#synth v Jin

[animemusicbrackets]

Vocaloid Song Showdown!!: Intermission Round

Please listen to the songs before voting!

"drop pop candy" by Giga-P, Reol; feat. Kagamine Rin and Megurine Luka

VS

"Daughter of Evil" by Akuno-P / MOTHY; feat. Kagamine Rin

VS

"Outer Science" by Jin; feat. IA

VS

"Remote Control" by WONDERFUL☆OPPORTUNITY; feat. Kagamine Rin & Len

[namoart]

sketches from twitter

[choco-myth]

The Vocaloid Billboard Battle

Round 1, Match 5

This is Iki Teru Riyuu ga Wakaranai, a.k.a. I Don't Know Why I'm Alive, by Kamisama Usagi, featuring Kasane Teto and Hatsune Miku, VS. JUVENILE, by Jin, featuring Hatsune Miku!

Please listen to both songs before voting!

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

(Masterpost)

Rules: - Vote for your favourite voicebank out of these two! - Be kind!

Introductions: - Synthesizer V AI Jin (native language: Japanese) is a soulful, powerful masculine voice with a gritty brightness, who was released on December 7, 2023. - Synthesizer V AI D-Lin is a voice database uniquely tailored for rap, grounded in Chinese, with a significant inclusion of English samples. D-Lin stands out with his ability to excel at fast-paced rapping, smoothly folding multiple pronunciations into one crisp, clear, mid-range voice. He was released on July 4, 2023.

Demos under the cut:

Jin

D-Lin

[sealjellys-archived-posts]

(og song is “additional memory” by jin!!) WOO!!! im making a tma animatic for this but it’ll have to be made & uploaded at a seperate time bc i got sick like immediately after i started it + i had a 2-day power outage skdhsks

[hot-take-tournament]

After reading more of that terrible vocaloid/ vocal synth take, I feel the need to recommend some of my personal favourite songs that use vocaloids, in particular I wanted to show the diversity and range that can be a polished by different producers.

I feel like these are all very basic, but they are just so good.

Pumpkin spice dummy - Momocashew

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CnHtaYiTrVM&pp=ygUTcHVtcGtpbiBzcGljZSBkdW1teQ%3D%3D

Scrap boy - Steampianist

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lgRTbYJ8V5g&pp=ygUJU2NyYXAgYm95

The undertakers daughter - Steampianist

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xVpvRAKD_W0&pp=ygUZdGhlIHVuZGVydGFrZXIncyBkYXVnaHRlcg%3D%3D

Detention teacher - Honeyworks

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k7DayMp2L7Q&pp=ygURZGV0ZW50aW9uIHRlYWNoZXI%3D

The chattering lack of common sense - Ghost

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ksW7SuH6IAs&pp=ygUgY2hhdHRlcmluZyBsYWNrIG9mIGNvbW1vbiBzZW5zZSA%3D

Hyperdontia - Ghost

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=04BqFwERmac&pp=ygUPSHlwb2RlbWlhIGdob3N0

The entirety of the kagerou project by Jin, but specifically Kagerou daze and Ayano’s theory of happiness (this one always makes me tear up)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A7KNYk4f3XQ&pp=ygUMa2FnZXJvdSBkYXpl

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hll18UugDTE&pp=ygUbYXlhbm8ncyB0aGVvcnkgb2YgaGFwcGluZXNz

Similarly, evillious chronicles by Mothy, specifically regret message

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R4shMkF0ymk&pp=ygUOUmVncmV0IG1lc3NhZ2U%3D

Punch it punk - Ferry (every thing Ferry makes is great but this song itches my brain perfectly)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s_lGrcOtzck&pp=ygUNcHVuY2ggaXQgcHVuaw%3D%3D

I’m glad your evil too - PinocchioP

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PLevj9bdRRA&pp=ygUUSW1nYWxkIHlvdXIgZXZpbCB0b28%3D

Villain - Teniwoha (this song holds such a special place in my hear you have no idea)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p9FJXfGHtDA&pp=ygUQdmlsbGFpbiB0ZW5pd29oYQ%3D%3D

Rolling girl - Wowaka, an obvious, but correct, choice.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vnw8zURAxkU&pp=ygUTcm9sbGluZyBnaXJsIHdvd2FrYQ%3D%3D

The blessed messiah and the tower of Ai - Hitoshizuku × Yama

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CiEC329xPos&pp=ygUndGhlIGJsZXNzZWQgbWVzc2lhaCBhbmQgdGhlIHRvd2VyIG9mIGFp

The idea that voice synthesisers are trying to take over human vocals is so dumb, not every song using them even try’s to sound human. It’s such a cool instrument and a great way to tell stories, I don’t like the idea of it being filed down to evil AI.

