ISSN 0974 – 9128
Vol 11 Issue 4 April 2018
thescoremag
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India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE
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QUIRKS AND QUERIES
MILI
BAND OF THE MONTH
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS COVER STORY
PALAK MUCHHAL ALSO INSIDE: INTERVIEW WITH JOE LAMOND, PRESIDENT NAMM SHOW, INDIE REVIEWS AND MORE
inside
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COVER STORY
PALAK MUCHHAL
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
GAURAV BALANI
QUIRKS & QUERIES
MILI
IN INDIA
CANDICE REDDING
LOOK OUT FOR
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BAND OF THE MONTH
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Picture Credits: Jayesh Mistry, The Grey Dot Photography
PALAK MUCHHAL
Give us a brief on how the initial thought of becoming a singer came to you and how it all started. I started singing at the age of two and a half. There was a family function going on and everyone was taking part in it and doing something. I told my mother that I also want to go to the stage, being completely ignorant about my singing talent, she thought to the maximum that I would recite a poem. I went to the stage and sang 'Chalri Sajni Ab Kya Soche', a song sung by Lata ji and everyone got surprised and startled!!! Fortunately, my mom took it very seriously and started my training in Indian Classical Music to polish the gift I had received from God!!!
Coming from a non-musical background, what were the challenges you had faced in your initial years while you first began singing? I belong to a Marwari family and hence it was not a usual thing for someone to get inclined to music. My family is a completely non- musical family but my mom didn't leave any stone unturned to get me trained in music. I started learning Indian Classical Music at the age of 4 from late Satya Narayan Mishra ji. I used to travel twice in a month to Mumbai to get lessons from him. I also learnt Urdu to get my pronunciation clear. I have also learnt Voice culture from Brijbhushan sir! It was always a straight path for me! I had decided to become a playback singer at the age of 5!!! When you are determined to do something and work towards it with all your heart, then the challenges and struggles leave your path!!! :)
Which was the first break you received and how did it happen? Is there a story you would like to share? I got my first break because of Salman Khan sir! When I met him for the first time, he told me that 'you are soon going to sing for my film' and he fulfilled
his promise the very next day by making me sing a small part in the song 'Meherbaniyan' in his film Veer, which was included in the at the last moment after which he recommended my name to Aditya Chopra sir and made me sing 'Lapata' in his film 'Ek Tha Tiger' for Katrina Kaif composed by Sohail Sen. If Salman sir was not there, my journey would not have been this smooth! His belief in me is a blessing!
It is said that you met Salman Khan the first time in Mumbai. How did he recognise you and your voice before he introduced you to Aditya Chopra? I consider Salman sir as a blessing in my life!! I met him for the first time when I was 14 through the renowned writer Rumi Jaffery uncle, and ever since then Salman sir became my mentor, my guiding angel! He laid a clear path in front of me by specifying what's wrong and right for me in this industry! He recommended my name to directors! The bond is so strong today that his opinion matters the most to me after my parents even in the decisions related to my personal life!
You and your brother Palash are known to have spent 15 odd years in raising funds for Cancer patients through your gigs. Congrats on that! How did the idea come about? I have been doing concerts all across the world along with my brother for children suffering from heart diseases. It's been 17 years since we are doing this work and the entire amount of concert goes for the heart surgeries! So far 1375 patients have been operated through the concerts! Saving little hearts is the biggest mission and purpose of my life and I hope that I'm able to continue this service to the mankind till I'm alive on the earth! Those smiles are my biggest strength and blessings my biggest achievement!!!
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You have worked with many composers in your journey so far. Which has been your best experience till date and why? Every song is precious for me as many emotions are attached to it and so is working with every composer I have worked with! I have learnt something from every composer I have recorded for! When I enter a studio even today, I feel as if I'm entering an institution to learn and a temple to worship at!
You have some Independent music too. How different do you think it is to sing for films in contrast to making your own music? When we work for films, there is a situation where we are imagining the character we are playing and story we are telling which is a beautiful experience in itself! Whereas independent music is one's own representation and interpretation of thoughts and feelings!!! I enjoy doing both!!!
Now that the competition is high in this space, do you see yourself getting lost in the ever growing industry or have you managed to keep yourself up to date? Singing for me is much more than keeping up to the trends or following a herd!!! I have always charted my own course and I feel blessed to have been working keeping my principles and values priority! Competition is a positive thing but I don't find myself a part of it! For me I have my own journey which is truly blessed by immense love and blessings that I get from my admirers and Supporters!!!
If there is one thing you would like to change in the current scene, what would it be and why? I love the space and the scenario I'm working in! I feel this is the best time in the industry today! Everyone is positive and supportive for each other, blesses each other! We have some best talent in the industry today! I enjoy the kind of music that is being made and produced in the currying scene!
You do gigs all across. Tell us your best performance till date. Every time I perform, it's not mere a performance for me. It's a medium through which I'm being able to save lives. People who come to see my concerts not only get entertained but are also contributing to a cause. The kids I sing for are remember the dates of my concerts and wait counting their breaths that I'll bring money and they will get operated and cured!
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Do you have an idol in the industry? If yes, who is it and why? Lata Mangeshkar ji! She is my idol, my inspiration and I consider her 'Sakshat Maa Sarasvati"!
You have done over 250 films and also sung in 17 different languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam etc. Did you ever look at language as a barrier in delivering the best? How did you manage to sing in different languages? I really like exploring different languages! Now I can sing in18 different languages including National and International languages! It started with me singing in the local language of the city or state I used to perform at..! And now I'm recording songs for films in different languages. I try and understand the meaning of each and every word to get the expressions and work hard on getting the right pronunciation!
Your voice is often compared to Shreya Goshal. How does it feel to be compared to a person who is considered to be one of the leading artists in India? I take it as a compliment although I don't believe in comparison and she is much senior to me, it's unfair for a legendary singer like her to be compared with me! But she is my favourite so I smile and take it as a compliment! :)
You've given hit songs in films like Ek Tha Tiger, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Baahubali etc. Every song is different in it's own way. Which was your most favourite song and why? Every song is precious and special! As every sing has some emotions attached with it and is a journey for me!
Tell us about your upcoming songs/ original compositions. There are 219 songs lined up for release this year that I have recorded! Yaad hai from Neeraj Pandey's Aayari being the latest one! Also working on my single which is slated to release early this year.
Your message to our readers. No matter how much we earn, how much we achieve, when we see a smile in someone's face and know that we are the reason behind that smile, this happiness is unmatchable! Do something to bring smiles. More and more smiles! :)
RAPID FIRE
Dream composers you would want to work with Amit Trivedi Your favourite song that you have sung Each and every song is close to my heart for different reasons! Your most favourite song of your idol whoever it maybe Lag ja gale by Lata ji If not music, what would you have been doing? Started singing when I was 2 and a half years old... never thought of becoming something else...! But a cardiac surgeon may be! Best gig so far I don't compare love of the audience! Most embarrassing moment in a gig Never been any :) Crazy fan moment A fan followed me to 5 different cities I was performing at back to back, just to get an autograph...! And many such...
TRIVIA Picture Credits: Jayesh Mistry, The Grey Dot Photography
Palak has collected 1402 dolls, one doll for each heart operation she has sponsored through her concerts!
If you woke up with a million bucks in your bank account, what would be the first thing you would spend on Would donate to the needy!!! The
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INDIE REVIEWS
SHREYA BOSE
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Naked Soul (Madboy):
Soliloquy (Komorebi):
I confess that I am an overeager fan of Komorebi's sound. She directs electronic notes to incredibly fragile places. As in her earlier work, Soliloquy treads lightly but surely. Every track is dainty and mellifluous without compromising an inch of character. Tarana quite obviously plays with her sounds, not taking them too seriously or expecting them to adhere to the demands of a distinct message. Take ‘Little One’. It features Warren Mendonsa, a man with an unmissable sound. It morphs to becomes entirely different, serving the nuance of its context. But, by no means, is it lost. It is simply a different breed. The same happens with Mohini Dey in Hurricane and Real. Komorebi’s work is compelling, and builds its own world with no effort. She manages to express a vast spectrum of human emotion with inspiring, and possibly misleading ease. The songs are deliciously addictive. She does not pretend to cater to the thoughtless. Her musical sensibility is built on the cinematic mystery of shadowy whispers and batting eyelashes. Simultaneously, she does not shy away from creating a storm when the sentiment calls for it. Tarana is not just easygoing, she creates spontaneous enchantment.
Smooth is a strange word. Overused but underrated. It is used to describe whiskey, satin sheets, first dates, and any number of things that feel good and inspire no hassle. I feel almost guilty ascribing the word to Madboy's unhurried, laid-back, polished single. The delicious texture of the sound winks and whispers of Madboy’s departure from the breathless, almost harried danceability common to fans of Madboy/Mink. He switches to paying heed to retro influences, coating them in the basics of futurism, and playing around until a delectable balance is materialised. The music video is impressive. I'm not sure I understand how the aggressive modulations of a skilled contortionist play into the repose-friendly and trip inducing signatures, but it is definitely a visual treat. It’s uncommon (unless you're into Glass Animals' Hazey) and unpredictable, both qualities easily attached to Imaad Shah. He abandons any overt Madboy/Mink sensibilities for his solo, tipping his hat to the Space Age frolics from the late 50's and early 60's. Despite the unhurried progression, Shah manages to infuse the irreverence that characterised his early acting days, as well as the boisterous wind of Madboy/Mink. He certainly does enough to hold his place in the quickly expanding oeuvre of good indie music in this country.
Naked on a Train (Vinay Kaushal):
Tell Me (The Ragamuffins) :
It is always deeply satisfying to discover artists that follow the rules only to play with them. The Ragamuffins, a Hyderabad-based indie outfit accomplish a half-serious relationship with established conventions of genre with their debut EP. Their music is testament to the long hours they inevitably put in while coming up with immediately memorable rhythms, and clearly confessional lyrics. I don't mean to say that the band has been on the receiving end of every experience they song about ("The Gorkha" laments the plight of poor men who are slaughtered on the altar of warzones created by greed ), but that they have certainly invested themselves into the emotion generated by each issue. Their charm is upfront, and thankfully placed within riffs carefully carved by powerful sentiment and pleasurable sound. Judas caught me in particular. Vocalist Pranati's rendition of mockery, rage and betrayal is artfully done. She feels little need for bombast; her tonality is self-aware and does not stray into melodrama. Tell Me and Dropping Like Flies are rambunctious without any unnecessary showboating. You could "rock out" all you want, and be hard-pressed to find signs of flamboyance. The band is happy to focus on manipulating sound to foster an emotional response, rather than making some self-righteous point about how good they can be.
Contrary to obvious assumption, Kaushal’s debut album is not titled metaphorically, but a bit too literally. Inspired by the sight of a completely nude woman who boarded a train to escape chasing policemen, the album is substantially stimulating. Boredom is impossible while it plays. Neither is one overwhelmed, despite the considerable number of musicians and instruments that went into the making of this jazz-funk-classical soundsoup. The album is elaborate, with very little restraint. However, Kaushal does not indulge in gauche display of skill, thankfully. He engages with multiple styles and genres, remaining careful to give each sound its unalterable place in the album's cosmos. The title track is a combination of quirk and despondence, as fit the situation that provoked its composition. A Drop of Golden Sun is most easily conducive to joyous reception, given the movement of enamouring sitar strings. The dance between philosophically similar but texturally different notes is flaunted with open grace. The artist's personal chemistry with his composition fuels a sense of intimacy that is easily identifiable but often hard to define. Kaushal's work cultivates this quality. What may sound like commonplace arrangements (there are a few moments) are not wasted, as they quickly make way for the pivot that structures the song. A Tune for Peace - An Interlude and Sea's Song are delightfully scattered, utilizing few notes to build resonant images. Both songs advance with minimal embellishment, which makes them all the more admirable. The album deserves to be streamed, and if you are interested in contributing to the fortification of an indie scene worth accolades in this country, bought.
