chat with Jawed Wahid

Gauri: Foundations TV is extremely excited tonight to be actually coming out of our own studio and visiting a different studio. If you’ve ever organized an event or even participated in an event in the New England area, you’ve already probably visited this studio. Our guest tonight is Mr Jawed Wahid. Welcome.
Jawed:  My pleasure. I enjoy being here. (smiling) It is my place.
Gauri: Of course. So as you can see, we’ve managed to bring him in front of the camera. He is barely ever seen in the front. He is not only the back bone of all shows, he is also a perfectionist. Most of the times I have seen hi tweaking the ports and knobs, trying to fine tune the sound for hours at a stretch just to make sure that the sound for every event is just right, just the way he would like to hear it. He is a very very dedicated person.
Jawed: It is a lot of work

Gauri: Absolutely it is a lot of work. It requires a lot of dedication and passion to be doing something like this.

Jawed: It is a labor of love

Gauri: I can see that you are in love with music and that actually brings us to our first question. Talking of love for music, I want to understand what was your motivation is dedicating this whole room to musical events? There are not only events that you participate in or help out with as a sound engineer, but you also host a lot of events here in this studio.

Jawed: Music has always been a passion for me. Though I was never formally trained for music as a child, I always found that music stirred something within me, a passion, and tremendous sense of peace. In my opinion, the joy of music is really multiplied as you share with people. I think music is something that should be shared. It is a group activity. Listening to music alone can be interesting but the pleasure comes with sharing. Hence I built this studio so I can share with many people.

Gauri: Excellent. I couldn’t agree more with what you said that the joy of music comes from sharing. It is truly ‘The more the merrier’.

Gauri: So, Jawed ji is not only the most sought after sound engineer in the area, he is also a very compassionate, sensitive and a very respectful human being and I think that is what differentiates him and makes him the most sought after sound engineer for most events here. Tell us a little bit about your evolution into reaching here where everyone wants to involve you in the events.

Jawed: Before getting into sound engineering, I had attended many programs that were disasters due to the poor quality of the sound engineering. It ended up being a waste of time for the audience and for the artists on stage. Those days they used to come from India. There were very few local artists who would perform. So being an electrical engineer with a specialization is signal processing, and naturally analytical being an engineer, I could easily understand what the factors were that were causing the bad sound to happen and I knew what would be necessary to fix the sound. So, I then went about getting top of the line expensive equipment that provided me with the tools that I needed to produce good quality sound. Contrary to what people may think, a mic is not just any mic and a speaker is not just any speaker. A high quality mic and a high quality speakers only would give you  high quality sound. So if you buy cheap mics and cheap speakers, you are actually going to get a very poor sound. And people just don’t seem to understand that fact. So, apart from my engineering background which helped me understand that, I have also extensively read about sound engineering techniques. I read articles on the internet all the time about good mixing techniques and poor mixing techniques. I am constantly learning and incorporating that in my work. So, every event I go to, I do something differently based on what I have learnt. I think life is always about learning and I am always learning sound engineering.
Gauri: Excellent. So, you’ve definitely shared the technical aspects of it that you have to go with the high quality equipment and you have to have a good knowledge about it. But I think there is something else to it which is the magic wand that you hold.
Jawed: (laughing) Yes, there is a little bit of black magic. If you give three people the same ingredients to cook, the output is going to very different. Somebody would produce a very tasty dish and on the other hand another person may produce a disastrous dish. I do agree, there is a ‘black’ art to it.

Gauri: Yes, there is a personal touch and I think you touched about it a little bit that every event you do something slightly different and you keep learning. It is an experience and it is an evolution in itself. It is a process that continues to evolve.

Gauri: So, speaking of events, how soon do you recommend that people contact you if they are trying to organize and event?

