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MY GADGET: Aghi Narottama: Music and technology
Indonesiakreatif
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Indonesiakreatif.net
Music composer Aghi Narottama says technology plays a great role in his life. His profession requires him to make the most of it to produce music and audio.
When it comes to technology, he emphasizes quality over everything else, saying that he prefers to buy expensive electronic goods if their quality has been proven and they are designed to last. The cofounder of the Rooftop Sound studio, Aghi is the man behind dozens of top movie scores, including Joko Anwar's Janji Joni, Nia Dinata's Berbagi Suami, Upi Avianto's Radit dan Jani and Dinna Jasanti's Laura & Marsha. He has also produced albums for, among other artists, Aimee Saras, RAN and The Brandals. Aghi, who also lectures at the Indonesia Music Institute, is currently working on a film score for Brunei Darussalam's first feature movie, Yasmine.
All-in-one gadgets
I take my iPhone 5 wherever I go because I can do almost everything with it ' for work and fun. I also always carry my Sennheiser CX 301 earphones so I can listen to music on my phone. I have a Voice Recorder Pro application on my iPhone that can record sounds at unlimited length. I use Camera+ and 8mm applications to take pictures and record videos for fun. Although I rarely use my iPhone to play games, if I have some spare time, I like to play Papa Sangre and Limbo. Apart from my iPhone, my MacBook Pro is the one gadget I can't live without. I travel a lot, and by having this in my bag at all times, I can work on my music projects anywhere.
Software
As a composer, Propellerhead Reason and Pro Tools software are definitely my first choices. Both are installed in my laptop and PC. I use Propellerhead Reason to devise the concept of each musical venture; it is easy to use and its virtual instrument sounds are varied. I have used this since I first learned how to use MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) programming. I use Pro Tools for more technical matters: audio recording, editing, mixing and mastering. This software is also easy to use and has become the standard in the music and audio industries, and almost every studio uses it. So, if I need to work in other studios, I don't have to change the project format.
Hardware
My mobility is quite high and a sound card is very important to support my work. I also like to carry a small MIDI Controller Alesis Q25 and, supported with the software that I have on my laptop, I can keep making music anywhere, especially if a deadline is pretty tight.
' JP/Novia D. Rulistia
