Event facts
| Fact | Status |
|---|---|
| Devcon 8, Mumbai — November 3–6, 2026 | Confirmed |
| JIO World Convention Centre | Confirmed |
| Music Space registered as Culture Track — DIP #8576 (2026-04-20) | Confirmed |
| Prior activations: Devcon 6 Bogotá · Devcon SEA Bangkok · Devconnect AMS / IST / BA | Confirmed |
| Exact room / hall allocation at JIO World | TBD — Devcon production |
| Provision split: Devcon house stock vs. OSO local rental | TBD |
Space & stage — Sanctuary Tech
The stage is circular and non-directional. There is no "front." Performers face one another; the audience wraps around the music. Warmth, belonging, refuge — a home with clear boundaries and an open invitation.
| Requirement | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated open space | 100+ m², soundproof or acoustically isolated (per DIP) | Confirmed ask Allocation TBD |
| Circular stage | 6 m Ø performance circle (fits 6–10 players + floor seating), defined by rugs + low LED ring — eye-level, walk-in, no barrier | Proposed |
| Floor-seating quadrant | Rugs + cushions for Indian classical players (tabla, harmonium, bansuri) — essential, not decorative | Proposed |
| Location | Near community hubs / meal area / main circulation (per DIP) | Confirmed ask |
| Stage management corner | Facilitator desk, comms, patch access | Proposed |
| Overnight storage | Lockable, in or adjacent to the space (per DIP) | Confirmed ask Security detail TBD |
| Audience wrap | Standing ring + cushion ring; 360° circulation kept clear for convention-centre egress | Proposed Venue ops TBD |
| Room occupancy limit | For the allocated space | TBD — venue |
The circle, drawn
How to read the circle
- ◎ The performance circle — Ø 6 m proposed, defined by rugs and light, not barriers. Walk in from any side.
- 🥁 Kit & sub at one pole — the loudest source sits opposite the floor-seated classical players. Acoustic kit TBD
- 🪕 Floor-seating quadrant (teal) — tabla, harmonium, bansuri on rugs & cushions, condenser-mic'd.
- ▣ 4× powered tops at the quadrants, firing outward — even 360° coverage at low level. Proposed
- ◢ 4 wedges + side-fill: performers spread wide in a circle need their own mixes.
- ⏨ FOH at the perimeter with sightline into the ring, on hardline internet for the stream.
- ⚡ Power drops at every station — nobody runs a cable across the circle. Ever.
PA / mains — sound in the round
Distributed, modest, warm. This is a sanctuary inside a convention centre — coverage, not concert SPL.
| Item | Spec | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Mains | 4× compact powered tops (10–12" class — QSC K12.2 / d&b E-series class) on poles at the four quadrants, firing outward | Proposed |
| Alternative | 2× column arrays (Bose L1 Pro32 / Maui class) opposite — cleaner sightlines, easier load-in | Proposed fallback |
| Sub | 1× compact powered sub, placed to minimise boundary build-up; bypass switch for acoustic/classical sessions | Proposed |
| Alignment | All quadrants time-aligned to circle centre; mono-compatible — the circle is one instrument | Proposed |
| Actual provision | Depends on Devcon production house stock — this section doubles as the spec sheet | TBD |
Mixing & FOH
| Item | Spec | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Console | 32-channel digital — Behringer X32, A&H SQ-5/QU-32, or similar (32 inputs confirmed by Shaka, 2026-07-27) | Proposed · committee direction |
| Aux sends | 6–8 aux outs for individual monitor mixes | Proposed |
| FOH position | Perimeter, clear sightline into the ring; hardline network for the streaming rig | Proposed |
| Engineers | 1–2 from production provider (per DIP); OSO community engineers support alongside | Confirmed ask |
| Multitrack | Console USB/SD multitrack — feeds §11 recording | Proposed |
| Show file | One shared "Circle" safe scene + per-slot snapshots; open jams always return to Circle | Proposed |
Input list — the 32-channel Circle Patch
32 inputs per committee direction (Shaka, 2026-07-27). Channels 1–18 are the permanent community backline; 19–21 are the stewards' own voices — Shaka's stereo uke looper and Alaska's sax; 22–26 the vocal ring; 27–29 the permissionless layer — three walk-up spots, always line-checked, so a stranger is one fader away from the circle; 30–31 capture the room itself for the stream & P.I.T. archive; 32 says yes.
