Chapter 31: Studio 101
As Arell and Maya poured their creative energy into the studio session, a whole different conversation was unfolding on social media. The topic? Arell being labelled as an industry plant.
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@MoneyOnGrand: Can we talk about Arell for a sec? Dude comes outta nowhere with these fire tracks and suddenly he's everywhere in Atlanta. Smells like an industry plant to me 🤔 #Arell #IndustryPlant
@CaribFriends: He defo a industry plant but idc. still bumping his music.
@Tyd456: @MoneyOnGrand I've been saying this ever since his first song dropped. Got some industry backing behind him. You seen how the numbers his song Blue Balenciagas got? it's almost at 500k and its been 2 days. How are you raking up these numbers on your second song???
@Kamilah: @Tyd456 @MoneyOnGrand Ya'll just some haters.
@Jefoisreal: @Tyd456 I mean whatever team he's got behind him has really good marketing, right before his 2 new songs dropped I heard him on the radio for the first time. So that probably got more people interested in him. 🤷
@Reator34: Industry plant or not, Arell's music speaks for itself. Dude's got talent, plain and simple. I don't like how people been downplaying Granny Crib tho. Got that Chicago vibes to it.
@Music101: Let's not jump to conclusions. Being labelled as an industry plant can have serious consequences for an artist's reputation. Let's focus on the music and leave the speculation behind.
@ILOVEMINECRAFT: Did y'all see that post with Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan bumping Arell's music? Birdman's probably already got his eye on him. Nothing ya'll say can convince me he's not a industry plant.
@Science02: If Birdman's backing Arell, you know he's got some serious potential.
@RyanWithTheFrow: Nah, don't bring Birdman into this. Arell's been grinding on his own let's give credit where it's due.
@MrBasic Forget all that. Have ya'll seen this pic? Its Arell posted up with Lil Reese and a bunch of others… and look at the guns… Arell might be gang affiliated…[Pic]
@RyanWithTheFrow: @MrBasic Where did you get this? That's legit Arell. Didn't know he was from Chicago.
@MrBasic: @RyanWithTheFrow Don't worry where I got it from. But yeah, he's from Chicago, he's in the background of this pic with Lil Durk too [Pic]
@RebelSoul: @MrBasic Nah, man, that's some serious street cred right there. Arell ain't playing around.
@KrapPot: Arell's trying to act like he's from the streets when he's really just a product of the industry. Don't be fooled by the smoke and mirrors.
@Or336: Regardless of his background, Arell's music is fire. Let's not get caught up in the drama and focus on the talent.
@RyanWithTheFrow: @Or336 Agreed. Let's keep the conversation about the music, not the rumors.
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As the social media debate raged on, Maya remained focused on refining the mixing in the studio. Her fingers danced across the mixing board with precision, adjusting levels and fine-tuning the sound.
Meanwhile, Arell leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the system screen. With Maya laser-focused on tweaking the mix, Arell seized the chance to dive into the song structure of Bryson Tiller's "Whatever She Wants." His fingers scrolled across the screen, dissecting the lyrics. The beat, a bouncy undercurrent, pulsed softly in the background.
Arell found himself caught between Tiller's smooth vocals and the potential shallowness of the lyrics. His eyes scanned the lyrics:
"Foreign in hurry up and let her in"
A smirk played on his lips. Flashy, maybe, but undeniably catchy.
"Let her pick up whatever she want, CC Gucci hippo tag or whatever she want"
Materialistic, but it was a summertime type of vibe. The melody, light and playful, mirrored the sentiment perfectly.
He scrolled further:
"She pissed me off somehow, she still get whatever she want"
There it was again – the brag factor. Yet, the song didn't feel entirely cynical, it was more like a playful boast.
As the song progressed, Arell couldn't deny its infectious energy. The simplicity of the lyrics, paired with the irresistible melody and summery beat, it was the type of song that would do numbers.
Arell was about to delve deeper into the song structure when Maya's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Arell, I think we're good to go," she said, a hint of excitement in her tone.
He looked up, meeting Maya's gaze. "Already? That was fast," he replied, surprised by her efficiency.
Maya grinned. "When you've got the skills, it's easy," she said, a playful glint in her eyes.
With a nod, Arell leaned forward eagerly as Maya pressed play. The studio speakers crackled to life, filling the room with the sound of their latest creation.
The beat thumped with infectious energy, setting the rhythm for Arell's smooth vocals to glide over.
As Arell and Maya listened back to the song they had crafted together, a sense of satisfaction washed over them.
"This is good." Arell stated, grooving along to the beat.
Maya grinned, her eyes sparkling with pride. "Yeah, it turned out even better than I imagined." she replied, her tone filled with satisfaction.
As the final notes of the song faded away, Arell and Maya exchanged a knowing look. "It's missing something." Maya said.
Arell nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, it needs…. like a touch to tie it all together."
