Sound check

Back in 2010 when Sahir Nawab a Mumbaibased multidisciplinary genrefluid musician started using ldquoautotunerdquomdasha software that enables the correction of an outoftune vocal performancemdashthe concept was still in its nascent stage At the time though people were divided over its use A lot has changed in the last decadeBollywood has now jumped on the autotune bandwagon says Karan Jhaveri a music producer and composer A quick glance of YouTubersquos most trending Indian songs is enough proof to show how autotuned music which often sounds robotic is currently ruling the charts Bhjopuri music artistes are not too far behind Karan Jhaveri a music composer and producer says that autotune adds a new layer and texture to the vocalsNawab says that autotune has reached a stage of ldquodominationrdquo ldquoEveryone is into it now be it the indie producers or the commercial music industryrdquo According to Jhaveri what makes this an interesting phase for autotune is how diversely it is being used ldquoIt has come back in a different way Instead of correcting vocals it is now being used to add another layer of texture to the singersrsquo voicerdquo he says adding ldquoThe purpose has changed completely But itrsquos a good thing especially when you are making music for the massesrdquo When Nawab started using autotune in his productions he remembers that there was a lot of resistance to it as authenticity was still preferred over manufactured sounds ldquoBut the newer generation has grown up listening to these vocal styles so itrsquos really normal for themrdquo He feels that autotune has the power to make a simple song sound fresh ldquoIf you want a different feel and vibe autotune can save the dayrdquoMae Mariyam Thomas and Sahir NawabWhile Bollywood mostly uses autotune to enhance vocals Bhojpuri music makers have been using autotune more liberally in their productions A query on social questionandanswer website Quoracom as to ldquowhy Bhojpuri music makers and fans seem obsessed with autotuned and digitised vocalsrdquo threw up interesting responses with one user claiming that it was ldquoabout the taste of the target audience ie the rural youth which finds such electronic distortions cool and funkyrdquoA misconception about autotune says presenterpodcaster Mae Mariyam Thomas who runs the music podcast Maed in India is that ldquoif you use it you are a bad singerrdquo ldquoBut thatrsquos not necessarily the case You still have to be a relatively good singer if you need to pitch correct your singing When a bad singer uses autotune the sound you get is almost comedic Itrsquos like a parody voice that doesnrsquot sound particularly melodicrdquo she saysDepending on the usercase scenario autotune could be one of the best things that happened to us or even the worst says Nawab A simple bestcase scenario he says would be of an aspiring musician who doesnrsquot have the money to spend on highquality production but really wants to put their music out there The worst case would be when a good singer starts relying heavily on autotune even during live shows ldquoYou canrsquot rely on something that is here just to help yourdquo he saysAccording to Thomas genres like hiphop pop electronica and dance music are the ones that use autotune the most Itrsquos however yet to catch on in India like it has in the West Where American pop singers like Taylor Swift Rihanna Beyonceacute use minimal autotune for minor corrections a lot of Bollywood singers consider it to be demeaning says Nawab ldquoHowever this autotune has developed really well especially with younger artistes who donrsquot judge calibration or talent of a musician based on autotunerdquo he says Jhaveri says he has used autotune in most songs that he has composed ldquoI like the tone and texture because it makes the voice sound warmer and not robotic as it is often presumedrdquo