![[Kavichandran Alexander]](../jpg/kaviwithgear.jpg)
Record Label: Water Lily Acoustics
Reporter: Arvind Kohli - TNT USA
Published: June, 2006
It is not uncommon for us, as humans, to lose sight of the forest from the trees. There seems to be a tendency for us to get inextricably obsessed about the task or question immediately in front of us, preventing us from looking beyond that question or task to find the larger context behind it all.
Let me translate into audio terms. As hobbyists, it is so easy to get all wrapped up with our playback equipment...spending copious amounts of time reading equipment reviews, discussing/arguing over at AudioAsylum, browsing Audiogon.com and eBay.com, making pilgrimages to audio shows, et al. (Yes, I confess to these sins myself). And if we ever do manage to break free, our myopic grasp usually then extends to acquiring media.
It is rarely, and certainly very disproportionately that we pay any mind to the recording side of the equation, representing half (at least in my books) of what affects our ultimate pursuit. There have been some excellent articles on this topic in several publications, but again, in great disproportion. Well, as atonement for my own such sins I have planned a series of articles, focusing on the recording engineer extraordinaire. These are folks who take their craft very seriously and have produced recordings that I feel are an absolute treasure, sonically and aesthetically.
The first installment of this series looks at Kavichandran (Kavi) Alexander
of Water Lily Acoustics.
Arvind Kohli >
How did Water Lily Acoustics come into existence?
Kavi Alexander >
I never did fit into the strict British-styled boarding school in Colombo that I was sent to at age nine. I was perhaps too free-spirited to endure the constraints and structure of that horrid system [I can relate, having spent one painful year in such a school myself - AK]. It was my mother, Lily Alexander, who understood and encouraged my artistic side.
Moreover, she herself played the violin (Karnatic style) and sang in church (Weslyan and Tamil hymns), thus exposing me to two different musical streams at a very early age. Her plan was that I would be a port/musician dedicating my life to God, believing in the traditional Eastern ideal that the arts, especially music, were valid "paths" to realizing the spiritual goal. She named me Kavichandran, which in Sanskrit means Poet of the Moon!
Throughout my early years I was constantly fascinated by anything related to the arts, while also being attracted to things technical. My curiosities could only be quenched by jumping in headlong to experiment and experience. For example, not only did I build a radio at age 12, but even wrote a letter to President Kennedy volunteering as an astronaut! Our backyard was turned into a "tracking station" with bamboo poles lashed to mango and margosa trees, in an attempt to improve the reception of our tube Telefunken short wave radio, so as to pull in ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corp), to be able to listen to the latest rock stuff from the UK!
At age 17 I quit school, and moved to Paris a year later(1968) to live the life of a "bohemian": to "experiment" to "experience" and hopefully "find" myself! The inspiration to lead a bohemian life came from an article on the beatniks that I had read in Playboy magazine, at age 12! A classmate had snuck a copy into the boarding school. Even though I was yet to discover Rimbaud and Baudelaire and Shakespeare & Co, Paris was the city that I was intuitively drawn to. Paris is where I acquired my first hi-fi rig and spent a good deal of my money on records and books amongst other...ahem...pursuits [I knew I liked this guy for a reason - AK]. It was here that I started to notice the considerable difference in the quality of various recordings, and was particularly dismayed by the poor quality of the classical recordings from the Sub Continent, the Middle East and Iran, the music of my choice; aside from the delta blues, folk-rock and progressive rock. This was later to be the main motivatng factor in wanting to record the Eastern classical genres with the highest level of fidelity possible.
In France, I played in the French production of Hair and gave my first poetry reading at Shakespeare & Co! Then I moved to Brussels, where I was in the school Mudra, started by the brilliant choreographer Maurice Bejart. The rigor and discipline required by Bejart proved too much, so I quit. But one important lesson I learnt from observing the great choreographer [I hear an almost reverence towards this former teacher in Kavi's voice - AK], is that "you have to be ruthlessly dedicated, with an iron will to whatever you choose as your calling". The other important lesson that I learnt was from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He taught me the importance of punctuality and the essence of timing.
