Comments on naijablog: Feedback and discord

The main problem with the sound is clipping. This ...

2006-09-02T21:47:00.000+01:00

The main problem with the sound is clipping. This can be caused at every stage of the sound recording and production process. And typically people at all stages probably dont care enough. They have all the tools and probably know what should be done but time is money and producers want to maximise profits...

As for out of tune guitars - if you have played any of the guitars used by live bands in Abuja you will find that they are using strings which may be months old and are impossible to tune because of the uneven thickness caused by corrosion and wear. Frets are worn and octaves are not set properly. The guitars themselves are cheap with frets often slightly out of position and with electrics usually in a nasty condition.

The most commonly available acoustics cost around N3,500 and are impossible to tune and have a crap tone.

The slight out of tuneness is more common in high-life (in my experience) than other forms but high-life has quite a human feel and the imperfection gives the music a lot of character - the lead vocalists are quite often more out of tune than the guitars. Maybe that is what the idiot Kanye West is trying to copy....

Felas band used quality Fender guitars and new strings were readily available and he himself was extremely critical of tuning. But he cared...

Almost all professional musicians in Nigeria don't own the instruments they play... Those that have their own instruments still prefer to use the crap provided by the band leader rather than wear out their own.

"this experience is rarely tolerated in the wester...

2006-08-30T05:30:00.000+01:00

"this experience is rarely tolerated in the western blah blah blah" u lost mate?, this is our africa!

shango i dey your back. the post is very interesting but coulb have been made simpler or maybe jerry should write to the music and movie people who might just employ a consultant to analyse the post then another "workshop in abuja can follow"

very interesting

2006-08-28T23:03:00.000+01:00

very interesting

@antonym: perhaps I overreached. :-)My point is, w...

2006-08-28T22:57:00.000+01:00

@antonym: perhaps I overreached. :-)
My point is, whether or not an observation was "considered" is moot.

Aaron's point occurred to me too.The phenomenon yo...

2006-08-28T22:18:00.000+01:00

Aaron's point occurred to me too.

The phenomenon you describe (very lucidly, nothing ivory tower about it) is more about distortion than about feedback.

Not that we don't love feedback too: visit the nearest New Gen church, and you'll be in feedback heaven.

The question is whether people are unaware of the thing, or whether they enjoy it for its own aural/psychological properties. The answer, as you suggest, is probably both.

I don't like distortion at all, but I quite enjoy feedback. A lot of early West African electric guitar music is full of both feedback and microtonal shifts. It drenches the listening experience in the best possible kind of nostalgia.

Shango, ki lo le to'yen?Hitler ke?

2006-08-28T21:43:00.000+01:00

Shango, ki lo le to'yen?

Hitler ke?

Dissonance: "But why denigrate academic pursuit an...

2006-08-28T20:20:00.000+01:00

Dissonance: "But why denigrate academic pursuit and excellence by calling it 'Ivory Towers'Shango."

Teehee, this is too good to be true. Tell me Dissonance, did you choose your name in advance knowledge of the cognitive dissonance you were about to show?

To wit: I did not denigrate or otherwise malign any Ivory Towers or the pursuit of academics and excellence. I'd just wanted an easier-to-digest blog entry as I ... yes (everybody!), am not well educated.

Obi: "shango your summary is to[sic] harsh and i'm...

2006-08-28T20:12:00.000+01:00

Obi: "shango your summary is to[sic] harsh and i'm sure Jeremy is making a considered observation here."

Oh, I'm sure Jeremy's observation was "considered." So was Hitler's.

I wasn't necessarily disagreeing with Jeremy. In fact, I agree with his main points; I just thought bloviating about it in the way he did was unnecessary. After all, I'm not that well educated.

It comes down to three words;LACK OF TRAINING

2006-08-28T19:00:00.000+01:00

It comes down to three words;
LACK OF TRAINING

I think this audio effect is called Distortion or ...

2006-08-28T12:24:00.000+01:00

I think this audio effect is called Distortion or clipping not Feedback. Audio feedback is when you put your microphone too close to your speakers and get a high pitched squealing noise that makes you want to clamp your hands over your ears.