He pondered for a moment before an idea struck him. "What if we use a vocal sample to add that extra layer of depth and texture? Something that adds a nostalgic vibe."
Maya's eyes lit up as she caught on to Arell's vision. "That could work, you could sa- actually… Let's browse through some vocal samples and see if anything goes with the vibe we're going for."
Arell's fingers danced across the keyboard as he navigated through various vocal samples online, searching for the perfect fit. After a few moments of scrolling and listening to different audios, he paused on a track titled "You Don't Know Me" by Armand Van Helden.
"This could be it," Arell muttered to himself. He clicked play, and the distinctive vocal riff filled the studio.
Maya listened intently, her brow furrowing slightly as she absorbed the sound. "Hmm, I'm not sure if it quite fits the vibe we're going for and it's kind of old," she remarked, shaking her head.
But Arell wasn't deterred. "Let me work with it for a bit," he insisted, already beginning to envision how he could manipulate the sample to suit their track.
Maya watched in fascination as he crafted the sample, adding his own flair to the mix.
He isolated the vocal portion of the "You Don't Know Me" sample, ensuring that it seamlessly blended with their track.
Next, Arell decided to experiment with Auto-Tune, opting to slightly correct the pitch of the isolated vocal for a smoother and more polished sound. He carefully adjusted the settings, pushing them just enough to enhance the vocal without sounding overly processed.
He wanted to infuse the vocal with a touch of modern flair, so he applied a Vocoder effect. Playing around with different settings, he fine-tuned the effect until it added just the right amount of robotic edge to the vocal.
With the vocal now processed to perfection, Arell decided to take it a step further by employing double tracking. He recorded the processed vocal a second time, adding slight variations to create a sense of thickness and depth.
In the back of his mind, he heard a notification which he swiftly disregarded.
Finally, Arell applied subtle amounts of reverb and delay to the vocals, adding a sense of space and polish to the mix. He carefully adjusted the parameters until the vocals seamlessly melded with the rest of the track, creating a dynamic sound.
As Arell listened back to the final result, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. The processed vocal added a whole new dimension to their track, elevating it from good to great.
Arell nodded, his fingers deftly weaving through the editing software as he integrated the modified vocal sample into their track. With each adjustment, the vocal began to harmonize perfectly with the beat, creating a seamless fusion of sound.
Once satisfied with his work, Arell hit play, and the studio was flooded with the sound of their creation.
Maya's eyes widened as she listened, a smile spreading across her face. She couldn't help but groove along to the infectious rhythm, her body swaying to the beat.
"Wow," she exclaimed, her voice filled with awe. "That's incredible, Arell!"
Arell grinned, basking in Maya's excitement.
"Thanks, Maya," Arell replied. He watched as Maya make a few tweaks here and there, fine-tuning the mix to perfection.
As Maya wrapped up the final touches, she turned to Arell with a satisfied smile. "I think we've got ourselves a hit," she declared, her confidence radiating through her words.
Arell leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment. 'System what's the song rating?'
With that the system screen appeared and began pulsing.
[…. Calculating….]
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[Song Rating: 78]
Arell's eyes widened as he saw the song rating appear on the screen. It was his best rating yet, but even as he felt a surge of pride, he knew that there was still room for improvement. This track had the potential to be even better, to reach even greater heights.
As he opened his mouth to suggest moving on to another song, Maya stopped him in his tracks.
"Wait, Arell," she said, her voice firm. "Before we move on, we need to name this track."
Arell paused, caught off guard by Maya's interruption.
After a moment of contemplation, an idea struck him. "How about 'Who's This Girl'?" he suggested, a smile playing on his lips. "It captures the theme of the song well."
"I love it," she exclaimed, her eyes shining with approval. "It's perfect."
Arell nodded in agreement with Maya's enthusiasm for the title. "Great, 'Who's This Girl' it is then." he confirmed, a sense of satisfaction washing over him.
With the song now officially named, Arell and Maya shared a moment of relaxation before diving back into their work.
Over the next few hours Arell and Maya continued their studio session with renewed energy, eager to explore new sounds and ideas.
As they worked tirelessly, they found themselves in a state of flow, completely absorbed in the music-making process. They seamlessly bounced ideas off each other, fine-tuning every aspect of their compositions until they felt just right.
While not every track reached the same level of "Who's This Girl," Arell and Maya were undeterred.
As the hours passed, their studio session turned into a marathon of creativity, with Arell and Maya crafting one track after another. Some were upbeat and energetic, while others were more introspective and soulful.
Despite the ups and downs, Arell and Maya continued working, with each song they created, they felt a sense of fulfilment.
Unknowingly they had spent almost 6 hours in the studio only knowing due to Kenny barging into the studio.
After that Arell and Maya finally called it a night, their minds buzzing from the day's creative endeavours.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone