1) Advanced sound equipment and software are allowing amateurs to produce music like musicians and singers, without needing to play instruments. 2) Computers have replaced the need for equipment like equalizers and synths, making album production cheaper. Modern musicians can record from their bedrooms using computers. 3) Technology has made music production much easier than in the past, as software allows recording and editing of tracks without needing musical skills. Anyone with rhythm can aspire to be a musician now.

1. SATURDAY, AUG 6, 2011
17 TECH TONIC NOT GEEK TO ME
© CORBIS
produces radio jingles, explains how even background
Advanced sound equipment and new software vocals that have choral singers doing the ‘aas, aiis, and
oohs’ are usually computer-created sounds. “There is
are making musicians and singers out of software that lets you simulate the human voice.”
LAPTOP MUSICIANS
amateurs. The orchestra’s out and so is Indeed, even present-day mainstream rockers have tak-
en recourse to the mouse and PC.
the choral singer “Computers have eliminated the need to use
equalisers, processors, synths, making producing an al-
bum cheaper by a few lakh rupees. Now computers can
MAHAFREED IRANI do the same using algorithms,” says Vishal Dadlani of
Pentagram. The Indian rock band, which was formed
B
ack in the ’80s, Mumbai-based Nandu in 1994, evolved to electronic rock after a few years.
Bhende was at the forefront of the Eng- They’ve even managed to make three albums on a lap-
lish music scene in the country. A regu- top. “We’re constantly on the move, so we’re always
lar fixture on Doordarshan, the pioneer- sending tracks to each other for feedback using our
ing musician and frontman for rock band laptops,” Dadlani adds.
‘The Velvette Frog’, amongst other Unlike the past when every time a garage band or
things, sang playback for Mithun songwriter had to book a studio to record a track, to-
Chakraborty in Disco Dancer. day, musicians can record music in their bedroom us-
Today, in his Juhu-based recording studio InSync, ing a line-in jack connected to a PC. Nigel Rajaratnam,
Bhende teaches students how to make music without a Mumbai saxophonist who plays for the acoustic rock
having to strum a guitar, blow into a saxophone, or band Dischordian, says: “Earlier it would be impossible
wield drum sticks. Instead, they tap on a computer to store ideas or initial scratches. Now with software, I
keyboard and manipulate a MIDI controller. MIDI or can record tracks at home and come to the studio once
Musical Instrument Digital Interface is an industry- I’ve finalised the song.” The 24-year-old believes the
standard protocol that enables electronic musical in- use of virtual instruments has made the industry more
struments (synthesizers, drum machines), comput- democratic since anyone with a sense of rhythm can
ers and other electronic equipment (MIDI con- aspire to be a musician.
trollers, sound cards, samplers) to communicate and
synchronize with each other.
“The music industry has transformed from being
the handiwork of a performer to a computer-generat-
ed end product,” says the 55-year-old whose comput-
er workshop trains music aspirants in the finer nu-
ances of recording tracks by mixing and matching
sounds to create complete orchestral productions.
“You don’t really need to know how to play an in-
strument or even sing to create your own songs any-
more. Technology has made making music much
easier than it was in the past,” Bhende avers.
He recollects days when studios would be packed
with 50 to 60 musicians with string, brass, woodwind KNOBS AND TURNS: Softwares like Ableton or Traktor
and percussion instruments just to ensure the enable DJs to create music while playing live
Computers tune up
SOFTWARE WITH NO SOUL
Reji Ravindran, the resident DJ at Mumbai hotspot
Bonobo, swears by his music software. “When I first
started mixing in 1998, we used vinyl before moving
onto CDs,” he says. “Now with pen drives and hard
disks, I can store thousands of songs on something
that weighs almost nothing. Besides, software like
Traktor and Ableton Live allow me to mix more than
every instrument that exists in the world without a couple of tracks, which gives one a definite edge.”