| Ch | Source | Mic / DI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kick / dhol low | Beta 52A / D112 | Shared kit & dhol |
| 2 | Snare | SM57 | |
| 3 | OH L | Condenser (SM81/C414) | Also covers percussion circle |
| 4 | OH R | Condenser (SM81/C414) | |
| 5 | Percussion 1 — djembe/congas | SM57 | |
| 6 | Percussion 2 — cajon | SM57 | Float: brass/woodwind walk-ups |
| 7 | Tabla | Condenser | Floor-seating quadrant |
| 8 | Bansuri / traditional lead | Wireless HH #1 / condenser | Roaming traditional instruments |
| 9 | Bass | DI | DI primary, amp optional |
| 10 | Electric guitar amp | SM57 (float) / DI | Shares w/ ch 6 full-band |
| 11 | Keys L | DI | Electric piano / synth |
| 12 | Keys R | DI | |
| 13 | Drum machine L | DI | |
| 14 | Drum machine R | DI | |
| 15 | Laptop / DAW L | DI | Live coders · algorave |
| 16 | Laptop / DAW R | DI | |
| 17 | DJ L | Line / DI | Booth out |
| 18 | DJ R | Line / DI | |
| 19 | Shaka's ukulele looper L | DI | Stereo looper rig — 2 ch per Shaka, 2026-07-27 |
| 20 | Shaka's ukulele looper R | DI | |
| 21 | Alaska's saxophone | Clip condenser (DPA 4099 / Beta 98H/C class) | Clip keeps the circle mobile |
| 22 | Vocal 1 | SM58 | Rotating vocal ring |
| 23 | Vocal 2 | SM58 | |
| 24 | Vocal 3 | SM58 | |
| 25 | Vocal 4 | SM58 | |
| 26 | Wireless HH #2 | Sennheiser EW-class | MC / roaming performers |
| 27 | Walk-up 1 | — | Always line-checked, always hot |
| 28 | Walk-up 2 | — | |
| 29 | Walk-up 3 | — | Three walk-up spots per Shaka, 2026-07-27 |
| 30 | Room / audience L | Condenser (pair) | The sound of the circle — stream & P.I.T. archive |
| 31 | Room / audience R | Condenser (pair) | |
| 32 | Spare | — | The "yes, and…" channel |
Mics, DI & connectivity
| Qty | Type | Use | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Dynamic vocal (SM58-class) | Rotating vocalists | Proposed |
| 2 | Wireless handheld (Sennheiser EW-class) | Roaming performers, traditional instruments, MC | Proposed |
| 3 | Condenser (SM81 / C414-class) | Overheads, acoustic & traditional instruments | Proposed |
| 3 | Instrument dynamic (SM57-class) | Percussion, brass, woodwinds | Proposed |
| 1 | Kick (Beta 52A / D112) | Drum kit / dhol | Proposed |
| 1 | Clip condenser (DPA 4099 / Beta 98H/C class) | Alaska's saxophone — clip keeps the circle mobile | Proposed · per Shaka 07-27 |
| 2 | Condenser pair (room/audience) | Ch 30–31 — the sound of the circle for stream & P.I.T. archive | Proposed · per Shaka 07-27 |
| +1 ea | Spare of each class | Mic attrition at a 4-day permissionless jam is a law of nature | TBD — RIDEOSO adds |
Connectivity
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| 8–10 DI boxes (synths, drum machines, acoustic guitars, DJ gear, +2 for Shaka's stereo uke looper) | Proposed |
| 20+ XLR · 10+ ¼" instrument cables | Proposed |
| +6 spare XLR · +4 spare ¼" · 2× 3.5mm→dual-¼" walk-up adapters · gaffer/board tape at every station · spare strings/sticks/reeds basket | TBD — RIDEOSO adds |
The approved backline — confirmed 2026-10-06
This is no longer an ask. On 6 October 2026 the Music Space backline was approved — twenty-five line items, standing in a circle at the JIO World Convention Centre for November 3–6. Everything below carries Confirmed, and everything below is also playable right now, in the room we built so you could walk into it before it exists.
🥽 Walk into the room
The Virtual Sanctuary is a 3D model of this rider: the circular stage with no front, four PA tops aimed outward, floor-seating cushions on the classical side, the booth opposite the entrance — and all 25 approved instruments, each one playable with a click. Works in any browser; put on a headset and the circle is life-size.
🎼 Enter the Virtual Sanctuary →
Zero install, zero trackers, no samples — every instrument is synthesised live in your browser. CC0, like the rest of this rider.
