Good morning...
Oh, no one else is here yet.
I might've left home a little too early.
But I've hit a bit of a wall with my song, so it might be nice to work on it somewhere else for a change...
Still... Why am I having so much trouble...?
(I'm currently writing a song with a message about helping others when they need it, but... No matter how many times I try, it ends up sounding off...)
(I've even tried adjusting the parts of the melody that I thought needed fixing... But that hasn't really led to an improvement in quality.)
(Also... I'm trying to get used to digital tools, but it isn't going well. I can't quite get the melody that's in my head...)
This is a lot harder than I realized...
(But I want Miku to sing my song...
I've come this far already, so I need to at least finish it.)
Still... What do I do in these situations?
I remember Saki saying...
Let's get started, everyone!
It's time for Ms. Saki's songwriting seminar!
Woohoo!!!
Oh, what's going on here?
Ichika was asking about how to become a better songwriter, and these two became so excited...
Alright, Ichi!
Once again, ask me anything you like!
O-Okay, Ms. Saki.
She's even calling her “Ms. Saki” like she's a teacher.
What are you two doing...?
S-So...
What do you do when you get stuck while writing a song? Do you have any advice regarding that?
Ah, excellent question.
Many things can cause you to get stuck while writing a song...
For example, if you're having trouble producing the sound you want despite having a solid image in your head, you may want to try looking at your song objectively by taking a step back.
Objectively?
Working on a song for too long can cause you to become unable to distinguish between what's good and what's bad!
So, whenever you find yourself in such a situation, my... Ms. Saki's advice to you is to try listening to the song you're working on using different headphones or somewhere else entirely.
By doing that, you might figure out what you were missing and get the hint that you need!
I never would've thought to do either of those things... Thank you very much for your advice, Saki.
You're welcome!
And never stop learning!
Alright, to be fair, I'm still pretty new to songwriting and also keep getting stuck...!
Listening to it somewhere else entirely...
This might be the perfect place...
I think I'll try that while I wait for the others to arrive.
Let's see... Just plug the cable into my phone and press play...
♪————
Oh wow... The studio's speakers sound so much cleaner... This sounds completely different compared to when I listen to it on my computer...!
But...
The melody still sounds off...
It's not capturing that feeling of wanting to help someone who's in need...
If anything, these speakers are only making the problems more evident...
The bass sounds...thin...
The drums sound light too. It's like everything sounds really far away...
It's not just the melody. I can see now that I need to also be careful about which sounds I choose... The issues are just piling up...
What song is this?
Huh...?
H-Honami?!
When did you get here?!
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I should've let you know that I was here...
I-I'm also sorry.
My back was to the door, so I didn't see you come in.
No, that's okay.
More importantly, this song... Is that Miku singing?
Oh... So, um...
But I've never heard this song before. It skipped in a few places, and the melody seems unfinished...
Ichika... Did you write this...?
Oh...
Yes, actually...
I knew it...!
You were still trying to write your own song. Not only that, you're having Miku sing it...!
B-But I really just started working on it. I mean, I can't write anything amazing like Saki!
I feel bad about making Miku sing such a half-baked song, and...
I'm having a lot of trouble.
Using digital tools to write songs is so hard.
Oh, you mean using a computer to write music? That's very different from how we usually produce songs...
Especially since you have to choose which instruments to use and what sounds they're going to make. It sounds tough...
Yeah...
I know what kind of song I want to write and have been inputting sounds based on how we usually play...
But I'm not getting what I want.
I even realized just now that my song has all these other problems with it.
I thought I'd be able to help the band more if I learned to write songs for us...
Ichika...
What if you asked Ms. Yoisaki?
She composes songs using digital tools...
Oh...
That's right.
I remember her mentioning that before.
Thanks, Honami!
I'll try contacting her right away.
Hehe. I sure hope she can help.
Morning!
You two are here pretty early!
You know you could've gotten started without us, right? Wait, why's only this speaker on...?
Oh... Th-The person who used it last must've forgotten!
Yeah, that is pretty common!
I remember going out and leaving the air conditioner on during summer once, Tsukasa turned into a popsicle the moment he got home!
I feel like the temperature setting you chose is more the issue.
Honami, would you mind keeping my song a secret from the others until I've had a chance to finish it...?
Partly because it's embarrassing, but mostly... I want the song to be complete when they hear it.
Hehe. Okay, I promise not to tell them.
And I'll help you when I can to make sure it turns out well.
Good job today, everyone.
Bye bye, Ichi!
Okay...
Another day, another good practice.
We even got to finalize our decision to make videos moving forward.
So, which song should we do a video for first?!
We'll need to choose carefully.
Our first video's probably gonna leave the biggest impression about who we are.
Right... Those who like our first video might become interested in us and even come to see us live.
Then, why don't we choose a song that we all feel good about and serves as a nice representation of who we are...?
In other words... It'll be Leo/need's way of introducing itself to the world.
Yeah!
You said it perfect, Hona!
A song that we all feel good about and serves as a nice representation of who we are... I guess that means...
Saki's song!
The song Saki wrote!
Whoa! You all landed on the same answer!
It seems like the right choice for our first video since we practiced so much just to play it during that show.
Yeah, I agree.
And it means something special to me. All of you working hard to master it compelled me to play with everything I had...
Shiho...
S-Saki, is that okay with you?
Of course!
I can't believe it'll be our first video... I mean, I worked super hard on it, so this makes me really happy♪
Hehe. For now, until we do our shoot, let's keep practicing.
Unlike shows, videos last forever...
And that comes with a different sort of anxiety...
I'll need to practice a lot for it.
Hm? Did someone just send me a message?
Oh...!
Hello, Ms. Yoisaki.
Thank you for having me over again today.
Thank you for coming again, Ms. Mochizuki. Also...
Welcome, Hoshino.
Thank you for agreeing to help me today. After I suddenly asked you to teach me about digital music tools too...
Not only that, you even invited me to your house.
I feel kind of bad about all of this...
It's my pleasure.
I mean, I happen to have the equipment you need for this.
Oh, however, the house may be a bit of a mess since Ms. Mochizuki hasn't had a chance to clean it yet...
Hehe. Don't worry. It'll be clean in no time.
Thank you...
So, if you'll excuse me, I'll get started.
Good luck, Ichika.
And thank you again, Ms. Yoisaki. I hope you two can make some good progress.
Me too.
Anyway, shall we head up to my room...?
Yes!