Saying every song that has ever used a a vocaloid sound exactly the same is just blatantly incorrect. Some vocaloids do sound really similar but different producer put their own style into it and make them sound so unique ( I have included 3 songs that use Vflower and they all have their own special spin on her voice, which is so cool).

An important aspect of vocal synths is human creativity, we wouldn’t have awesome stories like the Kagerou project without real people like Jin thinking them up. Tuning a vocal synth takes so much work it’s incomparable to stupid AI covers.

I really like vocal synths it’s such a cool medium, sorry if this is long I’m very passionate about this.

don't apologise!

never listened to much vocaloid other than what you guys have sent me so i've got these on in the background now <3

[nako-doodles]

woah im seriously impressed by your analysis of the songs. like all i can say is: wow this shit bangs jfgf and comment on the lyrics but i dont know the little intricacies. now im starting to wonder if i know anything about music 💀 but anyways my real ask is i dont know much about tablo but i believe u listen to him a lot, do u rec any songs?

oiaejgirjeoah pls im nothing special i just word vomited my emotions aojgioerjhoijreao

anyways tablo/epik high has SO many good songs uh everythings under the cut:

ur local absolutely no fucking chill high skool 2 parter list of epik high songs

(hold onto your lily white asses my darlings)(edited)

a note before we start: while im a big fan and supporter of reading translations and lyrics, I ESPECIALLY encourage you to read these lyrics. these men have shaped the human that I am today w their lyrics.

epik high title tracks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTD9Jysi3_g we start w my ult fave title song (empty taxi/car) home is far away from their album we’ve done sthing wonderful (as ive enthused about many a times here and is their 10th anniversary since debut) this is my emotional support song for those dark rainy days. I still get chills at ‘in this whole world, is there not a single empty seat for me?’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvofNApz01I this is the second track off we’ve done something wonderful lost one (blooming flower) and its FUCK such a good song as well. as we will get into later, younha and kim jongwan from nell (another fantastic band that i grew into adulthood with) collabs w epik high are FUCKING INSANE LITERALLY NEVER MISSES and this is a perfect example of that + special mention to tablo’s verse ‘I pray that your dream is a reachable one, I pray that your dream only shows you things you can touch, because success takes as much as it gives’ fucking goosebumps

man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcnnUoyv-hs the instrumental to this is SO fucking pretty I love the piano lines in this song if I had a piano w me I would have transcribed it to learn. i also love that they made a hip hop song wo a drum beat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9UDLRW2C1Q another OG in their discography and ofc its a younha collab bc again: it never misses. the sfx, the synths, the piano, the EVERYTHING including joon choosing this song to cover on their appearance on duet song festival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hTS-f7UHk cant forget this ABSOLUTE banger of a song that got a lot of hate (ironically) but became a fan favorite and this epik moment where joker tablo, bane mithra jin, and (the scariest mojo) dj tukutz did this on halloween mamas (yea the trivializing mental health isnt great what w this being set in an asylum but we aren’t gonna discuss how society has treated mental health patients as others and monsters)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s1jaFDrp5M another absolute fucking BANGER literally will never shut up about this basically a rap cypher amongst the bros anyways IM A BORN HATER :loudspeaker::loudspeaker::loudspeaker:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCsLikmxhV0 (TW guns and blood) and here’s the sequel to the previous song off their recent album feat ofc the legend herself CL of 2ne1 (and ugh I guess z*co fuck you you talented bigoted fucker) completely ot but I love how they just….stick tukutz wherever. you need a guy to hold a gun? casually dj in the bg? a random being chaotic in the bg? tukutz’s got u

