Beijing’s unsung musical maestros

In October, Beijing’s live music scene finally got the attention it has long deserved. But while we were all at the festivals celebrating our city’s bests, there were a few great heroes wandering the shadows.

Recall the last time you saw a great live gig. The music, energy and stage presence of the band performing were no doubt crucial to your experience, but standing far from the spotlight was an accomplished sound engineer. Untangling and reassembling the voices, drums and instruments into a clear and crisp sound is certainly a thankless job. Not many pairs of panties thrown from appreciative fans have landed on mixing boards.

“A good sound engineer is as much a musician as anyone on stage,” asserts David Mitchell, guitarist and musician in Beijing bands Enfant Terrible and Panjir. “The China music community is increasingly realizing what an art form mixing a band’s live performance is. It’s no easy task to tune and tweak sounds from several microphones and sound sources, but it can be the difference between a good gig and a great one. Drums that are too loud, vocals that aren’t loud enough can create a musical mess that makes the crowds cringe.”

Jaime Welton, one of the top sound engineers in Beijing, has been busy at many gigs behind the mixing board since moving from Chicago, Illinois several years ago. “Serious bands have serious engineers, and bands here are learning how much a difference it can make.” Jaime has been a sound engineer for 17 years and playing in bands for 23. Armed with a degree in electro-acoustics and experienced in mixing sound in theaters and arenas in the United States and China, Welton has been doing his part to ensure the audience gets the best possible live experience. Currently starting a new Black Sabbath-influenced metal band called Bad Mama San, Welton explains what gig-goers should listen for: “In metal and other forms of music, the musicianship isn’t allowed a chance to shine without clear sound mixing. There should be balance and clarity between the drums, bass and guitar.”

Mico, drummer for unique Beijing band Jungle Cat, says Mao Live is one of the best venues in town for sound science. “Mao Live has good sound engineers, which for a band like us with many different instruments makes a big difference,” he says. “The management of a club needs to respect what a trained sound engineer can add to a live show, and Mao makes a solid effort.” David Mitchell adds, “Good sound isn’t just what you hear in the room, but also on the stage. Pierre Blanc at the old Yugong Yishan made it fun for us to play there, and we’re all hoping for continued good things at the new location.”

When you next have a great live music experience, offer to buy that engineer a beer. They’ll surely like the sound of that.

by Dan Stephenson