How Vivek Maddala’s work in SONAR caught Mix Magazine’s eye (+ his go-to gear)

Vivek Maddala’s story is one that certainly does not lack one single ounce of excitement. From being a successful [modern-day] composer of music for film and TV, to his recent build out of a new state-of-the-art home studio, Vivek has continued to deliver world-class music on his own terms.  He has always been on the vanguard of hip new projects, but now with the new studio, the sky is the limit for this seasoned – yet still young Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist/producer.

One might ask, “What is it that keeps him so busy writing and producing for such interesting projects?” Well for starters, very few people can pull together the diverse musical elements that seem to come so fluently for Maddala.  On one end of the spectrum he is an extremely proficient musician, and on the other he is an expressive individual who seems to be able to tap into emotional components of film while gracefully tying everything together with unique global soundscapes.  He also seems to land projects right in his wheelhouse; ones that lift the human spirit and elucidate the human condition. His works which have been noted extraordinarily diverse in style, stand out among contemporary compositions for their depth of expression, brilliance of sound, and profoundly humanist nature.  It’s in this pocket where he has found so much success and respect scoring a plethora of [major] independent films.

Building off from his busy schedule — currently scoring a feature film, producing two albums, and soon scoring a TV series — it became clear to Vivek that he needed his own production sanctuary to work at any given moment of need or inspiration.  Now, when figuring out how to build a so-called “home project studio,” it doesn’t hurt to have attended the Berklee School of Music, and also to have degrees in Electrical Engineering from major universities. That is when one’s “project studio” usually takes a turn for the better. 😉  Combining his skills and background in electro-acoustics, Vivek turned to acoustics consultant Kevin Lee Hughes who had recently worked on design for Capitol Studios in LA.  The result was a stunningly beautiful and intricate professional work-space written about here in this month’s issue of Mix Magazine.

 

We recently got a chance to quickly catch up with Vivek and find out how he’s been using SONAR: Continue reading “How Vivek Maddala’s work in SONAR caught Mix Magazine’s eye (+ his go-to gear)”

Composer for TV / Film Vivek Maddala Rewarded for Works in 2009

Congratulations to Pro SONAR user, Vivek Maddala, on his election into the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) Board of Directors. In his role, Maddala will serve on the Legislative and Partners committees, helping to investigate and solve the many challenges facing the film and tv music community.

Maddala’s work in composing music for film and TV has earned him international acclaim over the years. In January, his score for the film ‘They Turned Our Desert Into Fire’ won him the Gold Medal and Audience Choice Award for best music in the documentary feature category at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Later this year, Maddala hopes to wow crowds again during the premiere of ‘A Journey In My Mother’s Footsteps,’ directed by Dina Rosenmeier. The film follows ‘Jessie’ Rosenmeier’s work as an activist in India and her daughter’s resulting personal struggle and transformation. Maddala’s musical composition for this work fuses the ethnic influences of Carnatic, Hindustani, and Western culture to create ‘wistful and ebullient’ melodies.

Also slated for a 2009 release, is recording artist Wendy Starland’s new album, which Maddala co-wrote and co-produced.  Starland was named ‘VH1’s Best Emerging Artist’ and has performed live with numerous musicians including Shawn Colvin, Jonatha Brooke and Maceo Parker.

To hear Vivek’s latest projects and see his impressive resume, visit his official website.

ASCAP Expo 2009: Aspiring Producers & Industry Professionals Talk Trade

I guess day #2 technically starts at midnight, so I will take it from there where we were fortunate enough to land some passes to the ASCAP celebratory dinner and party at The Highlands on Hollywood Boulevard. Steve Thomas and I had a great time catching up with some CPU’s (Cakewalk Pro Users) including Vivek Maddala, Wendy Starland, Justin Lassen and Chuck Carr. 

We also got a chance to hang with our friend Jake Ottmann of EMI publishing who is overseeing our installment of the new V-100 and SONAR Producer into the EMI US Headquarters in New York City. 

ASCAP did an amazing job putting together a round of some pretty heavyweight songwriters who took turns banging out their hits in a very informal and interesting setting.  There is something so cool about hearing hit songs performed by the actual people who wrote them and not the people who you hear perform them on the radio.  It was a great night and it’s obvious that this ASCAP Expo is on its way to becoming one of the most respected music conferences in the US.

The morning came pretty quickly and just when I thought we would have a tough time matching up to the production quality of yesterday’s home studio master-class with Giovanni Lauren, in stepped Mr. Shawn Clement who scored a 30 second Land Rover spot in front of a packed house all day. 

Continue reading “ASCAP Expo 2009: Aspiring Producers & Industry Professionals Talk Trade”

Composer Vivek Maddala uses SONAR

International, award-winning composer Vivek Maddala gives a tour of his home studio- featuring Cakewalk’s SONAR as the main DAW. Maddala also introduces the synth rack feature and included VST instruments in SONAR 7 Producer. If you’re wondering, “Why should I use SONAR?” Maddala’s interview should help answer your question.