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7EQ_uoNQBE the punniest pun of all puns w some of the saddest lyrics wow alright younha and epik chill dont need to come at me like that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElW_V6SyfE8 the silliest funniest (future) dads to ever. just a giant dad joke in mv and song form full of pop culture references. they would continue this trend to reference all of the biggest drama posters to announce shows its genuinely some of the best things to ever happen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtPo67yqj60 yet another english korean pun where happeun means easy in korean so its an easy ending. when they did music shows, they intentionally chose the female singers starting from the youngest to the oldest to portray how different-aged people deal with breakups in jo wonsun’s lines (list: suhyun from akmu (first crush/love), lee hi (teenager), minzy from 2ne1 (20s), younha (30s), and finally jowon (middle age)) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ_xJD7zlfI here is the compilation thank you epik high https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX_4wrZIpGw gods run…..what a song…….what an impact………..no commentary just go watch this ( I couldn’t find the official mv for this song its so old but tis so good my lord)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Vz-ptyKbQ cant forget about historical drama warrior iu and how this mv basically gave us actor iu thank you epik high kings ft. crush another fan fave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awexwS9BYuY gonna end this w mine and tannie's fave E P I K MY HIGH IS EPIK hype song ever. this is the song that put hiphop onto the map and gave birth to all the hiphop kpop bands in the years to come (hey table wheres the mv????)

epik high b side tracks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juG3PBxrsfM lets start with my absolute favorite album opener (its really a 2 parter that blends just as easily on the album as on this live here) that references their previous work accomplishments and spoilers for the album AND especially for the references to all of their albums at the end there by tablo thank you king off their newest album epik high is here pt. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7f2fdJm1oQ cant make a list about epik high wo mentioning the fan favorite the crowning jewel the piece de la resistance in their discography, amor fati. tablo wrote this for the LGBTQ community and those who have been orphaned by society and it hits everytime you hear it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC5pmyVJ4t4 now we have come to my most played song on my iTunes @ 1689 plays feat lee hi! yes this is also from we’ve done something this album is fucking INSANE. im giving you the live bc this is completely in english and we deserve to hear these talented ppl live when that electric guitar comes in at the bridge…..fuck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LraS48NP99s this is off their newest album and yes I absolutely ugly cried at ‘inside all my talents, the youth [my dad] forfeited for me still breathes’ and ‘the last time I was in his arms, I thought, even heaven

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdTOJfzz8YY you can tell this is an old kpop vid bc im using platypizz :rofl::rofl: anyways this is another epik high classic I can practically sing this entire song what a (sad) bop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pMX5uDR_B4 this is the song that got me into epik high and ive never looked back since. this is my knees weak arms are heavy moms spaghetti actually.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um4pcG_KYYw we dont mithra opening epik high songs often but this is my favorite song one that he does. just…..this line right here ‘our smiles always wither before even blooming but flowers who never bloomed still gather to form a garden’ fuck my dude. you dont gotta go that hard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFckDQXbZ10 they fucking opened the best kpop album w this song. with the line ‘lenon died in 1980, when I was born. i always only imagine the worst.’ SINCERELY WHAT THE FUCK GUYS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGWUeMOP1ms here we come to my second most played epik high album sleepless in __, and the crowning jewel off that album……….even tho suga’s eternal sunshine and rain again tomorrow come a close second, but I dont have the space to give you the entire album but alas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb9Xu17T4CU I love everything about this song and wish they had this version on the album instead. this song blends so smoothly from the previous track rain again tomorrow and just this album sleepless in __ gives my brain so much happy neural connections idk how to explain it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYnY6XChzok this is one their best selling songs for a REASON is all im gonna say. ofc miss younha is there to BRING IN THE HEAT (my tears) everytime she comes with ‘oh no. not again’ I FELT THAT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbnx4qZYD9Q ive always been a BIG miso fan and when I heard she was collabing w epik high I WAS SO EXCITED and ofc they never disappoint. seriously such a gem in their new album. the album doesnt have the korean verse miso sings and its a shame really

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwKiGy2A_nU yet another fucking epik high song that fucking shaped my whole worldview and called me the fuck out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUHhFrBEKes YES KINGS LOUDER!!!! FOR THE BACK!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF8kBwaVYb0 tablo has done many lessons over the years but this is one is my favourite one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Morx4BdGHaA we finish this list off w a song named after the famous camera/lens makers and how we are all so obsessed with images and sns

[staycgrls]

hi taylor!! 💖

happy new year!! 🥳🍾

i know you haven't been on a lot, but i miss you & i hope you're doing well!!

if you want to, favorite music releases of 2023, kpop or not?? 🎤

Hi Rinnnnnnnn!!! oh i miss u so much 🥹🥹🥹 sorry i haven’t been active the last months have been kind of crazy (and i also accidentally got waaay back into insta so i’ve been meaning to message u for urs 😘) i hope ur doing well too happy new year i love u 💕💕💕💕

and woooooo what a year for music im like tryna remember half of what came out 😪 ummmm im gonna do like top 10 albums/releases for me !!! in no particular order tho cuz i can’t rank perfection 😤

1. Exist - Exo The fact that this even happened is enough to make it memorable but also Let Me In is a masterpiece thats all I can say.

