Siblings' Hymn: Colliding through sound
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For this activity, I’m planning to go for a soft, soothing themed song cover, almost like a lullaby. I don’t know why, but songs like these just draw me in, especially when they have strong, meaningful messages. There were a lot of songs I considered before, including Only Hope by Mandy Moore and Everytime by Britney Spears but after listening to them for a while, I thought it’d get too complicated for me, as someone who doesn’t have any skills in playing nor having instruments, to replicate or at least come close to the impact they produce through them. Plus, there are moments when they would have instrumental solos for a considerable amount of time, which becomes a challenge, especially when they’re a part of the song’s duration that fulfills the activity’s required minutes.
After some deliberation, I continuously kept my mind open for alternatives or options. That’s when the two songs, which I plan to use for the activity (Tanjiro no uta and Nezuko no uta), appeared. Ever since I began to cover LiSA’s Homura for karaoke sessions at home, it just fascinates me how much emotion and meaning these songs hold and are unfortunately left unbeknownst to some. Coming from the same anime series, these two songs conveniently fit my passion, purpose, and circumstances.
Kamado Tanjiro no Uta via AOG Music on YouTube
Kamado Nezuko no Uta via ufotable on YouTube
Accomplishing this task might prove to be time-consuming, especially when I’m still familiarizing my way around the DAWs along with experimenting with what combination would suit me best. That aside, what remains is practicing keyboard and vocals, recording, and allowing enough time for mixing.
As for my production area, I will be doing everything in my home, particularly my usual setup (in front of my PC in the living room) and the bathroom (the room reverb might become useful). Neither of these is soundproof nor treated, and quite open to outside noises, leaving me no choice but to carefully schedule my recording sessions around nighttime to early morning (11 pm - 4 am).
My humble living room PC setup :)
It’s not an ideal setup, so it will require more effort, and hopefully, will successfully produce the following tracks:
2 vocal tracks (1 main and 1 second melody)
1 piano track (accompaniment)
1 man-made percussion track (accompaniment)
1 synthesized track (atmosphere)
Using DAW, I will most likely make use of synth pads to enhance the emotional tone of the eventual final piece, aside from manipulating the audio. My equipment is simple, and I’m basically just working with what I currently have, with the addition of KZ earphones. It’s the best I can have as of the moment, so I’ll probably also work my way around how to get the most out of them.
Hardware:
KZ Zsn PRO-X earphones w/ built-in condenser mic
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13
Intel i3-7100 based Windows PC
Software:
TwistedWave and/or AudioMass
BandLab and/or AudioTool
It may seem vague right now because I have yet to fully weight the pros and cons of my two options for recording and mixing, plus we’re still identifying whether the seemingly more appropriate keyboard (we have two, one seems more for children recreation while the other seems more advanced and fitting for the intended purpose) will be usable by the time I start preparing for its supposed track, but I plan to provide an updated list through the future activities.
At first, I didn’t really think about how I would record the tracks because I usually record through Messenger, then download the MP3 file of the voice mail through the function inspect, but for this activity, I’m considering both TwistedWave and AudioMass to see if a direct WAV file recording would be possible. Below is my visual representation of the current signal flow:
Below's a five-week timetable of how I plan to proceed starting today, onwards:
Preparation includes the continuous practice and learning processes I will go through, not just with vocals but also with my equipment. Since I have no experience with playing the keyboard, I wanna give myself enough time to at least properly execute it. It might seem too cramped to still be preparing until week 4, but this section will also make way for retakes due to an error or discovered potential improvement during recording and mixing.
Evidently, there will be overlaps because I want to maximize my available time. If I can do something earlier than expected or simultaneously with another (in a good, safe way), I might just do it if the situation allows. If I want to produce a good output, it will require the respective effort and dedication, so as much as possible, I want to stay within this timetable as a bare minimum.
As for publishing, I plan to add visual aids like lyrics and, if possible, video clips to help the audience better understand the final output. Also, I might translate some parts of the lyrics to at least give a gist, especially for those who prefer listening alone, of what the song is all about, because even if the emotion is there, understanding its message, even partly, adds more depth to it than nothing. Although the opportunity is there for me to translate the whole thing, I’m afraid it will make things quite awkward, like how some Filipinos feel when they watch the Tagalized versions of their known foreign shows. I have nothing against our language and making these shows more accessible to our fellow countrymen, I just want my output to stay as authentic as it can be to its nature as I present it.
Looking back, I was always into performing. As much as the thought of audiences gives me anxiety at times, I feel like that’s where I’m most expressive. Although it may sound cringy or cliche, when I was in Junior High School, I wanted to try becoming an idol because the thought of empathizing and cheering up people using something I felt passionate about felt like a dream, and I feel like it contributed to my choices of today for this activity.
Although I have experience in singing, I have none in the technical aspects of audio production. This amount of immersion is a first for me, so I anticipated it’d be a long, hard-fought battle, but overall, I’m glad to know that I am given the opportunity to do so and that what I have in mind seems feasible. I now have at least a foundation to refer and build upon as I move forward, which I really appreciate considering my procrastinating tendencies.
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