Dhruv Visvanath on SoundBetter

Rated as one of 30 Great Guitarists Under 30 by Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Dhruv has contributed to the soundtracks of numerous Bollywood and Tollywood Films. His percussive acoustic style allows for rather unique arrangements to songs, coupled with his Vocal production abilities, Dhruv's main goal has always been to make amazing songs come to life.

Dhruv Visvanath is a singer songwriter and producer and accomplished acoustic guitarist from New Delhi. His musical exploits have allowed for his abilities to be showcased in the Indian film industry, from Vishal Bharadwaj’s “Sonchirya”, working with Salim Suleiman on “Skater Girl”, to aiding A.R. Rahman on “Dil Bechara” and “Blinded By The Light”, even having his big bollywood debut in Bejoy Nambiar’s “Taish”. Working with Liquid Animation Studios, Melbourne Australia, to create music for important global level projects for Lego, Dhruv has worked with animation and video game studios across the world, previously providing music for video games and trailers alike. “Xochi's Apothecary” by Single Effect Studios, and “1000 Deaths” by Pariah Interactive are just a few such examples. Dhruv has multiple releases under his belt. From his first album, Orion (2015) to his latest, The Book of I (2021), his music has travelled to more than 160 countries, amassing over 4 million streams across platforms and pioneered the Singer-Songwriter genre in the Indian Subcontinent. His unique style of playing earned him an endorsement with the Dehradun Guitar Company, resulting in a custom guitar he so lovingly calls, Willow. And to top it off, thanks to the folks at Apple, one can now use Dhruv’s music to assemble “Memories” through the iOS photo app, on every portable iOS device in the world.

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Credits

Discogs verified credits for Dhruv Visvanath

Skyharbor
Skyharbor
Jamie Penner

Languages

English
Hindi

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Interview with Dhruv Visvanath

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: At this moment one artist I would love to work with would be Balu Brigada. I recently heard them live and thought them to be a reincarnation of Tame Impala. What incredible musicians. I'm a big fan of their melodic bass lines and strong songwriting and would love to write what I feel could be the next big (what I like to call) "Fifa song"!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't overthink the recording of your guitars. A mic on the 12th fret is more than enough to get the tones and textures you need to design the sound that you want. Adding additional microphones invites more phase and tone issues and creates a problem of control. I've been recording guitars for 14 years, and just feel that it reduces the sense of fatigue while recording guitars as well as allows you to be more experimental with your playing without having to worry about your position with the instrument.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I typically work on a lot of pop, bedroom pop, and contemporary indian pop/classical music as a producer. As a session artist I've had plenty of experience working on many different genres, even producing Hip-hop tracks, to working on meditative music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My acoustic guitar playing is my strongest skill. In 2014, I was listed as one of Acoustic Guitar Magazine's 30 best guitarists Under 30, along side, Maneli Jamal, Sungha Jung, and Newton Faulkner to name a few. In India, my skillset has been defined by the way I have pioneered the percussive style of playing the guitar in the Indian Subcontinent. It was also one of the biggest highlights of the show My Kind of Country on Apple TV+, created by Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves. I am also an experienced vocalist with the ability to arrange big vocal harmonies and create interesting vocal soundscapes.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: As an experienced, songwriter, producer and guitarist, I come with a wealth of experience with working across many genres and languages. As one of India's premier acoustic guitarists, I often rely on my unique percussive play style to build interesting musical and melodic arrangements to songs. I have a strong pop sensibility and write a lot of towlines for songs and have experience trying to find great hooks, as well as memorable riffs and melodies to songs. While it might sound nice in my writing here, why don't you have a listen to some of my released songs! My greatest strength I feel is bringing together a unique melody with an impactful sense of rhythm. I love making songs, and I really look forward to making amazing songs with and for you!
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: the first thing is to always ensure that the client has a way to hear the idea they've imagined. My first goal is always to present a brief recorded produced idea (About 1 minute) of the work so that there is confidence in pursuing a direction. Working with clients to ensure they get exactly what they need for their project is of utmost importance to me, whether it's sitting together on production or recording sessions, or even charting out the steps ahead. It is important to build a solid instrumental arrangement to any idea and empower my clients to impose their creative ideas on top of them so that they can make the music they've always wanted to.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: A super up bedroom studio, with a desk fully equipped with analog Synthesis, Multiple analog guitar pedals and effects, Steel String Acoustic, Nylon Acoustic, Guitarlele, Ukulele, Electric and Bass guitars. Multiple shakers and percussive instruments for live recordings, as well as melodicas, flutes and harmonicas, all for the purpose of getting the best live tones for any recording. With a wide array of microphones, in a quiet soundproof room, all recordings are made available at the highest possible quality for your work needs.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: - Ian Kirkpatrick - Andy Mckee - Rick Rubin - John Mayer - Dave Grohl - Bruno Major - Andy Mckee - Ben Howard - James Blake
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: From recording and arranging lush and beautiful acoustic guitar parts, to recording vocals and producing entire songs and film scores. I offer a range of solutions when it comes to bringing your work to life.