After traveling in the East for a year, and realizing that I was no longer a butterfly dreaming that I was a man, but rather that I was a man capable of dreaming of butterflies or whatever; I came to the conclusion that the best path for me was to start a record label. Thus, in one stroke combining the artistic and the technical aspects of my interests. The original name I came up with was the "Indian Shellac Company". The name, in part was a shout-out to shellac, the premium material for the first 78 disks [see related links below]. And partly, a tongue in cheek poke at the British colonial past in the Indian Subcontinent and their East India Company. That plan did not come to fruition for a long time; it took a few more years, moving to Sweden, a divorce and moving to California 1984 where I eventually started Water Lily Acoustics. Named in honor of my mother, who by now had passed away.
Arvind Kohli >
What is the business structure of WLA?
Kavi Alexander >
I have a silent partner.
Arvind Kohli >
Can you give us some estimate of the size of WLA?
Kavi Alexander >
I am pretty much a one-man show, with some occasional help for administrative tasks. There are about 35 titles released to date and another 45 or so awaiting release.
Arvind Kohli >
How does the process of prospecting work? Do you seek out the artists, or do they seek you?
Kavi Alexander >
I have always had a list of artists I have wanted to record, such as Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the greatest living Indian musician. When I started WLA, I began to pursue recording opportunities with the master musician that I admired. When I first came to the US and before the birth of Water Lily, I approached several record labels with some of the projects I had wanted to do, such as recording in the USSR, but they were more interested in recording frustrated housewives and such!
Arvind Kohli >
On the collaborative and fusion type projects, are these your ideas and do you introduce the concept and the artists to each other? Or do the artists already know each other, have hatched a project and approach you to record it?
Kavi Alexander >
For the most part, these ideas are mine. But sometimes the artists will approach me with a very specific idea, as when Ry Cooder suggested recording Jon Hassel, which resulted in "Fascinoma".
Arvind Kohli >
Tell us about the venue/s you use, and how and why you selected them.
Kavi Alexander >
When I first moved to Santa Barbara, I spent a lot of time scouting out the churches and made test recordings in the ones that would let me in, to determine the acoustics.
The church also had to be agreeable to let me record late into the night, which works out better for avoiding environmental noise. [I love it! The tight-wad and environmentalist in me applauds the use of existing spaces instead of constructing additional buildings to be used only for a specific application - AK].
Arvind Kohli >
Tell us about any general philosophies or principles that govern your recording techniques.
Kavi Alexander >
Simple mic techniques, high quality gear, short signal paths and absolutely no processing of any kind at any stage, with little or no editing.
Arvind Kohli >
What mic techniques do you use?
Kavi Alexander >
There are three main techniques I use. ORTF, which involves two mics with cardioid pick up patterns set 7" apart and angled 110 degrees, Blumlein which employs two mics with figure-of-8 pick up pattern set coincidently (not spaced) and angled 90 degrees, and the M/S technique which is a variation of the Blumlein set up, wherein the Blumlein pair is turned 45 degrees and the mic outputs matrixed (sum and difference) to extract the stereo signal. Each of these techniques has its pros and cons. The one I use the most is the Blumlein configuration [see our We Support Real Stereo campaign for details].
Arvind Kohli >
Tell us about the equipment used to make your recordings?
Kavi Alexander >
I had always wanted an all tube chain. When I started Water Lily, I was loaned the superb Nagra T Audio tape recorder by the manufacturer. When funds allowed I moved on to the nuvistor based Ampex MR70, of which I had both 1/4" and 1/2" decks. Tim de Paravicini of EAR, built me a pair of tube microphones, a tube mike preamp and heavily modified a tube Studer C37, converting it to a one inch, two track deck. This was my recording chain till 2003. In 2003, I sold off all my EAR equipment and purchased two Tascam DSD recorders, two Stellavox analog tape recorders (1/4 and 1/2 inch), a SoundDevices PCM recorder, Meitner DA/AD converters and Pearl ELM 8 and C mics. Mic preamps are by TrueSystems and Grace.
Arvind Kohli >
What precipitated the sudden and drastic change?
Kavi Alexander >
The raison-d-etre for Water Lily is to record beautiful music with the highest degree of fidelity and resolution possible. I have always wanted to travel and record musicians from around the world. There are many highly accomplished master musicians in the East, who for several reasons would never travel to North America. These folks are masters of very old art forms, and a lot of this is about to be lost forever, when these old artists pass on. I have an urge to record them before it is too late.
There is a balancing act I have to consider, given this objective. One may have the best equipment and facilities in California, but one has to bring the musicians here. They would be removed from their element, sleeping in strange hotels, eating food they are not accustomed to, away from their loved ones and daily comforts. And then I ask them to squeeze out the essence of their soul so I can record it.
