Shivkumar Sharma Raga Janasammohini

baikonour · 4th July 2009

Hi John,

It's hard to choose as thread as you have participated or produced some outstanding records...So I have chosen a more obscure one but nonetheless amazing record by the Santoor maestro...Can you recall any info regarding this recording? The space and the 3D like quality of this LP is breathtaking.
Cheers

johnleckie · 5th July 2009

Yes. I love this sound and am deeply honoured to have worked with Pandit. Its recorded at Real World in Prod Room with the musicians in the Stone Room with the water running under them. Its two santoors miked with two AKG 414s each just about 8-10 inches above strings. The musicians are seated on floor and tabla is about 9ft away and I dont remember any screens. We also had Calrec Soundfield above each santoor. It took evening to set up, tune instruments and allow to settle and we started following day about 4pm till 8pm and did whole raga. I think we then came in next day and recorded shorter piece. Its on 24 trk tape at 15ips as they needed to play non stop for more than 16 mins. I mixed it in same room on SSL a few days later after Shiv Kumar had returned to India. There is little reverb nor any processing on the mix. The instrument has a natural resonance and the 3D panning is really the players moving up and down the strings as the mics are panned left right.

Cheers
JL

Djembe · 7th July 2009

And miking of the tabla?

johnleckie · 8th July 2009

Tabla is difficult to record. A lot depends on room its in and usually small to medium is better. The stone room at RW was good. I close mic and tend to now favor one mike usually U87 or FET 47 between two tabla about 6 to 8 inches. Use good pre amp, usually Focusrite ISO or API is good as quite hard and doesn't soften the way Neve may on hard percussion. And usually you have to eq and not be frightened to add loads of top and bass. Its really down to experiment. On this record it would have been SSL and I used two mics. It may have been 2 SM58s on each tabla and the 87 just away in center. The tabla and mix may have SSL compression. Check out Wonderwall Music by George Harrison and similar recordings from India on HMV at the time.
Namaste
JL

4th July 2009	#1
baikonour Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: brighton UK Posts: 1,600 Thread Starter	Shivkumar Sharma Raga Janasammohini Hi John, It's hard to choose as thread as you have participated or produced some outstanding records...So I have chosen a more obscure one but nonetheless amazing record by the Santoor maestro...Can you recall any info regarding this recording? The space and the 3D like quality of this LP is breathtaking. Cheers __________________ "The misinformation on this site is really approaching legendary proportions." Fletcher Originally Posted by vernier: "Vintage synth has balls, as does everything vintage." "Apart from vintage gentlemen, whos balls are largely useless." Narcoman

5th July 2009	#2
johnleckie Gear nut Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 112	Shivkumar Sharma Yes. I love this sound and am deeply honoured to have worked with Pandit. Its recorded at Real World in Prod Room with the musicians in the Stone Room with the water running under them. Its two santoors miked with two AKG 414s each just about 8-10 inches above strings. The musicians are seated on floor and tabla is about 9ft away and I dont remember any screens. We also had Calrec Soundfield above each santoor. It took evening to set up, tune instruments and allow to settle and we started following day about 4pm till 8pm and did whole raga. I think we then came in next day and recorded shorter piece. Its on 24 trk tape at 15ips as they needed to play non stop for more than 16 mins. I mixed it in same room on SSL a few days later after Shiv Kumar had returned to India. There is little reverb nor any processing on the mix. The instrument has a natural resonance and the 3D panning is really the players moving up and down the strings as the mics are panned left right. Cheers JL

8th July 2009	#4
johnleckie Gear nut Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 112	Shivkumar Sharma Raga Janasammohini Tabla is difficult to record. A lot depends on room its in and usually small to medium is better. The stone room at RW was good. I close mic and tend to now favor one mike usually U87 or FET 47 between two tabla about 6 to 8 inches. Use good pre amp, usually Focusrite ISO or API is good as quite hard and doesn't soften the way Neve may on hard percussion. And usually you have to eq and not be frightened to add loads of top and bass. Its really down to experiment. On this record it would have been SSL and I used two mics. It may have been 2 SM58s on each tabla and the 87 just away in center. The tabla and mix may have SSL compression. Check out Wonderwall Music by George Harrison and similar recordings from India on HMV at the time. Namaste JL

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7th July 2009	#3
Djembe Gear maniac Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 209	And miking of the tabla?