"I'm being serious. Your voice's interpretation of the melody is astonishing this is a rare trait," Mark said, clearly not catching Hugo's sarcasm. He still explained earnestly, showing that he was a diligent and honest man. "However, once you enter the recording booth, I can't say for sure. Many people have great voices, but once in the booth, they don't know how to control them. That makes it impossible to become a real singer."
Mark's sincerity made Hugo feel at ease. At the very least, it showed Mark was the type of person who worked solidly and down-to-earth. "I'll cross my middle finger over my index," he said meaning to pray. "So, why don't we give it a try? If there's anything to improve or learn, we should make full use of the time."
Mark immediately nodded in agreement with Hugo's words. "Go on into the recording booth. Get yourself used to the environment first." As he watched Hugo step into the recording booth, Mark walked to the control panel, then suddenly thought of something and turned to Joseph. "If you're bored, feel free to walk around. There are plenty of entertainment facilities here."
Joseph was a film agent and knew almost nothing about music. At first, he was dazed, but upon hearing Mark's suggestion, he waved his hands quickly. "No, no, don't worry about me. You just focus on work." He sat on the couch, a little nervous. This wasn't the familiar film set. The professional and unfamiliar equipment made Joseph feel pressured, but at the same time, he was quite curious about Hugo's performance in the recording booth.
Mark had just said it casually and quickly turned his attention back to Hugo. He sat down at the control panel and pressed the large red button on his right. Speaking into the mic in front of him, he said, "Hugo, put on the headphones yes, that one." His voice came through the speakers above the booth, guiding Hugo's actions. "I'll play the track for you first, let you hear how it feels. Then you try singing into the mic along with it. That's the recording process. Let's just try it once."
Hugo made a "no problem" gesture. The procedures in the recording booth were not unfamiliar to him. Not only had he experienced recording for Death Or Glory , but when he worked as an extra, he'd also seen actors doing post-dubbing instead of recording on set. So even though he had never sung in a studio before, he was very familiar with the process.
Soon, music came through the headphones not just pure instrumental sound, but the master track of Hugo's own voice. In simple terms, it was like karaoke, where the music is played directly in the ear and the singer is asked to sing along. But the difference between a studio and karaoke was that, with headphones on, the singer's ears and voice were isolated. The mic stripped away all the attached elements of the singer's voice and presented it raw exposing all the strengths and flaws.
The recording booth was scarier than singing a cappella. With a cappella, at least the singer could hear their own voice and adjust rhythm and pitch. That's why many singers dislike wearing headphones during live performances. Though headphones remove background noise and deliver the clearest track to the singer's ears, they also hinder the singer's control over their own voice. In the recording booth, there's no way to hear yourself clearly you rely solely on innate musical sense.
In short, the recording booth fully exposes a singer's most basic abilities: whether they have talent, how much talent, their strengths and flaws everything is laid bare.
Of course, the purpose of the booth is also to compensate for those flaws and present the best possible version of the voice. Even off-key notes and vocal cracks can be corrected to some extent through track editing. That's why some people are called "studio singers" because their live performances are unbearable and they can only lip-sync using the studio track.
In the 21st century, the recording booth's role was pushed to the limit. People even joked, "Even dogs and pigs can become singers now." Many idol singers only had a pretty face, and some were tone-deaf. They had no choice but to rap, and the studio covered all their flaws so they could still release official albums.
From Hugo's perspective, a truly excellent singer needed a solid studio performance, because the studio helped maximize their strengths and created records for wide distribution. At the same time, live performances had to be impressive. The same song could have different interpretations depending on the venue and atmosphere, and only by doing so could they live up to the audience's sincerity in attending.
In fact, if given a choice, Hugo would have preferred to be part of a band. He had been a band member for the past ten years. Now being alone in the booth felt very strange. Let alone being in the lead vocalist's position it was extremely hard to get used to.
So when Hugo tried singing for the first time, he immediately made a fool of himself.
