Striking the techno chord

Technology and internet have changed the face of music and videos. Madeeha Syed analyses how making music has now become everybody’s game

UNLIKE other nations in the world, we cannot boast of a rich musical history where pop music is concerned. Taking its roots in the late 1960s, pop music suffered great opposition in the late seventies and in the early nineties – people believed it was against the cultural identity and norm for (the then) youth. Concerts and the concept of live music till recently, after the media boom, were few and far between and in some cases, completely unheard of.

Our history in technological advancements follows a similar if not bleaker route. Most people consider the introduction of the internet synonymous to the technological advancement in Pakistan. However, almost a decade after the internet became widely used around the country, we cannot still boast of having made any noteworthy breakthroughs or of having ‘developed’ a technological industry like our neighbouring India’s. We are still in the stages of developing.

Having said that it cannot be denied that the internet and technological advancement made around the world have benefitted the media and the music industry in Pakistan. Sophisticated software, cheap, but highly developed hardware leaked or brought into the country has facilitated numerous music production studios and the setting up of country-wide (network) radio stations. They have encouraged video directors to experiment more with their video-making techniques. Most of all, this has encouraged aspiring musicians, producers and music video directors to enter the market.

If anything, technology and the internet has it made it easy for all of us to be rock stars in our own right – whether we are jumping on stage holding an expensive guitar bought on our last tour abroad or streaming away our tunes via the internet from home, in this day and age, one can be assured that no one will be left out.

Living in today’s highly informed age, if one watches a video of television recordings or live coverage of concerts of yore, it would not take a genius to figure that most of what was being shown will probably not be considered acceptable today. The music predominant in those songs was borrowed heavily from synthesisers, the subject and tunes of most of the songs were copied off popular songs abroad, the singers almost never sang out of tune and lip-synched a little too happily with oddly-animated expressions on their faces — it was all too ‘perfect’ and too ‘staged’ to be considered ‘real’.

For the longest time, musicians performed on CD or what is also referred to as on DAT – Digital Audio Tape. Live performances consisted of either no musicians, or just barely a couple, some of who did not even know how to hold a guitar properly. Yet, they pretended to strum away or play the keyboards while the artiste ‘sang’.

Truth was, even without the extra musicians or even a microphone properly working, artistes were able to sing flawlessly to songs and music blaring out of the speaker sets. Most people did not know how a live sound differed from a recorded sound and flocked to concerts because in reality, there were not that many avenues available for entertainment to the public. Of course, there were few who came to see the artiste on stage.

With increased awareness facilitated in part by podcasts of concert videos available to ardent music lovers over the internet, concert goers now know the difference between a truly live performance and a performance on Digital Audio Tape (DAT). Sophisticated sound systems and the availability of cheap monitors have also eliminated excuses that an artiste might have for not performing live, whether for a television recording or otherwise. Sound can be transmitted clearly or distorted there and then depending on the requirements of the artistes performing and the organisers.

However, if on the one hand, technology has facilitated the use of unadulterated live performances, it has also made audio ‘cheating’ on a live performance just as easy. It was recently revealed that a very popular local pop singer known for his ability to sing prolonged notes beyond the humanly possible, uses a programmable software which helps him extend the range of his vocals, especially when singing certain notes, while performing live.

The use of software and technological gadgets is also increasingly becoming a norm in live performance. One such example is Sajid and Zeeshan. The duo from Peshawar is known as the only truly two-person band in Pakistan in a sense that the vocals and the entire music, live or otherwise is done by two individuals only. Zeeshan also has to his credit the first fully animated music video.

Reaching what one would consider the height of multi-tasking on stage, one of the two band members can be seen hitting off beats from a programmable beat-player, working on his keyboards, swishing over the motion-sensor device to distort the overall sound, working the turn tables and playing the harmonica – via a mouth organ attached to the keyboard set.

In fact, other than the keyboard set, this musician does not use any of the conventional musical instruments used while recording or playing music live. He is the personification of a desi musician of tomorrow – when it comes to the hardware and software he uses for his music.

