The APOGEE English Press sat down with Utkarsh Thanvi, the coordinator of the Department of Sounds, to gain an insight into the work done by them during the fest.

He relayed that the department handles the sound system for almost all the events that take place at the Main and the NAB Auditorium, including the inauguration of the fest. He explained that while they do not design soundtracks for events, they often provide major feedback to the clubs that do, owing to the difference between sound perception in headphones versus a large auditorium. 

Talking about the challenges faced, Utkarsh said that since Sounds did not have many department members, communication had been difficult regarding the issues that may emerge during live events. He planned on mitigating this by bringing in a router so that the mixer settings can be changed remotely using a personal iPad or a laptop. He further aimed to personally check all the equipment to ensure smooth working.

Utkarsh continued that since Sounds was a department that worked purely on live events, COVID-19 was a major hindrance to its progress. He claimed that Sounds was, ‘in essence, a knowledge transfer department’, where the seniors introduced the first-year students to sound mixing by the means of their own experience in the field. According to him, he had helped build the foundation for Sounds to reach its pre-COVID level of expertise by documenting failures and common troubleshooting steps. 

Utkarsh highlights that it had been incredibly easy to work with his peers at Sounds, appreciating the close-knit nature of the group. He appreciated the CoStAA for being hardworking and understanding of their problems, taking prompt action wherever necessary.

On an ending note, Utkarsh expressed his hope for the student body to thoroughly enjoy the inauguration as Sounds had put in a lot of effort into the same.