Jawed: Actually many event organizers first contact me for my available dates, and check the venue for their available dates and then the pick the dates based on when we are both available at the same time. Basically I get involved when the event is still a concept. If they plan the event and if I am not available, then that could be problem for them.
Gauri: So here’s a cue for everybody who is thinking of organizing and event in this area, get him involved early.

Gauri: Could you please share something about your association with SBAGD, which is coming up on September 7th?

Jawed: Sahib bibi Aur Guru Dutt is being organized by a friend of mine, Meena Sundaram. I have known Meena for about 4 years now ( my memory is kind of bad that way). We were introduced by our common teacher Warren Senders. When Meena was looking to do an event back then, she needed somebody for sound. Warren know I do sound, so he said, ”If you want to do sound, contact Jawed” and that’s how we got to know each other and we’ve been doing programs ever since. So, when Meena said, “I am planning an event based on the life of Guru Dutt”, so I told her that the fact that I am going to do your sound is given, but since this is such an intriguing project, I would like to get involved in something just more than sound. I am now helping out with some of the AV and a lot of the technical infrastructure. When you come to the event, you will see that there are a lot of interesting things happening, that don’t usually happen on a lot of other events. She needs a lot of technical support to make that happen. You’ll find it out when you come to the event.

Gauri: Alright! So looks like we have some surprises put in place for September 7^th . this is actually a good time to invite everybody who is listening to save the date for September 7^th. I know it is a few months in advance, but this is the time you should reserve that date for an excellent event which has some surprises in it.

Jawed: It is really going to be an interesting program and you’re really going to enjoy the new things we are going to present and the way we are going to present some of the material too.

Gauri: Excellent. Looking forward to it.

Gauri: Working with various people, at different locations, at various auditoriums, with different sound systems, and with all the different set ups, I’m sure there’s a lot of different challenges that you have faced. We would like to hear about those.

Jawed: Well, one of the things that I never do, or very rarely do is use the in house sound system because I don’t know what the quality is going to be like and if there is a problem with it, then I don’t know how to fix it. Whereas, with my own equipment, I know exactly how to manage it, control it , and if there is an issue, I can resolve it. I have been doing a lot of programs in most of these auditoriums, and in some of them, like in Keefe tech, I’ve done many programs. The staff there knows me very well by first name. they are very helpful. They’ll help me unload stuff and help me load stuff at the end of the day. Even if I am a little late, they don’t mind, or even if I stay a little beyond the time. They are usually a friendly bunch. The only real challenge I have is if I go to a new venue, where I’ve never done an event before. The staff invariably is very helpful, so that’s never a problem. I’ve never run into staff that is not helpful but in a new auditorium there is always a challenge of how to optimally lay out my sound equipment i.e. the placement of my mixer, placement of the speakers, how I run the wiring. Most importantly every auditorium has a unique sound profile, and I need to equalize the sound profile for  that auditorium and that takes a little while. For the auditorium that I have already done, I know what the sound profile is and it is easy for me to dial in my mixer for that auditorium. For a new one, it takes me a little longer, but I can manage that. Now I have a lot of high tech tools to help me.

Gauri: So, in two words, he’s the expert.

Gauri: How does it usually take you to set up the sound on the day of the event?

Jawed: Well, that has a two part answer. If it is a new venue where I’ve never set up the sound before then, I will require a site visit sometime ahead of the event. I talk to the event organizer and I meet them there and ask them for the venue technical person to be there. I like to do the site survey ahead of time so that there are no surprises. I like to know where do I load the equipment from. I don’t want to find out that day ,” oh you gotta climb up 4 stairs to get your equipment in”. That’s not gonna work. So, I find out where the loading is going to be from, how far the loading doors are from the stage etc. I need to know that all ahead of time so I can plan accordingly. If it is right next to the auditorium, I can load very fast. If it is at the other end of the school, then you have to walk 10 minutes for each load. So, that’s the first part. The second part is on the actual day of the event. That is dependent on what’s being performed. If it is going to be large group as we did for YJMH, that takes me many hours to do, coz you have to set close to 30 lines. For a small event, with a couple of singers, it can be less. YJMH was 5 – 6 hours spread over two days, including a sound check with the artists. Typically, for a smaller event, 2 – 3 hours should be more than enough to do sound check. I am usually there a minimum of 2 hours before the event, more commonly 3 hours, and another 2 hours after the event cause I have to pack up all my equipment and load up the van. So, I am always the first to arrive and the last to leave.

