Check Out Nandini Samanta’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nandini Samanta.

Hi Nandini, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and brought up in India, initially moving around a bit because of my father’s transferable job, but we finally settled in Delhi when I was five. From a very young age, I knew that I simply had to do something related to the field of music. I had the knack and a bit of talent for singing, so my parents enrolled me in Hindustani Classical singing classes from the age of five. Unable to understand such mature and complex music, I got very easily distracted from it and wanted to have something more flashy as a hobby like dancing. But my parents, being obviously much more experienced than a five-year-old, kept on pushing me to pursue music as they clearly saw something positive coming up.

And the magic happened. One fine day, I fell in love with Hindustani Classical Music as a teenager. That was the only way I was able to emote everything I was going through at that point in life. My friends, teachers at school, as well as my extended family seldom used to point out that I should pursue a career in the field of music. Since I was a super confused kid at that time, I could not make up my mind. I decided to buy a bit more time, and experience, and so after finishing high school, I got enrolled in a Computer Science Engineering college in India.

After four years of experiencing college and living by myself, I realized what I don’t want to do. It can be very hard to figure out what one wants in life but gets a little easier if you can use the elimination method. For me, it was pretty evident that I am not cut out for a 9-5 corporate life. Maybe a career in music isn’t the most secure path, maybe it involves a lot of struggle, but that doesn’t mean I won’t like it! I gathered up all my courage to break the news to my parents and was very pleasantly surprised when they were so supportive of it. I told them that I had been dreaming about going to Berklee College of Music since high school and pursuing a degree in Music Production and engineering. I was surprised at myself to see how clear and sure I was about this. I applied, auditioned, and finally on December 19th, 2019 (Yes, I still remember the date), I got an acceptance letter with a scholarship as well!

I was over the moon. I felt at that point that I had achieved everything in life. Everyone who got to know I got into Berklee treated me like I had won a huge award or something. All my friends, family, and even my engineering college officially congratulated me. But my parents – who always wanted the best out of me, kept me grounded by saying this is only the beginning. Little did I know that they were right.

My time at Berklee went by super fast – there was so much to do every day that I could hardly keep track of the days going by. I got a bunch of amazing professors and mentors who were super kind and approachable, and I learned everything I know about audio engineering from them. We had access to some of the best studios with world-class equipment that we could book and use any time of the day; I recorded, mixed, and collaborated with so many artists and engineers. The hours were erratic most of the time; the sessions would sometimes go on until 6am and then I would have 4 hours of sleep and attend a class at 10 am during the months of peak cold in Boston. But it was all worth it – because I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. Apart from that, I also kept the performer alive in me by doing various world music ensembles – Greek, Qantara, Balkan, and of course, Indian.

There are moments when times are hard, and I start questioning if I made the right decision. I do not belong to a family of musicians, so everything that I am experiencing is as new for me as it is for them. But I am still surviving, thanks to my parents, my Guruji, my family, friends, and everyone else who has always supported and believed in me and my craft. I look forward to my life ahead and growing as a professional while pursuing what I love to do!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life as a musician is never a smooth road. But that’s what is most exciting about this path! You never know what’s gonna happen next. The biggest challenge would be the ability to juggle between being a performer and a sound engineer. I love to do both – but if I want to pursue both of them, I have to be in regular touch with both crafts. None of these are formula-based – YOU NEED PRACTICE. Practice to be better and to be confident. Unfortunately, it’s not the ideal situation all the time, when you’re struggling to earn decent while living by yourself in a foreign country, it’s a lot to juggle.

Other challenges involve figuring out what’s doable versus what seems a stretch. As much as pursuing your dream seems like a bold choice, money always matters. There had been times when I had to give in to stability and look for a gig that got me a regular remuneration so I could pay my rent instead of relying on freelance stuff or waiting to hear back from a studio if they’re still interested in me. Times like these taught me to sit back, take things a bit slow, and think about the bigger picture instead of constantly hustling and rushing through.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an Audio Post Production engineer – specializing in dialogue editing, dubbing, recording and editing, and mixing. Also, I am a Hindustani Classical Vocalist. Basically, these are my two full-time identities; I try my best to maintain both while working towards being better and even more advanced at my craft. Recently, I have been delving into the art of mixing in Dolby Atmos as immersive audio has gotten my attention.

During my time at Berklee, I got a lot of opportunities to collaborate with various artists and producers. One was them was the Berklee India exchange – which definitely became a huge part of my Berklee Journey. I got some amazing opportunities to perform at the Berklee Performance Center multiple times, as well as various other places in Boston through Berklee. I also interned and then joined as a part-time Sound Engineer for Beezlo Music, trying out my hand at Live Sound as well. This new skill opened up a new avenue, as I started volunteering as an in-house live sound Engineer for MITHAS – MIT Heritage and Arts of South Asia in Boston. Every little recognition and new avenue counted because it always led to something unimaginable. In the summer of 2022, I got an opportunity to record, Mix, and Master a full 15-minute Indian Music Piece for Anubhava Dance company, which used that audio to perform an Indian style of dance called Bharatnatyam in MIT for the Innaugration of their Bionics Research Lab, which was graced by the presence of none other than Robert Downey Jr. himself!

When I started to realize that my time at Berklee was nearly over, it dawned upon me that I needed to figure out the next chapter; I started applying to many studios across the US. At this point, I was fully determined to work at a studio full-time and pursue singing as a side passion. I also gained this newfound interest in post-production for film and TV and got immensely inspired to work and discover more about mixing in Dolby Atmos. Fortunately, I got selected by Igloo Music Studios in Burbank, California as an intern and trainee. As much as I was excited to start my journey with Igloo, I was initially a little scared to make such a big move from Boston to Los Angeles. Life as a working individual is very different from that of a student in College, and I think that threw me off. I am glad to still be in touch with my Guruji, Pt. Ritesh Mishra, as Hindustani Classical Music, has always calmed me down, and taking a class with him and then singing really helps me calm my nerves. I think that was the only constant among a sea of changes occurring in my life. Nevertheless, I knew I had to since there was no better place to start than the heart of the industry itself. I plunged in and made the move.

My internship was a total blast – being in the heart of Hollywood and working at a Grammy award-winning studio felt glamorous indeed. But the glamour did cost a chunk-runner life isn’t the easiest. I used to work 12-13 hours a day, and it involved everything – from opening all the studio spaces to being an errand girl to the clients to editing for Netflix and Amazon shows, to set up and striking down for Film and TV sessions and to fulfilling lunch orders for clients. It was a bit of a struggle initially – but one gets the hang of it. The experience was definitely an eye-opener, and if given a chance, I would ideally go back to LA in a few years to work as an editor in post. Currently, I am back in Boston again after my internship got over, and I am working at Berklee as a Studio Operations and Tech Consultant.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am always up for collaborating. Interested people can easily reach out to me through email: [email protected] OR Instagram: @nandinisamanta_ OR LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nandini-samanta-58290818b/

Pricing:

• Recording session – $50/hr
• Editing: $50/hr
• Mixing a record: $100
• Singing gigs: $200/hr

Contact Info:

• Website: nandinisamanta.com
• Instagram: nandinisamanta_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nandini-samanta-58290818b/