✅ The twenty-five — as approved
| Line item | Spec as approved | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🎸 Backline | ||
| 1 · Electric drum kit | e-kit — answers §7's open question: the room takes an electric kit | Confirmed |
| 2 · Electric guitar | Fender American Ultra II HSS Strat + amp | Confirmed |
| 3 · Guitar amp | Fender Twin Reverb '65 | Confirmed |
| 4 · Acoustic guitar | Taylor 214ce Deluxe Black | Confirmed |
| 5 · Bass guitar + rig | Markbass 800 head + 104 cab | Confirmed |
| 6 · Electric piano | Yamaha CLP-785 | Confirmed |
| 7 · Synthesizer | Yamaha Montage M6 | Confirmed |
| 8 · MIDI controller | Novation Impulse | Confirmed |
| 9 · Drum machine | BOSS | Confirmed |
| 🥁 Percussion circle | ||
| 10 · Djembe | Remo 12" | Confirmed |
| 11 · Cajon | Pearl · 1 | Confirmed |
| 12 · Congas | LP Matador set | Confirmed |
| 13 · Shakers / tambourine | Meinl tambourine | Confirmed |
| 🧺 The basket at the door — the hands that turn spectators into players | ||
| 14 · Kartal | hand cymbals / clappers | Confirmed qty TBC |
| 15 · Manjira | small cymbals | Confirmed qty TBC |
| 16 · Shruti box | drone box | Confirmed qty TBC |
| 🇮🇳 The cultural heart — Aakash's bare minimum, all three confirmed | ||
| 17 · Harmonium ★ | Dutta & Co · scale-change | Confirmed |
| 18 · Tabla ★ | set of 2 — dayan + bayan | Confirmed |
| 19 · Bansuri ★ | F bass scale | Confirmed |
| 20 · Dhol | Punjabi bhangra · mango wood | Confirmed |
| 21 · Kanjira | South Indian frame drum | Confirmed |
| 22 · Dholak | folk barrel drum | Confirmed |
| 🎧 DJ rig | ||
| 23 · DJ system | CDJ-3000 ×2 + DJM-A9 | Confirmed |
| 24 · DJ booth | LED console table | Confirmed |
| 🔌 The unglamorous hero | ||
| 25 · Cables, signals & accessories | the line item that makes the other 24 real | Confirmed |
Still open, honestly: ① quantities for the basket items (kartal · manjira · shruti box) — §7 asked for 12 / 8 / 4 so the circle can hand an instrument to anyone who walks in; ② PA, monitors, mics & FOH are not in this approval — §§2–6 remain with Devcon production; ③ room allocation & overnight storage (§1) still TBD; ④ sitar stays bring-your-own.
Backline — the community instruments (the original ask)
✅ Superseded, happily: this ask became the approved list in § 7.0 on 6 October 2026. Kept here unedited, because a rider should show what was asked for, not only what was granted.
🎛️ The community instruments — one chart (rental ask per DIP · tuned with Aakash, Aug 4)
| Item | Qty | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🎸 Core band — rental | ||
| Drum kit⚠️ open question: can the room take an acoustic kit? If not → e-kit + hand percussion (needs the allocated room's isolation facts) | 1 | Proposed TBD decision |
| Electric guitar + amp (Twin Reverb-class) | 1 | Proposed |
| Acoustic guitar | 1 | Proposed |
| Bass guitar + amp/DI | 1 | Proposed |
| Electric piano + synth/MIDI keyboard w/ laptop DAW (or two electric pianos) | 1 | Proposed |
| Drum machine | 1 | Proposed |
| 🥁 Percussion circle — rental | ||
| Djembe · cajon · congas · shakers/tambourines basket | set | Proposed |
| 🧺 The basket at the door — purchase, not rental: cheap, durable, shareable · turns spectators into players | ||
| Kartal (करताल, hand cymbals) | 12 pairs | Proposed purchase |
| Manjira (मंजीरा, small cymbals — kartal's twin; keep both) | 8 pairs | Proposed purchase |
| Shruti box (श्रुति बॉक्स, drone — small thing, used daily) | 4 | Proposed purchase |
| Exact quantities set by Aakash + volunteer coordinators against expected circle size | TBD | |
| 🇮🇳 Indian instruments — the cultural heart of this edition (Aakash curating) | ||
| ★ THE BARE MINIMUM — Harmonium · Tabla · BansuriAakash's law (Aug 4): everyone who begins classical music in India plays these three — players guaranteed, must be on site first | 1 ea | Must-have |
| Tabla (pair) | 1 | Proposed |
| Harmonium | 1 | Proposed |
| Bansuri (बाँसुरी, bamboo flute) | 1 | Proposed |
| Dhol | 1 | Proposed |
| Dholak (ढोलक — the dhol's gentler sibling, ideal for seated circles) | 1 | Proposed |
| Kanjira (कांजीरा — South Indian frame drum; uncommon players, but small & cheap — worth having) | 1 | Proposed |
| Bansuri-friendly setup (condenser + floor seating) | — | Proposed |
| Sitarbring-your-own watch: carriers travel with their own; decide on a rental only after the musician walkthroughs (Aakash, Aug 4) | — | Watch |
| — | Cut | |
| 🎧 DJ rig — rental | ||
| DJ system (XDJ-XZ or CDJ pair + mixer) | 1 | Proposed |
| Laptop stands · DJ table | 1 set | Proposed |
Legend: Proposed rental ask per DIP · Must-have on site before anything else · Watch / TBD / Cut decided with Aakash & the musician walkthroughs
The instruments of the circle
Merged from OSO v0 The Instruments of the Circle — who can play what, how quickly anyone can join, and why the circle has a seat for every level of every hand. A permissionless orchestra doesn't mean everyone plays everything — it means everyone holds a real seat at their own level. The master and the first-timer keep the same taal.
