I am soo honored to work with Master Engineer 王家棟 (David Wang) again for my upcoming album! I have always felt that he could hear the picture I want to paint and magically bring it into better focus.
I met 王家棟 around 2010 while observing someone else's project at his studio, "Barok Studios". At the time, I was starting to get into the art of recording/engineering, and did not know any terminology, what to listen for, nor studio equipment and their uses. Basically I was a blank slate and eager to learn/absorb as much as possible. Since I didn't know the terminology, I had no idea "how" to ask any questions, so I quietly sat, listened for the different changes along with how those changes came about, took photos and wrote down the names of the equipment, and noted all the words I did not know (luckily they were all in English!!). I remember going back home and spending soo much time researching every equipment I saw and their uses, every word I didn't know, and started to understand the reason for each sonic move (which I still continue to do). I must admit that 王家棟 was the person who opened up the world of recording/engineering to me, and I am blessed that it was someone of his stature who did so. It has been over 10 years now, and our relationship continues to grow. I had talked with 王家棟 many times about recording a full album, and finally the opportunity arose. At first, I did not tell him that I would be recording in Taiwanese, nor the "genre" of the album. It wasn't until he heard the tracks did he asked me, "I thought you are doing a "jazz" album." I smiled and replied, "It's different. Right!?" That was the basic conversation before we embarked on our journey. After months of recording, we finalized the tracks and 王家棟 began the mixing process. The mixing process is one of the most nerve-racking periods of time in production for me. During this time, I completely shut out and try to forget my recorded compositions, so when I listen to the final mix, I have a fresh and more neutral perspective. It is definitely easier said than done... Overall, I am soo grateful to work with 王家棟 at his studio "Barok Studio", and feel this upcoming album really captures my life. I am soo proud and happy of the overall progress and sound!!
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I am grateful to be able to collaborate with 許傑輝 on my upcoming album. He has a great knowledge about the Taiwanese Language and brings a different dimension to my composition.
At the the time, we held a listening session with 許傑輝 to see what songs "spoke" to him and if he would be willing to write lyrics. He asked me about the reason and story behind each of my songs, along with my personal mindset and background. It was refreshing because that is something I do whenever I start to compose! Once he heard my "rock" composition, I could tell that his mind was already churning with ideas. A month later, 許傑輝 and I got together to discuss his lyrics. He told me about the story and his reasoning behind the lyrics. It totally blew me away! During the recording session at Barok Studios with master engineer 王家棟, there were all sorts of energy and emotions. However, once everything was sorted out, it was smooth sailing. I am sure our song will make the same impact to you all as it did to me!! Can't wait to share it with you all!! |