From national radio to the people’s radio:

FM100 hit the airwaves in the early nineties and a couple of years later, FM101 followed. The introduction of FM Radio in Pakistan was an important milestone since people could now listen to music anywhere they went and could keep up to date on developments in the music industry without having to go to the music store and consulting the store owner about the latest releases. This was in part facilitated by the fact that the same music was being heard throughout the country – radio jockeys became the first kind of behind-the-camera celebrities.

From two stations to now having more than 25 radio stations operating around the country and counting, technological advancements have a big role to play in the ease with which these radio stations are able to set up. Where previously expensive equipment only few could afford and with studios crammed with wires and devices that seemed on the verge of exploding if touched, the radio station of today is more modern, the studios are sleek and devoid of messy wires. The equipment is cheaper and now, a station does not need to have boosters set up in every city they intend to transmit in. They simply stream their transmission over the internet.

For example, a show that is meant to go network (transmitted throughout the country) that is being recorded live from Karachi is streamed via the internet to a branch of the same station in Lahore, from where they broadcast it all overall Lahore. The gaps of dead air during a transmitted show is more often than not, the result of a fluctuating internet connection.

Also, if one is a little too eager, one can also by-pass having to buy an expensive license and investing in costly hardware and software for a radio station. People are increasingly turning towards establishing their own internet radio stations, with audio streamed over the internet to people who log into the radio station’s website. A major example would be of the internet radio set up by the artiste management agency, Jilawatan, which subsequently closed down.

Coming to a more recent example, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) launched their own internet radio station a couple of months back. Their launch was accompanied by the live streaming of a concert held by none other than the musical duo mentioned above, taking place within the university premises. Friends of LUMS alumni did not have to buy tickets to the concert; as long as they had a good internet connection, they could listen to it anywhere.

Technology has more than just changed the face of music, it has made music more of a ‘now’ thing than of a ‘learn how to sing/play the instrument first’. It has eliminated the geographical constraints and allowed people the luxury of attending a concert without being there physically. Where DAT performances are looking down upon now, it has also encouraged artistes to look for more sophisticated techniques of cheating their audiences. It has given enough space for those who otherwise would not be able to cut a record deal to put their music up for millions to listen to anyway. From the garage, bands are increasingly moving towards an internet domain. It has allowed the neighbourhood geek to become a rock star.

“Audio technologies have helped music production, but has not helped the average singer” — Zeeshan

Zeeshan Parwez is a Peshawar-based music video director and one half of the band, Sajid and Zeeshan. He has to his credit the first fully animated music video.. Question: What kind off technology do you use when producing/making music? Answer: There are two diverse domains in the field of audio engineering and recordings. There is analogue and then there is digital. Everything I do is done via computers, so it is all digital. But it has been sensed that analogue equipment sounds much better than digital, even though there is no logical explanation for this. So everything is processed on two PCs that I have kept in the studio only for audio purposes. Q: How do you think advancements in audio technologies have helped average singers sound better? A: I think audio technologies have greatly helped music production, but has not helped average singers much. Technology can help enhance the average singer’s tone quality and correct the faults in pitch of the singer, but at the end of the day an average singer and producer’s faults become evident when trained ears review it. Technology cannot cover that up. It can help you make great music, compose things with ease but average singers should be warned if they are completely relying on their systems. Q: How would a regular person set up their own studio? What would he/she need? A: A regular studio nowadays needs to be built around a PC with hi-specifications that gives you enough room to be creative. It also needs supporting devices like mixers, microphones, amplifiers, patchbays, effects processors, good cabling throughout, soundproofing, sound cards, headphones, good ergonomics and comfortable room. In a country like ours that has limited resources to offer, an average person will have to start off with equipment that is not top notch. Q: You are also known as an animator. What do you use when animating your characters? Do you think animations are playing an increasingly major role in how music videos nowadays? How has technology affecting the making of music videos? A: First of all, I create my characters and design their respective roles in order to give me an idea of how they should look. After that, everything is drawn digitally on computer using softwares like Photoshop, Flash and Combustion. I do not think animations are playing a key role in Pakistani music videos. We have a long way to go. People/Artists here are not willing to invest too much in animated videos. Animation costs a lot, so they think it is a better idea to make something on film instead of creating animated videos which they think the general lot would not be able to grasp. This is what is preventing animated projects to see the light of the day. Internationally, it is different. Everything is covered from resources to finance. If that was the case here in Pakistan, I would be the first one to make a bet with anyone supporting the fact that Pakistan has got amazing talent in the animation field and we can do it better than anyone else. Technology has greatly helped people like me to make music videos. You have loads of data on your computer which you just copy and paste together and voila! You create! It is amazing. Q: What kind of technology regarding audio and video is predominantly used in Pakistani studios nowadays? A: Video is totally done through PCs. All the processing for film is done abroad. It comes back digitally transferred and you work on it. As far as formats like DV, HD and Digi-beta are concerned, once the footage is shot, it is directly placed on the systems and it is ready to be edited, composed and finalised. In terms of audio, there are very few studios in Pakistan that still record on master tapes (analogue) because digital has become way too convenient for everyone to use. There is still a debate among the-minded about which format to choose. Analogue sounds warmer but digital is more convenient and is not at all time consuming, unlike analogue recording. — MS

