Agra, Sep 7 - Oscar winner Resul Pookutty is an exception. Sound engineers take away rough edges from flat voices, add pauses and oomphs to songs, but hardly ever get credit for their work, rues Satish Gupta who gave his magical touch to hits like 'Bheege honth tere', 'Sandese aate hain' and 'Kaho na pyaar hai'.

'Normally if a song becomes a hit, credit goes to the music director and the lyricist. But the crucial role of the sound engineer is rarely recognised,' Gupta, who was in his hometown to assist an 80-minute live audio-visual spectacle 'Mohabbat the Taj' at the Kalakriti auditorium, told IANS in an interview.

Gupta says neither singers nor composers rehearse before the recording thanks technological advancement and a sound engineer has to do all the dirty work.

'Unlike earlier years today we use a lot of technology. We no longer have huge orchestras to be managed because rarely do we go for direct recording. It's all dubbing and lipsing before the cameras. The real work is done in the studios by sound engineers who edit and add a lot of colour, effect, pause and oomph that add to the moods and build the required ambience and feel for a song,' he said.

Gupta feels his art is essentially an engineering job which requires him to use the latest audio gadgetry, computer software and sophisticated sound equipment. He, therefore, prefers to be called an engineer and not a recordist.

'It's so because I chisel the rough edges out of flat voices and make them compatible with the requirements and mood of the song. It is an engineering feat that combines elements of creativity and art.'

From 1969 to 2009 Gupta has seen the inroads technology has made, live orchestra, analogue to digital. He feels that technology has made artists dispensable.

'Unfortunately these days the individuality of artists and composers is getting lost as film music is becoming too technology-dominated, perhaps an influence of Western music. The basic music is dying. Computers and synthesisers are being widely used, forcing many musicians out of job.