Gauri: So it’s  really not as easy as it looks. We kind of assume when we go to a good show, we enjoy it and come right out, we take the sound for granted. The sound was excellent as long as it didn’t bother our ears and everything went fine, what we don’t realize is that to create a sound that not only doesn’t bother the ears but actually brings out the beauty of music, there is so much dedication and so much sincerity of work that goes in behind the scenes as well.

Gauri: Speaking of sincerity and dedication and so much hard work, I’m sure there’s a lot of people who are listening to you and looking upto you and thinking…hmmm…what can I do to be where he is today. Can you share some advice/tips for people who are looking to follow your footsteps?

Jawed: First of all I should let everyone know that sound engineering is not for everyone. Contrary to what people believe that it is as easy as turning a couple of mics on, it’s not that simple. Just like thinking if everybody can  be a good cook or everybody can be a good singer. No, you can’t. You might learn the verse of the song, but if you don’t have that vocal quality, you can’t be a good singer. Similarly with sound engineering, you require a knack for understanding of how things work. If you don’t have that knack, don’t try. All you’re going to do is destroy someone’s program. So, no point trying cause that poor person is on stage and you’re giving them optimal sound. But if you feel that you have a knack for sound engineering, then first and foremost, you should invest in good equipment. Don’t cut corners on equipment. The equipment really makes the difference in the quality of the sound coming out. In fact I would say that the quality of sound coming out is directly proportional to the quality of the equipment. There’s no two ways about it. I have cycled through a lot of equipment over the last few years. Every time I find something slightly better, I go for it, even if I get a 3% improvement. People don’t perceive it, but I perceive it. And the second thing is that no one is born with the knowledge of sound engineering, so by all means pursue knowledge. I have read many books, I continue to read books. I go on the internet and I do searches on specific areas of sound where I think there might be a weakness and I find out tips that can help me overcome those weaknesses. So, I am always learning better sound engineering techniques. That’s the only way you’re going to get it. 

Gauri: excellent advice.

Gauri: Since this is an interview conducted by The Foundations TV, our listeners are looking to hear from you what your motivational and inspirational message for our listeners is?

Jawed: You asked the wrong guy that question. The reason is that, if life permits, follow your passion. Live for your passions. They give us true joy and satisfaction. I live for my passions. I am a passionate sound engineer, am a passionate skier. I ski 2 or 3 times a week during the season. I go out west to ski. I follow my passions. I passionate bicycle rider, I am a passionate motor cycle rider, I am a passionate sports car person. And I follow my passions but you have to balance that off with the realities of life. So, you have to make sure that your life is under control and you have over your head. Balance it off but don’t drop your passions. People tend to drop it off very early and they become workaholics. I am on the other side. I am a passion-a-holic and I work just enough to keep my passions going. That’s my advice.

Gauri: This is all surprise to me. I did not even know all the things you do. You live by the words that you believe in and that’s the whole essence of life. To be able to maintain that balance where you do what you need to do but you also are able to find the time to do what you want to do. That is an excellent message for our listeners to take away from this interview. And I am definitely going to walk out thinking what am I going to do tomorrow, is it going to be what I need to do or things that I want to do. So, I’m going to try and balance that out and I’m sure everybody will enjoy this interview as much as we enjoyed doing it. Thank you so much for your time and for hosting us here in your studio.

Jawed: My pleasure and best of luck to you on your new venture The Foundations TV.

Gauri: thank you so much, and on our way out we are actually going to take some of your advice on the sound.