2. Chill Kill - Red Velvet Love love love, i loved the title and i loved the b-sides especially underwater and wings 😌

3. Eunoia - Billlie I am not writing that whole album title but know that Nevertheless IS that girl, god tier album

4. My World and Drama - Aespa girlies absolutely ate this year drama is so cunty so slay the boots house down and the synths in spicy are diabolical i went insane

5. Festa - Purple Kiss v underrated in my opinion, Biscuit, Mistake, Autopilot all bangers and I’m sad I missed their tour :(

6. Ichijikikoku - Atarashii Gakko !!!! saw them live this year and it was lit!! my niece loves them and wouldn’t stop singing tokyo calling at christmas :) fav from this is giri giri and otome no bigaku!!

7. Heaven Knows - Pinkpantheress the only bitch that can make a 2:30 song with no bridge and NOT make it boring for me hybe pls take better notes favs were mosquito, ophelia, and feel complete

8. Hearts of the City - Lee Jin Ah I just love her voice, fav was My Whole New World

9. New Gene - XG literally frothing at the mouth for their tour wow terrible album rollout but i was blasting every little single until it dropped favs are new dance and puppet show!!

10. and of course how could we forget Teenfresh - Stayc the absolute queens of bubblegum pop slayc did it again!!!! and i saw them live bestie it was so crazy someone literally passed out 😓 but i cannot blame them idc if ppl say they make kidz bop music im healing my inner child okay 😤😤 bubble was fun and i like having fun !!!!

okay brb running to ur inbox bestie 🏃🏾‍♀️💕💕💕💕ty for always letting me talk and i hope ur new year is fruitful and fun :D

[hua-mo-jin-is-a-cutie]

For character opinion bingo: hua mo jin? Miku Hatsune?

Left: Hua Mo Jin. She is the voicebank ever. I love her with all my heart. Skrunkly. Blorbo. Little baby. The rest of the V Synth community may be all over AI banks right now, but I am rejecting modernity and embracing my Chinese Abandonware daughter. Yes she sounds like a dollar store phone toy. Yes that is part of her charm.

Right: Hatsune Miku. Not my favorite, but an iconic queen. I reject her canon age in my head Miku is at least 19.

[triptychexe]

Triptych’s second co-ed trio, Triplex brings a bubblegum pop twist to Triptych’s usual mature EDM sound with their debut mini album, The Heart, which was released on March 18th, 2018. Made up of three of the youngest members, the album focuses on a young love story, starting with their debut track, “Oh!”. 

△ TRACK BY TRACK.

1] OH!

Seasoned Artychs might have been thrown for a loop upon hearing “Oh!” for the first time. The bubblegum-meets-synth pop track is catchy, memorable, and stands out among Triptych’s discography as a whole.

None of the members can be credited for the writing of this song, but member and subgroup leader, One, had helped with the choreography.

2] COFFEE 3] FIRST DATE 4] KISSES 5] L-O-V-E 6] HOLD MY HAND

△ THIS ERA. 

This comeback was actually pushed forward because of the stalking scandal involving Jin of Triptych’s Trois. The company was hoping to distract fans (and the general public) by throwing three shiny new members in their faces.

And it actually worked. Triplex’s debut was controversial among fans and casual listeners, especially with the stark difference in concept & sound. 

Some older Artychs criticized HBH for being sell outs and trying to cater to younger audiences with Triplex.

But despite the few disapproving fans, Triplex was actually very popular domestically and became one of the most popular sub-groups of Triptych in Korea. 

Their title track, Oh!, went viral because of the chorus’s choreography, which was created by One herself. Oh! became a popular choice for dance covers online as well as by idols on variety shows.

