GUWAHATI, April 23 - Old Assamese film songs of 1950s and 1960s � some on the verge of extinction and some others losing their charm due to poor quality audios available on the internet � are getting a new lease of life through audio remastering for the best possible audio quality.
The songs will not just be restored and archived in the digital archive of the Jyoti Chitraban, but most of them will also be available on the internet for wider distribution, to replace the low quality audios of old music albums that are in circulation now.
Digital remastering is a process to enhance the audio quality of previous recordings for better and clear stereo sound. This is achieved by opening different layers of the recordings, separating its elements like percussions, harmonies and vocals, and brightening their contents, yet retaining the feel.
�Most of the old Assamese songs are neither preserved, nor properly digitised. Nearly sixty per cent of the old vinyl records and cassettes are even damaged, unfortunately, beyond recovery. As the recording was done in analog mode earlier, their transformation to MP3 and MP4 was also not properly done in studio environment,� Axl Hazarika, an electronic music producer and archive head of Jyoti Chitraban told The Assam Tribune.
With a target to digitally archive ten thousand Assamese songs by this year, Hazarika is also working towards remastering the old melodies. Restored and remastered version of Dr Bhupen Hazarika�s song Xuoroni Mur from the album Puwati Nishar Hopun (1958) is now available on the internet and is archived at the Jyoti Chitraban Digital Archive.
Piyoli Piyoli and Dukharo Upari Dukh from the album Piyoli Phukan (1955) by Bhupen Hazarika and Gunada Das, Kohua Bon by Bhupen Hazarika and Ila Bose from Puwati Nishar Hopun, He He Dhule Dogore and Lien Macau by Bhupen Hazarika and Aoi Aoi Akash Subo by Suman Kalyanpur from Pratiddhwani (1964), Kun Kot Loti Ghoti, Moi Aru, Prochondo Dhumuhai and Sahasra Jone Muk Proshno Kore by Bhupen Hazarika and Ramjanore Roja by Mohammad Rafi from the album Loti Ghoti (1966) are some such songs.
One thousand such songs would be released on the internet by this month.
Some more albums restored so far include Joymoti (1935), Indramalati (1939), Rupohi, Badan Borphukon, Siraj, Runumi, Era Bator Sur, Sorapaat, Smritir Porosh, Dhumuha, Shakuntala and Maniram Dewan.
�While some of these songs are hauntingly beautiful, some others are life lessons in disguise. My attempt is to make them available for the new generation and preserve them for posterity. The work is time-consuming and maybe that was why it was still not done. One needs to be very careful so that the musician�s intent is delivered properly in the upgraded job,� he added.