Bol Na Ranti (Laxmi Bomb):
Anger is mostly a useless and destructive emotion. You won’t find too many people recommending a daily dose of rage. For one thing, all the cortisol it generates is bad for whatever one can claim as one’s everyday sanity. Unless, of course, you can direct the anger into an act of relevant and somewhat risqué creation. Mumbaibased Laxmi Bomb does exactly that with their third release and first fulllength album. The theme materialises in a series of rants. Lucky (?) for them, and us, there is plenty to rant about. For example, the morphong of education by Catholicism, often for the worse (Donnie Bosco) or the exhausting, mindlessness of the rat race that unfolds on Mumbai’s metro lines each day (Tej Gaadi). Freak on Alisha derides the common Indian male fascination with white women, a phenomenon that has long been fodder for serious mockery. Suggagandhi bites into the recurrent and relevant matter of massive corruption in the country, but relates it to the monstrous levels of consumerism. The band makes artful use of explicit wording (Run D makes my point). They toe the line of balance between using cuss words to get a reaction and to make a point of personal frustration. Bol Na Ranti does both, and not for a moment do you feel that they synthlaced groove-heavy tracks are in the danger of being inauthentic. They snigger with a deep depression, and highlight the many possibilities for hopelessness that seems to keep coming our way. The guys at Laxmi Bomb are angry, and no one can fault them for being so. Especially not when they manage to create good art with it. The
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GAURAV BALANI ARTIST OF THE MONTH:
Tell us about your latest song Say your prayers This song was like therapy for me. I was dealing with some issues on the personal front and writing this song was like getting out all my emotions and being done with it. I got to try out some ideas that I had never been able to think off before. But most of all, it was the fact that I got to work with an amazing video director and some amazing musicians on this track. I had always wanted to shoot a live video of a studio performance to capture the essence of an unedited and raw take. We were able to achieve that despite the various obstacles we faced during the making of this song and the video. It was a great learning experience for me because I was trying out this concept for the first time and I feel better equipped to try it out again very soon for the next Inalab collaboration.
For this song, you have collaborated with some stalwarts from the country. How did you choose the artists you wanted to collaborate with? I was very fortunate to get to work with the amazing musicians on this song. I've known them for as long as I can remember and I always wanted to feature them on an Inalab song which showcases their talent in a very different light. When I finished my draft of the song, I knew in my head what kind of sound I was looking for and these guys were the perfect fit for it. They were kind enough to take out time from their touring schedule and help me finish the song and the video.
Message you are trying to send across through this song The song is just trying to convey a very simple message which we often forget and that is - Life can be extremely unpredictable. The best thing that we can do is adapt to the situation and hope for the best, but the most
important thing is to not lose yourself with all the murkiness. Whatever it is that we're dealing with will be over in due time and in fact in many cases it can be over when you want it to, it's a matter of perspective.
Being an independent musician, what's your take on the current Indian scene? The current Indian indie scene is going through an extreme transition. Anything and everything is being accepted as long as it's being done with integrity. The audience is very accepting of all sorts of genres and are even willing to pay for the music that they really appreciate. In my humble opinion, the bollywood music is too saturated in today's date and a lot of the audience from that side of the world is gravitating towards various genres which aren't traditionally mainstream and that is making things a little better for the independent artists. We've seen some amazing talent gain phenomenal popularity over the last few years in the independent scene. There's just a lot more competition though and that is also a really good thing because for the most part of it only the really serious artists will want to fight through it and constantly reinvent themselves to remain relevant.
What makes your track stand out from the usual? Firstly, its an extremely experimental track where any listener can hear the various influences of all the musicians that have performed on it. The idea was to push the boundaries harmonically when it comes to psychedelic rock music. I tried out an insane amounts of analog and digital synthesizers before narrowing down upon the sounds that are on the record. The tabla solo layered right before the crescendo is a bit of a surprise too for a "traditional" rock song. Also, the main melody of the song is played on the bass. That doesn't happen too often either.
Trivia: He has a diary that contains all the shows that he’s ever played, including the initial college completions! With proper entries of all the show details. Date venue band and session fee, till date!
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Q
uirks & ueries
Tell us the idea behind your debut album 'Written in the Stars'. I’ve always wanted to release my music, an album with songs I was writing. I believe listening to an album should be an event, like watching a movie or reading a book and with this album, Written in the Stars which is my first, the concept is exactly that. To have musicians like Vinnie Colaiuta, Michael Landau, James Genus and George Whitty record on your first ever album it’s definitely the stuff of what dreams are made of! Of course, conceptually there are so many elements that come into play – what each song demanded, the sound of the album, the direction you want to take the music. The songs on the album are stories about life, the stories that has inspired me, I wrote what came from my heart and sang what came to my heart. I wouldn’t want to say too much about these songs and I’d rather have the listener connect to the music and make it they’re own personal experience or story. There’s always magic that happens when there are musicians coming into the studio and recording music. Music touched us for a reason and it is this connect we’ve captured and shared on the record. It’s very rewarding to see the how each song on the album is reaching out far and wide to people from different parts of the world. The album has reached out to a global audience!
Mili Did you know?
I never record in the mornings... Recording my vocals happens best later in the day when voice is warmed up. And I always need to have coffee - at least 2 cups before I get into the recording booth.
You worked Grammy award winners. What did you learn from all these phenomenal people that you worked with? It’s a very different realm when you’re working with people who’ve known to change the world with their skill and mastery in their craft, along with a combination of the years of wisdom and experience that goes hand in hand. I would say this journey and the things I’ve witnessed during the session are lessons and experiences for life. The very intention with this project was to record every instrument live in the studio and it couldn’t have been any
better than working with the best. Everyone was on the same page while recording each song. It felt like we were reading each other’s minds! Such a great vibe! The spectrum of possibilities I had with the music was huge. It ultimately all comes down to what we wanted to achieve in terms of the music and sound. That was something the producer Hamesh and I were very clear about from the very inception of this album.
Are you more of a singer or more of a song-writer? I guess I’ve always been both for the longest time. Of course during my childhood it was singing that helped me express myself. But it was only later I realised I was listening and understanding music with a very different perspective from a very young age – what each musician contributed to the song, the harmonies, the arrangement, the composition etc. Now looking back when I started writing these songs a lot of things happened easily.
You have worked with notable music composers in India like AR Rahman & Amit Trivedi. What has been your best take away from each of them? I love how adventurous they’ve been with their music, with their concepts. I’ve been very fortunate to work with these great composers and their songs which suited my style of singing.
What have been your biggest writing influences? Ever since I can remember being exposed to all kinds of music - western and Indian classical music, rock, jazz and of course being in India, all the film music has only added to my musical knowledge. Basically I’ve always been open to everything and it was this huge canvas that helped me think beyond the lines of genres that has contributed to my music influences.
Motto that you always live by Follow your instinct! It’s always right. The
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GAJENDRA PURI GOSWAMI
QAWWALI: The sound of the Sufis
Qawwali is the musical expression of Sufi poetry, a form of devotion that conveys mystical songs in a manner that is intended to make listeners more receptive to understanding the message of songs. Originally performed as a traditional spiritual genre, it now allows its presentation in a secular, concert genre as well as popular, commercial genre. The art of singing Qawwal is inextricably linked to the Sufi tradition. Reciting and performing Sufi poetry or Qawwali are often prescribed mediums of the divine union which non-Sufis argue can only be achieved after death. Qawwali, as a musical expression, is said to have emanated from the Chishti Sufi order. It’s leader Nizamuddin Auliya had asked the great poet and ‘Parakeet of India’Hazrat Amir Khusro- who was a great erudite of music himself, to prepare a few Qawwals. In those days the genre was strictly spiritual and meant to stir the heart of people to seek god. Traditional Qawwali performances were conducted at shrines on occasions of Sufi anniversaries or other days of remembrance. Hence, a spiritual director pir was always present during the performance. The pirs used to sit at the head of a Sufi gathering, while the performers sat at the opposite end and after former readings of the Quran, singers sang mystical songs which helped listeners to achieve a state of spiritual arousal. Gradually, this spiritual genre transformed itself into a secular, concert, film, and popular music genre. These later evolved genres contain essential elements of the spiritual genre as well. A traditional Qawwali ensemble consists of a male singer, soloists, and a chorus of male singers supported by musicians playing percussion instruments. In addition to normal instrumentation, hand clapping serves to emphasise the rhythmic structure and engage the audience. The Qawwal is guided by the general rules regarding the sequence of song types. Some of these are; praises of god hamd, Muhammad na’t, and then saints manqabat. Although, the sequence rules may not be deferred when the performance is secularised or presented in a concert or film and the manner of performance is governed entirely by the performer himself. In a traditional Qawwali performance the spiritual texts are emphasised and repeated to evoke religious sentiments, although the sequence of the verses may not carry a fixed order. In contrast, at a secular presentation of Qawwali, the Qawwal relies more
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on the artistic expression rather than the mystical meaning of the text. An important feature of the Qawwali performance lies in the interaction between the audience and performers. The Qawwal gauges the mood, background, and cultural association of his audience, and accommodates his style to the setting as to uplift the audience. The performer is often rewarded by monetary offerings by the audience for inducing this spiritual ecstasy. Apart from the Sufi texts, that encompass the religious poetry, couplets, and ghazals, a Qawwali performance relies on music. The genre borrows its melodic and rhythmic framework from Hindustani classical music. It draws its melodies from the same pool of framework (ragas) and metric patterns (talas) that is observed in classical music. Few notable illustrations of these rags and talas are conspicuous in Tajdar-e-Haram, rendered in Raag Bhairavi; Punjabi Qawwali by Bulle Shah iterated in Ragas like Tilang and Khamaj; and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Traditional Sufi Qawwalis performed at the Kufa Gallery, London in various ragas like Raga Bhairavi, Bilawal, Bhopali, Yaman Kalyan, Bahar, and Mishra Khamaj. A Qawwali also features the formal structure similar to that of the Khayal song genre; like Khayal, Qawwali performances feature a mixture of evenly paced metric refrains and rhythmically flexible solo vocal improvisations. The open-ended improvisational structure, during the fast-paced passages called Taranas, serve the ever-changing needs of an individual listener via response in call. Qawwali’s religious affiliation, that once restricted its realm, later enhanced its popularity. Since, all-inclusiveness and myriad embodiments of god are accepted as the fundamental principles of Sufi philosophy; it has reflected in its artistic representation too. Qawwali is an exemplar of such representation, which has surpassed its religious constraints to become part of a much larger global music phenomena.
SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y
T HE UNFORGETTABLE ARTIST Ever wondered why you are always hooked to songs like Dum Dum Mast Qalandar, Tere Ishq Nachaya, Mera Piya Ghar Aya, Bandeya, Bulleya and the likes. Isn't it intriguing that these songs, though being folk in their nascent stage had been the staple crop of Bollywood for a long time. It is not even like tasting old wine in a new bottle, but it is like a slowly cooked steak oozing with goodness in every slice. Ignorant as we are, the true genius of these songs are never learned, read or talked about in the popular media. Bulleh Shah is one such gem that the Sufi music is indebted to and so should we be because all those four songs mentioned above are but only some of the songs rendered by none other than the king of Sufi. He had always been inspired by the concept of love. Born in the land of the five rivers, Punjab; this man had dreamt of an unified belief in God and religion in his entire life. He was thinking of secularism at a time when the concept was a farfetched ideology even in the ecclesiastical sphere. What this man in Lahore was doing in the 17th century was almost at par with the volumes of philosophies baptized by stalwarts like Rosseau, Kant and Voltaire. The Sufi saints of the time did speak the tongue of the common men in their poetries, their language was not the ornate language of the elites. Bulleh Shah himself used to write in the kafi refrain because Persian and Urdu were considered to be too formal and soon languages like Sindhi, Sariaki etcetra took its place in the poetries of the time. He was an active writer. Shah Inayat Qadiri became Bulleh Shah's spiritual philosopher, guide and teacher. Perhaps, this is the time that he questioned for the first time the epistemology of our existence and the perception of religion
in all of us. All his philosophies and lyrics centred around this cardinal question on how and what is the meaning of us and how do we exist; what even is the central theme of the Universe? In understanding this, he totally shoos away even the religious leaders and their little preaching, to give way to a radically independent way of communication that speaks of the amnesty between the various religious beliefs rather than just prophesying diktats. The cadence of his words still resonate through the Universe; simple and poignant. Ranjha Ranjha kardi ni mein aape Ranjha hoi (Uttering 'Ranjha' over and over, I have become Ranjha myself) It is interesting to note, that Bollywood had scooped the best out of his lyrics; ages after the premise and the pretext of the verses have ceased to exist. An absolute eternal bliss! For example lines written at the time of the decline of the Persian aristocracy ("Ishq di navion navin bahar" / "Love is blooming on every turn") makes way into our record setting chartbusters! Call it "Rab da Bhana" or a spiritual epiphany, the soulful music of Bulleh Shah was also inspired from the great Aamir Khursau! "Dam Dam mast Qalandar" is an exemplary artefact of the fact that Bull eh Shah was open to experimentations and improvisations. Though Sufism is a pure interiorization of the Islamic faith, Bulleh Shah takes it to another level by adding both "intuitive and emotional faculties" in his phrases. As far as the grammar of Sufi is concerned, he forayed through the four stages of Sufism Shariat (Path), Tariqat (Observance), Haqiqat (Truth) and Marfat (Union). Thus, Bulleh Shah is a humanist, an artist in the truest sense who did not limit himself to upholding or discrediting the norms; but in fact found a way for self expression.
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VIPUL VIJ that about 58 per cent of records sold are used ones, opposed to the 38 per cent people who buy only new ones. The rise in the popularity of vinyl could also be attributed to the notion of “whatever is old is new again.” With everything so virtual and processed to perfection, the imperfections of a vinyl record is a breath of fresh air. When you hear Jim Morison singing Riders On The Storm on a record player, as opposed to Apple Music, you can hear the crackling of the tape, and the nuances of what was recorded that day. The digital music is revisited again and again to perfect it, which might sound great but, not as personal as The Doors had intended to.
Vinyl Records Were The Past,
The idea of believing that just the vinyl records will be the future of music listening experience is naive, and nobody is suggesting that. But, this is not a fad either. People who have always listened to vinyls or recently discovered them, do like going back to them from time to time. But, vinyls are also an expensive entity to own. Audiophiles, or people who REALLY care about the sound of what they’re listening to, are no alien to spending a fortune on vinyl records. Interestingly, the most expensive record ever auctioned is God Save The Queen by Sex Pistols. One of the best punk rock records ever made, and no surprise that a person splurged that amount of cash just to own a vintage record.
And Are Poised To Be The Future Spotify, the largest music streaming service in the world has over 70 million subscriber. Its closest competitor is Apple Music with over 35 million subscribers. But, if anyone has even a hint about the music industry, the would know about the resurgence of vinyl records. Once considered a thing of the past, the vinyl records industry has hit the billion dollar mark for the first time the millennium. Quite extraordinary is the rebirth or re ignition of a “technology’ that seemed past its heyday. That being said, it is still nowhere near the success of the industry during its prime. In fact, according to a financial firm, vinyl record sales crossed a billion dollars in 1981 alone. That was, of course, the purple patch of the gramophones and record players.
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But, as our music streaming services try to tighten their hold over our music listening habits, the younger generation seems to be revolting. Apparently, 56 per cent of vinyl buyers are men under the age of 25. This definitely goes against the notion of “millennials are always on YouTube or some other app.” For the most part, it is true that digital streaming still dominates the industry but, vinyls have somewhat caught up with the time. Or, it has retained its essence, which has intrigued the new generation. In today’s world of instant gratification, going through records and finding an album you love is still an alien concept. A report claims that many people know what they want to buy before they even enter a record store. And,
But, it is also more than just the sound. Ask any record owner and they’ll tell you that it is the personal touch that draws them to vinyl. As I said before, the imperfections of a song is what makes it beautiful. You don’t want to listen to a clean high-pitched Robert Plant. You want that raw on-the-vergeof-breaking sound to feed your ears. So, apart from the young males of the present, will people care about vinyl records? Yes, they will. As long as the digital music subscription services grow, people will always want to take a break and go back to a record. While portability and accessibility rules the roost for the most; rustic, old-school and raw sound is what hits the spot for others. Vinyl is the past, and will be a part of the future, for sure.
CANDICE REDDING When did you start DJing - and what or who were your early passions and influences? Even though I got into music when I was just 14, I started DJing after my teenage years during the period where I was just obsessed with Dance music and consumed no other form of media but music, all day all night. Some of my early influences would be Pete Tong, Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk and Carl Cox. Those were the golden times for Dance music with these legends slaying on the decks with their plain old vinyls.
What were some of the common mistake you made when you just started out? I feel that the fact that when I started out, I was just so obsessed that I would live, breath, eat music. During that period, I was so engrossed in the life that the tour brought, I didn't take a lot of care of my health. That is to me one of my biggest mistakes when I started out.
What do you think about the electronic music scene in India considering it has become so popular in the last couple of years? I think India is one of the major consumers of electronic dance music. Some of the world's biggest artists choose to perform in India even on occasions like the new year's eve, and that is a very big deal. The way the Indian electronic music scene has shaped itself over the recent years is just incredible.
What is your opinion regarding the difference between old school DJing where everything was restricted to vinyl and modern DJing where most tracks are never put on any physical medium before or after release? Considering the fact that during the earlier years of DJing, every artist could only use one record at a time on a Vinyl player, it would limit the number of tracks they could travel with without going through a hassle
of carrying a box load of records. The invention of CDJs gave the DJs an opportunity to showcase their creativity without having to limit the usage of tracks in their live sets. An artist can now travel with thousands of options for music to use during their sets, thus pushing their abilities to improvise.
Tell us a little bit about your tech set up My tech set up for every show includes 2 to 3 CDJ 2000s & a DJM 900 - that's the basic requirement for me to be able to have an enthralling performance. I also prefer to have a lot of special effects on my shows which help me have a holistic performance and turn it into a 360 degree experience. I currently use Ableton and prefer it over any other DAW.
In a country where there is so much new talent emerging every other day, how do you keep abreast with changing times? So throughout my life, I have travelled across various continents and have been exposed to various cultures of music and various artists. This has made be able to adapt to the changing trends quickly. I also have a dedicated team at my management, Shark & Ink who I work with very closely in identifying newer opportunities and transitioning through the changing times.
Tell us about your upcoming project I'm currently focusing on 'The Remix' an Amazon Prime Video Original which I'm a part of. Besides that, I have a lot of interesting collaborations coming up within and outside of the music space.
What do you look forward to from your upcoming India tour? What I really am looking forward to is the fact that my and my team and Shark & Ink are working very hard on recreating my live show experiences and setting a benchmark for the rest of the industry on how a live show should actually be.
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SRIRAM RAVISHANKAR
A SEA OF
CHANGE!
One of Chennai’s most loved music production teachers Deepak Sugathan takes a quick look at the music production scene and what lies ahead of us
Most significant milestones in technology that rapidly propelled music production One of them definitely has to be the digital recording technology, systems now a days are so compact and powerful that you can carry it anywhere & do a full blown production on the go. All you need is a sound card, a mic, few cables, a headphone, and possibly a small MIDI keyboard. Secondly, so many avenues and schools to hone your creative skills and in a number of different ways to showcase them. “If someone doesn’t give you work, you could simply produce & upload your work on number of online platforms like Soundcloud, YouTube, Reverbnation etc.” Third, features available on software, with its user friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface) to edit, mix and master music , non-destructively is simply amazing! This wasn’t so easy during the analogue recording era. Manufacturers have been creating virtual instruments that sound so realistic at the same time that they are quite easy to use. They seem to have captured the essence of a real instrument or a rare instruments which are now available to most of us music producers at our finger tips. Fourth, internet is one thing which has opened up so many possibilities for almost everyone. Unimaginable amounts of information is available on
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the internet. “Google & YouTube are like assistant professors for almost any subject you wish to acquire knowledge on”. For musicians and music producers, internet has opened up so many new means to communicate, collaborate and display their work that one no longer needs a record label to release their work or need to hand over a demo CD/cassette to someone - just emailing links of your work is more than enough! Who could’ve thought of this ten, fifteen years ago?! (laughs)
New trends in music production that are majorly dictating the commercial sound as we recognise it today Talking about musical trends, there is never a definite answer to this question. It’s mostly driven by what works in the industry - something becomes a huge hit then that sets the trend for the next couple of years or at least until the next hit song be it Bollywood & International music releases. Which genre or style does that is totally unpredictable & no one knows. We can only make assumptions based on statistics. To add to it, when song does becomes a hit, the rest of the producers/ musicians are bound to follow the same trend (or references). Musical trends change quite a lot! However over the last
few years, I have surely noticed a growing trend in terms of preserving the quality of production, there is more emphasis on recording live instruments and better recording quality and use of best equipment. Also the loudness war (as we audio engineers call it) is slowly coming to terms with loudness normalisation incorporated by YouTube/ Soundcloud/iTunes and other popular online platforms. The output levels are eventually going to be consistent across all platforms. We couldn’t have been more thankful!
How technological innovations has altered the way music is produced We have come a long way! Our recording gears have become quite powerful and compact. Today we can record more than 200 tracks at the same time! There are numerous ways to edit and correct our performances, lots of interesting music
genres and sub genres that are being discovered as a result of the abundance of the sounds available to us. For the most part producing music has become really easy. One can record & produce an entire song from their bedroom studios. If you are musical (very important), then all you need is a good recording software, a mic, MIDI keyboard and a descent pair of monitors and headphone to convert your musical ideas into a fully produced song. There are numerous plugins available in the market which could be used to replicate the sound of a real instrument, moreover giving the creator a varied choice of sounds/textures to play around with. If one is still not happy then they could record an organic sound & sample them in their production which could add some sonic value to a song. You have access to so many readymade ideas (Apple Loops/Loop Library), pre-sets & tools that an individual is never limited with their options while producing music. Performance can be enhanced too via pitch correction and time quantisation methods- “so not to worry if it wasn’t a perfect take!” This wasn’t so easy 20-30 years ago. On the downside, a musician can take full advantage of the technological innovations & somewhere musicianship is compromised. Artists are turning into entrepreneurs who also have to sell/promote their music. You’ll find musicians/artist (including myself) taking up social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc. as means to promote their art. Earlier record labels companies used to discover new talent & nurture them through their career. Now they are mostly dormant & instead artists approach them mostly to get a name association & use the popularity
space created by them. This change has happened ever since music piracy couldn’t be contained & illegal downloading became easier for people. In the past few years, we have seen an increase in the number of creators. As the technology gets more and more simplified, we are expected to see more creators, music producers are coming into the limelight.