Riding the wave

For those of you with an avid, can’t-live-without love for music, coupled with an exhibitionist streak to show it off, setting up your own internet radio station could be your current calling. For one, they are cheaper to set up than a conventional FM radio station. They are also faster and easier to establish and since the station is yours, you can say whatever you want and how ever you want to, without fear of repercussions.It would be wise, however, to examine the copyright laws and royalties governing the type of music you plan to play before you play it. Companies such as Live365 that have already paid these royalties allow you to take advantage of their agreements. One other firm worth looking into is LoudCity.net. LoudCity.net automatically tracks the songs you play and allows you to operate a legal radio station for a subscription of only 20 dollars per month. This subscription covers the royalties for all of the songs you play.The hardware and software you need: 1. CD player 2. Software to rip off audio tracks (copies audio tracks from a CD onto a computer’s hard drive) 3. Recording and editing software 4. Audio mixer 5. Outboard audio gear (equalizer, compressor) 6. Digital Audio Card (also comes automatically bundled with your PC) 7. PC computer dedicated solely to broadcasting with encoder software 8. Streaming media server Getting audio over the internet is pretty simple: 1. The audio enters the Internet broadcaster’s encoding computer through a sound card. 2. The encoder system translates the audio from the sound card into streaming format. The encoder samples the incoming audio and compresses the information so it can be sent over the internet. 3. The compressed audio is sent to the server, which has a high bandwidth connection to the internet. 4. The server sends the audio data stream over the internet to the player software or plug-in on the listener’s computer. The plug-in translates the audio data stream from the server and translates it into the sound heard by the listener. You should also have a microphone if you plan to talk on air. PirateRadio.com provides you with free downloadable software you can use to set up as well as a whole listing of internet radio stations on World Wide Web. If you are using a dial-up internet connect, you can subscribe to the streaming services by websites such as Live365.com to improve the quality of your online radio broadcast. — MS

Caught in the Net(work)

They say the world is growing smaller day by day. Before the internet revolution, getting in touch with your loved ones and business associates across the Mediterranean was almost an impossible task that required hours and hours of waiting and depending on the PTCL phone operator at an exorbitant rate – leaving that luxury only for the elite. Getting a letter was a big deal and its arrival was announced to every other member of the household, to those whom the letter was meant for – also for those who it wasn’t meant for. Most people actually ended up saving these specimens of antiquated means of communication. And most of us lived happily in our near-predictable, slow lives – the bubble was bigger and more difficult to pop: you’re friends were your friends who you met and bonded with at school – meeting for the occasional coffee later, you’re work stayed at work and you spent hours catching up with your cousin who visited after what seemed like, gazillions of years. That is, till the internet came to town and made itself available to all and sundry.

