The conga (pronouced cun-ga) is one of the most basic Latino instruments, but its ubiquitousness has tended to stereotype it sonically. But there are ways to approach each instrument to capture an authentic sound and place it in the soundfield. To the nuanced ear, there are significant differences between the often frenetic rhythms of Cuban salsa, the smoother sounds of Brazilian samba, the sophisticated syncopations of Argentine tango and the larger-than-life sounds made by instruments like cuicas in African music. You have to understand the instrument and where it sits in the music to know where it's supposed to be in the mix." "Latin music is all about rhythms, and there is a lot of percussion going on all the time," he explains. "That's what Latinos like."Ī typical mic setup for the conga, with condensers on top in stereo and a dynamic on the bottom.īoris Milan, an engineer and mixer who came to the US seven years ago from Caracas, Venezuela, and has recorded and mixed for top Latino artists including Carlos Santana, Lola Beltran and Tania Liberdad, doesn't disagree. "Make it louder and brighter than everything else," the Cuban émigré told me. One company executive told me the 'secret' of that business. I once did a story on a company in Miami that specialises in the post-production of commercials for broadcast on Latino television networks in the US. Four of the genre's leading engineers explain what it takes to make a conga sing and timbales talk. Latin music is popular all over the world, but it has its own unique assortment of quirks and exotic instruments.
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