belief. For years, New York-born and Colorado-raised master player Daniel Bradley has been creating something new for Indian music without losing site of its traditions. To capture his sounds, Bradley relies on the AKG C 2000 B.
In concert Bradley gives a gentle introduction to Indian music by beginning on the sitar accompanied by tablas, a percussion instrument that offers an incredible gamut of sounds and highly developed sound structures. The middle of the concert highlights an extended solo on the surbahar, a lower-pitched instrument, in the dhrupad style. Bradley concludes the concert playing the sitar again accompanied by the tablas in a romantic, lightly classical style.
During performance, the musicians sit on the floor. If a sound system is required, the microphones are inconspicuously mounted on table stands and placed in front of the instruments. Until recently, the musician found great challenges in miking the instruments to produce the tones the way he wanted them. "The sitar produces an enormous amount of overtones so it is difficult to mic up," explains Bradley. "The high-frequency peak typical of other condenser microphones is unbearable on the sitar. If you try to use the EQ to flatten the peak, however, the sound becomes dull and unnatural."
So, to capture all of the instruments subtle tonalities and emotions that are produced, Bradley turned to AKG and the C 2000 B. "I really got optimum sound with the C 2000 B," says Bradley. "It seems as if it has been created for Indian Music. It is highly versatile, causes no coloration and provides an airy sound without harshness. The C 2000 B can handle high sound pressure levels with ease so there are no problems with loud passages."
The C 2000 B's cardoid polar pattern with maximum rejection rate at 150 degrees is another advantage when it comes to Bradley's stage setup. This feature allows several musicians to sit next to one another with no crosstalk between the microphones. The sound can also be controlled by careful microphone placement, as a small change in position changes the sound significantly. "It takes time to find the sweet spot, but it's worth the while," Bradley comments.
The tablas also benefit greatly from the C 2000 B's technology. Bradley places it in from of the instruments, relatively low, pointing down. He controls the balance between the two drums by slightly turning the microphone, and makes sure it will not interfere with the playing. The neutral sound of the C 2000 B gives excellent results on the tablas, ensuring absolute natural reproduction, with no coloration or accentuation.
Bradley also prefers the AKG C 2000 B used in conjunction with the Grace Design V3 microphone preamps. Bradley concludes that, "since the sitar sound is extremely rich in overtones and is delicate, it is very difficult to record or amplify it realistically, but this combination does it-Kya baat (an expression in India that is roughly equivalent to 'well played' or 'gorgeous')!"