moving out of their single-room studios. Still, Ravindran believes that there is a definite
“We don’t even have to go to Prague or Tokyo to “We don’t even have to go to downside to the use of technology in music. Harshit
record unusual instruments,” says Pune-based Saxena concurs. “Software like Auto Tune can and
Prashant Pillai, who composed music for the Anurag
Prague or Tokyo to record has made singers out of tone-deaf people,” says the
Kashyap-produced Shaitan. “You can buy samples of unusual instruments,” says singer turned composer who has scored a track for
orchestral instruments recorded by members of the
Vienna Philharmonic from the Vienna Strings Library,”
Pune-based Prashant Pillai, who Mahesh Bhatt’s Murder 2.
Auto Tune, Saxena explains, is an audio processor
says the 29-year-old. composed music for the Anurag that corrects the pitch of vocal and instrumental
The latest edition of the software, called Vienna Kashyap-produced film sounds. International acts such as Daft Punk and
Instruments PRO, even has a ‘humanise’ feature that hip-hop stars like Kanye West and T-Pain use it for
allows composers to manipulate the sounds to make ‘Shaitan’. “You can buy samples effect. Then there are tools that promise to mask
them sound more real. “The software comes in handy, of orchestral instruments flaws ensuring the artist isn’t heard running out of
especially when deadlines are tight. Composers often breath and that accentuate every word that is sung.
have to produce tracks, a few days before the shoot recorded by members of the “Singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar
starts,” Pillai says. “The sad part is that orchestras have Vienna Philharmonic” were truly legendary because they didn’t have the
become redundant,” Bhende laments. option of making a mistake,” says Saxena, who has
process of recording, mixing and mastering was done been a finalist in shows such as ‘Voice of India’, ‘Jo
RECORD TIME digitally. “Clients are also happy because it cuts costs,” Jeeta Wohi Superstar’ and ‘Music Ka Maha Muqabla’.
DIFFERENT KEYS: recording could take place all at once. On the positive side, the digital revolution has ensured says Merrill Sequeira, a musician, who has been Most producers of repute would say that music
Nandu Bhende teaches his “This was when sound was recorded on a magnetic musicians save time. “The introduction of multi-track dabbling in digital music for the last 10 years. has to be “human to have soul”. “Despite all the ad-
students how to create tape. Singers would rehearse for days before the technology allows artistes to record various instrument “In the beginning, composers avoided using com- vancements in technology, computers can’t be a sub-
music using the computer
and MIDI controller recording because mistakes couldn’t be corrected and tracks at different times so recordings don’t have to be puters because they weren’t reliable. But now, with stitute for real musicians,” Sequeira says.
editing the tape would mean cutting and splicing it large co-ordinated meet-ups at studios,” Pillai says. better hardware and superb software, most have made So, many times, music directors record at least
together,” he reminisces. He managed to finish producing his latest album, the switch,” the 31-year-old adds. one instrument live to make the melody sound less
Today, musicians can recreate sounds of almost Groove Loves Company, in just 15 days because the Sequiera who started out in advertising, and now plastic. Music is still about feeling, after all.
ILLUSTRATION: AJIT BAJAJ
Multimedia
www.winxdvd.com/dvd-ripper.
Once you have the video content on your
computer — whether from a DVD or from some
other source — you will have to re-encode it
using the codec supported by the device on
which you are planning to play it. (To know
madness
A lowdown on the best free software you can use to manage
what are supported codecs for any particular
device check its specification sheet). Now there
are several free programs available for convert-
ing video from one format to another, but for
the average user, Freemake is the best bet. It
has an intuitive graphical interface and there
are several one-click options to convert videos
your audio and video content to the format of your choice. Download it from
www.freemake.com.