There were several reasons why parents were initially against their children using the internet or using it in the privacy of their rooms – far away from chaperoning eyes. Where previously they could control what their children were exposed to via screening their books, movies, television programs and social outings – now, they couldn’t. If their child chose to visit a website with harmful content containing for example, steps on how to get back on people who hurt you via physical violence, parents remained powerless in limiting that exposure and ensuring that their child grew up mentally healthy as well.

Reason number two was that they had no control over who you talked to, when you talked to him/her and what you talked about. Pre-internet age, or rather in the modern-day stone age, friends would come home and pass through the scrutiny of your parents or you’d call from the phone in the living room, baring the content of your side of the conversation to all. What you said to your friends outside of school, remained between you and your friends, you could talk to millions of random people from all around the world and quench that thirst of ‘communicating’ with like-minded people. In short, the internet-world became your playground where there more choices and more opportunities to meet and stay-in-touch with people you may/may not know. It allowed people to embody personas and feel ‘liberated’. All of a sudden your family and mohalla walas weren’t crowding round the phone, hanging on to every single word the aunt settled in some godforsaken country had to say – they just hit her with an email.

All hell breaks lose

Just when things couldn’t get better, Friendster, the first-of-its-kind social networking website was launched sometime in [insert date]. Revolutionizing communication methods, your friends could remain all in one place; instead of emails you dropped short messages that were visible to all. You knew who your friends were friends with and it became easier to established “you’re related to her too?!” connection than ever before. Then came FaceBook, Orkut, MySpace, Hookah, Zorphia… and the list goes on.

Where there are minor differences, there are some similarities that must be mentioned here: they all require you to add friends when you sign up and fill out a form which includes more than just your name and date of birth: it’s comprehensive enough to include all of the schools you have ever been to, your hobbies, what you’re looking for in the special someone and the latest, what you’re ‘thinking’ at the moment. They all had features to add a photos to your profile, your friends were visible to all and so were their messages, you could browse through your friend’s friend list or via specifications you’d outline when you’d hit the search bar. It was modern, fast, exciting, gave you more crappy-useful information. In short, it was crazy and nobody could do anything about it.

The new-age jungle

It wouldn’t be entirely incorrect to say that in the online social networking domain, there is a whole jungle out there. If you thought the age of cliques was over, think again. Now you’re cool-meter is rated on how many messages you have, anything less than ten thousand and you’re considered a loser: a social outcast, a misfit, somebody who mistakes their acquaintances for their friends. In short, you deserve nothing better and should kill yourself by deleting your profile and bidding adieu to online social networking… forever.

Online social networking has also given birth to: The Stalker. If you thought they were a miserable breed who spent all of their time obsessing over the object of their unwelcome scrutiny in a room full of photos and mementos of them, think again. This is new breed, the members of which include you and me, spends countless hours poring over the message books of our friends, friends of friends, exes, boyfriends, favorite celebrity and so on. And we know that people might be going through ours as well. And for those of us who spend most of our time on social networking websites, this will also be our primary subject of conversation between our friends later in our ‘offline’ lives.

If this wasn’t enough, websites such as FaceBook have upped the ante where the potential for gossip is concerned. Now, when you log in, you have a whole home page which summarises for you, which friend said what to whom and who sent someone a virtual present and who is whose favorite purple-cherry-on-top friend and who… you get the drift. It’s like having your own news-spread where you pick the juiciest story and ‘investigate’ further.

What’s more is that social networking doesn’t end at sending messages alone. Now when you log in, you’ll see that five friends have ‘poked’ you, seven have sent fuzzy bunnies your way (now you have to add the fuzzy bunny application), nine have sent cupcakes (note to self: add cupcakes application. you want that cupcake, even if you can’t really eat it), four have written on the super wall (add super wall application, this is getting ridiculous: really, what’s the difference?) and thirteen have drawn on your graffiti wall (you’re one step ahead, you’ve already added this application). Phew. And this is on top of the ‘add new friends’ requests you have piling up in your inbox. Modern social networking websites require you to be (blows on the tips on fingers to warm them up) a super fast typer, communicater, articulate phrase-er, digital artiste and develop an appetite for those coveted digital cupcakes on top of hours and hours of your time that you want to willingly waste.

