Gig School: Electronic For “Pure” Acoustic
Evolving a system to remain true to the original performance

By Gregg Perry

Karen Chester with the four Mackie monitors used on stage.

Electronic amplification of live acoustic music can present a sticky situation. Renowned classical violinist Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg and Brazilian guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad have been collaborating with front-of-house mixer Karen Chester toward what they believe is a very credible solution for this particular dilemma. “We’ve been trained not to amplify,” states Sergio Assad, who is also a composer and arranger for the acoustic trio. “In our culture, it’s considered almost a crime to amplify.

The acoustic players of my generation all have the same feeling. Our goal when we decided to amplify for touring with Nadja was to get as close as possible to the natural sound of our acoustic instruments.”

Chester, herself a violinist, has been working with Solerno-Sonnenberg for nearly 10 years, producing her recordings and now a compact disc recording for the trio, two years in the making. Following that, they took to the road with a sound system they feel accurately amplifies the subtle blend of their respective acoustic styles, an evolutionary process coming along as recording work was ongoing.

A look at the system set.

PLEASINGLY REINFORCED “The technical aspect of this whole project came out of that production,” comments Chester. “The necessity being that if you’re in an acoustic hall listening to two beautifully soft acoustic guitars, how do you match the particularly wide range of dynamics produced by the violin and still retain an acoustic setting? We had to figure out how the trio could perform together so that the violin didn’t blast the guitars into oblivion, yet make the overall sound pleasingly reinforced so that one couldn’t tell it was amplified.” She began with two microphones previously used with the guitars, Neumann KM 184 miniature condensers. “I use them to accentuate the rich textures of the acoustic guitars.” Chester notes.

She uses one KM 184 per guitar, usually positioned as close to the guitars as possible and angled toward the guitar bridges. The final angle is changed nightly to help acoustically equalize the instruments for each particular hall hosting a concert. Resident engineers often complain about her close micing techniques, but their objections are generally tabled after hearing the benefits during soundcheck.

After performing a handful of shows in smaller venues with the guitars reinforced and violin on its own, the tour moved to larger venues, and Chester determined that a “smidgen” of amplification on the violin would unify the sonic landscape occupied by all three instruments. Following some work with violinist Mark O’Connor using a Sennheiser 1000 Series digital wireless mic system, she decided to apply one with Solerno-Sonnenberg’s violin to add “a little bit of shine”.

The omnidirectional lavalier mic is secured to Solerno-Sonnenberg’s lapel opposite her violin, with the bodypack transmitter then clipped to the back of her pants and working with a wireless receiver inserted into a FOH console channel. “Nadja wasn’t happy using anything that clipped on to her instrument because of the unruly enhancement of overtones from the body of her fiddle,” Chester says, emphasizing that this reinforcement is very subtle, “more for the subconscious mind than for the conscious.”

STAGE SOLUTIONS

Finalizing the microphone set, attention then turned to the overall sound reinforcement picture. For a time, the trio simply used whatever was provided at a given venue. Generally, large-format stage monitors were placed closely to each performer in the attempt to create a feeling of intimacy. Results were varied, and usually disappointing.

“If it sounds bad, the artists are uncomfortable, and they don’t play as well because they’re frustrated,” notes Chester. “I spent way too much time trying to equalize bad sound out of systems to get the instruments to sound true and natural.”

At a tour stop at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, house engineer Roy Hyda provided several Mackie HR824 reference monitors for use on stage. The sonic characteristics of these loudspeakers, combined with their placement, produced the sonic output desired by the group. It was a crucial turning point, with Chester then moving forward to acquire HR824s to become a staple of the stage sound.

The trio in their usual performance formation.

The artists are positioned in a semi-circle. One monitor is placed to the side of, and slightly behind, Solerno-Sonnenberg’s chair. Another rests between her and Odair Assad. The third sits between him and Sergio Assad, while the fourth is positioned slightly upstage in front of Solerno-Sonnenberg. This set provides each performer with his/her own monitor/reference system.

Note that signal is not provided to the house system. Rein-forced sound for the stage also covers the audience - further reinforcement or amplification is not deemed necessary. The opinion of the group is that this approach generates a truer acoustic-type reproduction. A compact Mackie console may be added to this straightforward traveling system, selected primarily due to Chester’s affinity for its mic preamplifiers.

“We’ve created a wonderfully intimate space for the artists to work and perform in. This system has been successful. We’re not a rock band, but rather a group of highly trained classical musicians performing challenging gypsy folk and jazz music in an intimate setting,” concludes Chester. “I want to sit in the audience and mix the performance, hearing exactly what the audience hears. Not remotely stuck up under the balcony removed from the artists on stage. This is all about intimacy and ‘audiophile’ quality.”

Gregg Perry worked for several years in professional audio and is currently residing in Hawaii sipping Mai Tais and making a living playing music.

May 2003 Live Sound International