However, Triplex had to be very careful this era. Usually, HBH is pretty lenient on what their idols do in the public eye, but after what happened with Soojin... They didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt or involved in anymore drama. 

So the members of Triplex had to sneak around if they wanted to form any sort of relationships outside of Triptych... which lead to the trio frequently escaping their dorms to go hang out with their new friends that they’ve made during promotions.

But in general the era was very successful and boosted the morale. 

△ FANDOM BEHAVIORS.

One of the biggest reasons behind the surge of fans this era was because Sun and One were previously contestants on Produce 101, finishing at ranks 14 and 19 respectively. 

People who hadn’t heard from One or Sun since their run on the survival show took interest in where they ended up. The phrase “Kang Sunhee” started trending on twitter upon her debut announcement. 

Fans generally had a positive response to the kiddos and were really excited to welcome their new maknaes...

But fans of Trois weren’t too impressed, especially because they knew that HBH was just throwing Triplex out there to cover up the fact that they haven’t found Jin’s stalker yet. 

[randombtsprincessa]

interview tag!

Tagged by: @avveh and @yoonia thank you luvs!

rules: answer questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better

name/nickname: Tulips! Rose! recently a friends has started calling me Eden! (they’re getting hard to keep track off)

gender: she/her

star sign: Cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius

height: I’m hobbit sized! 5′

time currently: 1:06am

when is your birthday: Jan 20!

favourite bands: (kpop/kmusic) BTS, 4minute, CLC, Mamamoo, GG, Gidle, Got7, MonstaX, Ateez, Fall out Boy, Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, Kard, Queen,...i think you get the pattern...

favourite solo artists: Banks, j-hope, RM, Suga, Jungkook, Jin, V, Jimin (oh yes I went there) Wonho, Taemin, etc etc...

song stuck in your head: Heart by Heart - Demi Lovato

last movie you watched: Tremors i think

last show you binged: Does Buzzfeed Unsolved / In the Soop count? Otherwise Supernatural

when you created your blog: I’ve been ghosting tumblr from early 2014 or late 2013...made the blog in 2016, started using it as a platform in 2017.

last thing you googled: Body Language of Amber Heard in deposition to show my mother (#JusticeforJohnny)

other blogs: none currently

do you get asks: barely a few here and there! Understandable, people are busy.

why i choose my url: Well, i have a habit of gathering information and storing them about the most random and (maybe useless to some) topics. BTS was the main reason why i made the blog. and because I’m a Princess ;)

how many people are you following: that’s embarrasing...and a good reminder I should hit the follow button more, I forget and then later will remember while chatting and internally scream.

how many follows do you have: I don’t reveal that sorry!

average hours of sleep: my dark circles should tell you something. I sleep terribly. 

lucky numbers: 7

instruments: I can play keyboard based instruments, (piano, synth, harmonium), sitar, a little (very little) drums. 

what i’m currently wearing: black and white striped tshirt and blue sweatpants. 

dream job: author, businesswoman, (*whispers* pay me to travel the world and eat and you got yourself a deal)

dream trip: I have a whole bucket list lol.

favourite food: asian cusine, indian, pizza, burgers and italian...maybe a little french too if I have the stomach for it!

nationality: Indian

favourite song: Black Swan - BTS

top three fictional universes you’d like to live in: Trust me, we’ll be here forever but I guess, Camp HalfBlood, Austen!verse, and skulduggery pleasant world!

tagging: @gamerkooks @ahundredtimesover @underthejoon @deepestballoonllama-fandoms @grayhawk58 @softyoongiionly @floralseokjin @hobidreams @serooks @cuziloveyou7 @noona-la-la-la and anyone else who wants to do this!

[animemusicbrackets]

Vocaloid Song Showdown!!: Round 2C

Please listen to the songs before voting!

"Lag Train" by inabakumori; feat. Kaai Yuki

VS

"Outer Science" by Jin; feat. IA

[tee-jay-666]

My review: BTS -  Be

The album opens with "Life Goes On", such a heart-warming song. This song is a reflection on one's self, and acceptance in loving yourself. I found happiness and peace in this track.  The guitars and the melodies are everything. The lyrics are very deep, no matter what happens, life must go on. PERIOD! We must move on because life and time will keep going and we cannot standstill. Without BTS how does my life go on?