The distortion effects are caused because the sound levels are not set properly. Normally a sound engineer would check that the voices of the speaking people and other background noises will not 'peak' the recording equipment, and set the mic levels accordingly. That's what that 'one two.. one two' thing is about.

After that it is possible to post process the audio recording to boost quiet spots and reduce loud spots but generally anything that is too loud, having exceeded the limits of the recording equipment, has lost information in the signal. Anything that is too quiet when amplified will also amplify other noises.

When my better half was watching Big Brother Nigeria earlier this year I couldn't believe just how bad the sound was. It seemed like each room in the BB house had one microphone suspended from the ceiling and the sound people would crank up the mic level to pick up someones whispers, when suddenly someone would shreik or shout out some useless thing about food that would shake me to my bones.

Radio seem to do OK most of the time. Some presenters voices seem to just be a droning mumble of noise, and the call in sections are a definite turn off and watch tv moment 'Hello?...<bzzz> Hello?...<fizz> Hello?... Hello?...'
But generally sound is clear and good quality.

I also can't stand the sound levels in the DSTV advertisements on most channels. In our house we keep the mute button to hand and hit it as soon as we see 'End of Part one'. I hope the advertisers are glad to hear that.

But why denigrate academic pursuit and excellence ...

2006-08-28T11:04:00.000+01:00

But why denigrate academic pursuit and excellence by calling it 'Ivory Towers'Shango. I bet you went to one and you'll want your children to go to one. Yet, those who spend their lives nurturing minds and the site to do so her so demeaned. Shango you exhibit a profound anti-intellectualism.

I suggest you read both J's comment again and Obifromsouthlondon really and really listened to what is been said. What I hear them saying is that a positive expression can be produced out of noise. this experience is rarely tolerated in Western musical and lived expressions. One of the things that I often wonder about is how we Africans whereever we are located can hold multiple conservations, with so much 'noise' around and yet feel totally unperturbed and at home. AS south london rightly notes, Fela's music is a fine example of holding together multiple sonic dissonance to create aural poetry.

Of course Nigerians can be loud, obnoxious and tone-deaf, but thats a different conversation. If you can't enter the discourse that is been presented to you, just listen to others and you might be amazed as to what you will find.

Hi Efiko. Thanks for alerting me from imminent da...

2006-08-28T09:40:00.000+01:00

Hi Efiko. Thanks for alerting me from imminent danger and possible disaster. I will make amends forthwith..

I had a look at your pictures on flickr and you ha...

2006-08-28T04:25:00.000+01:00

I had a look at your pictures on flickr and you have a picture labelled QC girls. Please note that they are not, i repeat NOT QC girls. The are from HOLY CHILD!!! It is probably against QC rules to be photographed in the street in your uniform. How could you think that QC could ever have anything to do with a maroon, 3 cornered hat? Abeg, my guy, levels dey different. Please amend the caption accordingly before QC girls will see it and vex for you.

2006-08-28T04:19:00.000+01:00

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shango your summary is to harsh and i'm sure Jerem...

2006-08-28T04:18:00.000+01:00

shango your summary is to harsh and i'm sure Jeremy is making a considered observation here. i lived in naija for years and "feedback" wasn't an issue to my inner ear. then i came over to the UK and noticed the sonic difference. nothing critical here and i strongly subscribe to "c". you see i listen to alot of rap and jazz music and I've marvelled at the capacity to make something really creative out of what would be considered noise. noise in it's own right becomes a form of expression. a positive expression. some may venture a "black" expression. listen to any Fela song for case in point. splendid in it's aural brashness.

"and I could rock a rhyme to just static"

google it.

a raging and interesting argument/debate went down on this blog about Nigeria and i think it'll be of great interest to you guys.

"I have a theory that specific aesthetic condition...

2006-08-27T23:41:00.000+01:00

"I have a theory that specific aesthetic conditions that are present within a society can indicate deeper social structures and the metaphysical principles that motivate these structures."

Specific aesthetic conditions ..., metaphysical motivating principles, huh? These $10,000 words must have taken many years ensconced in some Ivory Tower to handle the way you do: so deftly, like a nightsoil man and his load.

If you wanted to say Nigerians are loud, obnoxious, and tone-deaf, just say so. See? Only one simple sentence. Then again, I didn't spend much time in any Ivory Towers.