In addition to being home to 30m people and Mount Everest, Nepal has a rich musical heritage. A soon-to-be released recording aims to capture both contemporary and traditional styles, giving a fresh perspective on Nepalese music.

Alejandro Sánchez-Samper, Assistant Director of Commercial Music at Florida Atlantic University, spearheaded the project. Intended to further an understanding of the musical styles of Nepal and create opportunities for Nepalese artists to promote their music throughout the world.

‘I travelled to Kathmandu in mid-August and worked with seven of the most influential music groups of Nepal through early September,’ Sánchez-Samper says. ‘We recorded a full length album at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory founded by Florida Atlantic University alumnus Mariano Abello. During this time, I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful musicians and record some really inspiring performances. For this project, my “go-to” microphones consisted of one Mojave Audio MA-201fet and four MA-101fet condenser microphones. The MA-201fet served as my vocal microphone while the MA-101fets captured everything from traditional Nepali stringed instruments to percussion. The mics delivered terrific results.’

On one recording, a MA-101fet was used to capture a Yamaha 88-key electronic piano while the MA-201fet served as the vocal mic. ‘This was an impromptu recording session,’ says Sánchez-Samper. ‘We had time for one take and ten minutes to get it. We placed the mics, made a few adjustments, and went for it.

‘The results were incredible –particularly the vocal performance. The MA-201fet has a very smooth, wonderful presence that handled the vocal dynamics beautifully. The mic delivered a very even vocal quality throughout. The more I worked with the mic, the more I appreciated it. For both male and female vocals, theMA-201fet does a terrific job of capturing the full spectrum of the voice with a remarkably even quality.’

Sánchez-Samper was equally impressed with Mojave Audio’s MA-101fets. ‘I used the MA-101fet’s extensively with percussion instruments,’ he says. ‘These are the best drum overhead mics I’ve ever used. The sound quality is very transparent, they deliver great imaging so you can hear the placement of the various instruments throughout the stereo field, and they have an amazing ability to smooth out the drums’ sharp attack transients.

‘I used the MA-101fet’s to record percussion on a live performance of the group Kutumba, a folk instrumental ensemble consisting of six musicians from Kathmandu. They did a phenomenal job with all sorts of percussion – I used them to record the madal, a double-headed hand drum that is mainly used for rhythm-keeping in Nepalese folk music. The percussion on the recordings really shines.’

The mics also did an impressive job on the sarod, a popular stringed instrument. ‘I tried a variety of mics to capture this instrument,’ Sánchez-Samper notes. ‘But being a bright sounding instrument with sharp attack transients due to a metal pick against metal strings, this is a complex instrument to capture. Not only did the MA-101fet capture the attack accurately, it also captured the body of the instrument. I used a stereo matched pair in ORTF configuration on the sarod and was floored with the results.’

Of four MA-101fets, two were a matched set that, upon completion of the project, were donated to the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory. ‘This was a really gracious and greatly appreciated gesture on the part of Mojave Audio,’ says Sánchez-Samper. ‘These mics are an invaluable tool for the school’s audio production program and I’m confident they will go to very good use.

‘It’s not every day that a company like Mojave Audio steps up and demonstrates its willingness to support a project of this nature. We are all very grateful. These mics did a phenomenal job and I’m confident the recording will go a long way toward highlighting the music of the Nepalese people. The project was a huge success—thanks in part to Mojave Audio’s microphones.’

The recording – titled Nepali Ho: Traditional and Contemporary Music of Nepal – is slated for release in November.

More: www.siganepal.com
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