Alright, let's get stuff out of the way. Plain and simple: I AM ACTUALLY NOT HAPPY WITH HOW THIS TURNED OUT, but I did want to churn it out for the contest because it was the perfect opportunity for me to introduce a sequel to my first released original "Metropolitan Irony" which was released on the first Miku Expo song contest. I promise, though, that I will remaster this and make it better!
Nonetheless, I still wanted to release it because of three factors. First, as aforementioned, it is a sequel to my last Miku Expo song. I know that sequels aren't likely to win, but frankly I don't think I have a shot at it anyway LOL. Second, my IRL friend Chidl created art for the cover WHICH IS REALLY LOVELY, SHE IS AMAZING, SHE IS PRECIOUS. Thank you SO SO much, Chidl, for putting in so much effort and for believing in me! Third, I also joined because I wanted to teach myself how to stop caring too much about satisfying myself to the fullest extent, and instead treating myself as a work-in-progress that needsa all these little practices and products in order to improve not only my skill, but also my self-esteem. (Honestly, I think I'm failing...)
Aika Anno, who tuned Metropolitan Irony, helped me tune this song, but the melody was rather challenging. Add my lack of mixing skill and - voila! - I make myself Disappoint
. But thank you so much, Aika! We both tried our best even though tempo and my bad mixing ruined things...
Speaking of why I couldn't just remake the whole thing from scratch before submitting, here's the thing: I STARTED MAKING THIS ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE TODAY, which happens to be the deadline of the competition (January 31, PST). I did some experimentation the week before that, but this mostly took shape in the past week, and it was SO RUSHED.
Not to mention, this is the FIRST song I completed with Cakewalk SONAR, which I got free with a magazine! I'm aware the DAW is discontinued, but the reason why I like it is that the fairly intuitive UI, mature (if dated) code base, and the good workflow mean that I can finally make music on my Windows laptop instead of my dying Mac! I've been teaching myself Sonar and this is my first big project with it; I'm so happy I can finally sidechain and fix the issue with the kick in my previous songs!
Any feedback would be appreciated; you can also PM me for detailed critique.
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy or at least can tolerate!
Nonetheless, I still wanted to release it because of three factors. First, as aforementioned, it is a sequel to my last Miku Expo song. I know that sequels aren't likely to win, but frankly I don't think I have a shot at it anyway LOL. Second, my IRL friend Chidl created art for the cover WHICH IS REALLY LOVELY, SHE IS AMAZING, SHE IS PRECIOUS. Thank you SO SO much, Chidl, for putting in so much effort and for believing in me! Third, I also joined because I wanted to teach myself how to stop caring too much about satisfying myself to the fullest extent, and instead treating myself as a work-in-progress that needsa all these little practices and products in order to improve not only my skill, but also my self-esteem. (Honestly, I think I'm failing...)
Aika Anno, who tuned Metropolitan Irony, helped me tune this song, but the melody was rather challenging. Add my lack of mixing skill and - voila! - I make myself Disappoint
. But thank you so much, Aika! We both tried our best even though tempo and my bad mixing ruined things...Speaking of why I couldn't just remake the whole thing from scratch before submitting, here's the thing: I STARTED MAKING THIS ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE TODAY, which happens to be the deadline of the competition (January 31, PST). I did some experimentation the week before that, but this mostly took shape in the past week, and it was SO RUSHED.
Not to mention, this is the FIRST song I completed with Cakewalk SONAR, which I got free with a magazine! I'm aware the DAW is discontinued, but the reason why I like it is that the fairly intuitive UI, mature (if dated) code base, and the good workflow mean that I can finally make music on my Windows laptop instead of my dying Mac! I've been teaching myself Sonar and this is my first big project with it; I'm so happy I can finally sidechain and fix the issue with the kick in my previous songs!
Any feedback would be appreciated; you can also PM me for detailed critique.
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy or at least can tolerate!