Now, least somebody get the wrong idea that the current Water Lily digital/solid-state and analog/solid-state recording chains are somehow inferior to the earlier all tube, analog chain, I categorically state "it ain't so"! I prefer the new chains, both analog and digital, not just for their portability/reliability but also for their extended bandwidth, dynamic range and signal to noise, coupled to the sheer sonic superiority.
It was impossible to travel overseas with the old tube recording chain. I could have never recorded the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic had I not obtained the new setup that I have.
Arvind Kohli >
I am surprised that you made such a drastic change. I had always associated Water Lily with tubed gear by EAR, and had believed you to be a tube and analog diehard. I never thought you would turn digital.
Kavi Alexander >
Alan Watts once said "...faith is not clinging to a rock, faith is learning to swim" [AK - I had to pause for a while after he layed that weighty thought on me. I think it will stay with me forever].
Arvind Kohli >
I am guessing that if Tim de Paravicini of EAR had built you all that recording gear, you likely had a friendship stronger than one of a commercial acquaintance. How did he take your departure from his analog gear?
Kavi Alexander >
"Sometimes, even the best marriages end in divorce." [AK - I felt a sadness in his voice and decided not to press any further on this topic].
Arvind Kohli >
What is your impression of digital compared to analog?
Kavi Alexander >
I was very surprised and so were my diehard tube-loving friends on how good the new hi-rez PCM and DSD sounds. This new generation of digital gear definitely has better dynamic range than analog, a very important consideration when recording symphonic music. From a practical standpoint tubed gear has huge disadvantages. I cannot tell you how many times I lost great takes during recordings because the tubes got noisy. Much of what I record is very spontaneous, and can never be exactly recreated. Moreover, it is never easy to approach musicians during sessions and ask for a retake because the equipment failed. For the most part they are very understanding and accommodating, but there is a limit to what can be asked of them [AK - Imagine that, a record producer concerned with the intimate well-being of the artist. I am sure that is also exactly how it is at the big record labels, NOT!!!].
Arvind Kohli >
I suppose that answers how you feel about digital as a medium to distribute your recordings. But why did you stop selling vinyl?
Kavi Alexander >
The audiophiles, the only ones buying LPs never cared for the music I had to offer.
Arvind Kohli >
What are your personal favorites from the WLA catalog?
Kavi Alexander >
"Maihar", "Lalita", "Invocation", "Indian Architexture", "Saltanah", "Music for the Motherless Child", "Bourbon and Rosewater", the recent Mahler recording and several of the yet unreleased East-East collaborations, wherein I bring together Eastern musicians from different traditions. It is such pairings of Eastern musicians that is most relevant and rewarding to me. I have even coined a term for such music, by combining the words "Orient" and "Ontology", giving us "ORIENTONTOLOGY".
Arvind Kohli >
As far as playback gear is concerned, can we have a run down of your current/favorite gear?
Kavi Alexander >
My current and all time favorite speakers are the Beveridge 2 SW 2s. These are tube-powered (hybrid really, with transistor front end and tube outputs), direct drive full-range (well, to 100Hz) stats with built-in solid-state electronic cross-over (18db/octave), and solid state amps (100 watts) to drive the sub-woofers (12" drivers). The Beveridge electrostatics are unusual in that they are not the common constant charge push/pull type. They employ a unique drive system that is called constant voltage drive. The other unique thing is the six foot tall lens loading the monolithic (6 feet x 1 foot) electrostatic elements. This device transforms the planar radiation of the elements into a true line source, 180 degree cylindrical wave front.
The Pre amp is the Beveridge RM1/2 in combination with Music Reference RM4 head amp for MC cartridges. My favorite MC, the Van den Hul Colibri (a gift from The Dutch Master), mounted on a very rare gold Win SDA 10 tone arm, on an equally rare gold Win SD 10 turntable. This is a suspended, direct drive turntable with the superb Technics SP 10 Mk II motor. I also have a stock Technics SP10 MkII turntable with the EPA 100C MkIV cartridge mounted on an EPA 100 tone arm. Both the Dynavector MC and the Technics MM are matched to the respective arms in terms of compliance and effective mass and properly terminated. Both, the Van den Hul MC and the Technics MM are matched to their respective arms in terms of compliance and effect mass.
