Chapter 15: Dolphin Sound

Before leaving work in the evening, Lin Yuan had finally finished listening to 106 different voices.

After listening to these 106 voices, Lin Yuan had a deeper appreciation for why Qin Prefecture is considered the "Land of Music" on Blue Star.

One by one, these individuals were incredibly talented!

Despite the fact that the list of 106 artists sent by Zhao Jue was mostly comprised of newcomers, with many of them not even having debuted yet, in terms of skill, they were already far above the average quality found on Earth.

After going through these voices, Lin Yuan had successfully identified three potential candidates who could try to perform "Big Fish."

This was definitely something he hadn't expected in advance.

That evening, Lin Yuan called Zhao Jue and shared his initial choices.

"Wang Ping, Jiang Kui, Wei Xiaoxin..."

Hearing Lin Yuan somewhat awkwardly utter these three names, Zhao Jue asked, "You seem to have chosen newcomers who haven't debuted yet?"

"Yes."

This child was quite suspicious, wasn't he going for newcomers because they would take a smaller share of the profits?

Suppressing her doubts, Zhao Jue said, "I'll inform these three to go to the recording studio and wait for you. You can try their voices and, if you're satisfied, start recording. However, the company's evaluation is on you. If it doesn't pass the evaluation, recording it will be in vain."

"Understood."

The call ended.

The next day, on the ninth floor of the company, in the recording studio, Wang Ping, Jiang Kui, and Wei Xiaoxin, three newcomers, sat on chairs at the entrance, looking nervous and formal, like job seekers waiting for an interview.

"Dun dun dun dun dun dun."

To keep her voice in good shape, Jiang Kui had already drunk more than half a bottle of water. However, drinking water couldn't ease her nervousness.

Last night, her agent suddenly informed her that she had to come to the company for an audition today because Xianyu might choose her as the singer for a new song.

Upon hearing this news, Jiang Kui couldn't sleep well the entire night due to excitement.

She didn't expect that less than a year after joining the company, such an opportunity for her debut would suddenly arise.

It felt like winning the lottery or receiving a huge gift from the heavens.

Moreover, the composer was none other than Xianyu!

Today, "Life Like Summer Flowers," composed by Xianyu, remained in the first position on the Newcomer's Rankings, with a download lead of thirty thousand over the second-place song.

This already showed Xianyu's level of expertise.

With the chance to debut with a song made by Xianyu, how could Jiang Kui not be excited?

As a newcomer, she didn't understand that not every song composed by the same person could reach the same level. She also didn't know about the crucial checkpoint in the company called the composition review.

All she knew was that this was a rare opportunity, and she had to seize it.

Jiang Kui wasn't alone in her thoughts. Wang Ping and Wei Xiaoxin, who were also in the early stages of their careers, had similar feelings.

And while the three of them waited anxiously, Lin Yuan arrived on the ninth floor via the elevator. The studio's staff recognized him and welcomed him with a big smile. "Mr. Xianyu, you're here."

"Xianyu?"

The three newcomers simultaneously looked at Lin Yuan, surprised to find that Xianyu was so young. Most of the accomplished composers were usually in their thirties or older.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Lin Yuan nodded to the staff member and then said, "Who's Wang Ping? Come in first, and let's try your voice."

"I'm here!"

Wang Ping immediately stood up.

Lin Yuan nodded, and along with the staff member, he entered the control room of the recording studio and sat down on a chair by the mixing console. He put on his headphones.

"Hello, Mr. Xianyu."

Wang Ping entered the recording room, took a deep breath, and introduced himself, "My vocal range is from D1 to D3, a male falsetto."

"Alright," Lin Yuan said, "You have the sheet music and lyrics in front of you. You have three minutes. Sing a couple of lines from the chorus to test your voice. I'm looking for a clean and pure ethereal quality."

"Okay."

Wang Ping prepared for three minutes and then started singing the first few lines, "The silent waves engulf the depths of night, They sweep across the farthest reaches of the sky...."

After singing those lines, Lin Yuan said, "You don't need to continue with the main part. Sing a couple of lines from the chorus: [I'm afraid you'll soar far away, afraid you'll leave my side, But more than that, I fear you'll linger here forever.]"

He demonstrated it himself.

Although the doctor had told Lin Yuan that he couldn't sing, he had no problem singing in a lower key.

When they said he couldn't sing, it meant he couldn't practice singing like professional singers do daily, and he couldn't strain his voice as he used to with high notes because his throat couldn't handle that kind of high-intensity vocal load.

"Alright, Mr. Xianyu."

Wang Ping followed Lin Yuan's instructions.

After all, he was personally selected by Lin Yuan for the vocal test, and Wang Ping's voice was indeed quite beautiful, handling both the chorus and verses very well.