Verse 1:
It's easy to feel lonely in this world
where everyone is so lost
itching for a hand to hold them through the dark
All the same sights pass, and all of them you are tired of
Some kind of dread pulsing through your veins
like you're in the rain, it's in vain, always stays the same
Verse 2:
Through the sea of people you feel like just a speck
and maybe you shouldn't be here in retrospect
and I know you're tired of swimming with the sharks
as the city surrounds you looking in the dark
Please don't be distant, don't give my hand a stare
'cause I'm here and I've already been there
If you wonder if you should be who you are
Know that you can't keep inside a cage forever your heart
Prechorus:
Remember
I know it's hard to start
But remember
Chorus:
It's never a journey to not walk to the end
I hope that you have room by your side for a friend
Though you may be lost I won't leave you alone
When you're here, do not fear, I'll keep you safe in this home
It's never a journey to not walk round the bout
I want to help you get your feet on the ground
Though we may be lost, I won't leave you alone
When we are in each other's arms, we know we are home
Verse 3:
It is hard to make it through this busy world
where everyone is so lost
But we'll hold our hands as we walk through the dark
Verse 4:
Through the sea of people you feel like just a speck
But maybe you can belong here in retrospect
and we don't have to care 'bout swimming with the sharks
as the city surrounds us dancing in the dark
Please don't be distant, don't give my hand a stare
'cause I'm here and I've already been there
If you wonder if you should be who you are
Know that you can't keep inside a cage forever your heart
But remember that
Chorus:
It's never a journey to not walk to the end
I hope that you have room by your side for a friend
Though you may be lost I won't leave you alone
When you're here, do not fear, I'll keep you safe in this home
It's never a journey to not walk round the bout
I want to help you get your feet on the ground
Though we may be lost, I won't leave you alone
When we are in each other's arms, we know we are home
We know we are home
It's easy to feel lonely in this world
where everyone is so lost
itching for a hand to hold them through the dark
All the same sights pass, and all of them you are tired of
Some kind of dread pulsing through your veins
like you're in the rain, it's in vain, always stays the same
Verse 2:
Through the sea of people you feel like just a speck
and maybe you shouldn't be here in retrospect
and I know you're tired of swimming with the sharks
as the city surrounds you looking in the dark
Please don't be distant, don't give my hand a stare
'cause I'm here and I've already been there
If you wonder if you should be who you are
Know that you can't keep inside a cage forever your heart
Prechorus:
Remember
I know it's hard to start
But remember
Chorus:
It's never a journey to not walk to the end
I hope that you have room by your side for a friend
Though you may be lost I won't leave you alone
When you're here, do not fear, I'll keep you safe in this home
It's never a journey to not walk round the bout
I want to help you get your feet on the ground
Though we may be lost, I won't leave you alone
When we are in each other's arms, we know we are home
Verse 3:
It is hard to make it through this busy world
where everyone is so lost
But we'll hold our hands as we walk through the dark
Verse 4:
Through the sea of people you feel like just a speck
But maybe you can belong here in retrospect
and we don't have to care 'bout swimming with the sharks
as the city surrounds us dancing in the dark
Please don't be distant, don't give my hand a stare
'cause I'm here and I've already been there
If you wonder if you should be who you are
Know that you can't keep inside a cage forever your heart
But remember that
Chorus:
It's never a journey to not walk to the end
I hope that you have room by your side for a friend
Though you may be lost I won't leave you alone
When you're here, do not fear, I'll keep you safe in this home
It's never a journey to not walk round the bout
I want to help you get your feet on the ground
Though we may be lost, I won't leave you alone
When we are in each other's arms, we know we are home
We know we are home
Vocals by 初音ミク (Hatsune Miku)
Music, Lyrics, Tuning by JVウタウ
Art by Chidl (anonymous)
Tuning assistance from Aika Anno
The following effects were used: Cakewalk Sonar effects, TDR Kotelnikov, Melda Production plugins, Sanford Reverb, Reverberate CM, Krush, and a couple others (will update when I remember)
The following virtual instruments were used, in rough approximation of how much they were used: AIR Hybrid 3, Cakewalk Rapture Sessions, Grooove CM, Native Instruments Komplete Players, AIR Xpand!2, Alchemy Player CM, Piano in 162, DSK HQ instruments, NES VST, u-He Tyrell N6, Magical 8-bit Plugin
I also used many samples, including drum samples.
Music, Lyrics, Tuning by JVウタウ
Art by Chidl (anonymous)
Tuning assistance from Aika Anno
The following effects were used: Cakewalk Sonar effects, TDR Kotelnikov, Melda Production plugins, Sanford Reverb, Reverberate CM, Krush, and a couple others (will update when I remember)
The following virtual instruments were used, in rough approximation of how much they were used: AIR Hybrid 3, Cakewalk Rapture Sessions, Grooove CM, Native Instruments Komplete Players, AIR Xpand!2, Alchemy Player CM, Piano in 162, DSK HQ instruments, NES VST, u-He Tyrell N6, Magical 8-bit Plugin
I also used many samples, including drum samples.
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