What’s in it for them?

With most digital networking websites making their services available for free, what’s in it for them? Why is it so important that you add new friends and communicate with them? sure some of them do it to generate revenue from online advertisements but there are some which don’t even have those, so what do they get out of it? more importantly when you sign up, giving away valuable personal information and encouraging your friends and acquaintances to do the same, do you even read the ‘terms of agreement’ that you agree to? Who does?

Most agreement contracts have a statement stating that whatever information you are giving them will be available to serve purposes within the organization but will not be released to ‘external’ parties. First of all, with conglomerates forming every other day in the internet world and with more and more online firms merging together, what constitutes as an ‘external’ party?

The sheer amount of social data contained in social networking websites which includes not just what you’ve willingly typed away in those lengthy forms you were required to fill when signing up, but also in the number and type of friends that you have, the kind of subjects you like to talk about, in short, you’re entire social pattern depicted online is information enough to transport any marketing person into utopia. The statistics generated from how you communicate with your friends aren’t from a random questionnaire that you may have willingly/unwillingly answered, knowing fully that you were doing it as a part of a research programme, this is real-world information, in real-time we’re talking about here. And with the fuzzy lines that exist between an ‘internal purposes only’ and ‘external party’, this information can be sold to any organization wishing to make use of it.

Take the giant gorilla of the internet for example: Google. They provide you with a web-search service application; they also have Gmail, BlogSpot and Orkut. Via your social networking on Orkut, they glean information about you and your friends from your entire social networking pattern online and they use that information to customize the responses you get when you first all, search for something and secondly, the kind of ads that pop up when you search. Looking closely in your Gmail inbox will make you see little text-based ads that appear right on top of the emails in your folder. Don’t be surprised if you see an ad for ‘purple turtle neck sweater with pocket for fuzzy cupcake’ there a short while after you scrapped your friend about it on Orkut. I hate to burst your bubble but your data/information is not ‘private’ on the internet, at least to those working in these organizations and those related to them. Nothing in this world is for free and you pay by signing away your privacy when you sign up on these social networking websites. You have also allowed yourself to become digital a lab rat whose behavior is closely monitored in a ‘controlled’ environment.

The threats

The dangers where open, online social networking websites is concerned isn’t limited to private information not truly remaining private. Not all stalkers mentioned above are harmless. For those who think separately from the norm albeit in a negative, dangerous manner have access to and information of all of your activities and friends, more than enough to hatch a plan to harm you should he/she chose to.

It doesn’t end here. Social networking websites are a popular haunt of pedophiles and sexual predators as well. Say for example, a predator might have an affinity for individuals who match the following characteristics: female, medium-toned skin, short-brown hair, average looks, aged between 12 and 14, living in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi. It takes one click of the search bar for the predator to have an entire list of people who match this description and just another click to come in contact with them (whether the person contacted chooses to reciprocate is another issue). Networking websites are a place where they roam free, mostly under an alias, have no restrictions or boundaries on how they project themselves and come in all shapes and sizes. There isn’t anything much that you can do to prevent them cornering you online or in real-life (depending on how available your information is) should he chose to pursue you no matter what.

At the end of it all…

This isn’t to say that online social networking websites are the work of the devil or that one should steer clearly away from them. The object of this piece was to acquaint readers with the idea that online social networking sites aren’t the happy digital sunshine-filled places that they appear to be. Social networking websites are useful in tracing or contacting someone you haven’t met in the longest time or in coordinating projects and activities that otherwise require constant contact. But all of the above comes at a cost and it’s always better to remain fully-informed about the information you’re choosing to release and what will it be used for it. It’s important to understand the social patterns that are being developed and it’s important to be aware of the risks and dangers that such interactions may result in, only so you can protect yourself in the future.