JAVED ANWER easiest way to do so is to use… Playing it on a DVD player: To play a movie
Windows Media Player: If you are running a downloaded from the internet on a DVD player,
C
all it a side effect of the digital revolution. Windows computer, you can use the bundled me- you will have to ‘author’ the video file before you
The way multimedia content has been dia player to rip songs. The process is simple. Pop burn it onto a DVD disc. Authoring a DVD is dif-
digitised in the last decade or so, Cyberia is in the CD, open Windows Media Player and click ferent from just copying the data onto the disc as
now full of audio and video content that is not the Rip tab. And the programme will save the loaded from www.exactaudiocopy.de. Crucially, tablets and netbooks that don’t have a DVD drive. it requires a person to format the video and audio
only badly managed, but — in most cases — songs on your computer. From the same tab, you this programme is also your best bet if other rip- Video clips downloaded from the web or shot content in a particular way before writing it on to
also incompatible with different devices. The can also pre-select bit rate and format (such as ping software have failed to import songs from with digital cameras, meanwhile, mostly use a disk. In the case of DVDs, authoring means cre-
result is a mess where an average user has a WMA, MP3 and WAV). The downside? Power scratched or old CDs. codecs such as H.264, DivX, Xvid and X.264. ating VOB, AOB and IFO files.
few thousands songs strewn across his PC, digi- users — those who like complete control over Some DVD players can handle these formats To create video DVDs, use either DVD Flick or
tal music player, cellphone, and in CDs and of- audio quality — may find the options inadequate. ANYWHERE, ANYTIME VIDEOS perfectly if you write the content onto a DVD or AVStoDVD — two very good free authoring pro-
ten in different formats. And then, there are iTunes: Now if you are a Mac user, you can’t use Music is just one half of this story. Making sure CD. But many can’t. Similarly, most smart- grams. DVD Flick is easier to handle, but AVStoD-
DVDs that can’t be played on tablets. Similarly, the Windows Media Player. But there is a good al- that your videos are playable on all devices — phones and tablets can’t play these formats even VD gives you better control on the authoring
there are HD clips that are recorded on video ternative in the form of iTunes. Just fire up the from your tablet to your DVD player — is a big- though most notebooks and desktops can. Final- process. Both programmes will allow you to add
cameras that might not be playable on netbooks. software, pop in a CD and you will be greeted by ger problem because unlike music, where MP3s ly, in some cases, even though a few devices may subtitles and menus to your DVDs. You can down-
So, what’s the way out? Well, read on… prompt asking if you want to import songs from have become ubiquitous, there are several popu- support the video codec, they might not be capa- load the software at www.dvdflick.net and
the disc. Say yes, and you are done. Of course, lar video formats. ble of handling 1080P high-definition content. www.sourceforge.net/projects/avstodvd respective-
LET THE MUSIC PLAY you can use iTunes on Windows as well. Still, the Know your codec: Codecs are pieces of software Solution: Just the way music is ripped from ly. Once the authoring is complete, you will get a
Currently, there are two primary legal ways to software has a few limitations such as fewer rip- code that that determines the video settings like CDs, users can convert videos from DVDs. The folder with all components of DVD — VOB files,
get music: CDs and digital downloads. In India, ping options (AAC, AIFF MP3, WAV) which might quality, colours and file format. Let’s start by tak- best way, arguably, is to use Win X DVD Ripper, etc — on the disc. Now just burn this folder onto
CDs are the more popular method. Now — as it not exactly please a serious audiophile. ing a look at the popular video formats. To begin a free program that not only grabs your movies a DVD using any free burner such as Burnaware
happens — most digital music players (unless it’s Exact Audio Copy: If you need something better with, there are movies on DVDs. While almost all from DVDs, but can also convert them into for- Free, which is available at www.burnaware.com. If
a Discman-like device) cannot play music CDs. than Windows Media Player and iTunes, you devices can play DVD content, which is encoded mats such as AVI, MPEG and MP4. Win X DVD you have done everything right, you will have a
Solution? Rip the songs from the discs. And the could try Exact Audio Copy that can be down- in the MPEG-2, one can’t play these discs on Ripper can be downloaded from disc that will play on any DVD player.