HCB Chapter 89: Recording Songs!
Chapter 89: Recording Songs!
Ah Qiang pointed to the densely packed array of buttons and levers on the control panel, a sight that would trigger trypophobia in anyone, and spoke with the pride of someone introducing their son who had just been admitted to Tsinghua University:
"See this mixing console? It's an SSL analog console!"
"Although it was a secondhand purchase, it was still worth several hundred thousand back then!"
"The sound that came out was so warm! So textured!"
Then, he pointed to the microphone standing alone inside the soundproof glass:
"And that one! See it?"
"The Newman U87! The Rolls-Royce of the recording industry!"
"To buy this 'iron rod,' our boss even borrowed his mother-in-law's dowry money back then!"
"Even if you have a terrible voice, recording with this thing will sound like a lark!"
Ah Qiang spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes gleaming with fervor.
Jiang Bai stood aside, completely bewildered.
He looked around.
Ok.
In his eyes, that mixing console, which cost "hundreds of thousands," was like a giant calculator with a lot of buttons.
That "Rolls-Royce" microphone only looked slightly brighter than the one at the school radio station.
He couldn't tell if the quality was good or bad, but judging from Ah Qiang's "If you dare say it's bad, I'll fight you to the death" attitude...
Jiang Bai decided to be a cheerleader.
"Wow! That's amazing! That's great!"
Jiang Bai stared wide-eyed (pretending), looking at the equipment with an expression of adoration:
"No wonder my friend recommended this place to me; it's full of hidden talents!"
"So professional! Absolutely professional!"
This flattery made A-Qiang feel very comfortable, and he even looked at Jiang Bai more pleasingly.
"That's right!"
Ah Qiang sat back down in his chair with a smug look on his face, and while adjusting the equipment, he casually asked:
"By the way, girl, judging from your reaction..."
"Is this your first time recording a song?"
Jiang Bai nodded honestly: "Yes, it's my first time."
Ah Qiang, with a "I knew it" expression and adopting the air of someone who's been there, comforted her:
"It's okay, don't be nervous."
"Everyone's like this the first time they enter the studio. They start to tremble when they see the red light, and they feel like vomiting when they hear their own voice while recording. This is all normal."
"Let's record slowly, no rush."
"For a newcomer, finding their rhythm is the most important thing!"
"You can trust my skills. Even if you sing off-key, I can fix it for you!"
"We'll do our best to get the best recording results for you! So you'll look amazing on social media!"
"Thank you, teacher. Thank you for your help."
But in my heart I was thinking:
Audio editing?
Sorry, it's impossible for me to get my audio edited in this lifetime.
With the blessing of a heavenly voice, I am a walking audio editing machine!
"Alright, let's go inside."
Ah Qiang waved his hand.
Jiang Bai, with the lyrics he knew by heart, walked into the expensive soundproof room.
Recording has officially begun!
As the soundproof door slammed shut, the world fell silent instantly!
The first song is "Love You".
Jiang Bai stood in front of the U87 microphone, which was known as the "Rolls-Royce of the recording industry," and did not do any chest-expanding exercises, drink some water to moisten his throat, or take deep breaths to adjust his mindset as A-Qiang had expected.
He simply adjusted the angle of the headphones.
Brewing?
nonexistent.
To help him complete that "shameful JK mission," the system had etched every breath, every note transition, and even every hint of sweetness from the song "Love You" into his muscle memory.
Moreover, right now, Jiang Bai's mind is filled with nothing but—
"Release a song! Go online! Make money! Gain popularity points!"
"Once this song is released on NetEase Cloud Music or Tencent Music, it'll be a non-stop popularity magnet!"
To make netizens go even crazier, and to make the popularity value rise even more dramatically.
Jiang Bai decides: Go all out!
We need to sing this song even sweeter than the original!
It has to be so sweet that just hearing about it makes you want to get diabetes!
……
Outside the control room.
A-Qiang put on professional monitoring headphones, placed his fingers on the push lever, and looked through the thick glass at Jiang Bai, who was unbelievably beautiful.
"well……"
He sighed deeply in his heart.
"She's really good-looking, it's a pity she's a complete novice who's never been to a studio before."
He has been in this industry for five or six years and has seen too many ordinary people with dreams of becoming stars.
Most of them fall into this category: they are good-looking and think they are capable, but when they enter the studio, they are a disaster.
Either they can't find the right pitch, or they can't keep up with the beat, or their voices tremble with nervousness.
They couldn't even control the basic microphone distance properly.
"Looks like I won't be able to rank up today."
"This song will probably take three to five days to polish before it's ready to be finished."
Ah Qiang glanced at Jiang Bai again, trying to cheer himself up.
Be patient! Make sure you record it well!
After all, it's not easy for that young girl either; we shouldn't discourage a newcomer's confidence!
Ah Qiang was mentally prepared to spend the whole afternoon just watching the pretty girls.
"Hey beautiful, are you ready? Let's try it out first, get a feel for it, no rush."
Ah-Qiang spoke into the microphone, trying to be as gentle as possible, afraid of scaring the "little lark".
Inside the glass room, Jiang Bai made an "OK" gesture.
"Let's begin."
The voice was calm, showing no sign of the newcomer's panic.
Ah-Qiang nodded and then pressed the [Record] button.
"Da da da~"
The accompaniment was played through high-fidelity speakers.
As soon as the intro started, A-Qiang's eyebrows shot up.
"Oh?"
"This arrangement...it's got something special!"
For people who run recording studios, basic music theory and rhythm are essential skills.
The rhythm of the drumbeats, the timbre of the synthesizer, and the distinct layers of the mix...
This is not some cheap backing track downloaded from the internet, but a true masterpiece!
"The accompaniment quality is amazing! The rhythm is fantastic!"
Ah Qiang abandoned his initial disdain and sat up straight involuntarily.
"The accompaniment is good, but I don't know about the singing..."
He muttered to himself, his finger hovering over the "stop" button, ready to stop and correct the newcomer's mistakes at any moment.
next second.
Jiang Bai started singing.
There was no pre-launch hype, no trial and error.
"Ho Baby, say more sweet nothings~"
"If you miss me, take another look~"
boom!
It was like a bomb coated in strawberry syrup that exploded on Ah-Qiang's eardrums!
Ah Qiang's fingers froze in mid-air, as if he had been frozen in place.
His eyes widened, his pupils contracted sharply in that instant, and he stared intently at Jiang Bai on the other side of the glass.
sweet!
It's so damn sweet!
It's not that kind of artificial sweetness, but a fresh and sweet taste that's full of vitality, as if you could squeeze water out of it!
The key is – stability!
His aura was as steady as Mount Tai!
You can't hear the rapid breathing sounds that are typical of newcomers at all; every note is as smooth as Dove chocolate, and every word is clear and full of emotion.
Accurate pitch, precise strike!
Every note seemed to be equipped with a navigation system, clinging tightly to the beat.
"This...this is your first time recording a song?"
"Did this thing grow up eating CDs?!"
Ah Qiang roared wildly in his heart.
All the lines he had prepared for "stop," "the pitch is off," and "let's do it again" were now stuck in his throat.
Because it's completely unnecessary!
In fact, as he listened, A-Qiang found that his professional ethics as a recording engineer were being put to a huge test.
This song is so catchy! It's so upbeat!
His feet were unconsciously shaking rhythmically under the table.
His head began to shake unconsciously, like a rattle.
Her lips curled up uncontrollably into a cheap "auntie smile," and she couldn't help but hum along:
"Mmm-hmm~"
"No! I'm a professional! I need to concentrate!"