A different beat

For those who are in it, the blueprint matters. It8217;s the first step to creating the right impact, and that8217;s where the sound designer is called in.

If designed well, sound can create quite an impact, rolls percussionist/drummer Franco Vaz

For those who are in it, the blueprint matters. It8217;s the first step to creating the right impact, and that8217;s where the sound designer is called in. We8217;ve heard about sound mixers, engineers, directors, players, programmers, now let8217;s hear for the designer. 8220;Most of the movies today come in a 5.1 format which is basically counting all the five speakers in a theatre and one surround super sub woofer. Earlier, sound recording disregarded the camera movement and so, the sound never travelled per se. Now, the focus is on movement of the sound, and that8217;s where the sound designer steps in, distributing sound as it moves, and in the process, lending that impact and drama to the whole sequence,8221; Franco Vaz is one of them. But before that, he is a percussionist/drummer who8217;s been in the business for over 34 years now! 8220;19 of them were spent with RD Burman,8221; he recalls the Big Boss, 8216;his guru8217;. 8220;Had he been alive today, he would loved to lay his hands on all this new technology. Even back then, he would try everything to get that extra zing and beat, that electronic sound in his music,8221; Vaz frowns at the mere mention of how Burman was 8220;a very lonely man towards the end.8221; 8220;His films flopped, so-called friends betrayed him and joined other camps8230;he was lost, couldn8217;t take it,8221; says Vaz. The irony? 8220;All remixes today are his compositions! He truly was a great composer.8221; In the same breath, Vaz pays full respect to the other music directors he has worked with 8211; Ilayaraja, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Uttam Singh, Anu Malik, AR Rahman, Anand Raj Anand, et al. 8220;Actually, Rahman was Dilip when we worked with Ilayaraja,8221; he smiles.

Independently, Vaz has drummed way more than anyone in his field. Even Sivamani has picked a few tips from him. 8220;Everytime you are on the drums, you feel like a rockstar! And it impresses the girls,8221; chuckles Vaz who gave up the violin and picked the sticks, just like his father. 8220;I played a lot with Louis Banks, then came films, but the greatest turning point was Papa Kehte Hain. The drums in the song were a hit.8221; Work rolled in, and these days Vaz is into programming and creating background scores. 8220;All Nadiadwala films, Johnny Gaddar, Shashank Ghosh8217;s Quick Gun Murugun,8221; he rattles. For Vaz, the background score scores over the songs for it 8220;creates the mood, the dramatic effect in the film and links the scenes.8221; Like in Chandni Chowk to China where he has created a Chinese feel. 8220;Mughlai South Indian Chinese to be precise8230;we8217;ve used storm drums, tambourines and Chinese drums to create the impact,8221; he8217;s also been part of fusion concerts with Toufiq Kureshi.

No doubt technology has made music better, but it has a downside too. 8220;Orchestras are extinct now8230;lot of musicians have changed professions, some are living in poverty8230;it is sad. Film producers come with CDs and tell us to copy the tunes, work on them. It8217;s more difficult than creating something original! And before the recession hit us, piracy killed us! There are not many takers for drums too. Children learn, form a rock band and leave. They never pursue it as a career, plus the hip-hop music today hardly requires drums. We have sample music coming in, already recorded drum tunes and these are fed with the track. But hey, the upside is that you can experiment, make that sample music yourself and studio is a one-man show! Saves on lot of money and time,8221; Vaz irons out the creases and is quite confident that music in India has come of age. 8220;Although nothing8217;s original!8221; he laughs! Yeah, that8217;s why we harp on world music!