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LMMS

If the illustration hasn’t raised any of your alarm bells, then yes, MATURE CONTENT WARNING, YO.

So yes, I am back again with a new music cover. This is one production in which I utilized an acoustic guitar synthesizer as well, and so far, using it hasn’t given me too much trouble. Meanwhile, my guitar performance skills still need a lot more practice…and I miss my brother’s acoustic guitar, alright…

Also, I’d like to say that working the vocals for this song felt like a struggle, even with me finding a key I sound better in, particularly in terms of harmonizing.

As for the accompanying visuals…I’d like to say that the illustration I worked with is quite a surprise from Biwa-san, indeed…

This arrange cover’s actually something I made during my earlier attempts at producing with LMMS. I set it aside after feeling like it was too difficult for me at that time, but after some more time with building experience and all, I managed to gain confidence to work on this some more and get it uploaded with a video. kemu’s stunning return to Vocaloid is also a major factor in the production and release of this, I guess, considering how my focus in terms of music have been shifting to more pop sounds recently, particularly K-Pop. Still, Vocaloid music like kemu’s hold a special place in my heart as inspirations for my own attempts at creating music and all that.

Well, that, and there’s me trying to do worthwhile stuff while on vacation. I really need to soften my rigidity with things like this and care for my body better, though…even if I have to deal with slow processing when it comes to working with AviUtl in my comp…

And speaking of AviUtl, I’ve been trying out some more new things, like the flares. It may be hard to preview my video while producing it, but seeing stuff work well with smooth playback is still something that I enjoy! Also, my Japanese online friend named Biwa drew for me again! As usual, she did well, if you ask me!

And I better not forget Vocaloid producer Tenshi~Akari! Freaking nuts, it’s been a while since I last communicated with her…Anyway, this arrange cover, particularly during its early stages, was something I showed to her for feedback. I think she sent me a melody line track as a guide as well? Ah, my memories of that are blurry now, honestly…but still, I’m certain that she had helped me enough to deserve special mention! So yeah, thanks very much, yo!

By the way, this song is still my top favorite kemu song (which the presence of my previous attempt can probably attest to). I feel good about this arrange, yeah, but the original arrange is still something I like more than mine. The fast beat, hard guitars, delicate synths, and the way they mix and shift to present the song’s heart-rending story all really get me more than my high-speed acoustic parade, you know?

So yeah, that aside, here’s this cover’s mp3. Also, here are the instrumentals (-3 key and original key) for those who want to make covers with it. Of course, you better credit me properly! Like, mention my online alias and link to my YouTube Channel, Niconico MyList, and the like in your upload description, yo!

And again, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated! \(^o^)

Comparing this arrange to the original makes me feel like I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go when it comes to making worthwhile music, but hey, the journey of an artist requires an audience and their honest constructive feedback, so yeah. 🙂

Also, I’d like to express how I felt good about working on this, particularly on the instrumental. The LMMS samples aren’t really high-tier, as far as I’ve observed, and I’ll need a lot more in-depth technical knowledge when it comes to instrumental arrangement and audio engineering, but I enjoy the way the instruments blend with each other. The piano feels like it has a nice rhythm, particularly in the hooks/choruses. The violin, the electric guitar, and the percussion sound like they add an emotional rock feel when they blend in. The eighth-note bass guitar strumming…now that got me valuing bass instruments even more!

Regarding recording the vocals, I feel like I’ve been managing to add emotion into my main vocal singing some more. I think I need some more practice when it comes to working up harmonies, though…

As for working on the vocal mix and the audio mastering, I utilized the Echo effect in Audacity some more, I appreciated boosting most of the bass and cutting most of the treble in my main vocal track some more, I did some attempts at subtle Reverb and Harmonic Enhancer use on the main vocal track, I tried to turn the harmony tracks into Reverbed and Delayed ghosts again, and the Hard Limiter use happens again during my attempts at mastering. Oh, and I don’t think I’ve told you about my recent attempts at working audio panning and stereo imagery, so yeah, there.

And yeah, though I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go, I feel like I’m progressing!

And, uh…this was uploaded while I’m in the middle of recovering from a cold…which probably seems more like a very difficult idea, considering how I manage my time lately. That, and the vocal recording + vocal mixing + audio mastering happened some days before that, so…yeah, time to get some rest for some time.

