Still in Varanasi, the GE-OS team booked a local studio to record a number of improvised performances over The GE-OS Project backing tracks – adding to the collection that has been building since 2008.
In keeping with The GE-OS Project philosophy each instrument was recorded with a close mic to provide a detailed and articulate sound, and a slightly distant stereo pair to provide a more natural sound. Future users of The GE-OS Project’s recordings can combine the two approaches to achieve their desired effect.
The GE-OS Project update #08
5 January 2011
The first performer was Dr Birendra Nath Mishra, who the team had recorded in live performance the night before. His sitar was close-miked with a DPA 4041 omnidirectional (as described in the previous GE-OS update) to provide the detail and articulation, along with a pair of DPA 4023 compact cardioids in ORTF placed approximately one metre away to provide a more distant and natural sound. During playback through the studio’s KRK monitors it was decided that the 4041’s on-axis high-frequency boost was inappropriate for the sitar, adding too much attack and emphasis to the higher notes and drones.
For the remaining sitar recordings a DPA 4023 compact cardioid was used as the close mic, with a matched pair of 4041s approximately one metre away and spaced 40cm apart to provide a more ambient sound with an intentionally subtle hole in the middle to be filled in by the close miked signal. This approach to recording the sitar proved very successful, and was also applied to tabla and shennai recordings during this same session.
Later that night the team were treated to a surreal ‘farewell Varanasi’ performance of sitar and tabla. Boarding a boat and rowing into the darkness, the musicians performed on the candlelit bow of the boat as the entire group drifted slowly down the Ganges; some staring at the stars, others entering that half awake/half asleep meditation state as they reflected on their first location recordings in India.
About The GE-OS Project
Founded by Greg Simmons in 2008, The GE-OS Project takes audio students and other interested parties on international recording expeditions to capture the sounds and music of different countries and cultures. The goal is to make the highest quality recordings under the circumstances, with an emphasis on the educational aspects of recording on location.
‘GE-OS’ is an acronym for ‘Guerrilla Ethnomusicology – Open Source’, a reflection of the recording philosophies and dissemination methods used by the project. The recordings fall into three broad categories: direct-to-stereo ethnographic recordings of traditional music performed in traditional contexts, multitrack recordings of local musicians improvising over backing tracks, and phonographic recordings of city sounds, village sounds and nature sounds. On completion of the project, all recordings will be placed on line for anyone to access and use under the terms of a Creative Commons licensing scheme.
The GE-OS Project is currently undertaking its third extended recording expedition and gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of Amber Technology, DPA Microphones and TC Electronic
