For those of us who have been to concerts and live music shows, the thrill of watching our favorite artists perform on stage is unmatched. And if those artists are any good, they’ll sound just like you’re listening to them on the radio, creating a scintillating effect at the venue. But how many of us know the singers and musicians we love to watch live are not the only people behind the good music?
Besides singing and playing their instruments, these singers and musicians have little control over how they actually sound at the venue. Especially when the venue is large and the instruments are heavily amplified. Be it our own Nepathya or the internationally famous Aerosmith on stage, they all need someone to control their inputs and outputs while they are on stage.
Sound engineering involves a lot of technology but it’s not all about technology as well. It is an art that requires you to learn multiple things
Binaya Man Amatya
That’s where these conjurers called sound engineers come in. Don’t be fooled by the name though. They’re not engineers who are churned out by engineering colleges with 4-year degrees. “Sound engineers are people with good ears, an understanding of music and the ability to maneuver technology at their will,” says Binaya Man Amatya. At just 28, Binaya is one of the most sought after sound engineers in the country and a teacher of over five dozen aspiring sound engineers who have learnt the art of mixing from him and are now making a living out of it.
In a layman’s terms, a ‘mix’ is the final output of the sound produced by the musicians on stage or during recording. A sound engineer behind the mixing console is responsible for how the band sounds. From the amount of reverb and delay required on the vocals, to the volume levels of guitars, low ends produced by the bass to the clarity of each of the cymbals of the drums, a sound engineer mixes all these inputs from the musicians to create the wholesome sound that the audience hears.
“I was intrigued by the art from when I was a teenager and played bass in a church worship band,” says Binaya. “As there was no one to control the mixing console back then, I had to step up and thus my career started.” Binaya, who started his professional career as a sound engineer in 2012, is mostly self-taught and any formal classes he has taken have come in the form of short training sessions and workshops from international sound engineers. “I started by playing with the knobs of old analog mixers and learning the tricks of the trade. I’ve also read many books related to sound engineering and have done my fair share of research to acquire the skills I now have,” says Binaya.
Owing to his passion for learning, Binaya quickly rose to fame as one of the most successful sound engineers in the country, a relatively new profession in Nepal. In his short career, he has worked with the most recognized names in the industry like Bipul Chhetri and the Travelling Band, Adrian and Friends, and Underside, among others. With Binaya manning the mixing consoles, he also became one of the first sound engineers in the country to be an integral part of bands and travel with them for their shows. Binaya has toured with various artists to Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, the US, and the UK, among other countries.
So what does it take to be a sound engineer? “A lot of patience, perseverance, and being in constant touch with the latest technological advancements,” replies Binaya who is also popular for his “Live Sound Recording and Mixing Course” that he runs in association with Liveworks Pvt Ltd—one of the biggest vendors of stage, sound and lights services in the country. “Sound engineering involves a lot of technology but it’s not all about technology. It is an art that requires you to learn multiple things. There’s geometry, physics, and algorithms—altogether a steep learning curve. But once you understand the concept, everything gets easy.”
Not quite supported by his family in the beginning, Binaya says he earns decently by Nepali standards. With the Nepali music industry getting bigger and better, there is great scope for professional sound engineers. About learning formally in an academy, Binaya recalls his encounter with veteran Swiss sound engineer Daniel (Danlo) Laurent at one Jazzmandu
“I asked him if I should get a degree in sound engineering from a college in the US,” Binaya says. “He said, Don’t!” What Laurent then told him has always stayed with him. “You already have the skills and talent,” Lorent said. “All you need is practice.” So Binaya quit the idea of getting a formal degree and started honing his skills in the art of sound mixing, which he says is a life-long learning process.
