High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on Sept 16, 2019 22:14:41 GMT -8
Tai had been wanting a chance to try working on a song idea in the producing studio for a while, but until recently, any time he'd been free to maybe pursue it, the company vice-president had been in there working on something, or Yuseong had been actually recording. None of this was good for his ability to mess around with the song idea. He'd gotten most of it written down, first on paper, and then on the basic software that he had on his laptop, but he needed the level of tools that he'd practiced with in his Uncle Hwannie's studio to really see if it would work.
He'd been thrilled that morning when he realized that Kangwan's name was on the schedule for the period of time right after he would be getting back from school. He didn't feel nervous about asking Kangwan if he could share some studio time.
When he got back from school he double checked through the little window, and Kangwan was the only one in there. It didn't look like he was using the full array of tools just then either, so Tai didn't feel bad checking in if he could use some when Kangwan didn't need them that moment.
A little tentatively, he knocked on the door to the recording studio, not wanting to intrude with Kangwan's permission.
Kim Kangwan
|
|
Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Kim Kangwan on Sept 30, 2019 19:18:40 GMT -8
Kangwan was excited that the company had agreed to start using his songs on albums. Of course, they got tweaked here and there quite often still, but seeing his name in the credits of the song composition made him happy. In his excitement at seeing it the first time, he had sent a picture to his dad, and was surprised when he got a "good job," the first compliment regarding his career his dad had ever paid him. So naturally, he'd been in a good mood lately. He didn't need to seriously write any songs at the moment, though he had one on his laptop he'd been messing around with and debating if he wanted to pitch it to the band. He had asked for the recording studio for this time in case he figured out what was missing from it, but so far hadn't used any of the programs or tools he didn't already have on his laptop.
He heard a knock at the door and tilted his head curiously, glancing to the time. He still had plenty of time left in here, so he wondered who it could be. He opened the door and saw Taijia, and a smile broke across his face. "Oh, hello Tai. What's up?"
|
|
High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on Oct 1, 2019 0:19:36 GMT -8
Tai smiled up at Kangwan, happy to see him. They'd not seen as much of each other as Tai might have expected considering they used the same training rooms, but a lot of Yuseong's training times were scheduled for when the trainees were at school.
He said in Korean, "Hi Kangwan-hyung. I haven't seen you in a while."
He glanced down, not wanting to impose, but also wanting a chance to actually try working on the song that he'd been toying with, and he asked shyly, words coming out in a quiet, slightly too fast jumble, "There was a song that I was working on, and I wanted to get a chance to see what it would sound like with the proper equipment, Uncle Hwannie had been working with me with his studio set up since after you came back to Korea, but I don't have permission to reserve the studio here myself yet, and I was wondering, if I wouldn't be distracting you if I could maybe join you this afternoon?"
He glanced up at Kangwan through his bangs, fingers momentarily tangling in his braid. He didn't think that Kangwan would be mean about it. He knew that Kangwan liked him and had been excited for him to make it through auditions. But he also knew that Kangwan might well be busy and need the space to himself.
He was surprised at how nervous he was about asking now that it was actually the time. He'd not been bothered at all by the idea that morning, but he really wanted this chance to work on this song, and he didn't know that the company would take him seriously about music the same way that they were taking him about dancing without a bit more tangible proof.
|
|
Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Kim Kangwan on Oct 27, 2019 18:50:54 GMT -8
Kangwan nodded in response to Taijia's comment about not having seen each other in a while, and then tilted his head as he waited patiently for Taijia to get to the point. "Oh! Yeah, sure, come on in." He said quickly, moving to the side to let Taijia into the studio. "I've been using my laptop and headphones until I can figure out what I'm missing from a song, so you're free to use the equipment as you wish." He knew Taijia knew how to use all the equipment already, and could only imagine how frustrating it must be for the kid to not be able to reserve recording studios yet. It was a rule that was implemented from the beginning, but as a trainee, Kangwan didn't yet know how to write songs, so he didn't care. "Make sure to shut the door behind you." He muttered, going to sit back down. He swiveled his chair to look at the boy,
"In the future, just message me if you need the recording studio and I'll reserve it for you." He said, though he had a feeling Taijia would not do that - it would read too much as favoritism, which no trainee really wanted since it could also mean bullying. Though, from what he'd seen so far of the other male trainees, everyone was taking good care of Taijia and had a moderate amount of respect for him already, and Kangwan had already mentioned that he used to babysit Taijia, and therefore they've had a relationship prior to being sunbae and hoobae.
|
|
High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on Oct 28, 2019 23:20:21 GMT -8
Taijia carefully closed the door behind him and said softly, "Thanks hyung."
