The perfect gift for a K-pop wannabe? How about a recording session in a professional music studio?
One recent fall afternoon, Caro Ve Hondt descended the staircase of a small office building in the Gangnam district of Seoul and, once she was on the lower level, entered King Studio. The 25-year-old Belgian tourist had come to South Korea, in part at least, to record her favorite song, “Navillera,” popularized by the South Korean girl group Gfriend.
“I’m rewarding myself for graduating from college,” Ms. Ve Hondt said.
Waiting in the fully equipped recording studio, a team of professionals, led by Aiden Roh, was ready to help her.
Mr. Roh, who owns the studio, previously worked with K-pop groups such as Girls’ Generation and TVXQ!. Then seven years ago he decided to start the “You Can Also Be a K-Pop Star” program, catering to anyone with a dream (and willing to pay to realize it).
The music producer said he had a pool of 10 vocal directors he could call on. “After determining what the client wants to record, whether it’s a ballad or dance, we can decide which vocal director would be best to work with,” said Mr. Roh, 45.
For Ms. Ve Hondt, the choice was Ji-Seon Yeom, 27, and rounding out the team was Leina Lee, 40, who acted as a coordinator and translator (Ms. Ve Hondt doesn’t speak Korean and Ms. Yeom and Mr. Roh don’t speak English).
Ms. Ve Hondt sings in a community choir in Belgium, but when she saw that the bank of studio equipment looked much like the cockpit controls of an Airbus A330, she admitted, “I’m a little nervous.”
That is a typical reaction, Mr. Roh said, “So we try to make clients comfortable.”
Ms. Lee began by taking Ms. Ve Hondt into the soundproof recording room and introducing her to the equipment she would use during the two-hour Diamond package that she had purchased. The microphone, for example, was “a German model U87; it’s what 90 percent of professional Korean singers use,” Ms. Lee said. She also explained that Ms. Ve Hondt should keep the width of her fist between the mic and her mouth, and showed her how to use the controls to adjust the volume.
Next, the vocal coaching started. Ms. Yeom sat at the piano and took Ms. Ve Hondt through the scales, trying to decide which key she should use. “During rehearsal we adjust the key of the original song to match the client’s vocal range to create an optimal recording experience,” Mr. Roh said. “The process takes into account what the singer is comfortable with while maintaining the original feel of the song.”
They decided Ms. Ve Hondt should sing in F sharp minor, the original key of the song.
Then, with Ms. Lee translating, Ms. Yeom coached Ms. Ve Hondt on how to project her voice: “Loosen your shoulders” … “Breathe deeply” … “Pant like a puppy” … “Sing each syllable and it will sound more powerful.”
After a half-hour rehearsal, it was time to start recording. The lyrics to “Navillera” — which, in Korean, suggests the fluttering feeling, like a butterfly, that a crush can produce — had been printed out in Romanized Korean for Ms. Ve Hondt to follow.
The entire three-minute and 14-second song was not recorded at once, but divided into nine sections; each one was sung again and again and again until the pros, and the client, were pleased and ready to move on.
In all, the process took more than an hour, punctuated by encouragement from Ms. Yeom (with help from Ms. Lee) all along the way: “You did really great, but” … “This time your sound was perfect, but. …”
Mr. Roh was at the controls throughout the session, editing and mixing. When the final stanza had been sung, approved and recorded, Ms. Ve Hondt left the recording room to hear the result, taking a seat in the control room “between the woofer and the speaker, the golden triangle, the best position to listen,” Ms. Lee said.
Move over Blackpink, Ms. Ve Hondt was pleased: “It was good to get all the advice, and good to have a finished project. I enjoyed doing this — it was such fun.”
Mr. Roh said he would continue to work on the recording, sending the finished CD to Ms. Ve Hondt in about two weeks. (The session had run about 20 minutes over schedule, but no one seemed to be rushing.)
King Studio offers five packages, ranging from 1.5 hours (400,000 won, or $286) to a four-hour program that includes hair and makeup styling and the production of a music video (1.5 million won). There also is a group option.
The most popular session, the two-hour one that Ms. Ve Hondt purchased, is 500,000 won.
Business has been brisk, Mr. Roh said: “We get 50 to 60 clients a month, and during the peak season of October to January, even more.” The sessions are conducted in Korean, with English, Japanese and Chinese translation available, and Mr. Roh said it had attracted customers from around the world who hoped to be the next Jungkook or at least get a taste of his world.
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