Recording sitar with Arjun K. Verma at IMRSV

We had the pleasure of welcoming sitar player Arjun K. Verma to IMRSV for a studio recording session, arranged and engineered by Basma Jabbar.

Arjun K. Verma was trained by Maestro Ali Akbar Khan and has built a performance career spanning more than three decades. He has appeared at venues including the United Nations in Geneva, the Fillmore in San Francisco and Prague Castle.

Rooted in the North Indian classical music tradition, Arjun began his musical journey under the guidance of his father, Roop Verma, before studying directly with Ali Akbar Khan for eight years. He later continued his training under Alam Khan and received guidance from Smt. Annapurna Devi. His playing reflects the Maihar Gharana tradition, with influences from both Ali Akbar Khan and Nikhil Banerjee.

For the recording at IMRSV, the microphone setup was designed to preserve the natural character of the sitar. Ribbon microphones were used for their smooth high-frequency response, including two Coles 4038s in a Blumlein configuration to capture the instrument as a whole, and a Royer Labs R-121 positioned above the tumba. A Neumann U47 was placed near the tabli, or body, of the instrument, while a Neumann U87 in omnidirectional mode was positioned towards the upper dandi, or neck, to capture additional detail and transients.

To capture the ambience of the room and the long decays of the sitar for use in the Dolby Atmos mix, additional omnidirectional microphones were placed around the instrument. The overall aim was to create an intimate recording while retaining a strong sense of space and natural resonance.

It was a real pleasure to welcome Arjun to IMRSV and experience both his musicianship and the versatile sound of the sitar in our live room.

If you’re interested in recording at IMRSV, contact us at hello@immersivemusicgroup.com.