The future of music production The pace at which the technology is advancing, someone like me could only assume the possible directions in which the music production will take. Artificially intelligent softwares will replace some of the common studio operations like audio noise restoration, cleaning up clicks and pops from a recording, pitch correction etc. before it's sent for further processing. Currently in our industry, something similar is already happening in the field of
mastering. Landr and Aria mastering are two different online softwares which does mastering in a matter of few mins. It isn't perfect yet however in future it will be. As of now, we are in the transition phase. With more innovations, music as we know may have different definition in the future - sounds/textures will play a more important role than it is now. As more and more researches are happening, music will find a wider role in our society. It’ll branch out to medical sciences to find cure for an illnesses and many other such fields where music is used at a very fundamental level. We shall see the introduction of newer instruments and experimental music will take a new form. You’ll see extraordinary musician skills being developed by certain musician. Let’s hope to make it through all the changes that may occur in the future. (laughs)
About Deepak: Deepak is a trained, professional music producer, mixing engineer, and teacher. Having taught at a leading music conservatory in India for many years, Deepak has nourished many young music producers and mixing engineers who work professionally in the South and North Film industries. He has studied Sound Engineering from SAE, certified as an Apple Music Production trainer, and has worked across many studios in Chennai as a recording engineer. Besides production and teaching, Deepak has worked extensively on ad jingles, film collaborations, and performs with his project – Indore Gharana.
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AMOGH RAO
ELEMENTS OF A PRACTICE ROUTINE We’ve all heard of the concept of perfect practice makes perfect. As musicians, skill is a by-product not just of passion and talent, but also the effort that goes into developing them. Here, we’ve put together a bunch of important ideas that will help you improve as musicians regardless of the instrument you play.
Consistency –
Approach –
Guides –
Everyone’s noticed that when they don’t play an instrument, speak a language or play a game for long, they tend to get rusty. We all have a base level intellect and skill that takes little to no effort. Everything beyond that, comes with practice. The key here however, is the consistency in practice. It’s crucial to distribute your sessions and time in a way that allows you to visit your instrument constantly without losing connect. Practicing for 8 hours straight and then playing after a month would just bring you back to square one. Dedicating the smallest amount of time, but on a daily or weekly basis will ensure that you don’t stagnate.
Probably the hardest thing to do when setting up a practice routine is knowing what to practice and how. This varies greatly not only from instrument to instrument, but experience and style too. What remains common is the idea of very focused repetition. Just playing songs or jamming is great, but it doesn’t count as practice. It’s essential to devote time to exercises, with intense focus for short bursts of time. A principle called Pomodoro is great for such sessions. Essentially, you break up your entire time into 25-minute sessions, with 5-minute breaks in between.
If you’ve been playing an instrument for a while, you’ve probably dreaded the idea of the metronome. The analogy I use when explaining its necessity is that of a ruled notebook versus a plain one. Having lines to write between helps keep sentences structured and legible. It’s the same with having a guide to time. No matter what you play, having a strong control of time and incorporating it in your sessions will immensely improve the professionalism of your playing.
Recording – Listening – I can’t stress enough how crucial your senses are when it comes to improving. The most skilled of musicians all follow the principle of dividing their practice into 60% listening and 40% physically practicing. Analyzing music, opening up to more and more kinds of music and training your ears and mind to comprehend the layers that go into its making, will do wonders to your actual practice, making it more effective and efficient.
Maintaining objectivity is always difficult when trying to measure one’s performance. While playing and listening to yourself at the same time, it’s extremely difficult to pick up minute flaws accurately. So, it’s crucial to constantly record and listen to yourself during sessions and keep track of noticeable flaws or areas for improvement.
Practice sessions can be the most enlightening experiences of selfdiscovery and reflection. Keeping these thoughts in mind have helped me immensely, and we hope these takeaways can do the same for you.
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KARISHMA D'MELLO
Score's
Summer Playlist Well, the summer is officially here, making every day a heated battle. With that in mind, we’ve handpicked a few, new tracks to freshen up your playlists this April, and maybe kill those summertime blues! So grab a cold beer (or some iced lemonade, if that’s your thing!), put those headphones on and take a listen to our indie playlist for the month! 1. Song: Me & You
3. Song: Silver and Gold
5. Song: For Tonight
7. Song: Turn it On
Artist: Flu
Artist: Nikhil D’souza
Artist: Strike Three
Artist: Pork Jet
Available on: SoundCloud
Available on: SoundCloud, YouTube
Available on: SoundCloud, YouTube
Available on: YouTube
This new, blues-y track by the Bangalorian trio is perfect to kick things off (those things, being your shoes), as you sit back and embrace your lazy, mid-summer’s evening. It’s got some nice, raspy vocals, a catchy riff, and an overall laidback sound.
The vocals on this track are beautifully dreamy and melodic, paired with a blend of alternative rock and indie, with a few subtle Indian notes to it, sure to fill you with the sense of calm wonder and just a little bit of hope, that comes though very strongly all throughout the song.
A very catchy song, the kind that plays in your head, days after you’ve heard it, but it’s alright, you won’t complain. “Turn it on”, is their brand new single, that they describe as a “happy song about sad things”. Check out their quirky new video on YouTube and give it a listen, you won’t be sorry.
2. Song: Dark Red Lines Artist: Vernon Noronha
4. Song: Sentenced to Death
Featuring on their newest album “Essentia”, alongside other songs like “Perfect Foolish Woman” and “What’s Keeping You Here?” you’ll find this great track, which is by far my favorite of the lot, with its distinctive merging of alternative rock and the blues, especially noticeable in the riff, giving it it’s edgy sound.
Available on: SoundCloud, YouTube
Artist: Against Evil feat. Jeff Loomis
Second on the playlist, we’ve got some breezy, acoustic strumming, with a charming I’ve - got – a – goofy – smile – on – my – face – and – I don’t – know - why kind of melody to cheer you up on a bad day. Vernon’s nostalgic, unassuming tone will draw you in instantly and have you thinking fondly of the sun, the sand and the seas, but perhaps, not – so – fondly about the government.
Available on: SoundCloud, YouTube Any metal head will testify that while it’s great to feel that insane surge of energy running through you, some of the best metal songs can also have an incredibly calming effect. ‘Sentenced to death’, is the newest release to the album “All Hail the King” (scheduled to release in April), featuring some amazing guitar progressions and quintessential heavy metal vocals. Perhaps not the breeziest track on the list, but it’ll definitely help you to “calmly”, power through the summer.
6. Song: Leather Jacket Artist: Morning Mourning Available on: YouTube And here at number six, to get you reminiscing, from the artists debut album “Is this biodegradable”, is Leather Jacket. A mellow, mesmerizing track; the slow, soothing kind, you are bound to get lost in. It’s got emotion woven into every verse, perfect for your summer time nostalgias.
8. Song: Outbox Artist: Random Gyan Available on: YouTube, Saavn And let’s end things on the right note with some pleasant guitar strumming, following a three chord progression, along with some smooth violins and a saxophone, accompanied by the singer’s lilting melodies giving it it’s lovely bitter-sweet tone.
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SNEHA RAMESH
JOE LAMOND, NAMM President and CEO
How was NAMM 2018 for you? What was the best take away? If memory serves, this was my 35th Winter NAMM Show and in my opinion, each one has been quite different from the last, this year was no exception. Seeing NAMM members, alongside our partners and guests, create a powerful, business-driven industry gathering was the most exciting aspect to me. The launch of new and innovative products, the peer to peer networking opportunities, and unique gathering of virtually the entire musical ecosystem for four days in Southern California created one-of-a-kind opportunity for our members. And it was much bigger than previous shows!
What was new for this year’s show, particularly on the pro audio front? Pro Audio expanded this year with the addition of a new hall at the Anaheim Convention Center. The new space
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also allowed us to grow the lighting and event technology component of the show. Something that was very important to us was being able to offer world class education to these important groups which led us to some new partnerships. For the first time, ever, The Audio Engineering Society presented more than 300 sessions, whitepapers and handson training at The NAMM Show, with the AES@NAMM program. In addition to the other great training through TEC Tracks, A3E: Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange and the Pro Production sessions, the show featured the 33rdd Annual TEC Awards, honoring the products used in production, and welcomed the Parnelli Awards, which recognizes the people, products and services in the event technology industry. Entertainment Services and Technology Association also offered some incredibly valuable training focused on lighting and event tech.
How do you strike a balance between retaining regular visitors and also ensuring that you get new visitors every year? Recruiting and retaining NAMM member companies is one of our major objectives. Our goal is to make NAMM services an invaluable tool for member success. The industry continues to evolve as does our membership so there is a built-in stability of current members at the same time we’re constantly getting new ones, it’s actually a very exciting model! We also have a very diverse membership, over 100 countries representing every conceivable product category. I believe that bringing all the various musical tribes together actually strengthens the entire industry because of the natural sharing of best practices and the cross-pollination of new ideas. Humans have been gathering since the dawn of recorded human history to do just that.
You had some really interesting conferences and breakfast sessions this year, what are you trying to achieve through these? Our goal is to provide timely, relevant business education to help members grow their businesses and careers, as well as succeed as the industry continues to evolve. It’s also to be reflective of the various functions found within segments of the industry, to help businesses and individuals gain the necessary professional development and education to take that next step in their career – or to make the next move in their business. If we can have a positive impact on just one person, change just one business for the better, then I feel like we’re making a difference.
What are some of your thoughts about the current state of the music products industry and music making in general? I see a very interesting situation developing. On one hand, technology is driving incredible innovation, electronic instruments, recording and technology used in live events is better, faster and less expensive than ever. It also becomes obsolete quickly as the next model is even better than the last. And at the same time, I see an insatiable appetite for hand-crafted, custom made, beautiful instruments and gear that will last forever.
In an ever-changing industry, how do you keep abreast with what's going on and make sure you are ahead of the curve?
Elaborate on your Educational programs at NAMM. The 2018 NAMM Show presented more than 500 educational sessions. Each morning of the show started with a NAMM U Breakfast Session, featuring world-class thought leaders in their respective fields. Throughout show hours, music retailers could attend NAMM Idea Center sessions every half-hour, right in the convention center lobby. These sessions covered a variety of topics, such as marketing your business, best practices in video streaming, expanding your music lesson program and more. Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in free education by specialty area, including in Pro Audio through TEC Tracks, A3E: Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange, as well as in a paid program with AES@NAMM. For those seeking event technology education, ESTA, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association, presented a curated education program that also included sessions from Lighting Sound America/PLASA. Plus, event technology education benefitted from the Pro Production Sessions by PLSN and FOH.
What business trends did you observe in 2017? In the larger sense, you have an incredible convergence of technology, driving innovation, electronic instrument development and in many ways, helping to drive the development of more traditional instruments. In 2017, there was a continued trend of investment in research and development, supported by technology, driving the introduction of new products and product refinements.
What’s your plan for Summer NAMM 2018? Summer NAMM is our annual mid-year gathering and the platform for the industry to convene to prepare for a strong fall and holiday season. Members who attend Summer NAMM will have some of the best education available each day of the show through NAMM U sessions, and before the show opens, the Retail Training Summit; a one-day intensive training program in all aspects of retail business management. Members also the chance to make new business connections and to build deeper connections with their current partners while making those important business decisions on merchandising, and what new products or lines to carry for the busy fall and into the holiday season.
Things sure do move fast today don’t they? We look to the industry media like The Score Magazine to help us spot new trends and find ideas for new services to offer our members. We also visit members around the world each year to get first-hand information. NAMM is fortunate to have a great Board of Directors who help guide our direction and keep everything on the right track. It takes all of this and much more to stay up to speed on everything, and even then, I live in fear that we’ve missed something!
One of the most inspiring aspects of Summer NAMM will take place Friday evening, when we’ll take a break from the show floor and gather as an industry to honor the Top 100 Dealers from around-the-world for retail excellence. It’s here, where peers come together to recognize those businesses who’ve made an impactful change or have found creative solutions to retail challenges. It’s an incredible night, filled with energy and strong sense of community.