🪔 Tuned Aug 4 with Aakash: bare minimum = harmonium · tabla · bansuri; tanpura, santoor, violin & sarod released with love (high-maintenance / rare players); sitar = bring-your-own watch until the musician walkthroughs.
Tier One · Everyone plays
First sound in minutesThe basket at the door. Hand one to anyone, and within one minute they are keeping time — the most permissionless instruments in the world.
Hand cymbals of the bhajan tradition — if you can clap, you can play kartal. First sound: strike on beat one of the taal, and simply stay there. You are now the circle's pulse.
Small cymbals with a shimmering ring — the sparkle on kirtan and bhajan for centuries. First sound: small strikes, off the beat. Let the ring do the work.
Cheap, unbreakable, the most decentralized instrument there is — anyone can hold the ground. First sound: steady bellows, one note. You've become the home every melody returns to.
Pure celebration — the barrel drum that makes it impossible to stand still. First sound: the basic dha-ge-na groove comes in an afternoon; mastery is lifelong. Joining is immediate.
The great unifier — holds the key, anchors the singers, and every classical singer in India grew up beside one. First sound: if you've ever touched a keyboard, you're holding the sa-pa drone for the whole circle in minutes.
Tier Two · An afternoon to join
Quick to join · deep to masterThe welcoming middle — folk instruments with forgiving hands. Grooving within a session; still discovering after decades.
The dhol's gentler sibling — the folk heartbeat of a thousand living-room songs, ideal for seated circles. First sound: bass with one hand, edge with the other. The groove finds you.
South Indian frame drum — one drum, one hand, endless depth. First sound: the shake-and-stroke groove comes fast; the masters turn it into water.
Tier Three · Masters hold these seats
Honored voices of the circleYears of riyaz behind every note. Not handed out at the door — the masters of Mumbai hold these seats as honored guests, and the circle gathers around them. Tabla & bansuri are also the circle's bare minimum — every classical musician in India knows them, so these two seats are never empty for long.
The soul of the jam — a skilled tabla player can carry a hundred strangers into one groove. In the circle: the master plays; twenty kartal and cymbals keep the same taal alongside. One rhythm, many hands.
Bamboo flute — breath itself made music, floating over any jam without overpowering it. In the circle: when the master plays, the whole jam leans in.
Luminous, singing, unmistakable — and high-maintenance: carriers travel with their own, so we don't rent one unless a player asks (Aakash, Aug 4). In the circle: when a carrier walks in, the seat of honor is theirs.
The gradient is not a problem to solve. The gradient is the design.
🧺 Stock the entrance with Tier One (procurement: §7) · 🎒 portable, acoustic, forgiving wins · 🪔 Indian musicians lead in Mumbai — the chart is an invitation, never a prescription · 🕉️ the score is open: corrections from carriers of these traditions are a gift.
