Chronicle Editor
Mkhululi Ncube, Showbiz Reporter
Richard Makure, the man who was “blamed” for the sound challenges that marred Madlela Skhobokhobo’s album launch in Bulawayo last weekend says the challenges experienced were beyond his control.
Makure owns the PA system that was hired by Madlela for use at his Kwamu Kwamu launch at Kelvin Tshisanyama. He is also a sound engineer who, according to him, has provided sound at a number of gigs including State functions with success.
Speaking on the Madlela Skhobokhobo album launch that experienced several challenges with sound, Makure said the challenge was not the sound system as believed by many. Instead, he said it had to do with artistes’ failure to do a sound check.
This resulted in them experiencing challenges with sound as they were performing.
He said there is a need for artistes to have a professional approach if they are to produce good results on stage.
“At Kelvin, I requested that Madlela’s band come for sound check around lunchtime but his members didn’t pitch up. I only did the sound check with two Accapela groups and their sound output was very good. Even Madlela confirmed this during his Facebook live after the event.
“If you’re serious, sound check doesn’t take less than two hours hence it must be done way before the show starts,” Makure said.
He said failure by artistes to do sound check is something that he has been grappling with over the years and hopes that there will be a change in attitude by the artistes.
“There’s no substitute for sound check and this doesn’t necessarily mean the band leaders must come, just the instrumentalists can do so. With the digital system I use, every band must do a sound check so that I save their settings because they have different requirements. This helps so that when it’s their turn to perform, I just activate those settings.”
Other than the artistes’ failure to do the sound check, Makure said power outages, as well as instrumentalists’ failure to tune their equipment also caused complications on the day.
“The other challenge we experienced was the tripping of electricity which happened about two times after some sockets burnt.
People might blame the engineer even when it wasn’t him. For example, the first band played with their lead guitar’s volume very low from his guitar while the rhythm guitar was off-tune.
“I tried communicating with them, but one was rude and another just froze and stopped playing, maybe due to fear of playing his guitar in that format. Another band had a bass guitar with a cable connected to it and before long, the guitar went silent. We couldn’t change the cable so they had to ask for another guitar from another band,” he said.
Makure cited that another letdown for most rhumba bands was that they use low-budget guitars which do not produce good sound and melody. He said while some accused him of favouring Mark Ngwazi on the night due to the flawless performance he staged, it was not the case as the artiste used some of the best guitars and worked with seasoned guitarists.
“Bands must invest in quality guitars because that gives them a good sound and melody. All of Mark Ngwazi’s guitars were quality. His guitars cost US$800-US$900 for a single one while some of the guys who played were using a guitar that costs US$80. He also had seasoned guitarists like Donald “King of Melodies” Gogo.
“The output can never be the same and the mixer will show you that you’re not getting the best sound. Most of them when buying a guitar just focus on sound, but one must look for melody instead. That’s what people listening want to hear, not just the noise coming from a guitar,” he said.
The Bulawayo-based sound engineer said he started assembling his sound in 2009.
“In Bulawayo, I’m one of the few people with a high-quality sound system. I have a digital console which most companies don’t have in Bulawayo. There are about four people with that in the city. I’ve upgraded my equipment over the years to the latest that is available in the market without giving much credit to myself,” he said.
Makure added that he is very passionate about sound, an interest he developed way back. He has sound engineering qualifications and is still upgrading himself.
“I learnt a lot about sound when I was an assistant to Sukoluhle Dube (the late Tongai Moyo’s sound engineer). I’m also a seasoned guitarist, having worked with Gift Amuli while I was based in Harare. Now I’m working with Lucky Kumene as his rhythm guitarist. So when we talk about sound, I have a background in music as well,” Makure said.
He said he is willing to fund workshops for musicians and guitarists so that they improve their live performances. He said his wish is to give bands from Bulawayo the best sound by using a digital mixer instead of an analogue one.
“Sometimes, I’ve offered some bands my high-quality guitars to improve their performances but you find some players saying they cannot use a guitar that they’re not used to. My passion is to give our guys the best sound, but they aren’t appreciative of my vision yet,” said a concerned Makure.
For positive results, Makure urged artistes and music promoters to value people who pay to attend their shows by working together with sound engineers for the best output. – @themkhust
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