How do you see the Indian market at NAMM? How important is it and what do you plan for them?
Our plans for each NAMM Show is guided by feedback from our wonderful members and our board of directors. In reviewing this, our team of NAMM Staff begins work on the show to curate the best possible experience for NAMM members, and while it may be a bit too early to announce our plans for 2019, we look forward to again bringing our members a multitude of education opportunities, networking events, and the opportunity to develop new or reaffirm existing business over the course of four days of our annual “family reunion.”
Like many markets, the Indian market is diverse and full of opportunity. We value our NAMM Members that are from India and are proud to say that they make and sell some of the best products out there. We’re also proud to have members from India who are on the front line of finding new and innovative ways to expand the number of active music makers. They belong to NAMM and come to the NAMM Show each year to buy and sell, network with peers, learn business best practices and to get a sense of market direction and which product breakthroughs will be big in the year ahead. In my opinion, the NAMM Show is the one place where all countries can come together for the betterment of all.
Plans for 2019 Winter NAMM show?
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ADITI SARAWAGI
ROYALTY FREE MUSIC Royalty Free Music is a term we hear a lot these days in the music industry. It refers to paying once for a piece of music which licenses the user to use the music for as long and wherever he/she wants instead of paying royalty every time the music is used. This is done because each piece of music is owned by a musician or artist or a copyright holder or a record label and has to be legally licensed to be used commercially by others. The term Royalty Free Music is often thought of as music being free of cost or copyright free. It simply means free of royalty i.e. repeated payments as and when the piece of music is used and not completely free of cost. Again, a piece of music is never copyright free i.e. someone who has licensed the piece does not own copyright for it but the creator will always automatically hold the copyright. Royalty free music doesn’t have a standard pricing structure. The price depends on the owner or creator of the material and can range from tens of dollars to thousands of dollars. The price is dependent on the licensing model i.e. not charging royalties each time the music is used. Though royalty free music can be used for almost all commercial purposes by the licensee, it does not include the royalties to be paid for when the licensed piece is used in public performances. When music is played publicly, say on television, the royalties have to be paid to the composer separately. This royalty doesn’t have to be paid by the licensee but it is paid by the network or wherever the show is being performed. This type of licensed music is often used in YouTube videos as a background music or even in ad jingles or product catalog videos. In order to aid amateur video bloggers, YouTube has very recently
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launched a library of completely free music which can be used in any video. The music can be used outside YouTube also and spans various genres from dance to electronic to country music. With more and more people branching out on their own, the need for lesser production costs is on the rise and royalty free music is another step in promoting great content by allowing people to work on a tighter budget. Music is capable of influencing people’s lives and adds more aesthetic charm to the simplest of videos. That is why music is used in videos and other productions and people use royalty free music to avoid problems associated with copyright. Many sites today sell licenses for royalty free music which can be licensed by paying a one-time royalty fee digitally and can be downloaded instantly for use without the need for any further royalties to be paid. These sites also allow musicians to upload and sell their content. The top sites for royalty free music include SoundStripe, AudioBlocks and AudioJungle amongst others. Since audio equipment has also become cheaper, a number of composers, bands and artists write music solely for royalty free music libraries and these sites are a boon for independent composers. Royalty Free Music has gained so much importance because it allows producers to easily add soundtracks to their projects without the complex process of paying royalties every time music is played on their show or video. The current digital era has also made this form really convenient for music buyers, composers and has even made copyrighted material accessible to a vast online audience. Royalty free music also encourages the use of legal music even for amateurs or beginners.
SHREYA BOSE
BAND OF THE MONTH
If you had to talk about your music to a completely new listener, what would you say? Bhargav Sarma : Whenever someone asks me what kind of music we play, I simply start by telling them that we play 'modern progressive fusion'. Most people have a notion that fusion music is usually Indian classical music layered with heavy guitars and drum grooves. I go on to explain that our particular brand of fusion involves rap, synth, electronic, djent, rock, metal, and even jazz elements; resulting in totally electric and captivating compositions where we'll play around with music styles, polyrhythms or time signatures and it will either be a surprisingly seamless transition or a very unexpected pleasant surprise for our listeners.
Why make music? How does it fit into the spectrum of self-expression for each of you? Karthik Chennoji Rao : I think we'd say in 'why not make music?'. It helps us tell our stories weaved into the magic that is music. We are a pack of completely different people with different life experiences. And we bring those flavours in as musicians into the live act. We are collage of images painted by our music. And I guess on some level our audience also understands it and that makes it all the more rewarding.
Did you name yourself after the film? Could we hear the story? Yogeendra Hariprasad: It just so happened that my ex-bandmates had already named the band before I knew it haha. One day, they came to my house and just said, "Bro this is called Pineapple Express, because our music is trippy" and I said, "Okay."
How does inspiration come to you? Is it endless hours in the studio, or a sudden blast in the middle of the night? Yogeendra Hariprasad: Inspiration doesn't come to me because I go for extended periods of time without listening to any new music, so as to not be influenced
by anything and keep my music and its sound as unique as possible. My head is a non-stop riff generator that even causes difficulty sleeping. I get tons of ideas all the time and I just record them on my phone like "da duh ba ba baa". They turn into songs later.
Who do you listen to when de-stressing? Jimmy Francis John: A wide range of genres. Goes all the way from extremely mellow soul and R&B to Pop and Hip Hop to Some really loud, fast paced Rock and metal. Whatever the mood calls for at the moment to de-stress.
What should fans be looking forward to? Arjun MPN: A perfect audio visual act executed with absolute precision. An experience that'll leave them craving for more and the huge wall of sound that we trademark. Moreover it's the chemistry the people on stage share, which cannot be missed.
What would be your ideal stage to perform on? Gopi Shravan: Any Stage I perform on is my Ideal stage. It’s the artists I perform with and to an attentive understanding audience that matters and not exactly the stage.
What has been the most rewarding part of being part of this band? Ritwik Bhattacharya: It's both a relief and a reward being part of a band where everyone's a thorough professional, committed to making the best music they possibly can, aside from being some of the nicest and most fun people to spend time with. The
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3 GO - TO VIRTUAL GUITAR AMPS FOR GREAT SOUNDING GUITARS!
Just like the emulations of the moog synthesizers and the drum machines, we now also have excellent emulations of guitar amps and processing. There is a rapidly growing market for making guitar amp emulations to help guitarists get bigger and better sounds without the need for external processing. Over the years, these emulations have almost come at par with the trusted analog hardware. These emulations really enable the guitarists to achieve the sounds of artists that they have looked up to all their life. Here are 3 guitar amps that wide array of musicians use to achieve that big and brilliant sound.
Universal Audio UAD2 Guitar Amps Universal Audio has really raised the bar with respect to guitar simulation amps. The whole set of Universal Audio plugins brought a huge change to home studio recording. One of the highlights of the UAD-2 guitar amps are that these plugins have zero latency and they sound amazing and organic. The option of choosing microphones can be really helpful and UAD2 plugins even have a choice of valve, FET compressors and dynamic microphones. This can make a world of difference. Knowing the microphones can help a lot because it allows us to simulate the exact tone and get real high quality guitar sounds.
IK Multimedia Amplitube 4 IK Multimedia is a well- known company for virtual instruments and plugins. Amplitube is a pretty popular sounding guitar amp simulator with some pretty solid sounding presets. Amplitube also offers looping , cabinet selection , mic selection and placement so that you get the exact tone that you are looking for. Amplitube also has the option to mix the individual mics separately and later blend it in with the room ambience to give it a polished sound. One way to get a really good sound through amplitube is using multiple amps for the same sound so that the disadvantages of the first amp can be compensated by the other amp. The first amp can have a lot of low and mids to it and the second amp can fill up the high mids. This way you can get a round tone for your guitar.
Guitar Rig 5 Pro Native Instruments Guitar Rig, like many amp simulations have been there for many years now, with updates being done regularly. Guitar Rig does not have as many options as Amplitube or other virtual guitar amps but up for it with its effect racks. It covers all the basic amps but it’s the effects with which you can play around to get brilliant sounds. This, in a way, is very helpful because it saves a lot of time trying to make your own effects as Guitar Rig has so many inbuilt effects which make life easier. These effects sound professional to the ear and they fit perfectly in the mix without having any issues.
Conclusion There are a lot of companies making virtual guitar amp simulations like Brainworx BX Rockrack Pro , Line 6 pod, Waves GTR, Softube amp etc. These are also really good virtual ampsut from personal experience, UAD , Amplitube and Guitar Rig 5 Pro are my go-to plugins.
Author Vishal Ramakrishnan, Global Peace song of the year award winning and music producer. He is also a music production trainer. For more details, visit www.vishaladitya.com
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MALIK ARSHAQ
UNORTHODOX VOCAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES It can be agreed upon that the vocals on a song predominantly shape it, at least in most cases. And with the development in technology, the possibilities, when it comes to processing vocals, are endless. In this edition we shall go through a few unconventional vocal processing techniques and dissect some music from artists that employ them frequently. One of the most iconic techniques is using a vocoder. From subtle usage in tracks such as “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, to artists such as the French house producers Daft Punk, the vocoder has been used to get a wide selection of results. Initially developed to serve as a speech coder for telecommunication purposes, it uses vocals to filter out the signal of a musical instrument to produce a strange melodic-speech effect. A similar effect can be achieved by an equally well-known device, the talkbox. Showcased in songs such as “Jambi” by Tool as well as “It's My Life” by Bon Jovi, the first being a groovy progressive metal track and the latter a pop-rock number, it serves very different purposes. Autotune is a processing technique that is widely looked down upon as it seen as an on-record crutch for bad singers to disguise off-key inaccuracies by tuning the vocals to the nearest correct note. But artists like T-Pain, for instance,who is an extremely talented and efficient singer, uses it as a trademark technique or production aesthetic in his music. Kanye West is another producer who has worked towards seamlessly integrating vocals as a part of the instrumentals. From sampling Daft Punk’s signature vocoder sections on “Stronger” to the intricate choirstyle vocal layering on “Jesus Walks”, he manages to showcase the human voice as a timeless instrument.
As hip hop had adopted sampling and began experimenting with all the possibilities that it had brought about, a lot of producers began re-pitching vocals and chopping them to rearrange them as a part of the instrumental. Jay-Z’s 2017 track “The Story Of O.J” had a pitched up and chopped version of Nina Simone’s vocals on “Four Women”. While this brings a completely new sonic flavour to the track, the vocals are also placed in a certain context to support the completely different narrative. While this technique has been around since the 70’s, today, radio-friendly pop music has saturated the air waves with pitched up and chopped vocals. A long list of pop and EDM artists, including Beyoncé, Major Lazer, Skrillex and even Justin Bieber, have employed this technique to produce repetitive and catchy hooks. The overuse of pitching in modern pop has led to a lot of artists sounding the same and in a lot of cases, unoriginal. On the other hand, English singer and producer, James Blake, takes vocal effects and processing to a completely different level. A perfect example of his prowess is the song “If the car besides you moves ahead”. With his signature minimalist percussion and synth sections, the absolutely dizzying and aliensounding vocals take center stage. Varied levels of reverb, layering, filtering, chopping up and tasteful re-pitching pushes the listener into a ethereal state. With the rise of the DAW-based production trend, achieving these results has been made a lot more accessible and is limited only by our imagination and taste.
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How to Record the Cajon at Home Recording Studio? Author: Baba.L.Prasad. He is the owner and chief Sound/Mix and Mastering Engineer at Digi Sound Studio. He also teaches Sound Engineering and Music Production courses. For more details, visit www.digisoundacademy.com
Well, most of you would like to record the Columbian percussion Instrument known as the Cajon at your home studio setup. While it is a very interesting instrument to record, it is essential that you first understand the character and the natural sound of the instrument. Given that your room is acoustically treated or semi-teated, you can get great amazing results. The player sits on the Cajon like a stool, and with bare hands, plays the instrument on the front of the panel. It produces a wide range of sounds based on where it is struck. At the back, there is a bass port or an air hole for the low-end sound, just like a speaker. When played by an artist, it produces a great tone and often sounds like an entire drum kit.
