"I'm serious, your interpretation of the melody is stunning, it's very rare." Mark didn't understand Hugo's teasing and explained earnestly. It was clear he was a diligent person. "However, I'm not sure how you'll perform once you enter the recording studio. Many people have a good voice, but don't know how to control it once they get inside, and that makes it impossible to become a singer."Mark's sincerity made Hugo feel comfortable; at least it showed that Mark was the kind of person who worked with his feet on the ground. "I'll keep my middle finger crossed over my index finger." Meaning he was praying. "Then why don't we give it a try? If there's anything that can be improved or learned, we need to make full use of our time."Mark nodded immediately, agreeing with Hugo's words. "Go into the recording studio and let yourself adapt to the atmosphere first." After watching Hugo enter the recording studio, Mark walked to the sound console, but then remembered something. He turned back to Joseph and said, "If you feel bored, you can go out and look around. There are still plenty of recreational facilities here."Joseph was an agent and knew almost nothing about music. He had been dazed, but when Mark said this, he waved his hands repeatedly. "It's fine, it's fine, don't mind me, just do your work." He sat on the sofa, feeling a bit nervous. This was not a familiar film set; the professional and unfamiliar equipment put pressure on Joseph, but at the same time, he was very curious about Hugo's performance in the recording studio.Mark was just making conversation. He quickly focused his attention on Hugo. After sitting down at the sound console, he pressed the large red button on his right and said into the microphone in front of him, "Hugo, put on the headphones. Yes, that one." The sound from the microphone came through the speakers above the recording studio, directing Hugo's actions. "I'll play the music first, listen to the effect, and then try to sing along to the microphone. This is what recording is like. Let's try it once."Hugo made an "OK" gesture to Mark. Hugo was naturally not unfamiliar with these recording studio procedures. Not only because Glory to Death had recording experience before, but also because when he was an extra, he had seen Actors doing post-dubbing instead of live recording, so although he hadn't recorded and sung himself, he was very clear about the process.Music soon came through the headphones. It wasn't just the sound of pure instruments, but the master tape of Hugo's own singing. Simply put, it was like karaoke—playing the music directly into the ears and then asking the singer to sing along. But the difference between a recording studio and karaoke is that after the singer puts on the headphones, their ears are isolated from their own voice. The microphone strips away all the attached factors of the singer's voice, revealing it nakedly, exposing all the strengths and weaknesses of the voice.The recording studio is even more terrifying than singing a cappella. Because when singing a cappella, at least the singer can hear their own voice and can control the rhythm and pitch. This is also why many singers don't like to wear headphones when performing live. Although headphones can eliminate the noise of the scene and deliver the accompaniment to the singer's ears in the most direct and clear way, they also affect the singer's control over their own voice. In the recording studio, the singer has no way to control their own voice and relies entirely on the most primitive musical sense to perform.In short, the recording studio completely presents the singer's most basic abilities—whether they have talent, how much talent they have, their strengths and weaknesses, etc., all of which are revealed.Of course, the existence of the recording studio is also to make up for the shortcomings in a singer's voice and present the best state. Even situations like singing off-key or cracking can be corrected to a certain extent through the adjustment of tracks in the recording studio. This is why some people are called studio singers, because their live performances are disastrous, and they can only rely on lip-syncing and playing studio recordings to perform.In the 21st century, the role of the recording studio has been brought to the extreme. People even joke that "even dogs and pigs can become singers." Many idol singers only have a pretty face, and in severe cases, they are tone-deaf and can only choose to rap, but the recording studio covers up all their shortcomings, allowing them to become formal singers who can release albums.In Hugo's view, a truly excellent singer needs to have an excellent performance in the recording studio because this is the medium that maximizes the singer's advantages, and records will become the most extensive promotional channel; but at the same time, the live performance must be exciting enough. The same song can be interpreted in different flavors according to different live venues, which is the only way to live up to the sincerity of all the audience who came to listen.Actually, if he had a choice, Hugo would rather be in a Band, because he had been a member of a Band for the past ten years. Now, having him appear in the recording studio alone felt very strange, not to mention letting Hugo directly take the position of