Lin Yuan nodded, "Next is the chanting part, the high-pitched segment that concludes the song."

In "Big Fish," there was an exceptionally beautiful segment called "dolphin sound," although in professional terms, it wasn't referred to as "dolphin." The proper term for it was "whistle."

The so-called "dolphin sound" is called "whistle register" in professional terms.

This was a method of creating a strong, high-pitched sound by squeezing the vocal cords and throat through a very narrow space. It was an intriguing technique for singing in a high pitch, and it represented the highest point within the range of human vocal frequencies.

Apart from the "palatal sound" technique, there was no singing technique that could go higher than the whistle. So this part was even more challenging than anything before.

"Ah ah ah~ ah ah~ ah ah ah~ ah ah~"

Wang Ping's attempt was noticeably strenuous, far from being a true dolphin sound, perhaps more like a dolphin imitation.

Lin Yuan stopped him directly, "Your voice is too tense. Try to relax more, and can you sing this part without using the falsetto technique?"

"I can't..."

Wang Ping shook his head in disappointment. His vocal range was somewhat limited, and handling the whistle technique was a bit challenging for him.

"Thank you."

Lin Yuan said, "Call Wei Xiaoxin to come in."

"Sure, thank you, Mr. Xianyu."

Wang Ping left the recording studio.

Soon, Wei Xiaoxin entered.

After a brief self-introduction, they went through the same voice test process.

Judging from the quality of her performance, Wei Xiaoxin was undeniably better than Wang Ping. She effortlessly tackled the whistle section, too.

However, after listening to her, Lin Yuan still furrowed his brow.

Wei Xiaoxin's performance was just about passable.

The ability to produce a whistling sound and the beauty of whistling are two distinct ideas.

Many people can whistle, so why do professionals and amateurs from various backgrounds admire Vitas's whistling skills?

A key factor is the beauty of Vitas's whistling tone.

The tone quality is something you're born with, and it's hard to alter. Wei Xiaoxin has a pleasant tone, but when it comes to whistling, her tone doesn't meet Lin Yuan's expectations.

Non-professionals might not notice the difference, but Lin Yuan's ears could sense the gap between her rendition and the original.

He could only sigh to himself, "Thank you. Let the next person come in."

In truth, Wei Xiaoxin's issues could be improved with some post-production work.

She had already met the minimum standards for Lin Yuan's needs, but he wanted to pick someone who wouldn't require too much post-production work, following the principle of reducing the workload for the sound engineers.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin."

Wei Xiaoxin left with a hint of disappointment.

Next, it was a girl named Jiang Kui.

She was a short girl who, upon entering, immediately began adjusting the microphone's height in a somewhat clumsy manner, which amused the studio staff.

"Hello, everyone."

The short girl said awkwardly, "I'm Jiang Kui, and my vocal range is from G2 to C6..."

"Female voice reaching C6?"

One of the sound engineers raised an eyebrow.

Another recording engineer chimed in, "That's a wide vocal range. She can do the whistle technique easily, but we're not sure if her tone meets Mr. Xianyu's requirements."

"Let's begin."

Lin Yuan repeated the same process as with the previous two candidates.

"Okay," the short girl said.

She cleared her throat and started her performance. Like the previous two candidates, she had no trouble with the earlier parts, and even surpassed them. Her voice had a clear and bright quality, but it also had a slightly masculine quality, which was a natural characteristic of her voice.

"Very good," Lin Yuan praised. "Now, let's try the whistling part. Remember, I'm looking for a whistle, not a falsetto technique."

He continued, feeling somewhat nervous.

If this girl didn't meet his standards, he would have to choose Wei Xiaoxin and fix her in post-production or look for an established artist who had proven their skills.

But how much money would that cost?

Wasn't it more cost-effective to work with a girl who needed less post-production?

As Lin Yuan furrowed his brow in contemplation, the girl's whistling began, and her clear and beautiful whistle resonated in his ears.

Lin Yuan's eyes gradually lit up.

He knew he wouldn't have to split profits with established artists.

The third candidate, a "workhorse," was qualified!

Two sound engineers exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.

Based on the overall vocal quality, the short girl was the best. Compared to the previous two, she clearly outperformed them.

Lin Yuan said, "Your name is..."

The short girl hurriedly added, "I'm Jiang Kui! My name is Jiang Kui!"

Lin Yuan nodded and made a decision, "Great, Jiang Kui. I'll send you the full sheet music later. I hope you can become familiar with the song as quickly as possible. We'll officially start recording next Saturday."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Lin!"

Jiang Kui discreetly formed a V-shaped sign with her fingers behind her back, her face unable to hide her excitement. She said, "I will definitely work hard!"