Microphone placement for Cajon: There are many ways to mic the instrument and this method will help you achieve a good natural tone from it. I use two mics to record the Cajon, one I place at the center of the panel where it is played and the other around 5 inches away from the bass port or air hole to capture the low end of the instrument. A pair of dynamic or condenser mics will do. Set the gain level to less than -10db in order to have more headroom for mixing. I use the Shure SM57 on the front since it has a snare-like texture and at the back, a Sennheiser MD421 to capture the low kick-like character.
Setting the EQ on the Front panel mic: First, set the High pass filter to remove the bottom end rumble in your room, around 100Hz – 120Hz, so that it
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cuts through ther mix in your song. Add a slight boost around 5Khz-7Khz to give you a nice high crisp tone.
Setting the EQ on the bass port mic: Now, set the High pass filter around 70Hz- 90Hz to remove the unwanted rumble and then boost around 2-3 dB at around 100Hz or 110Hz. This will give you a large bottom end and will sound solid in your mix.
Setting the Compression on the Front panel mic: Set the threshold depending on your source material and have a gentle compression with a 2:1 ratio. Make sure that you have a gain reduction of not more than -3db and do not squash too much of it. Leave the attack and release at a medium setting so that it sounds natural. Do not use heavy compression on this as it can sound very flat and mechanical.
Setting the Compression on the bass port mic: Set the Threshold depending on your source with 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. Adjust the threshold so that your gain reduction will be around -3 to -6dB. Get a blend of both, the front and back mics and balance according to your source sound. Remember to always tweak and make adjustments to your mix with all your tracks enabled in order to get a more detailed context of the sound. To add a little ambience to your Cajon, just add a little plate reverb to the front microphone. I hope these tips help you in your home sttudio recordings.
KAUSTHUB RAVI & SIVANESH NATARAJAN
NEW PLUG - INS IN TOWN
Softube- Weiss DS1-MK3
Slate Digital Audified U73b
Mastering Plug-in
Plug-in, Compressor
GAME CHANGER!
CLASSIC GERMAN TUBE WARMTH!
In the constant battle between hardware and software, every passing day brings a new software that really can hold its own.
Slate Digital has been at the forefront of the digital audio software revolution in recent times. With his Everything Bundle being one of the best deals in the pro audio market. The Audified U73b Compressor is the newest module to arrive, re-released at NAMM this year, it claims to recreate the sound of an old German vari-mu tube broadcast limiter from the 1960’s.
The Softube Official Weiss DS1-MK3 is a true game changer. It is not an emulation like most plugins but is a line by line code port of the original 9000$ hardware unit and is officially licensed by Daniel Weiss himself. The original unit is an absolute legend qhen it comes to mastering limiters. The transparency and sound quality that it can deliver have made it a staple tool on numerous hit records since the 90’s. It has been the go-to limiter for some of the leading mastering engineers in the world including 3 time Grammy-winning Bob Katz. But is the 500$ plugin going to be as solid as its hardware counterpart? Well, it gets pretty damn close. This plugin has been in development by Softube, working in collaboration with Weiss, for almost 3 years. And every bit of code has been ported from the unit to make it as accurate as possible. It has some plugin-only features too, such as the new metering options with waveform views that can show your audio and affected peaks in realtime. It can run at 32bit/192Khz and has a couple of extra algorithms in addition to the original. It also comes with presets from some of the best engineers, including Bob Katz, and the icing on the cake, you can run multiple instances of it! Using the limiter for the last couple of weeks, it has truly proven to be an unmatched player in the space. It is very clean and transparent. The de-esser is extremely precise and versatile as well. The ability to run multiple instances of it means that you can now use it on drum overheads and sibilant vocal tracks simultaneously. The plugin might be quite steep, coming in at around 500$, but it offers a significant upgrade to the mastering arsenal of any studio.
Steven says he first heard the compressor and was blown away by the sound of it and decided to have it integrated into the Slate Virtual Mix Rack. The controls are fairly simple with input, output, compression amount and release time knobs. It also has a switch to go between compression and limiting and another for a HPF. The GUI is unmistakably Slate, with a very familiar design to the other FG series modules. So how does it sound? It has an extremely vintage tube tone. It adds an extremely warm and lush blanket to anything it's been put on. It works great on snares and vocals although you might need to push it quite hard for the desired flavour. The plugin features an adjustable oversampling option. With oversampling enabled, the plugin processing can run at higher sample rates to reduce high-frequency distortion produced by aliasing. This works well, although it can get quite CPU intensive. All in all, it is a great addition to the VMR module. It adds a vintage arm to the swiss army knife that is VMR. It may be a bit too warm for some and just perfect for others but it's not something that's going to work great on everything. Also, there is no way to get it as a standalone unit. So, if you are not a big fan of the VMR module, it might be a bit of a deal breaker.
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MALIK ARSHAQ
Tell us about your studio, how long you’ve been working on starting it up and when you plan on launching it. I started the studio sometime back in 2013, out of a bedroom setup at my previous residence and was mostly handling producing, editing, mixing and mastering projects, with little to no recording work being done at my facility due to lack of space and good acoustics. It had gotten to a point where I felt confident enough to run a full fledged business, and I felt the need to have my own space to have an end to end solution for artists to have their work done. I decided to start construction on my new studio around mid 2015. I had very particular ideas in mind on the dimensions and the kind of utilities I would require. During this time, I was very fortunate to meet Mr. Vasi Khan, a very dedicated and passionate Audio Engineer/Audiophile/Electrical Engineer/Acoustician/Speaker Manufacturer/You-Name-It.
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We had the opportunity to have a conversation with sound engineer and producer, Akash Shivakumar. He was kind enough to give us an in depth rundown about the launch of his new establishment in Bangalore, Cadence Studios, and what it took him to get to this point. After having multiple meetings with him regarding my vision for the studio, he too felt like it would be a good opportunity for him to sink his feet into the studio world and design his first studio along with me. Fast forward two and a half years, after multitudes of misjudgements on the ease of work/budget overshoots, multiple tear-downs and rework to attain that level of perfection both of us were after, both sound and aesthetically speaking. Finally, we reached that point a few months back, where we signed off on the acoustics of the space, and had the satisfaction of hearing it and seeing it the way we were envisioning it from the start. As it stands, I plan to have it up and running by the end of the month, with a couple of interesting projects already lined up, and a couple weeks of promotion being planned. I plan to invite all the artists I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and do a ‘Sessions’ sort of thing, where I would be documenting the behind-the-scenes work on
the recording process to give an insight to people on the kind of work we do here at Cadence Studios.
A lot of new recording studios are popping around Bangalore. What does your studio bring to the table and what kind of work would you like to focus on? I’ve come across a plethora of studios/production houses coming up, which in my opinion is a great thing to be happening in Bangalore. I look to concentrate on producing artists and bands, working with them from the ground up, production wise, and to promote the organic workflow. What I’m really targeting here is trying to get artists to understand the importance of having a good signal flow and for them to not have to think twice about it not fitting in their budget.
In the live room, we have the industry standard, Neumann U87 Ai(large-diaghram condenser) and a SE Electronics Voodoo VR1(ribbon microphone). For the Dynamic Microphones, we have another industry standard, the Shure SM7B. Along with this, a pair of SM58 and SM57, and a Sennheiser e906, which is primarily used to mic speaker cabinets. For all direct input requirements, we offer a Rupert Neve Designs RNDI, along with 4 more Vacuum Tube DI Inputs with the Manley Force, as well.
Do you think that one needs a formal education to have a career in sound? If so, which institutes would you recommend to people who are planning on taking up audio engineering as career? That’s a bit of tricky question, with a very long answer with multiple ways of looking at it.
A lot of bands tend to shy away from live drum tracking due to the magnitude of work that goes into it and the monetary aspect which tends to pile on from it. I plan to work out a discounted rate for bands wanting to do a live drum tracking to persuade and push more bands to go ahead and do it.
I did my Diploma in Audio Engineer from SAE, London which definitely shaped these last 5 years for me, without a doubt. But what impacted me the most there, was the exposure it gave me into the real world, and the luxury of having some of the most experienced engineers and lecturers at our disposal.
Apart from this, the facility will also be open to commercial work, such as ADR, foley and playback.
To the audio engineering institutes available in Bangalore, Audio Academy and AudioLife are two institutes I look up to for the kind of work they are doing.
Can you run us through your recording workflow and the set-up? Yeah, the core of the studio sound is the Universal Audio Apollo Quad, which is the audio interface and where the main A/D (Analogue to Digital Conversion) is taking place. Followed by the Dangerous Music D-Box. This then goes into a pair of Neumann KH310’s for my main monitors, with a pair of ADAM Audio A7’s for my secondary source of monitoring. Coming to the Hardware Mic Pre’s, we’re running a Manley Force, which is a 4-Channel Vacuum Tube Mic Pre. Empirical Labs Distressor, which is a single channel compressor, which is a blended flavour of all the sonic qualities of the Vintage UREI 1176 and LA2A. Separately, We have a unit of the Audient ASP880, which is an 8 - Channel Mic Pre for any extra inputs and for all my reamping requirements, we have a Fractal Audio AXE FX II.
Can you name some of the bands that you work with? I've worked with artists like Thakara, 83 Miles Per Hour, D’s Kitchen, Brodha V, Mohammed Salahuddin (Singer Songwriter), Aldrin Dominic Alex, Kenishaa Francis, Switcheroo, Best Kept Secret, Vasu Dixit, Pineapple Express, Space Is All We Have, Quarantine, Flittermaus, KA19, Prajwal Pai (Singer Songwriter), Edwin George, Out Of Office, The Majolly Project, Eswara, and Sulfurcloud. I’ve also worked as a Co-Music Director, and engineered the music album and movie score, for the Kannada movie, LIFE 360, which was released in 2017. I've also been working on a very ambitious collaboration project, with some really awesome artists, which I'm engineering/ mixing, for the better part of the last year. Won’t mention details here. Will be coming out very soon, so do stay tuned.
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POINT BLANK MUSIC SCHOOL SUCCESS STORIES With the second term at Point Blank Mumbai launching this month, we’re shining a spotlight on the successes of Indian students that have attended Point Blank in the past. Two new courses at PB Mumbai for this term have been added.
Sanchit Balhara: Sanchit Balhara studied with us in London back in 2011, completing the Music Production & Sound Engineering Diploma. He has since gone on to become a successful composer for film in Bollywood. His latest project was Padmaavat, released earlier this year and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of Bollywood’s most celebrated directors. Learn more about Sanchit with this profile piece from the archive.
Sandunes: Another graduate from the same Music Production & Sound Engineering Diploma class in 2011, Sandunes needs little introduction. Her brand of bassflecked soundscapes, liberally spliced with the musical traditions of her native country have won her many admirers across the international music community and, as a member of the DISCWOMAN collective, she is at the forefront of forces re-shaping electronic music to be more inclusive and to communicate more stories. For more on Sandunes, check out her recent track breakdown masterclass.
Varun Murai: Varun Murali studied online with Point Blank in 2015, taking the Music Production Diploma. He’s the lead
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guitarist for the Indian folk crossoverkings Swarathma. A third album is still in the pipeline and is eagerly awaited by their legions of fans. We profiled Varun for a student success a while back, which you can find here.