He settled himself efficiently at the recording equipment and keyboard once he had the go ahead from Kangwan, not wanting to waste his time in case Kangwan needed it soon. He said softly, "It wouldn't feel fair, but if you're OK with it, I might come visit when you've got it reserved sometimes."
He figured that eventually, the company would hear some of the stuff that he'd written and decide that it was worth letting him access the studios himself, but until then, he wouldn't mind getting a chance to spend some time with Kangwan. He added, still a little bit shy, "Also, I feel like I've been seeing way more of Taehoon-hyung than of you, so it's good to get to see you Kangwan-hyung."
He didn't know if Taehoon had mentioned that he was helping on the choreography for Yuseong's song, but he did feel a little bit strange about the fact that he was getting close to Taehoon as a hyung when he wasn't really seeing that much of Kangwan. He heard about him from Thomas, of course, but that was different.
He pulled out the sheet music that he'd handwritten and quickly started feeding it into the program, using the synthesizer function so that it could play, though a lot of it was for keyboard and guitar because those were the instruments he mostly thought in. It was faster this way, and he could always do live takes of the music later. The vocal part was the only part that he couldn't do in the synthesizer.
He kept an eye on Kangwan, not wanting to be in his hyung's way if he needed the recording equipment. He listened to the instrumental only version once he had the initial version plugged in only about fifteen minutes after he got there, with it on the headphones that were attached to the system so that he wouldn't bother Kangwan. He tweaked a few more things, before listening to it again. It sounded like the thing that he'd been working on for weeks, though there were still a few bits that needed something different. It was so much easier to make the tweaks with the synthesized version of the sound so that he could hear what wasn't right.
At this point, the only thing that was missing was the vocal part. He liked the lyrics that he'd come up with, discretely working on them through his study periods at school when he was out of other things to work on, and he had the melody already figured out.
He stared at the vocal recording section back behind where he was sitting, wondering if it would be too much to ask Kangwan to push the recording buttons for him. He glanced over at Kangwan, vaguely curious about what he was working on. Tai itched to have this at a point that he could show it to someone because it had been bubbling in his brain for weeks. He could show Kangwan the instrumental if he was interested, but it really needed the vocal to be complete.
He wasn't quite sure how to even ask Kangwan if he was interested in hearing it or if he'd be willing to help, but he couldn't stop from glancing over repeatedly, getting a little bit more fidgety as he glanced, and having his curiosity about what Kangwan was working on grow.
|
|
Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 10, 2019 14:58:46 GMT -8
Kangwan smiled and nodded at Taijia. "No problem. I'll let you know if I book it but need the whole studio." He said simply, "That way you know if it would be a good time to join."
He stared at his own music program while Taijia got to work, but, still stumped, he quickly grew bored and migrated to social media. He scrolled through Instagram, Tumblr (a social media platform he had somehow managed to keep very secret), and the fan cafe before he glanced over to Tai again and noticed him seeming to want to ask something. He pulled down his headphones, looking to the boy, "Did you need something?"
|
|
High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on Nov 15, 2019 23:02:41 GMT -8
Tai smiled up at Kangwan when he made a decision and said, "Thank you Kangwan-hyung. I'll look forward to it."
When Kangwan asked if he needed anything, Tai fidgeted slightly. He hadn't meant to distract Kangwan from his own work. He said tentatively, "I don't want to distract you. How's what you're working on going?"
Then, after a pause, he rushed out in a single breath, "I've got enough of it put in that it's almost ready for someone to listen to as a test track, but it doesn't have the vocal part, and the voice set up isn't one that I know how to put on self-record. Though I wouldn't do that without telling you first even if it was. If it wasn't getting in the way of what you're working on, do you think that you might be able to help me do the recording for the voice track?"
