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  Merging Technologies Assists In The Completion Of Slumdog Score 

 Pyramix System Plays Vital Role In Vocal Recording For Slumdog Millionaire

Switzerland, May 2009: A Merging Technologies Pyramix digital audio recording workstation played an important role in the completion of the soundtrack to the multiple Oscar-winning smash film Slumdog Millionaire. The DAW was used at the studios of Merging's long-standing Indian distributor in Mumbai, Modi Digital Audio, to record vocals for two of the songs on the soundtrack remotely while their composer was working outside India.

Renowned Indian film composer AR Rahman, now himself the winner of two Oscars for the Slumdog soundtrack (for Best Score and for Best Song), had to complete work on the songs for the film score in a very short time, having agreed to work on the film relatively late in its production, when director Danny Boyle already had a rough cut. Rahman rose to the occasion: one unused track which he had already sketched out for a previous film project became the Oscar-winning worldwide hit 'Jai Ho', and the rest of his contributions to the soundtrack were written and recorded in just a couple of weeks. So it was that vocals for two tracks, 'Ringa Ringa' and 'Latika's Theme', needed to be recorded fast, while Rahman was out of India working in studios in Los Angeles and London.

Rahman had lined up Mumbai-based artists to sing on both tracks (Ila Arun and Alka Yagnik for 'Ringa Ringa', and Suzzane D'Mellofor 'Latika's Theme'), but there was no time to fly them out of India. So he asked the singers to report to the recording studio/Pyramix demonstration suite at Modi Digital in Mumbai, which is built around Merging Technologies' DAW and a Sphynx 2 digital interface, and directed their vocal session there via a specially set-up remote video conferencing link. The vocals were recorded with the performers working to backing tracks Rahman emailed from abroad, using a Neumann TLM103 microphone. The vocalists’ contributions passed into an RME Micstasy preamp, and then via the Sphynx 2 interface on into Modi's Pyramix system. The sessions at Modi Digital were recorded in Pyramix as high-resolution 24-bit, 48kHz files, and were later sent via FTP to Rahman's production teams in Los Angeles and London for mixing with the backing tracks.

Modi Digital Audio have been Merging Technologies' Indian distributor for nearly a decade. The 5.1-capable Pyramix demonstration suite at Modi is a fully equipped recording studio designed to show clients and potential customers the power of Pyramix in a real-world recording environment.

 

  Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack composer AR Rahman (right) at Modi Digital, Mumbai with company co-founder Aditya Modi.
     

 


About Merging Technologies

Switzerland’s Merging Technologies is the manufacturer of hardware and software systems for audio and video production professionals, including the high-resolution multichannel Pyramix digital audio workstation, VCube non-linear HD video playback system, and the Ramses MSC audio control surface. Merging’s products are used where reliability and the highest possible quality are of paramount concern. Their clients include some of the finest recording studios, broadcast facilities, post-production houses and film dubbing suites in the world.

For Merging information within the US, contact:

Independent Audio Inc
Portland, Maine
t 207-773-2424
f 207 773-2422
e dennis@independentaudio.com 
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