Sanchit Balhara
Aerreo: Having studied a bunch of courses with Point Blank, including Music Production, Sound Engineering, Business & DJ Diploma, Aerreo has steadily built his following and is signed to Cloud 9 publishing. Check out his latest release on SoundCloud.
Sandunes
Backclash: After completing his Music Production & Sound Engineering Master Diploma with Point Blank in 2016, Backclash has released a steady stream of tropical house bangers, designed to soundtrack those hazy summer days. His latest effort, a remix of Justin Bieber, hits all the right spots. Point Blank is proud to team up with The True School of Music in Mumbai for Point Blank Mumbai. The next term starts 10th April and we’re delighted to bring you a choice of three courses. Weekend DJ will teach the basics of mixing in an intensive class to fit around work or other studies, while DJ/Entrepreneur will have you learn the ropes on the decks too but with an added focus on how to use your skills for success in the industry. Then there’s Complete DJ, our most comprehensive DJ course, that will have you using hot cues and loops in no time. Don’t hesitate to get in touch for more information. Contact here or call +44 20 7729 4884.
Varun Murai
Aerreo
Blacklash
GAJENDRA PURI GOSWAMI
THE IMMORTAL SOUND OF
SHAKTI
In 1976, three Indians and a Britisher entered South Hampton College in Long Island to perform a musical show. The performance, originally recorded by the artists only for personalised mementos, was picked up by CBS Recordings and released a few months later, leading to the unexpected birth of one of the greatest Indian bands of all time. The four cohorts were Zakir Hussain, violin virtuoso L. Shankar, Ghatam player Pandit Vikku Vinayakram, and John Mclaughlin, together known as Shakti. 45 years later, neither the band nor some of its members exist, but what remains transcribed in their recordings, are remnants of timeless music. Although Shakti didn’t sell as many records, it earned the reputation as the trailblazer of world music genre- the first band to bridge the gap between western and eastern classical music worldwide and colligating the two schools of classical music- Hindustani and Carnatic- within India.John Mclaughlin’s union with India had begun long before he met Zakir Hussain at a music storein Greenwich Village, England in 1973. After receding from his critically acclaimed band The Mahavishnu Orchestra, the musician was learning veena and practising yoga with his spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy. It was during this time that he met Zakir Hussain and the duo immediately developed a mutual likening and respect for each other’s music. But, little did the guitarist know that his tryst with the table player would lead to the crossover of world music traditions. The duoalong with L. Shankar and mridangam player Ramnad Raghvan extensively toured Europe between 1975- 1978. After 1978, the band ebbed into obscurity until the its reinvention in 1997 as Remember Shakti. Before Shakti, an east-west fusion band was practically unheard of. The band exhibited an incessant stream of highly complex but melodious harmonies in their music. The instruments used by Shakti were as perplex as their music seemed at the time. The acoustic “Shakti guitar” that Mclaughlin used had added strings across the guitar hole
to create an extended sound simulating a sitar. In ‘Remember Shakti’, late mandolin player U.Srinivas used a self-designed electric Mandolin with an extra 5th string for deeper bass tones than a regular mandolin, to pick a prolonged note like the veena . Shakti also played a part in making Carnatic instruments such as the ‘ghatam’ popular among the western audiences. Each member of the ensemble had a distinguished role to play. While L. Shankar exhibited swiftness on the violin, Mclaughlin did the improvisation, as Hussain and Raghvan’s riveting percussion duel left the audience spellbound. The percussion duel looked after the rhythms, whereas Mclaughlin and L.Shankar were in charge of the melodic sessions. Remember Shakti, a more evolved form of Shakti, was a starkly reinvented band of the original band. For the first time, Shakti incorporated vocals in their music. Featuring vocalist Shankar Mahadevan and T.H Vikku’s son Selvaganesh, the band added Konokal- a Carnatic musical system of rhythm- to its vast ambit of music. Not only did Remember Shakti swelled in popularity, it lasted longer than its predecessor and toured more extensively featuring many moreversatile musicians such as legendary flutist Hariprasad Chaurasiya and santoor player Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, who self-composed and played the song ‘Shringar’- a twenty-fourminute-long serene subliminal track from the ‘Saturday Night in Bombay’ album. Shakti pioneered a whole new genre of music which inspired generation of forthcoming musicians such as the likes of Louiz Banks, Sanjay Divecha, Karsh Kale, slide guitarist Prakash Sontakke, Flutist Rajeev Raja, drummer Ranjit Barot, Vikku Selvaganesh, and many more worldwide. While the band’s connoisseurs still produce timeless music as they did in the 70’s, Shakti perished with the untimely demise of late U. Srinivas in 2015. Their music, however, is still considered timeless and has survived the everlasting passage of time. The
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ZILDJIAN K SWEET COLLECTION
The Avedis Zildjian Company is pleased to introduce the new K Zildjian Sweet Collection at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show. This extension of the legendary K Family has been crafted to meet the versatile demands of today’s popular music with a new direction of tonal colors that are dark, sweet and responsive. “With the continued success of our A Sweet Rides, we wanted to create a new collection of extremely versatile cymbals within our K Family that are larger in size and thinner that delivers a darker and warmer tonality with more sound frequency,” says Victor Filonovich, Cymbals Category Manager for Zildjian. The K Sweet Collection compromises 9 models including 16” – 20” Crashes, two larger sized Rides (21” & 23”) and largersized HiHats (15” & 16”). The Crashes and HiHats feature unlathed bells for greater tonal spread and additional sound frequencies while the two K Sweet Rides are darker versions of the popular A Zildjian Sweet Rides. Like all Zildjian cymbals, the new K Sweet Collection is made at the only USA cymbal factory in Norwell, MA.
THE NEW REVSTAR MEET YOUR OTHER HALF Sound Inspired by raw power and performance, Revstar’s sound is as unique and bold as its aesthetic. Working to evoke a visceral, unbridled power and an individual, organic tone that is made possible only by considering every detail, Yamaha’s engineers chose materials carefully and designed custom pickups to make sure Revstar sounds as stunning as it looks.
Pickups Designed from the ground up, Revstar features specially wound YGD pickups that are perfectly matched to each guitar. More than 50 prototype pickups were tested featuring different combinations of wire, windings, magnets and base plates. Eventually, a spec was settled on for each guitar model and the Revstar pickup series was born.
Custom Hardware Inspired by the stripped-down custom Café Racer motorbikes popularized on the streets of London in the 1960s, Revstar’s hardware captures the high-performance, individual character of those bikes with a wide range of totally unique, customized hardware. From the unique pickup covers and raw copper scratchplate on the Revstar Professional, to the totally custom floating aluminum tailpiece on the RS502T, each and every component is perfectly calibrated for great performance and unmistakable style—capturing the very essence of a Café Racer.
Comfort Contoured Body Revstar is a workhorse through and through, but that doesn’t mean there has been any compromise on comfort and playability. With every contour designed from the ground up to look and feel great, Revstar’s body features a deep belly cut, hidden forearm contour and a newly designed neck joint for outstanding upper fret access. This is a guitar made to be played all night.
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MALIK ARSHAQ
PRODUCTS OF
INNOVATION When it comes to midi controllers, keyboards or synthesizers, the words, “quality” and “reliability”, are synonymous to the name, Novation. A branch of the Focusrite group, Novation has been a major innovator and leader in the music-making industry. In this edition, we'll be looking at a few game-changing products that Novation has come out with.
Midi-keyboards Ever since the popularization of DAW’s and digital music production, midi-keyboards and controllers have been a sort of prerequisite for musicians/producers. Novation has a wide variety range of midi keyboards that include products such as the Launch Key Mini, Launch Key, Impulse and the SL MK II. Novation’s Impulse series of midi keyboards are one of the top choices in the category. Available in 25, 49 and 61 key versions, the Impulse keyboards are designed to permit the user to create a flexible and expressive performance. While pianists and keyboard players might complain that a lot of midi keyboards don't feel right to play on, the Impulse series comes with full-size piano-style keys that are semi-weighted with aftertouch for a wholesome playing experience. Apart from the obvious, these keyboards come armed with pressure-sensitive pads for all kinds of percussive implementation and a set of knobs and faders that can be assigned to various parameters. Its seamless integration with major DAWs such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro and Pro Tools make it the perfect choice for producers and as well performers.
Synthesizers Apart from midi-keyboards, Novation also sets a standard for synthesis. Their new synth range includes the Peak, an eight-voice polyphonic synth, the paraphonic Circuit Mono Station, the MiniNova, the UltraNova and the Bass Station II. Their famous Bass Station monosynth had been reworked to sound bigger and worse. We now have the improved and enhanced Bass Station II, with two tuneable oscillators, a sub-oscillator and a noise and rig modulation. More possibilities arise when these features are paired with the classic multimode filter as well as a new acid filter. Its wide plethora of controls and options are laid out in an extremely clear workflow so as to make most of its capabilities. The Bass Station II allows you to save and load your own patches or choose one of the 64 patches that come loaded into it. Connectivity is made simple with the Bass Station II with the USB, 5-pin din MIDI I/O ports and it also has provisions to plug in external instruments and run it through the effects and filters.
Grid-based controllers Today, there are tons of midi controls that posses the grid-based pad design and Novation was the brand that sparked this evolution in electronic music. They boast a wide range of products in this category, including the Launchpad, the Launchpad Mini and the Launchpad Pro. The Launchpad Pro, an improvement on the classic Launchpad, comes packed with features and allows you to create dynamic and expressive performances with an extremely professional touch. Novation is known for its seamless integration with Ableton Live and the Launchpad Pro is no different, allowing complete control over your DAW. Apart from the features present in the classic Launchpad such as using the 64 illuminated RGB pads to launch multiple clips, play samples and instruments and various looping controls, the Pro also comes armed with an arsenal of new possibilities. The velocity sensitive pads permit you to play drums and other instruments more dynamically and also provides automatic LED feedback. The Pro also has dedicated Note and Drum Rack modes. The 24 function buttons allow for a higher control of different parameters and mixer controls making it a more useful tool for live performances. The MIDI I/O connectivity permits you to control your software as well as other hardware devices.
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MALIK ARSHAQ
A peek into the
SCARLETT AND CLARETT SERIES
Whether you're a sound engineer, producer or a performer, whether it's for a live setting or a studio environment, regardless of purpose and place, the first brand that pops up in mind while discussing audio interfaces is Focusrite. Having a wide range of products that cater to various specific needs, Focusrite has consolidated its position at the frontiers of pro-audio innovation and technology. While their products include USB, Thunderbolt, ADAT, Ethernet and more, the USB interfaces are the most common type in general use. In this edition edition, we will be discussing Focusrite's USB audio interface ranges, the Scarlett and the Clarett. The Focusrite Scarlett range is the best selling USB audio interface range in the world. It's almost impossible to not spot a Solo or a 2i2 at a home studio these days. The simple fact is that when you combine the high quality Scarlett pre-amps with super-low latency, pack it in a sleek red metal chassis and place it at extremely affordable prices, competition doesn't really stand a chance. The Scarlett mic preamps feature an even gain structure and have a very low noise floor even at higher gain levels. The instrument input has been designed to handle hot input signals without causing distortion. The visual feedback around the knobs allow you to monitor the input levels. The light turns red whenever the signal comes in too hot, so as to avoid distortion and clipping in your recordings.