As soon as Hugo opened his mouth, something felt off, though he couldn't pinpoint it. The headphones blocked his own voice, but when he looked up, he saw Joseph's dumbfounded expression. Mark, however, looked calm, still seriously observing. Only when Hugo voluntarily stopped did Mark pause the music.
"Hugo, listen to that section you just did," Mark didn't scold Hugo but directly switched the track and played Hugo's singing inside the studio.
As soon as Hugo heard his own voice, he was startled. People always find their own voice strange. But more importantly, in that short section, he went off-key four times in a single lyric line. And on the final note, the "oh" syllable dragged into three conflicting pitches. Going off-key to this extent was almost a feat even amateur singers would do better.
Still, Hugo didn't feel ashamed. Instead, he burst out laughing. If that recording were released, forget others he himself would probably smash the CD. It was like watching American Idol, where tone-deaf contestants insisted they were musical geniuses. Ridiculous and hilarious.
Seeing Hugo's unrestrained laughter, Joseph couldn't hold it in either and started laughing. Even Mark, who wanted to stay serious, couldn't help but smile.
"Hugo, you're too focused on the music. All your attention is on it. You should focus more on your own singing," Mark pressed the red button again and spoke into the mic, "You know, besides going off-key, you were also half a beat too fast. Because you kept trying to match the music, you lost control of your voice. In reality, the music is just a guide. Real singing should flow naturally. As long as you understand the music well enough and focus on your own delivery, just sing naturally it'll work out."
Mark didn't mention any techniques just told Hugo to concentrate on singing. Hugo thought about it, then raised his index finger, indicating he wanted to try again. Mark didn't say anything more and immediately started the track.
In the second attempt, Hugo still didn't find his rhythm. He kept feeling distracted by the music in his ears. It was like having two people talking in his head. The two voices needed to sync, but one kept trying to match the other, making the pace anxious and prone to mistakes.
"Let me listen," Hugo took the initiative to ask for a playback, and just as he had expected, the voice was too tight. The whole performance sounded dry. Although the pitch issues weren't as serious this time, he still missed two notes, and the rhythm was somewhat messy. "Give me a few minutes," Hugo said into the mic.
Actually, Hugo wasn't a rookie in the recording studio. He just hadn't been the core of a recording session before. Hugo began to recall the feeling of being in the studio. Standing inside the recording booth wasn't much different from singing normally. The most important thing was to immerse himself in the music, to sing along with the melody. The music in the headphones wasn't a guide but an accompaniment.
Truly skilled singers don't try to step on the beat. During a performance, they don't need to tap the rhythm to control their singing. Instead, they imprint the rhythm and melody in their minds and deliver them smoothly and naturally. In contrast, during live performances, singers often adjust their tone, rhythm, and singing style according to the atmosphere, making every live version of the song a unique and one-of-a-kind interpretation.
Hugo seemed to have grasped some kind of trick, though he wasn't sure if it was right. So he took off one side of the headset, just resting one side against his ear, then said to Mark, "Let's try again."
Mark didn't immediately start the music. He pressed the red button and said, "Relax a little. Don't try to control it deliberately. Imagine the feeling when you usually sing." Then he started playing the music.
"The next time you meet me, things won't be the same." Hugo closed his eyes. His left ear could hear the music slowly flowing, while his right ear could sense his voice gently vibrating like guitar strings. It felt good, like lying in the shade of a tree on a summer afternoon, watching the sunlight softly shimmer through the leaves.
Before he knew it, Hugo had already finished singing the first four bars of the song. A smile formed on Mark's face. "Very good. That performance was much better." A smile finally appeared on Hugo's face as well, which meant the trick he found was indeed correct. "But you're still a bit tense. The emotion didn't come through. The demo you sent me had much richer expression. You should let go a little, don't let the studio restrain you."
"You have to understand, you're a very talented singer. The recording studio is a place that magnifies your strengths, so go ahead and do it boldly show off your strengths." Mark kept encouraging Hugo through the mic, and the tension in Hugo's heartstrings finally began to ease just a bit.
....
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