Chapter 84

Number One Recording Studio is specifically used for recording orchestral scores, as there are countless scenes in movies and TV shows that require background music. Copyright laws in this world are very strict; if you want to use someone else's music, you must pay the copyright fee and obtain permission.

Instead of spending money on others' used music, it's better to spend a bit more to record new music. Therefore, there are many recording studios, and the professionals have a lot of experience.

Since the year 2000, the sound samples of orchestral instruments have been recorded using the "multi-microphone" technique. Recording with 33 microphones produces the most authentic sound.

What appeared before Lin Han and Chen Jiaxuan was a microphone matrix recording setup, which is used to record microphone materials, allowing sound engineers to freely create during post-production.

Their job was to take the orchestral score, prepare the money, and let the professionals handle the rest.

Once everything was ready, the musicians could start recording. The preparation must be thorough because once in the studio, time is money.

Since Lin Han had a limited budget, there were only about twenty musicians playing, but it still sounded grand.

Several female sopranos stood in front of the microphones, singing in different styles for Lin Han to choose from, which took some time.

After a long day of work, the recording of the music was finally completed, and Lin Han generously gave each musician a red envelope.

This is almost an industry norm; working hard during the New Year is not enough with just a salary, and a red envelope is a way to show appreciation.

If it weren't for Chen Jiaxuan's reminder, Lin Han wouldn't have known about this custom.

After receiving the master tape of the music, the work wasn't over yet. It still needed mixing and post-production.

Originally, he wanted to be a hands-off manager, but now he had to seek help from professionals. As an ordinary person, Lin Han just wanted to hand over the score to CCTV and let such a major TV station handle the recording, which would be better than doing it himself.

One recording session was enough; if the music for "Journey to the West" were all done this way, it would be a torture.

Two days later, after finishing the opening theme, Lin Han sent it to Wang Hao via email to try out. Regardless of the outcome, he had done his best and had no regrets.

After handling the music, Lin Han devoted himself entirely to writing his novel. "The Martian" was almost complete, and he finished it even faster than expected.

Negotiations for the overseas publication of his previous book were still ongoing, and this new book was about to be released. The diligent Lin Han was almost catching up with the speed of web novel authors.

At this time, inside the CCTV building, the "Journey to the West" production team was working intensively on post-production. They had planned it as a New Year's blockbuster, but the music never met the requirements, so the broadcast date kept being postponed.

Director Yang Jie's face was grim as he spoke on the phone: "Is this 'Journey to the West' or a grand opera? No matter what, you must come up with suitable music before the Lantern Festival, or what are you, the music director, even here for? I don't care about your difficulties; if you can't do it, pack your bags and leave!"

The staff members were all silent. They had been working overtime during the Spring Festival to make revisions and improvements, but the pressure on the director was immense.

If such a major production failed, the director would be the first to take the blame. Yang Jie had already been summoned by the station leadership several times and had even signed a pledge.

Wang Hao looked at his phone, where the opening theme recorded by his friend was downloaded. He was familiar with the director and decided to try to calm him down.

"Director Yang, have some water. A friend of mine has made an opening theme. If you have time now, you can listen to it. I think the effect is quite good and matches the edited scenes well."

The room's heating seemed a bit too high, and Yang Jie took a big gulp of mineral water. He had experienced too many disappointments and was now numb to them.

However, since Wang Hao had never actively recommended anything before, Yang Jie said, "Alright, let's listen. Let's see if there's a different feel from a folk artist."

Hearing this, Wang Hao smiled and opened his phone. "This opening theme was recorded by him, lasting just over a minute, and it's quite grand."

Yang Jie waved his hand, signaling him to stop talking and play the music.

After a series of "chirping" sounds, the trumpet played "dang dang dang dang dang, dang dang dang dang," accompanied by the electric bass and drum beats, creating a sense of something about to emerge.

As the trumpet continued, the main melody subtly shifted to the guzheng, using a dual-main melody mode that was very moving. The front melody gradually faded, and the back melody slowly emerged, making it hard for Yang Jie to look away.

Suddenly, the brass instruments played in unison, and a grand and overwhelming momentum swept over, as if breaking through the clouds. The hand drum and castanet sounds added a touch of Buddhist Zen.

The melody then shifted, and with the dynamic drum beats, a heavenly and ethereal female voice sang "ah ah," creating a sense of infinite imagination.

Wang Hao had heard it before, but each time he heard this part, he felt a sense of mythological mystery, evoking the feeling of the Heavenly Palace.

The bianzhong and guzheng appeared appropriately, adding a strong Chinese flavor, and Yang Jie's originally gloomy face gradually relaxed.

The melody shifted again, with the strings taking the lead, like a gentle stream flowing, and the surrounding staff couldn't help but stop their work to listen, afraid that their breathing might disturb the beautiful melody.

The music also had a visual quality. Yang Jie felt the sound was so light that it seemed to float. Closing his eyes, he could see the graceful dance of Chang'e and the divine figures dancing in the Jade Pool.

In the ending part, a series of rhythmic beats filled the scene with power, depicting the arduous journey of the four disciples to the West to obtain the scriptures.

The over a minute of music passed quietly, and Yang Jie took a deep breath, coming out of the enjoyment.

The other staff members also gathered around. Their ears didn't lie; even without lyrics, this music was perfect for the opening of "Journey to the West."

"Whose masterpiece is this?" Yang Jie almost snatched Wang Hao's phone to listen again.

Wang Hao had thought the music was good, but seeing everyone's surprised expressions, he realized he might have underestimated it. He said, "A good friend of mine composed it. He used to be a director but is now a novelist."

"Does your friend have any other musical works? I think his style is perfect for 'Journey to the West.' This is a masterpiece."

Wang Hao recalled what Lin Han had said while drinking. Facing his superior's inquiry, he said, "He should have more. I'll contact him right away!"

"What's your friend's name? To be able to compose, write, and direct, he must be a genius," Yang Jie said with a rare smile, as the recent pressure had left him with no time for jokes.

"Lin Han, the director of 'Beyond the Solar System,' is now writing 'The Village Teacher' and 'I, Robot.' He's very talented," Wang Hao praised his friend, thinking that even if he had made a bad movie, he could write excellent science fiction and compose classic music.

Yang Jie patted his shoulder and said, "Wang, contact him quickly and send me this music. I'll edit a new opening sequence based on this. I have a feeling it will be a hit."

"Sure, I'll forward it to you by email."

The week has ended, and this week we received 9,200 recommendation votes! Can we break 10,000 next week? The author is eagerly looking forward to it.

You know the drill, recommendation votes and favorites, 3...

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