Chapter 106: Disappointing Song (2)
<đ§ Song Recommendation: How To Save A Life by The Fray>
...
[Skill: Audio-Visual Projection (A)]
â Description: A rare auditory phenomenon. When the user sings with intense emotion, they can induce mild hallucinations in the audience, making listeners âseeâ the imagery within the lyrics.
Von read the text carefully, his eyes zeroing in on one specific phrase.
When the user sings with intense emotion...
That was the lock! That made Von realize the massive, glaring problem sitting right in front of him. Alex wasnât an emotional person. He was completely guarded, apathetic, and emotionally numb. That was why it wasnât working.
Even though they had just spent two hours writing a sad ballad about being forgotten, Alex didnât actually feel anything while he was singing it. He was just reciting words perfectly on pitch. Without the emotional fuel, the A-tier skill couldnât manifest.
"Letâs go again," Von suddenly told Patch with urgency. "Iâm not okay with this one. We need more."
Patch looked at the clock on the wall. It was already past 8:00 pm. "Hmm. Alright then. Back in the booth."
They spent the next three hours running multiple takes. Von tried everything. He pressured Alex, told him to push harder, told him to sing louder, and tried to agitate him into feeling something. But it was useless. Alex just didnât feel involved in the song. He was completely detached.
At some point, leaning against the console and rubbing his temples, Von started to wonder if he had made a massive mistake calling over Alex.
Aside from his raw vocal rank, Alex wasnât really acting like a singer. He was acting like a machine that was just programmed to hit notes.
Von needed to know just how bad it was, so he activated the System.
[Inspect]
Song: [Forget Me]
Status: [Incomplete] [Unreleased]
Artists: [Von Varley, Alex Hall]
Song Score: [31]
Vonâs eyes widened in sheer horror.
Thirty-one.
Despite having two B+ vocalists on the track, it was absolutely terrible. The score was the Systemâs objective representation of the songâs overall quality.
And while a System score didnât automatically dictate a songâs commercial success, it was still the ultimate baseline.
A better composed, better-sung song with genuine soul always had a better chance of surviving the brutal music market.
Compared to the other songs Von had meticulously crafted ever since, this was a disaster.
[Masquerade: 81]
[Youâre Gonna Come Home: 74]
[Frozen Attitude: 83]
[Coming Home: 78]
[Thousand Miles: 87]
None of them could even compare to the dismal failure he was looking at right now. This was filler. It was the kind of track that critics would tear apart for being manufactured.
That made Von panic internally. It made him suddenly realize that the song itself just wasnât as good as he had assumed.
The positive reaction he had been receiving from Patch all night couldnât be trusted; it was Patchâs own beat, so of course the producer liked it. But the System didnât lie.
The song was hollow...
Von contemplated what to do for a long, agonizing minute. He looked at Alex, who was sitting on the couch, completely unbothered by the fact that they had been singing the same dead lines for five hours.
"Cut," Von suddenly announced.
Patch stopped with his hand over the mouse, looking up in surprise.
"Weâve done enough for today," Von stated, grabbing his keys off the console. "Iâll be going home for now."
He looked over at Alex. "My manager must have emailed you the details of your hotel. Get some rest."
Before Alex or Patch could say another word, Von waved the producer a quick goodbye, turned on his heel, and walked out of the studio.
***
The next six days were a tiring grind.
By August 23rd, Studio A had completely lost its magic. The energetic, creative spark that Von had shared with Noah, Midnight Pulse, and Conor was gone.
They tried completely restructuring Forget Me. They swapped the piano for an acoustic guitar. They sped up the tempo. They slowed it down. Nothing worked. Every time Von activated the System, the song score barely fluctuated.
Alex Hall remained completely unbothered. He showed up on time, stepped into the booth, hit his notes perfectly, and sat back on the couch. He didnât complain, but he didnât contribute anything either.
By 11:00 PM on Day 7, Patch was exhausted. Von had been overly controlling all week, trying to force the track to work, and it was taking a toll on the producer. Patch leaned heavily on the SSL console, rubbing his eyes as he stared at the digital grid.
"Take nineteen, Alex," Von said through the talkback mic with clear frustration.
Alex stepped out of the booth, grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, and sat down. His face was exactly the same as it was on Day 1, just bored and detached.
Von looked at the System interface still hovering over Patchâs monitor.
[Song Score: 32]
Von dismissed the screen and ran a hand through his hair. This wasnât working. He couldnât produce emotion into a track if the artist was completely numb.
"Patch," Von said abruptly. "Save the session. Weâre done for the night."
Patch let out a heavy sigh of relief and immediately started clicking through his menus.
Alex stood up and was about to get his bag, when Von looked over at Patch once more. "Sorry, man. But I canât drive you home tonight. Iâll be going with Alex."
Alex was surprised by what Von meant, but he couldnât reject a free ride back to his hotel, so he didnât object.
Patch just waved Von aside, not caring about the sudden change in plans. He was already dozing off in his chair and had no desire to return to the mansion anyway.
They walked out into the muggy Miami midnight. Von unlocked the Escalade, and they climbed inside.
Von started the engine, but he didnât head toward Alexâs hotel. Instead, he pulled out of the Neon Sound lot and drove straight toward the Rickenbacker Causeway.
