Starting from Sunset Plaza, driving north for about half an hour, you can find a holy land for musicians on the west side of Universal Studios: Sound City.Sound City is the name of a recording studio.Located on Cabrito Road, this studio symbolizes the most glorious musical dreams of Los Angeles since the 1970s.Established in 1969, against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, its humble origins made it quite incompatible with the hippie movement's aesthetic of flowers and freedom.Even unknown singers at the time were unwilling to record their voices in that "filthy and terrible" place.But with the emergence of the Band Spirit's album "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" in 1970 and Neil Young's album "After the Gold Rush," Sound City began to receive more and more attention.In this studio, one can find countless great names.Albums that established the supreme status of famous musicians like Metallica, Elton John, Guns N Roses, Santana, and Nirvana were all produced here.This made Sound City the most famous recording studio in Los Angeles, with countless people flocking here on a pilgrimage.Entering the 1990s, music media changed with each passing day, from vinyl records to tapes to CDs.The status of recording studios naturally underwent huge changes.An excellent recording studio's equipment is crucial, and the development of technology forces recording studios to constantly update their equipment to keep up with the times, so as to always maintain the favor of singers.In this regard, Sound City has always maintained a good synchronization rate.In 1991, Nirvana's blockbuster album "nevermind" was recorded here.Therefore, when Hugo was notified to come to Sound City for recording, his inner excitement was so surging that he almost lost control.Being able to come into such close contact with the musical holy land of countless Rock fans, and even record in this studio, Hugo felt so happy he could suffocate.The filming of "a few good men" lasted until late May.The more than two months of filming benefited Hugo greatly.Compared to other gains, the breakthrough in acting skills was undoubtedly the most gratifying, but winning the opportunity to get in touch with music also made Hugo ecstatic.It's hard to say which news made him happier; he could only say that life after time-travel was truly wonderful!During the filming, Hugo used his spare time to truly calm down and adapt "Next Time You See Me," then recorded it simply with a tape recorder and handed it to Rob.Rob took it to the film composer Mark Shaiman for a listen.After discussion, it was finally decided to use Hugo's re-interpretation as the theme song for the film, to be played at the end of the film when the credits roll.Although audiences almost always leave when the credits roll at the end of the film, and very few are willing to stick to the end—simply put, the number of viewers who might hear Hugo's song might not be many—it still made Hugo incredibly happy.This was not just as simple as getting a music opportunity, but it also indicated that Hugo's talent in music had been affirmed to a certain extent.Joseph looked at Hugo, who was sitting in the passenger seat and unable to contain his excitement, and felt a bit amused.Even when the news of successful auditions for "scent of a woman" or "a few good men" came, Hugo's emotions were not this high.This made Joseph feel very strange."I never knew you would be so keen on recording songs and becoming a singer."Hearing this, Hugo realized he was a bit too excited.His ten-year pursuit of music had been deeply branded into his bones.The Glory to Death Band had even joked among themselves, "Will we just die in obscurity on some unknown stage?"So, he was indeed very hyper today, a state he couldn't control.However, Hugo was also gradually getting familiar with Joseph, so he didn't panic."It's precisely because I've never tried it before that everything is so fresh, isn't it?"Hugo said calmly, "If I were to try a brand new, breakthrough role, I would be just as happy."Joseph couldn't help but nod slightly, acknowledging Hugo's statement."That's true. However, aren't you nervous? A recording studio—this is a completely different field."Hugo took a deep breath, "Nervous, of course I'm nervous."Then he let out a long breath.Before time-traveling, the Glory to Death Band had been to recording studios, and not just a few times.There were formal recording studios and crude private ones, but most of the time there were no professional recording engineers to help, and they had to start from scratch and figure it out themselves.But today, what Hugo had to face were professional recording engineers and the top-tier recording studio in the industry.How could he not be nervous?The only thing that could make Hugo feel slightly comforted was that Mark had only been in the industry for a year, and Mark was only thirty-three years old this year, so it should be easier to communicate with him than those veteran recording engineers.Arriving at the parking lot behind the studio, every parking space had a name posted on it, clearly the most reasonable arrangement made for standardized parking.Joseph found the