Position of monitor speakers!

[shankarank]

Many carnatic venues ( especially the streaming ones - Arkay, Raga Sudha) - I am not sure if they have played with position of monitor speakers. For photogenic ( or videogenic) reasons, or manage the optics as they say nowadays , they all have hidden them on the side of the stage or prebuilt them into the hall structure (Arkay?)?

The monitor speaker for either the traditional or the liberated configuration of artistes , is smack in front of the artistes where adequate feedback can be ensured for lower levels of setting - may be down the stage atop a chair or bench.

They all need to try it. This will reduce feedback issues. The most from violin Mike which is bass enhanced.

I had an email exchange with Sri Bhaskar of Mudra. He said his is a studio and he is aware of the blare of percussion, being one himself, he has limitations.

[Nick H]

There is no single answer, and certainly not a single-speaker single answer. But it is a important topic, for sure.

[cheens]

If I remember right, in Arkay CC, FOH speakers are ceiling hung and the monitor is usually a single wedge placed on the floor. The wedge is cut out from the frame in the video broadcast.

If it is placed a bit farther from the stage (to avoid coming in the frame), it does pose a problem. Monitor volume needs to be cranked up and that generates a feedback loop. And a single wedge monitor is a challenge for providing a good monitor mix to keep all artists on the stage happy. But they must have figured that out long back.

I'm an amateur live sound engineer. I do it mainly for bhajans. We use 3 monitors with 2 FOH speakers. Monitors wedges are kept close below the podium with an equalizer in each channel to cut feedback loops. Still, it's a nightmare to get a proper monitor mix, with 4 mics for percussion, 1 harmonium, 1 lead, and 4 backup singers.