November 6, 2016

Ram Narayan: Stil's Sunday Solo [Stil 1804 S 82] an LP released in France in 1984

Here we have another LP by the great sarangi maestro Ram Narayan. This is an LP which was recorded in 1983 and released in 1984 by the French label Stil. 

There is a slightly unusual mix to the album, with the tabla barely audible at times. This may have to do with the compromises required in cutting such long sides. Despite the lack of bass (which was very gently boosted in Audacity) this is a lovely performance.

side 1: Raga Shudh Sarang (26:06)
side 2: Raga Multani (26:12)

tabla: Suresh Talwalker (side 1 only)
tampura: Helene Huguet

I am grateful to Nels for the loan of this LP, as well as several other LPs which are coming to the blog. 











Equipment used in transfer: 
Preparation: Ultrasonic cleaning for 20 minutes in pure clean water, followed by a quick vacuum drying with a VPI 16.5 cleaning machine
Turntable:  Audio-technica AT-LP-1240
Cartridge: Shure M97x
Pre-amplification: Vintage refurbished Pioneer SX-780.
Recorder: Sony PCM-M10 at 24bit/44.1kHz resolution
Software: Audacity, ClickRepair, and xAct. 




(high resolution file ideal for listening on computer)

(standard resolution file ideal for burning a CDR)

(compressed file ideal for listening on a portable player)

November 5, 2016

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan: [EALP 1265] an LP released in India in 1961

Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (2 April 1902 – 23 April 1968) was one of the giants of Hindustani classical music. He was a member of the Patiola gharana. His death in 1968 unfortunately did not allow for many high fidelity recordings of him to be made. This is one of the few LPs he recorded during his lifetime.

There is also a series of recordings made by All India Radio which were released in the 1990s by T-series. I imagine most if not all of them are now out of print. 

For a list of the compositions which make up the sides of the LP, please see the photos of the labels.

side 1: Raga Darbari Kanada
side 2: Raga Kaushi-Dhani












Equipment used in transfer: 
Preparation: Ultrasonic cleaning for 20 minutes in pure clean water, followed by a quick vacuum drying with a VPI 16.5 cleaning machine
Turntable:  Audio-technica AT-LP-1240
Cartridge: Shure M97x
Pre-amplification: Vintage refurbished Pioneer SX-780.
Recorder: Sony PCM-M10 at 24bit/44.1kHz resolution
Software: Audacity, ClickRepair, and xAct. 




(high resolution file ideal for listening on computer))

(standard resolution file ideal for burning a CDR)

(compressed file ideal for listening on a portable player)