Monitors
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| 4× floor wedges minimum — a circular stage spreads performers wide | Proposed |
| 1× side-fill for wide-ensemble coverage · 6–8 independent mixes | Proposed |
| 2× wired headphone/IEM cue packs at FOH for live coders & DJ cue — cheap; saves the wedges from laptop-bleed wars | TBD — RIDEOSO adds |
Power
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| 20+ circuits distributed around the circle (per DIP) · strips + extensions at every performer station | Confirmed ask |
| Dedicated clean circuit for FOH console + streaming rig; UPS on console/recorder — a 4-day jam losing a multitrack to a power blip is a tragedy preventable for $40 | TBD — RIDEOSO adds |
| All cable runs ramped/taped to convention-centre egress standards | TBD — venue |
Visual & light — serving the sanctuary
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| 6–8 LED PAR cans — warm, moodable; community-glow, not concert-blast | Proposed |
| Low LED ring defining the circle's edge — the stage is the light | Proposed |
| Projector + surface for visuals / VJing / live-coding sessions (ref. Alaska's Swarm work) | Proposed |
| Crops/garden visual language on screens & signage — "we steward this stage like a garden" | Proposed |
| House state: warm dim, never off — a room people walk into, not a show they enter | Proposed |
Streaming & recording — the P.I.T. tie-in
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Board feed (stereo XLR or USB) + console multitrack of curated sets | Proposed |
| Decentralized streaming + on-chain artist donations rig (Alaska's workstream) — needs reliable hardline internet at FOH | Proposed Hardline TBD |
| P.I.T. Knowledge Transponder integration — the Devcon P.I.T. is declared (publicinform.com): the circle's sessions archived as open knowledge | Confirmed (family) Interface TBD |
| All recordings released to the community — copyleft, Creative Commons | Confirmed |
| Consent signage at all approach paths: "this circle is recorded & streamed — entering is consent," with a visible opt-out path. Pluralistic privacy is power. | Proposed |
SPL & the convention centre
A music space inside a convention centre is a negotiation with physics and neighbours.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Soundproof / acoustically isolated room (per DIP) — the single most important line in this rider | Confirmed ask |
| Target: ≤ 85 dB(A) slow at room boundary · 90 dB(A) peaks in the circle | Proposed |
| Venue SPL policy, quiet hours, adjacent-session rules — in writing | TBD — JIO World / production |
| Sub bypass for acoustic/classical sessions · no sub before 10:00 | Proposed |
| SPL meter at FOH, logged — being able to show the number ends most complaints before they start | Proposed |
Changeover — the circle never stops
| Protocol | Status |
|---|---|
| The Vamp Rule: during any swap, hand percussion or the house DJ keeps a pulse — silence is the only failure state | Proposed |
| Curated changeovers ≤ 15 min; next act line-checks on the walk-up channels (27–29) while the current act plays | Proposed |
| Open-jam seat rotation: facilitator-guided, one-in-one-out at natural musical breaths — never mid-song | Proposed |
| Instrument checkout/return table at entrance (token system); nothing leaves the room | Proposed |
| Walk-ups: pickup → nearest free DI · acoustic → wireless HH #1 or floating 57 · walk-up channels 27–29 always hot, spare 32 says yes | Proposed |
| Daily reset: 30-min line-check to the safe Circle scene before doors | Proposed |
Crew & ops (OSO-provided — context, not an ask)
| Role | Status |
|---|---|
| Core on-site team 10–12: Shaka (artistic steward) · 3–4 local Indian musicians (cultural anchors) · 3–4 OSO international (protocol maintainers / stage managers) · 3–4 volunteer coordinators | Confirmed (DIP) |
| 2 Devcon-provided sound engineers · shift-based continuous facilitation, all 4 days | Confirmed ask |
| Volunteers ↔ free tickets via the musician sign-up form | Confirmed |
| Comms (radios vs. group chat) · engineer shift overlap · crew meal access | TBD |
Schedule skeleton
| When | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 1–2 | Pre-production: load-in, install, soundcheck, volunteer training, storage systems live | Confirmed |
| Daily 09:30 | Doors + 30-min line-check to Circle scene | Proposed |
| 10:00–12:00 | Ambient / acoustic morning (no sub) — bansuri, keys, soft percussion | Proposed |
| 12:00–17:00 | Open jam blocks + curated sets interleaved (facilitator-run) | Proposed |
| 17:00–19:00 | Featured circle — curated ensemble with local Indian musicians | Proposed |
| 19:00–close | DJ sets, live coders, algorave — SPL-aware wind-down | Proposed |
| Nov 6→8 | ETHGlobal Mumbai bridge — the 3am jam tradition | TBD — separate venue |
Daily grid, slot lengths & curated lineup = the committee's September–October curation workstream.
Hospitality
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Water at the circle at all times · hot chai station (Mumbai — non-negotiable) | Proposed |
| Musician green corner: 6–8 seats, shade from house lights, device charging | Proposed |
| Earplugs basket at the entrance — care is a spec | Proposed |
| Towels, gaffer, tool kit, spare consumables (strings / sticks / reeds / heads) | Proposed |
| Local musician support: transport + meals for invited artists | TBD — committee budget |
| Committee housing: accommodation for 3 committee members — Shaka, Alaska, Aakash — near JIO World, covering the full production window (Nov 1–2 pre-production → Nov 6 close) | TBD — who covers, where, how many nights |
| Instrument damage/loss policy & waiver text | TBD — Devcon legal |