For late night listening I have a B&O Beogram 8002 turntable with a MMC 2 cartridge fed into a Shure SE 20 phono pre amp, which in turn feeds a Stax SRM 1 Mk11 amp driving Lambda headphones.
Arvind Kohli >
So you have no digital playback gear in your personal system? Isn't that odd for someone who records and sells music on digital media?
Kavi Alexander >
No. For pleasure I only listen to vinyl. My "work" system consists of Harbeth Monitor 40s driven by a Carver Sunfire amp (300wpc) fed by a Cello Encore pre-amp via a Cello Palette EQ (for EQing the speakers FLAT, in room). I have a Rega Planet and a Sony SCD 777ES for CD and SACD playback respectively, used for QCing Water Lily releases. All cables used are DH Labs.
Arvind Kohli >
What record labels do you consider to have excellent sound, other than WLA of course?
Kavi Alexander >
I buy a lot of vinyl for my own listening pleasure, and the main criteria is great music. A lot of what is considered to be 'audiophile recordings' just does not appeal to me. Having said that, there are many labels that have both great music and excellent sonics. Of these my favorites would include "Blue Note" which was founded and run by a man with vision, the early EMI symphonic recordings of the 50's and early 60's, and the French "Harmonia Mundi" and "Charlin" labels amongst others.
Arvind Kohli >
There has been a fair bit of discussion lately about your St. Petersburg Philharmonic recordings in Russia. Some versions claim that you misjudged the mix / levels and the conductor signed off only after you conceded to re-mix in postproduction. Can we have your version of the events?
Kavi Alexander >
Those who have gone on safari know that the hyenas and vultures that feed on carrion make the loudest noise. The noble cats such as the lion, the leopard and the cheetah on the other hand, are very quiet by comparison. Likewise, in the world of audio. To give credence to "those who eat leftovers" is an utter waste of time. Their comments and outright lies notwithstanding, the first run of both the CD and SACD of my Mahler recording have been sold out and we are into the second pressing! This in a climate where recordings of classical music are not selling as they once did! Discerning people are not fooled, they know, they trust their ears! In January of this year I went to Budapest and recorded the Hungarian National Philharmonic with Zoltan Kocsis conducting. Later this year I go back to Hungary and Russia. "The dog (or should it be hyena?) may bark, but the caravan moves on..."
Arvind Kohli >
What is your take on people burning copies of your music, whether for personal use of sharing?
Kavi Alexander >
People should be willing to spend money on that which they love and not be cheap. The CD at 15$ is excellent value for the money. What else can you buy for that price, which will give you repeated pleasure over a very long time? Music lovers should not deprive artists and responsible record companies (the ones that do indeed pay their artists their royalties) their rightful bread and butter. I do not mind someone who has legitimately paid full price for a CD, making a copy to play in his car, house-boat or country-house. But I do not think it is fair when people make copies for their aunts and uncles. The lowest form of life is the one who buys a CD, takes it home, copies it and then returns it to the store saying that the disk as "defective"!
First, I would have to say I regard him as belonging to the highest echelon as a patron of the arts. He could have done the same work for a large label or pursued a different profession altogether, to garner himself larger fortunes. But he choose to be independent so he could record only what he felt was high art. He also spent his entire life savings to be able to pull off the Russian recordings, not expecting to recover all of the money.
He is a very passionate man...and believe me, he is not afraid to speak his mind. His first loyalty is to good music; there is no allowance for the "audiophile" recording that is horrible music but beautifully recorded. His reverence for masters of genres or instruments knows no bounds, and neither does his disdain for those who will whore the arts or disrespect an artist.
He certainly has an innate sense of priorities that are aligned with the arts and not with commerce. Let me give you an example; in about nine months of conversation he never once mentioned that Water Lily has been in existence for twenty years, has won a Grammy and been nominated for two, or that his recordings are on six movie soundtracks (Dead Man Walking, Two Days in the Valley, Primary Colors, Angel Eyes, One Hour Photo and Meet the Fockers). Someone with even the slightest commercial inclination would made early and repeated mention of those facts. On the other hand he relayed many instances (sometimes repeatedly) where his work was honored by a master musician; and that seems to be worth more to him than money or fame.
I have not only learnt a lot about things I never knew of, but I also feel privileged to have made a new friend.
© Copyright 2006 Arvind Kohli - www.tnt-audio.com