Tai hoped he wasn't asking too much. This was supposed to be Kangwan's studio time, and he didn't want to impose on it. It had been so nice to get the chance to actually use proper tools again though. He was able to work so much faster, and he was glad that his impulses had been right mostly when working on paper. He hoped that Kangwan would be interested enough in what he was working on to listen to it and help him record.
|
|
Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Kim Kangwan on Dec 2, 2019 20:48:14 GMT -8
Kangwan couldn't stop a short bark of a laugh as Taijia mentioned not wanting to distract him from work. "I've been distracted for a..." He glanced at the clock on his laptop, "good long while, now." He smiled, "I'd love to help you." He had to admit he was curious about what Taijia had been working on, so to get to see it firsthand made him excited. He knew the kid was a prodigy, and he just hoped the company would see that.
|
|
High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on Dec 17, 2019 1:24:14 GMT -8
Tai had put some electronic filters over the synthesized versions of the instrumental to give it more of the feel that he was looking for. The base rhythmic layer involved what would generally sound like a rather upbeat dance beat, but layered over it was a rather melancholic or almost mournful sound, though still with hints of hopefulness. Tai liked the contrasts, and the elements that seemed to be pulling the song in two different directions while still tying it together. He'd modulated it from minor to major and back again a few times, and he was proud of himself for that. There were a few places where he'd let the rhythm drop out, and it was just almost delicate keyboard, and those were where he would want rap to go, but that was something that he would need someone else's help with.
He was glad that he'd already marked in where the recordings would go, and that some of them would have multiple layers of vocals, so that he could show it to Kangwan-hyung and explain where he was and what he needed to do recording wise. He was proud of the lyrics too. He didn't have the slightest idea how to write something like a love song, maybe he'd figure that out when he was older, even though they were popular in Kpop, but he'd figured something out that he thought seemed relatable, with a feeling of how things could have been different and yearning for an opportunity to show oneself. There was sadness for something lost, some sort of missed chance, a person who should have been there, but also hope for something that could happen that maybe, if one tried enough, would happen. And he was pretty sure that he'd gotten most of that in there. He'd read enough poetry in Korean that he hoped that he could convey at least some of that.
He held out the headphones that he'd been using and told Kangwan, "This is just the instrumental, but I've got the markers for where the vocal parts go in, and when there's more than one layer of them. I'd need to warm my voice up a little bit, but I could probably do all the lyrics recording in one go. I've got it memorized."
He had the lyrics written down with him too, and he offered them tentatively to Kangwan, glad that his handwriting was tidy. He added, "If you want to see though. But I'd probably want to bring them in with me."
He hoped that Kangwan would like it, and that he wasn't tricking himself that it was actually pretty good. The song had been eating at his brain for long enough that it was a relief to have it mostly out.
[[OOC: for genre reference, I'm going to give a few kpop songs that fall into the right general spectrum of emotional and musical content: TRCNG's "Missing"; Imfact's "Na Na Na" and "제업 이상 웅재 발자국" (the TRCNG song is probably the closest to the emotional tone, but it's probably musically/stylistically closer to the Imfact songs).]]
|
|
Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Kim Kangwan on Mar 27, 2020 18:01:32 GMT -8
Kangwan scooted his chair closer to Taijia, looking over the music as Tai talked, and then taking the lyrics happily. He felt strangely proud of Tai, despite not having taken really any part of Taijia's music writing experience. "This looks great!" He praised as he finished looking over the lyrics, lowering the paper so he could give Taijia a smile. "I look forward to hearing it." He handed the paper back to Taijia. Maybe hearing something else could help him place what he was missing in his own song. Or well, he could hope.
|
|
High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on May 22, 2020 1:01:54 GMT -8
Taijia did his best not to fidget while Kangwan was listening to the instrumental of the song. He wanted to make sure that Kangwan was interested enough in the song to help him record the vocals for the sample version. He was also honestly curious what Kangwan thought of the song as a whole. This wasn't by any means the first song that that Tai had tried writing, but it was the first one he was pleased with, and he hoped that actually reflected in the song itself.
There was a part of him that kind of wanted to ask Kangwan to help with recording the guide vocals, especially the parts that were in a harder range for Tai because Kangwan had a much more developed lower range than Tai, which was unsurprising considering their respective ages. It wasn't like the song was even particularly low.
