THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The beauty of a musical masterpiece always hinges on the collective perfection of voice modulation, a lyrical quality that teases the emotion, and the harmony stringed together by a wide range of instruments. Mastery over personal talents may be all too easy to achieve, but what if the quality and make of your musical instruments are not in sync with the rhythm and sensation you are seeking to create? This is where Iret comes in.
The first acoustic technology student start-up in India, Iret offers cost-effective musical enhancement solutions to help realise your pipe dream of setting up a musical band on a shoe-string budget.
Set up at Kinfra, the start-up space of Kerala Government, in July 2014, this musical store has managed to strike a chord with musical talents from across the country with its innovative design and optimal sound systems.
A band apart
The light bulb to start Iret first flashed in the brain of Rethin Silvester, who incidentally, is the glue that holds together the six-member team of Iret. The runaway success of the mini-mixer he built from scratch during his BTech days at Nehru College, Coimbatore, back in 2011, served as the first bout of inspiration to put together Iret. He brought in his two college mates on board. Later, three of his school friends also joined forces, and there began the musical odyssey of Iret.The look and feel of the product is the handiwork of Collins, the Industrial Designer of the team. He brings in that extra blend of creativity to boost the first-impression-sale prospects. Each member is assigned roles befitting their areas of expertise.
Gearing up
After two years of backbreaking research, scores of feedback, and a slew of trial and errors they rolled out a line of stompboxes that has since become a rage in the musical industry across India. The efforts they have put in to develop the device have paid off big time after the product made its way into the gear of high-flying guitarists like Sanjeev Thomas and Baiju Dharmajan. “The fact that they are on par with imported gear and affordable are two big reasons I chose Iret. The overall fit and finish of the products are of international standards,” says Rahman’s lead guitarist, Sanjeev.
Cast ensemble
Named after popular rock songs in tune with the tone they generate, the stomp boxes - Absolution, Hells Bells, Thunderstruck, etc - are offered at a measly price of below 4,000. The USP of Iret is the price itself - one-third of the market price - and high quality. Be it the Cajon, a Latin American instrument made out of the Russian Barratic birchwood, or the universal pedal boards (Pet Step) that accommodate stomp boxes irrespective of the brands (unlike pedals of Bose which only make room for their own stomp boxes), or the analog stomp boxes, Iret has maintained a zero-tolerance approach in setting the quality bar high. “Iret provides the finest quality of pedals at down to earth prices,” attests Baiju Dharmajan.
A new line of amplifiers and consoles (priced at below 10,000) are also in the pipeline, scheduled for launch around mid-January. Iret products can be ordered online. The start-up also makes customised products on special request.