Jazz man's aural aids

Known as the godfather of Indian jazz, Louis has rubbed shoulders with the best in the world

Ace keyboardist Louis Banks has led the jazz movement in the country for the past three decades. Known as the godfather of Indian jazz, he has rubbed shoulders with the best in the world and composed music for popular films and television. He tells Ranjita Ganesan about the gadgets he prefers to use for the personal pleasure of listening to music.

What set-up do you use for listening to music?
I use my MacBook Pro and the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 to play music in the house. They are connected to compact, powered speakers by Timbre, which I was surprised to learn is an Indian company. They are a good discovery and deliver a warm sound with great fidelity. One of the components in the woofers is kevlar, a bullet-proof material. So they are very sturdy. Then, my computer is attached to a Sony 5.1 system, which are great to plug into the TV too.

Is it an expensive ensemble?

No, the gadgets are not high-end but give high-end listening pleasure. Many audiophiles will spend lakhs of rupees on a single gizmo but that is just to keep up with the Joneses. The Timbre speakers cost only Rs 16,000. It is the quality that matters.

Any gadgets that are particularly good for listening to the finer points of jazz?
Not really. Amps and speakers that deliver natural sound are best for jazz. A flat response usually works for my listening. No colouration. The amps I use are by Laney and specifically designed to amplify keyboard sounds. In my studio, I have Dyna BM5a audio speakers that are the industry standard. Natural sounding and rock solid.

What is the key to a good listening environment?
A room with good acoustics. Wood is a great sound board to reflect natural sounds. Strangely, the confined space of a car with the windows up and a silent AC running is my best listening environment. Nobody talks and you listen to some great music in perfect peace. Listening to music on a good pair of headphones is also a delight. I use headsets by Sony and Panasonic.

Is there someone you consult before buying a gadget? And do you prefer buying at the store or online?
Normally, I take along my friend, Neil D'Souza. He is a sound engineer, a gadget freak and he researches everything meticulously. Both of us listen and weigh the pros and cons before making the purchase, usually from a store.

How often do you upgrade the system?
Once I have a set that I love, then I am quite happy until the system conks. When you overload a system by cranking up the volume to high decibel levels, you tend to gradually ruin your speakers. When we do upgrade, I give away the used stuff if in working condition or do an exchange when there are offers. So, there is no junk lying around in the house. Bad feng shui!

Your favourite music gadget company?
The Yamaha Clavinova and the Korg Kronos. Both have impeccable sound quality with user-friendly programming of sound patches and infinite editing facilities. I hardly edit the sounds unless I need something specific. The factory sounds are so gorgeous that I don't need to tweak the parameters. One reason is that these instruments are configured, created and tested by renowned musicians.

Who do you rely on for maintenance and repairs?
The companies have their own service centres and qualified engineers. There are fly-by-night operators everywhere, sometimes surprisingly with good and innovative engineers. But I don't take chances unless they come highly recommended by friends.