“ It ’ s the experimentation and the breaking of boundaries that we need to get better at . Some of the experimentation that they ’ re doing in the west to arrive at techniques is where the cool stuff is really going on . Instead of making do with “ what will work ”, I think bringing out the character and vibe of a song is what we should probably be looking at . And I think it ’ s slightly easier to reach that end goal these days .”
The Score Magazine
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Unlike Sigmund who doesn ’ t mind training newcomers as they progress through the job , JJ prefers that his new employees have at least a degree in sound engineering before they apply . “ When you work in a commercial studio there is an expectation of quality and releasing a product that meets industry standards is a minimum requirement . If they don ’ t have an understanding of how a studio operates or lacks the fundamentals of sound engineering , it becomes impossible to hire them . A trained engineer , even a young one , would be easier to integrate into a studio .” says JJ .
Working in film audio
A 30 year veteran of the Indian film industry , Baylon Fonseca is a skilled sound designer and mixer . He has worked on films like , “ Wake Up Sid ”, “ Luck By Chance ”, “ Shootout At Lokhandwala ”, “ Raees ”, “ Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ” and many more .
“ The good thing ( about the film industry ) is the embracing of technology .” The default format for mixing films used to be stereo . Studios then shifted to surround formats quite quickly , internationally as well as domesticly . “ We leap frogged the technology quite a bit . Whether it was 6-track magnetic for Sholay , Quadraphonic sound or Dolby Surround , we experimented with the technology quite a bit .” India ’ s first film to have sound , “ Alam Ara ”, was released a mere 4 years after that barrier was broken in 1927 by “ The Jazz Singer ”
“ The downside is that we haven ’ t yet mastered the art .” says Baylon . A lot of us forget that working in the audio industry is an artform . You obviously need to have the technical knowledge to operate mixing consoles , outboard equipment or audio softwares , but you have to be equally comfortable with thinking creatively and a willingness to experiment .
The work of musicians move us all . That ’ s only because a mixing engineer somewhere poured their heart and soul into bringing out that musician ’ s ideas and emotions . With the introduction of 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos , engineers have even more scope to explore new ideas and new ways of immersing an audience into the story .
“ Jurrasic Park ( the first movie to utilise the DTS sound format ) drove me to find out how I could get a better mix . The immersion of the audience , rather than the loudness of multiple channels , is important to understand .”
This requirement of a detailoriented focus , both from a technical and creative aspect , whether it be live sound , film audio or studio work , means that only a few people are cut out for the job , and they are in dire need right now .
For the ones who have a keen interest but lack the skills , they may not know what they don ’ t know . “ One of the most inadequate answers to the question , “ Have you watched this film ? Have you read this book ?, is “ No ”. Like a musician , you have to listen to a varied number of performances . You may have a specific interest , but how do you expand outwards if you ’ re not listening and observing current trends . That ’ s why learning in this field never ends . Even someone with no background in sound must at least have an intense love of film , then someone like me can teach them .”