ADITI SARAWAGI
Machines vs Musicians
The famous musical Les Misérables has been in production
for years and is one of the most famous musicals in the
world. It switched from a 22-piece orchestra to an 11 piece
one with a computer replacing 11 musicians. This was
done after the production was shifted from the Palace
Theatre to the Queen’s Theatre in London which is a
smaller theatre and apparently doesn’t have room for a full
orchestra. The fact that the computer replacing the artists
reduced the cost of the musical by several thousand dollars
doesn’t hurt either. This is not a new phenomenon. Over
the years several productions have started performing
with semi virtual orchestras to reduce costs and increase
functionality. From live performance to recording studios,
this phenomenon of replacing musicians with machines is
slowly but steadily infiltrating the music industry.
Replacing live musicians or orchestras with recorded music
is a massive change which is threatening the livelihoo ds of
many artists across the world. The loss of jobs is definitely a
downside but the artistic question is the vital one. The break
in tradition is disconcerting but it also raises doubts as to
the quality of a production- be it live or from a studio- and
whether it will lead to a worse experience for the audience.
There is also the risk of each piece of music to have a tinge
of familiarity with the same machines bludgeoning out
similar beats i.e. we may miss out on the exclusivity and
the beauty of actual musicians playing instruments. If this
trend continues there will come a day when live performances
and concerts will be completely eliminated.
In the defence of technology, every job lost to technology
is more often than not replaced by new jobs for people to
either create the technology or to manage it. It is no less feat
managing it but the creative dent which it creates cannot be
replenished. Electronic music has been around for a while
too but then again the definitions of music for everyone
is different. As technology encompasses every field art,
culture and music cannot be left behind and has to adapt
itself to the pace of machinery. What doesn’t get modified
is the musician’s vision in creating a piece or the feel of the
music no matter the medium. The tools of creation might be
different but the essence of the outcome more or less doesn’t
get altered.
In terms of technological software, music creation software
has been around for ages but the refined software’s coming
out these days are astounding. For example, LANDR has
revolutionized the music industry which provides services
for recording and mastering online itself thus eliminating
the need of a professional recording engineer a highly
skilled job which has been replaced by a sophisticated
piece of software. Another software Gobbler allows sound
producers or engineers to work on tracks and sync them
easily even while being in different locations. There are
several other software’s like Splice, GitHub and Wavestack
making it more and more easier to swap erstwhile manual
work with technology. The recording studio can never fully
disappear but it has the potential for heavy alterations.
Technology has taken leaps and bounds and is replacing
musicians at a fast pace but the argument cannot be
denied that complete automation is impossible because the
artificially produced sounds from machines cannot replicate
a live musician and also because the audience demands live
musicians and acts whose symphony is irreplaceable.
History shows us that taped music and deejays have
replaced live bands at dance recitals, restaurants and even
plays. Digital technology has replaced old models from
time immemorial in every sphere. This battle between
technology and live music will rage on for years and both
sides have equal weightage. It is yet to be seen which side
wins or whether a melange of both can survive side by side.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
23