When the music finished, he asked softly, "What do you think? I know it's still missing the vocal line and the rap, though I've got some extra percussion in there for where the rap would go just for the beat it would make."
He chewed on his lip nervously waiting for feedback.
|
|
Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Kim Kangwan on Jul 19, 2020 21:22:05 GMT -8
Kangwan shook his head and gave Taijia a smile, "Don't worry! It looks great. Honestly, I'd think this came from a seasoned songwriter, though honestly, I'd expect nothing less from Hwangjung-sshi's nephew." He said honestly. He looked it over from the perspective of a songwriter, truly analyzing the song to it's full intent. His words had been true, but he had a feeling Taijia wanted actually constructive criticism rather than just praise. "Honestly, I think it could use a little something extra during the vocalizations. Although the transition from the rap to the vocals is very smooth, if you listened to one part and then the other disjointedly, you would possibly think they were two different songs with a similar beat. Maybe adding in a tune to go with the melody, or... I don't know, a snare drum? Something not necessarily loud, but to add on to what's already there." He hoped what he was saying made sense. He felt like he had pulled a critique from nowhere, but it was the first thing he could come up with.
"I meant it when I said this sounds like a professional songwriter wrote it. So it's up to you if you want to make that change. That suggestion is just my personal preference. As is, your song altogether flows much more smoothly than some of the songs I've seen from some sunbaes so honestly you could change nothing." He added, not wanting to disappoint or discourage Taijia, either. He never liked being a critic, it wasn't his personality to pick apart things to nitpick, and when he did he always felt bad about doing it, because this was someone's hard work! It felt disrespectful, even though he knew some people appreciated the criticisms.
|
|
High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on Jul 19, 2020 22:19:28 GMT -8
Tai thought about the idea of adding a little bit more percussion, but he wasn't entirely sure. He told Kangwan, "I'll have to think about how that would sound, but I think that I want to get the vocal track recorded first. The markers for it are on the program, do you think that you could do the recording for me? I think that I can do it in one or two takes for a guide vocal. A couple of the lower parts are just barely in a range that I can sing though."
He was turning the idea of adding more percussive elements into the song, but he was a little bit concerned that they would be jarring. He'd gone with mellower percussion partially because it moved the beat of the song forward without distracting. He also wasn't sure if Kangwan's opinion would be changed by hearing it with vocals in it.
|
|
Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Kim Kangwan on Dec 21, 2020 15:34:12 GMT -8
Kangwan chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, sure, of course." He replied, looking over the lyrics more so he would know how to sing them. He remembered that issue, and honestly, his voice didn't change all that much when it did finally change. But he could hit the low parts Taijia was talking about. After another read-through, he nodded and gave Taijia a smile. "I'll be happy to sing it, but I may need a couple takes, since the song is almost completely unfamiliar to me."
|
|
High Schooler (11th - composition) / Dreams Ent Trainee / Producer / Choreographer.
Unsure (not straight).
Single.
08/01/2008.
13.
Rat (Korea)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Taijia Lin on Feb 7, 2021 22:49:43 GMT -8
Tai smiled up at Kangwan and said, "I can record it first that way there's a guide vocal, but I'd really like it if you'd be willing to try it too. I think that it would sound cool in your voice."
He headed into the sound booth now that he had confirmation that Kangwan would help him record, and it didn't take him too long to get everything set up on his end. The nice thing about it being song and lyrics that he'd written is that he knew the whole thing very very well.
He did a quick sound test, and once the music started, he just focused on the singing. The low notes were a little hard, but he managed them well enough. While he'd had a lot of vocal training before coming to Korea, he felt like he'd improved some since he started lessons doing his lessons with Seoji.
When he finished, he took off his headphones and headed out of the sound booth, wanting to check the sound, and also hear what Kangwan thought. He started to ask, "How was that?"
But the final words died in his mouth when he saw that the VP, the one who wrote a lot of songs for Yuseong, had come in while he was in the sound booth and was clapping slightly. He said to Kangwan, "That's a different sort of sound. It's a good song."
Tai froze at the door of the sound booth, not quite sure what to do, and waited to see what Kangwan's response to the company VP would be.
[[OOC: I wanted to move us along to the actual plot point of this thread. I intentionally had Tai miss the VP coming in, so feel free to do what you want with that.]]
|
|