Master of melodies

A quiet man who would rather finesse mixing boards to create new tunes than boast about previous accomplishments, humble Viet Tan is Vietnam’s foremost musical producer.

Viet Tan manipulating his new mixing board

At first impression, Viet Tan, age 57, resembles a retired teacher with his fair complexion, neatly-tucked shirt, prim trousers, and bright glasses leaning on the nose.

In fact, the serene man with a northern accent is a renowned wizard of audio and mixing in Vietnam's music industry, whose compendium of works has led famous local music composer Quoc Bao to proclaim, “Vietnam's musical scene wouldn't be the same without divas such as Thanh Lam or My Linh; similarly, the absence of the head of Ho Chi Minh City-based Viet Tan Studio would surely rob the domestic disc market of countless excellent productions.”

A gift for tunes

Armed with magical hands, sensitive ears, and requisite mix system, Tan can turn an alto tone into a soprano, a Western violin piece into a Vietnamese two-chord fiddle tune.

His breathtaking remixing has infused fresh sounds into many musical products, contributing to the consider-able rise of a number of sizzling singers.

Tan, the father of famous rock band UnlimiteD's singer Viet Thanh, claims the job requires heart and soul to connect with singers and instrumentalists and transform their musical renditions into beautiful scores.

For decades, the dedicated man has pored over thousands of musical products in their uncut versions to study the differences between English and Vietnamese melodic enunciations, the emotional uniqueness among singers' voices, and the distinguishing features between southern and northern Vietnamese accents.

Based on this committed research, Tan learns how to stimulate Viet Tan manipulating his new mixing board and inspire various songs using the best techniques.

However, Tan admits, “I am really sad whenever I witness anyone who works in the music industry become depraved by other temptations. Having pursued this career for ages, I believe that my counterparts are smart, talented, and have a great love for music. It particularly upsets me when individuals get corrupted or ruined in part by their love of music.”

Diligent training

Working 18 hours a day for decades, Tan became a self-taught expert in mixing, and even included his family in the business.

Forming a band and working as a sound specialist at 20 years old, Tan trained tenaciously.

In the 1980s, he used cassette tapes bought at the Huynh Thuc Khang flea market to record, mix and copy.

Tan then aligned with HCMC's Kim Loi Studio in 1989.

At the time, the music industry still depended mainly on the rudimentary cassette system; but despite such out dated methods, many famous singers received rave reviews thanks to Tan's deft production skills.

Three years afterwards, Tan opened a studio in his small house in Phu Nhuan District.

His home studio became a popular venue for musicians, producers and singers from all over the country.

Years of hard work and dedication have paid off and Tan is now head of the top audio studio in the country.

Ever since HCMC Radio Station's music program Lan Song Xanh (The Green Wave) began awarding a local prize for excellence in the mixing industry, Tan has been consistently honored as its top mixer.

Bao sums it up best: “Tan's contribution to the development of modern Vietnamese music originates in his determination to seek out high quality audio and styles that best fit the Vietnamese language, Vietnamese voice and Vietnamese taste.”

(Source: TN)