name "International Creative Management Gibbs," parked the car, and walked into the exquisite building in front of them with Hugo.Walking into the lobby, one could see a reception desk made of three discarded oil drums.It was shabby but had personality, making one's eyes light up.Joseph went up to report Mark Shaiman's name, then confirmed Hugo Lancaster's identity, and then a Staff Member led the two toward the designated recording studio.The Sound City studio was large, with many recording studios of different sizes.The largest could accommodate an entire symphony orchestra, and the smallest was naturally the space for a single singer to work.However, the studio at this time was not advanced enough.All the walls were wooden soundproofing materials.Hugo had been to a recording studio in 2011, where the walls of every recording room were made of different materials—metal, fabric, and wood—which could be turned like pages to change according to the needs of the recording acoustics.But it was only the early 1990s, so it was expected that it wouldn't be that complicated.Outside the recording studio, there was a communal lounge area with coffee machines, microwaves, refrigerators, and other equipment, a designated area for people to rest and eat.Many people, once they entered work mode, would live in the studio for a week or even longer, which wasn't strange, so the existence of such a rest area was particularly important.However, professional recording studios require appointments, especially the most popular ones like Sound City.After scheduling a time in advance, one must arrive on time.If you are late, the studio won't extend the time because the next time slot will also have an appointment.Walking inside, regardless of whether they knew him or not, the Staff Member greeted Hugo enthusiastically.It wasn't because Hugo was a somewhat famous Actor, but because Hugo was about to start working here.Who knew if a classic wouldn't be born in one of the studios here at such a moment?After arriving at the destination, Hugo and Joseph rang the doorbell.The soundproof door of the studio soon opened, and a simple, honest smile appeared in front of them, "Hey, you're here, come in."This was Mark Shaiman.Hugo didn't know much about film composers.Mark wasn't a household name like Hans Zimmer, John Williams, or James Horner, so Hugo's knowledge of him was very limited.However, the soon-to-be-released "Sister Act" was Mark's work, which was a movie Hugo was very familiar with."Sorry, my work still needs a little time to finish. You guys sit here and wait for a moment. Hugo, you can get used to the guitar, I'll be done soon."Mark always had a smile on his face, enthusiastic and polite.Without waiting for introductions from both sides, he spoke a lot in a hurry and took the initiative to introduce the instruments piled next to him.He was very sincere and had absolutely no airs of a film composer."You go ahead! We'll talk later!"Hugo said concisely and clearly, signaling Mark to attend to his own business.Afterward, Hugo stood in place and began to look at the surrounding decoration and equipment.The simple and plain decoration was generous and decent, very similar to the recording studio decoration style in the black-and-white film era in Hugo's memory.The decoration here was not gorgeous, even a bit down-and-out, and one could even imagine the image of musicians and singers rejecting this place when Sound City was first established.But it was precisely this simplicity that set off the incredibility of the classic music that singers had conceived here.Compared to luxurious and exquisite decoration, music was the soul of this studio.This made Hugo's blood boil."Hey, sorry, I was busy and confused just now."Mark's voice interrupted Hugo's contemplation.He had finally finished his work, stood up again, and took the initiative to reach out to Joseph and Hugo, "I am Mark Shaiman. Very happy to have this collaboration."After Joseph and Hugo introduced themselves, Mark showed a bright smile to Hugo, "Your voice sounds like it has more stories than your appearance. From a recording engineer's perspective, this is a rare thing. Maybe you will be an excellent singer."Hearing this, Hugo couldn't help but laugh.It wasn't because his ten-year underground Rock career had made his voice have stories, but because Mark's words reminded him of the music talent show "American Idol" that would sweep the world later.He somehow felt that Mark was one of the judges, and was praising his audition.Hugo's smile made Mark a little embarrassed, "Sorry, my occupational disease flared up. I'm not saying your appearance is not good..."Mark's words just now were ambiguous and could also be interpreted as him mocking Hugo's appearance as being a vase, while his voice sounded much better, so he quickly explained."No, no," Hugo waved his hands repeatedly, saying with a bright smile, "I know what you mean. If my expression didn't make it clear, I can explain: I was giggling just now, a bit surprised by your praise, because you are the first person who didn't compliment my appearance."Hugo's earnest explanation made Mark stunned, unable to tell whether it was true or false.