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The Scarlett range includes Solo, 2i2, 2i4, 6i6, 18i8, 18i20. These interfaces range from catering to a simple home studio setups to a full-fledged studio environment based on the varied number of inputs and outputs and monitoring provisions. The Clarett is a comparatively high-end range that offers four interfaces with higher number of inputs and outputs, Clarett 2Pre (10-in, 4-out), Clarett 4Pre (18-in, 8-out), Clarett 8Pre (18-in, 20-out) and the Thunderboltonly Clarett 8PreX (26-in, 28-out). The highlight of this range is the Air-enabled mic preamps, which reproduce the sound of the original ISA mic preamps. These interfaces have ultra-low noise and distortion while possessing a wide dynamic range. With 24-bit/192kHz analogue to digital conversion rate, these interfaces allow you to record with low latency in real time through simulations and effects plug-ins. Irrespective of the source, these interfaces allow you to record super-hot input signals without distortion or affecting the quality of the sound. The included software for these interfaces are from XLN Audio, Focusrite, Softube, Ableton and Loopmasters. Apart from the 8PreX, the rest of the models are available in both USB and Thunderbolt versions. Packed with features to meet the various degrees of requirements, the Focusrite Scarlett and Clarett series are forces to be reckoned with.
BOSE PROFESSIONAL RELEASES NEW PATH-BREAKING PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES Bangalore event featured Bose Professional’s new range of products including the debut of the recently launched S1 Pro system; as the brand reaffirms its commitment to the growth of portable and installed sound markets in India Bose Professional, a global leader in professional audio technologies and solutions, exhibited an exciting range of cutting-edge products aimed at revolutionizing portable and installed sound applications in India. The showcase event which took place at the Leela Palace in Bangalore on Monday, 12 March 2018, drew an attendance of over 180 professionals that comprised the region’s leading consultants, system integrators, sound engineers, performers and Pro AV dealers. The new products showcased at the event included Bose Professional’s EdgeMax™ in-ceiling premium loudspeakers, the MB210 compact subwoofers, the Panaray MSA12X loudspeaker and the debut of Bose Professional’s game-changer for the portable-sound market in India – the new S1 Pro multi-position PA system. Leveraging the brand’s commitment to the installed sound market, Bose spotlighted the EdgeMax series of inceiling premium loudspeakers which feature proprietary PhaseGuide® technology with high-frequency compression drivers to create a new category that combines the roomfilling coverage patterns typical of larger surface-mount speakers with the architect-preferred aesthetics of in-ceiling models. Designed to mount near wall-ceiling boundaries, EdgeMax loudspeakers provide improved audio quality and coverage, while reducing the number of required units, compared to conventional dome-tweeter ceiling speakers. In the same stride, the audience also witnessed a live demonstration of the Bose Professional Panaray MSA12X, which is a self-powered digital beam-steering loudspeaker that enables improved room aesthetics, with outstanding vocal intelligibility and tonal consistency. The proprietary Articulated Array transducer configuration allows wide, 160° horizontal coverage throughout the room, and MSA12X’s modular design allows building of vertical arrays using 1-3 units. Dante digital audio network
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interface comes standard for connection with other Danteenabled products over Ethernet-based networks. Additionally, emphasizing its effort to redefine the concept of portable sound reinforcement, the brand showcased the new Bose Professional MB210 compact sub-woofers which are designed for background/foreground music and small sound-reinforcement systems that require low-frequency extension down to 37 Hz. The MB210 subwoofer features two (2) 10-inch high-excursion woofers, derived from the awardwinning Bose Professional F1 subwoofer, in a compact, Balticbirch plywood enclosure optimized for fixed-installation applications. Featuring outstanding performance to size ratio, the MB210 is designed to complement Bose Professional loudspeaker lines, such as FreeSpace®, Panaray®, and RoomMatch® Utility with additional bass impact. The debut of the brand new Bose S1 Pro multi-position PA system was the highlight of the night. The system is designed for musicians, DJs and performers as the ultimate all-in-one PA, floor monitor and practice amplifier that’s lightweight, rugged and ready to be your go-anywhere Bluetooth® music system for nearly any occasion. The event included a special showcase to spotlight the S1 Pro system’s power, as the system was used for a high energy live performance by new pop sensation Jas Karan. Representatives of Bose Professional received an overwhelming positive response from the various consultants, system integrators, performers and dealers present at the event; with keen interest evoked about the respective products’ specifications, pricing and availability in India. The event was led by Bose Professional’s General Manager, Dr. Akira Mochimaru - and Mr. Christian Liebenberg, Bose Professional Regional Sales Manager; who both emphasized the brand’s commitment to supporting the professional audio business in India with their path-breaking products and technologies.
EVOLUTION 900 SERIES For some, music is a passion - for others, it's also a profession. The evolution series has the right microphone for everyone. Each series sees itself as the accompanist to a development. And since demands can grow quickly, the evolution wired mics simply evolve along any sound. What all of the microphones in this series have in common is impressive sound, a clear focus on the job at hand and extreme ruggedness. All have been created in the best tradition of German engineering and are the result of the dedication of our engineers, of countless tests, and of the most meticulous manufacturing processes. The evolution wired 900 series: conceived of as a harmonically calibrated family, these high-end microphones combine demanding sound with unmatched reliability. Uncompromising stage equipment for uncompromising professionals. One of the main microphones in this series is the E 965-High-end flagship condenser microphone
with the sensitivity of a studio condenser, but tough enough for the stage. Switch between gentle cardioid and more direct super-cardioid polar patterns. Stellar 40Hz–20 kHz response. The advantages of high-end studio and stage microphones are perfectly combined in the e 965: high-resolution, multifaceted sound supplemented by high feedback rejection and an extremely rugged design. The flagship of the evolution series is a true condenser, large-diaphragm microphone that has been developed for professional stage use. Its balanced sound is marked by clarity and sophistication; it gives the high-end a silky gloss and reproduces the lower mids in a warm, well-defined manner. The e 965 responds extremely quickly and transmits even the finest nuances in impressive detail. Depending on the stage setting, the pick-up pattern can be switched between gentle cardioid and more direct super-cardioid. This top model leaves no wishes unanswered in terms of sound, ruggedness and handling. The
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MUKESH AMARAN
Gig Calendar APRIL 2018 MUMBAI
BENGALURU
8th April
Giving Voice Society: Masterclass by Patricia Rozario
NCPA, Mumbai
8th April
Sunday Jazz SundowSundowner with Karim, Marios and Adrian
The Quarter, Mumbai
8th April
Songs About Unnatural Things
The Habitat: Mumbai
11th April
New Tides at The Quarter
The Quarter, Mumbai
12th April
Time Wise at The Quarter
The Quarter, Mumbai
13th April
Vasundhara Vee at the Quarter
The Quarter, Mumbai
14th April
Milestone Melodies
Swatantreyaveer Savarkar Smarak Sabhagriha, Mumbai.
14th April
Merkaba at The Quarter
The Quarter, Mumbai
15th April
Svarahotra concert no 4
Prabodhan Thakrey Hall, Mumbai
The John Mayer Experience at The Quarter
The Quarter, Mumbai
19th April
SOI Chamber Orchestra - Old Royal Naval College
TATA Theatre NCPA
19th April
Nush Lewis at The Quarter
The Quarter, Mumbai
20th April
Clown With a Frown
The Quarter, Mumbai
20th April
Ann Hampton Callaway with Ted Rosenthal
NCPA, Mumbai
18th April
21st April
One Republic
MMRDA, Mumbai
22nd April
S.P. Balasubrahmanyam Live In Concert
Shanmukhananda Hall Mumbai
26th April
Pj5 at The Quarter
the Quarter, Mumbai
28th April
Romantic Rafi
Shanmukananda Hall: Mumbai
29th April
Sonu Nigam Live in Concert
Axis Lawns: Mumbai
8th April
Behind the Dream- With D's Kitchen Band
Alliance Francaise De Bangalore
14th April
Yours Forever
Freedom Park, Chickpet, Bangalore
28th April
Rajahamsa (Unplugged with Nimma Mayuraa)
Chowdiah Memorial Hall: Bengaluru
CHENNAI 14th April
Sacred Sound Wellness Concert
Madras Music Academy, Royapettah, Chennai
DELHI 10th April
Delhi NCR Film Modelling & Music Festival
ITO Metro Station, Delhi
14th April
Mehfil - e - Yaaran - Babbu Maan Live
Siri Fort Auditorium 1, Delhi
14th April
Mauseeqi by Mohsin Niazi
Sri Sathya Sai Auditorium, New Delhi
28th April
Beatrix Music Festival Season 3
Cannaught Place, Delhi
PUNE 12th April
The Hibernation Tour, Delhi
Raasta Café, Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, Pune
13th April
Mohe Rang De Basanti Yaara Naisakhi ki Shaam
Liberty Square Pune
MEHRAULI 14th April
Avi Adir & Andrey Tanzu - Deep Flow Concert
Zorba The Buddha, Mehrauli
If it isn’t here, it isn’t happening! Write to us at contactus@highonscore.com to get your event featured! Tag us on social media
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MUKESH AMARAN
TRIGGERPUNKTE
One might think that the music scene comprises only of musicians, some solo and others as a band. One could not have been more wrong. The music scene, apart from the obvious, the musicians, has people like the sound engineers that set up for a great gig, awesome lighting technicians who elevate the live experience by tingling your visual senses, the photographers who make sure that the people who couldn’t make it to the shows, get a peek into what went down at the gig, the visual artists with their insane visuals to take you on a journey along with the music, the artists who design the entire stage and sometimes even the entire festival grounds for us to have the most amazing festivalgoing experience. The album artists who give you a visual summary of what to expect in the album. I’m sure we’ve all checked out albums on Ok Listen! for the very fact that it had cool album art. This is the music scene, the music fraternity. We’d like to dedicate this page to pay homage and display our admiration for the artists in the scene. When we delve into the world of Indian music and album artwork, one creative group in particular, keeps popping up with some outstanding work. Blankfound, comprised of four people: Sachin and Sanjana Bhatt who are the visual artists across mediums, Abheet Anand is the inhouse photographer and Anand Vijayasimha is a writer, motorcycle enthusiast and a podcaster. All of them are talented musicians and music nerds, a versatile bunch. The members of Blankfound have been ardently involved in the independent music scene in our country, as musicians and fans first, before involving themselves further by contributing their skills as artists to other musicians and festivals. Triggerpunkte, an album by the Madras/ Bangalore based dance punk band, The F16s, was the first time Blankfound had lent their creative powers. The result was a
phenomenal album art that was highly punk, just like the album. But this was just the genesis of what was yet to come. "We’re doing concept photoshoots, designing for festivals, and building other amazing secret stuff that should be out soon” they said, casually throwing us into a frenzy of expectations of what those secrets could be. By the looks of it, they enjoy every bit of their creations and are as excited as us while looking at them. Asking what role music plays in the group's life wasn’t exactly the right question. Should’ve known better than to ask a bunch of classically trained and self taught musicians this, of all the run-of-the-mill questions. "It plays the biggest role you can think of. All our personalities have been shaped by the music we listen to.” said the group, a little amused by my question. From what is told, having been pretty close to the band, they had a sense of freedom and an elevated level of understanding to create the artwork. "Triggerpunkte was an album that had a lot of love and hard work put into it. We completely understood where the band was coming from with this album, and we put the same feelings into the artwork”, they said. The group also tells us about the alternate artwork that they all loved, but didn’t make the cut. I don’t think I’d say no to T-Rex, Harshan’s dog that’s on the cover of the album. The group says that T-Rex is like the spirit animal of the band. Picture creating something for someone and they absolutely love it. The satisfaction of nailing something and having an audience for it. The bands’ reaction is the ultimate gratification for the artwork. "They love seeing visual interpretations of the music they’ve worked so hard to create”, they said. Furthermore, what is art without validation?
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Ready to perform. Anywhere. Any time. ©2017 Bose Corporation.
Introducing the Bose® S1 Pro Multi-Position PA System Sound great anywhere with the S1 Pro system. With big sound, unparalleled portability, and Bluetooth® connectivity, the S1 Pro is the ultimate PA, floor monitor, and practice amp that’s ready to be your go-anywhere and do-it-all music system.
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