Also, I begun working on this one way before I worked on the first arrange cover that I uploaded. Like, my work on this begun while I begun figuring out chord charts online. And yes, although I like how this cover turned out, I don’t think I can call myself someone who has a firm grasp on basic music theory. Not like I can’t learn, though.

And speaking of which, I’d like to send special thanks with the upload of this cover! There’s Fuyuneru and Toshihiro, Youtaites whom I had asked for feedback regarding my arrangement plus help when it came to looking for a singer for my arrangement. I’d like to apologize to them as well, though, as I had done things that were contrary to their suggestions, such as having myself as the singer in this cover. Still, it’s not like they weren’t worth thinking about, so yeah, I’m still thankful for their thoughts!

Special thanks also goes to TechniKen, who had given me some encouraging feedback on the arrangement plus motivation to work harder on the vocal mix!

And last but not least in the Special Thanks section is a Vocaloid producer who had a lot of influence in the making of this cover: Tenshi~Akari! She got me improving the beat of the arrangement, and she also introduced the wonders of bass instruments to me! Along with those was an increase in my music knowledge, too!

Now, there’s one more person I’d like give credit to: Mcki Robyns-P! She helped me out with mixing the tracks, especially the vocals, and she also mastered the cover track. The result is something that I like very much, yo!

And here’s a reminder about how dark “Outer Science” is~ Freaking nuts, no?

Meanwhile, about my life lately, yeah, this semester is nearing its end, and as usual, I need to work hard and accomplish my academic requirements, yo~ That, and I should go talk with my parents sometime soon…

Oh, and hey, this cover’s mp3, yo. Also, here’s the offvocal. Don’t forget to credit me, The Overlord Bear, if you’re gonna use it, okay? Oh, and notifying me about that is a more fun idea, if you ask me.

And of course, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated! \(^o^)

After around 8 months, I’m back with an original song and an MV for it.

The production of the music pretty much involved me going spontaneous a lot. My judgments on how the composition and the arrangement were pieced together were mostly based on my gut and my experiences with my favorite music, too. You can say that I was experimenting a lot, I guess. Same goes for the audio engineering, which isn’t as meticulous as my recent attempts at it. And compared to making the instrumental track, the lyrics were easier to make, especially after making the instrumental track.

And hey, although I had finished the production of the audio several months ago, I still feel impressed by it. Not like I can’t do better, though.

Now, as for the lyrics, I drew a lot of inspiration from my time management habits and stuff. The rhythm of my daily routine back then, which is unfortunately similar to my current rhythm, often had me lacking sleep and wasting time. Yet, a struggle to change that rhythm existed and continues to exist. I wonder if you can feel my struggle, then?

And now, I’d like to thank Serene Harper, a friend of mine who drew the illustrations in the music video. I hope that my work with AviUtl made them worth looking at, too. Also, there was a sparkly version of a certain illustration, a version which I didn’t use because I felt like it wouldn’t be in line with the feel of the song. So yeah, I’d like to apologize for that.

Also, I’d like to thank Pamo, who gave me encouraging feedback regarding the song.

Making this took a really considerable while, but hey, it was also a good opportunity to hone a bunch of my skills. I feel like an amateur with this, but I also feel happy about the effort I exerted for this! I’m also really really glad that I managed to complete this despite a sore throat getting in my way for a time.

Yo. I made some instrumental tracks recently. I tried to see if an animator would be okay with putting these tracks in an upcoming work of his, but he didn’t find them suitable. I’m feeling the need to do more music study and practice because of that. So yeah, as usual, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated. 🙂

Here’s a song that I made surprisingly quickly recently with the help of Linux Multimedia Studio, or LMMS. It’s something that I made during this slump that I’ve been feeling lately. I’ve been feeling like my immature and lazy younger self again, and while I’m feeling like I’ve got nowhere good to vent but here or something, I made this song that’ll probably end up being annoying to most people. Rolo’s illustration for this song (Thank you very much again, Rolo) will probably be more breathtaking than the song it accompanies, I think. Still, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated. Also, self-reminder: Talk with family and friends more. You can do it, Tobby. You can improve, so keep on trying to improve.