Next Generation Spotlight: Ratna Noshi

Audio Media International, in association with Genelec, is delighted to present the latest in its series of Next Generation Spotlight interviews. This time, we catch up with producer and composer, Ratna Noshi.

What is your name and what do you do?
I am Ratna Noshi, a music composer and producer from India with my music production studio in Pune, Maharashtra, India. I am also a music arranger, score writer, voiceover artist, dubbing artist, singer, musician and mix engineer. 

What inspired you to get into studio work?
The need to produce my very own music compositions; a passion to follow my journey of productions, explore the world of instruments, sounds, compositions, learn the science of recording sounds, processing them, mastering them and bringing them into real world.

Tell us about your route into the industry?
At age seven I started taking my vocal north Indian classical music lessons from my Guruji Shri Divyang Bhai Thakore. I completed my Sangeet Visharad (Bachelors in Music) at the young age of 16. I started composing at around 14 and started writing poetry at around 10. I lived in a world of melodies and words.

I then threw myself into music production and became an Avid Certified Protocols User. I also took part in a collaborative project for Indian Classical and hip-hop in Pune with a talented rap artist, for which I composed mixed and mastered a track. A teacher at my school introduced me to more professional gear at this point, including Genelec monitors, Waves plugins and and iMac with Pro Tools 12. I then started to build my own home studio, adding items such as my Neumann TLM 102 condenser microphone, Shure SM 58 dynamic microphone, Yamaha PSRI425 as my MIDI gear and Waves Mercury bundle and many other signature plugins.

Recently, I was given this opportunity to compose and write scores for my first musical play Mamas – written by PBS Emmy Award winner Hans Petersen in June 2020.

What is your approach to work in the studio?
Simplicity and minimalism. Organise, plan, stick to your work ethics and never stop learning. I have a minimalistic approach. The less you own, the better you manage – fewer distractions, more focus. So much has to be taken care of in order to execute well, so I like to keep my studio space clutter free and keep things very organised. It’s also vital to  understand the client’s requirements very clearly before beginning any project.

Who/what have been some of your biggest influences in your career to date?
When I was younger, I was mostly exposed to lots of spiritual, folk and Indian classical music, as well as music from Indian Saints Tulsidas, Meera, Kabir. Next comes the love ballads, as well as things like John Denver, Ben E King, Righteous Brothers, Spice Girls, BoneyM, Abba. From today’s music, anything and everything from Drake, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Maroon5, Dj Snake inspires me. The list is never ending.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the industry?
The greatest challenge finding financial investment for gear. It is really tough to set up your studio and then sustain it financially if you are going to pursue it full-time. So many artists are struggling to make money. Also, today a producer will have to multi-task: be a composer, a business person, a digital marketer and a manger. Basically a Jack of all trades.

What projects do you have coming up?
So currently am working upon the following project works: I am working on a project for the Municipal Corporation and Gujarat Government for Swachchta Abhiyaan, writing, producing and delivering a song as per the theme of cleanliness drive for the government.

I have regular voiceover work for a children’s animation YouTube channel for Raletta toons, Greenstories and others, and I have a project for children’s songs in English for an animation channel, too.