lead singer. This was really hard to adapt to.Therefore, when Hugo tried to sing for the first time, he immediately made a fool of himself.As soon as Hugo made a sound, he felt something was wrong, but he couldn't say what it was, because the headphones blocked his own voice. However, he raised his eyes and took a peek, and saw Joseph's stunned expression. But Mark seemed very calm, with no special expression on his face, still appearing to be studying intently, until Hugo stopped on his own, and Mark paused the music."Hugo, listen to your performance just now." Mark didn't scold Hugo, but directly cut the track over and played Hugo's singing in the recording studio.Hugo was startled when he heard his own voice, because people always feel strange about their own voices. And more importantly, in the lyrics Hugo just sang, he actually went off-key four times, and in the trailing sound, there was an "oh" drag, and Hugo actually sang three incompatible scales in a row. It's really not easy to go off-key to this extent. Even amateur singers couldn't compare to this performance.However, Hugo didn't feel ashamed; instead, he burst out laughing. If such music were recorded, let alone others, even he himself would want to smash the disc. It was just like watching "American Idol," where those people who sang so off-key that no one could recognize the original song insisted that they were musical geniuses. This was simply too absurd and funny.Seeing Hugo's unbridled laughter, Joseph finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even Mark, who wanted to be serious, couldn't help but smile."Hugo, you care too much about the music. Your attention is all focused on the music; you should pay attention to your own singing." Mark pressed the red button again and said to Hugo, "You know, besides being off-key, you were also half a beat fast. Because you were always worried about the music and wanted to actively fit the music, you lost control of your voice. In fact, the music is just a point; the real singing should flow naturally. As long as you have a sufficient understanding of the music, you put your attention on your own singing and sing freely, there will be no problem."Mark didn't say anything technical; he just let Hugo focus on his own singing. Hugo thought for a moment, held up his index finger, and signaled that he wanted to try again. Mark didn't say anything more and immediately played the music.The second time he sang, Hugo still didn't grasp the state. He always felt distracted by the music in his ears, as if there were two people talking in his head at the same time. Obviously, the two voices should be synchronized, but there was always one voice trying to cater to the other, so the pace was always very tense, and he would make mistakes if he wasn't careful."Let me hear it." Hugo took the initiative to listen to it. Sure enough, as he expected, the voice was too tight. The whole singing sounded dry. Although the off-key wasn't as serious, he still missed two notes, and the rhythm was slightly messy. "Give me a few minutes." Hugo said to the microphone.Actually, Hugo wasn't a recording studio rookie; it was just that he hadn't been the core of the recording before. Hugo began to recall the feeling in the recording studio. In fact, standing in the recording studio was no different from singing normally. The most important thing was to integrate himself into the music and sing along the melody. The music in the headphones wasn't a guide, but an accompaniment.Truly high-level singers don't follow the beat of the music, and they don't need to keep time to control their singing during the performance. Instead, they imprint the rhythm and melody of the music in their heads and then perform it smoothly. Conversely, when performing live, singers will change the tune, rhythm, singing style, etc., according to the atmosphere of the scene, thereby interpreting the song into a unique version that is different every time.Hugo seemed to have found some tricks, but he wasn't sure if it was correct, so he took one side of the headphones off, just sticking it to one side, and then said to Mark, "Try again."Mark didn't play the music directly, but pressed the red button and said, "Relax a little, don't deliberately try to control it. Just imagine the feeling of your usual singing." 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 flowing slowly, while his right ear could perceive his own voice vibrating slightly like guitar strings. This feeling was very good, as if lying under the shade of a tree on a summer afternoon, watching the sunlight swaying gently among the leaves.Without realizing it, Hugo finished singing the first four bars of the song. A curve appeared on Mark's face. "Very good. This performance was very good." A smile finally appeared on Hugo's face, which showed that the trick he found was correct. "However, you were still too nervous, and the emotion wasn't interpreted. The master tape you sent me had a much richer expressiveness. You should let go and not be constrained by the recording studio.""You must know that you are an excellent singer. The recording studio is a place to amplify your strengths, so go for it boldly and show your strengths." Mark kept encouraging Hugo through the microphone, which finally made Hugo's tense heartstrings relax a little.