 "Life Goes On" is a healing track. The second track of the album is "Fly To my Room", This track is written by Cosmo’s Midnight, Joe Femi Griffith, RM, SUGA (BTS) & ​j-hope. I love how every single members from BTS, participates in this album. This tells us that they can not only sing but also produce and write songs. “내 방을 여행하는 법 (Fly To My Room)” features SUGA, j-hope, Jimin and V. The song speaks on the COVID-19 pandemic experience when BTS had to cancel their tour plans and stay at home with one another. The lyrics takes us to how much BTS missed Armys and how much their bonds with one and another became stronger. I love how happy and fun this track is. The vocals and mix of rap with kick ass drums and synth is just soo good.  The next track is "Blue & Grey", a very emotional track. It made me cry. The vocals and instrumentals just swipes your feelings.

 "Skit" is the next track which is a conversation between BTS members, very cute and emotional. Jin, tells everyone "Billboard singer... No. 1 singer entry!" and they celebrate the victory for going number one on Billboard hot 100 for their song "Dynamite". We go to "Telepathy", very groovy and I love to dance to this track. The lyrics are fun and still emotional to me and the instrumentals are very groovy. The next track is "Dis-ease", this is the track that I was born to listen. The rap lines in this track is just toooo insane. J-hope opens the track and then RM and Suag joins, it's just too lit. Very happy, dissy, healing and power punch track and when J-hope sang "Damm, If I fail", my grades went high. “Stay” is a fun blast edm track featuring RM, Jin and Jungkook and also written by Jin, Jungkook, Arston and RM. This track is on the  relationship between BTS and ARMY. Jin and Jungkook's vocals is a blast! and RM's rap is a killer. I love this song so much. Very dancy and EDM type of track. 

BE ends with "Dynamite", an upbeat cheerful track. Such a good ending to this album. This track also hit number one on Billboard. Love this track so much. A very disco happy vibe and full of positivity. The vocals are dynamite, it explodes with highs and lows, really good. Overall, the album is a healing. Very good! Loved it. As life goes on this album will go on too. I love you BTS.  

[dmukcs]

Lucifer - SHINee (샤이니)

watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dww9UjJ4Dt8&ab_channel=SMTOWN

This week’s old school kpop recommendation is Lucifer by SHINee (prounced shiny). Lucifer is definitely a classic and one of SHINee’s iconic songs (but really, most title tracks by SHINee are iconic in their own right).

"Lucifer" was written by Bebe Rexha and Yoo Young-jin and is described as a ‘game-changing tune’ propelled by electro-pop and futuristic synth effects. This song showed a new edgier side to the group. I really believe that this song, paired with exciting choreography, changed the game for kpop and pushed a lot of new challenging choreo in the industry. 

For their outstanding choreography for Lucifer, they were nominated for Best Dance Performance Award at the 2010 MAMA.

Fun fact: SM included ‘slicing through the air’ sound effects for their choreo in the beginning which still to this day I find really funny. 

Released July 19th, 2010, this comes from their second full album of the same title, being re-released on their repackaged album, Hello, October 1st 2010.

The album Lucifer won the Disk Bonsang Award at the 25th Golden Disk Awards, as well as the Popularity Award. 

Their second album Lucifer (2010) produced two singles, "Lucifer" and "Hello".  Lucifer also won the Disk Bonsang Award at the 25th Golden Disk Awards as well as the Popularity Award. 

Members left to right: Onew (leader, orange jacket), Taemin (maknae, yellow jacket), Jonghyun, Key, Minho

SHINee is a group formed under SM Entertainment in 2008. They have won numerous amount of accolades and are known as the “Princes of Kpop” in South Korea. Originally a five-member group, vocalist Kim Jonghyun died in December 2017. Currently they are still active.

They debuted in May 2008, with their debut song Replay (which I’m really hoping you all know as it’s truly a bop even to this day). They gained attention for starting a fashion trend amongst students, which was dubbed “The SHINee trend”. 

SHINee are considered to be one of the best live vocal groups in kpop and are known for their intricate but synchronised choreographies, earning them Best Dance Performance three times in a row from MAMA. Their signature style of music is known to be R&B, but they’ve experimented with a lot of genres over their years of being a group.

Their fandom name is SHINee World, most popularly known Shawols, and their fandom colour is pearl aqua. They also have fandom names for individual members which are as followed:

ONEW - MVPs (based from one of his lines in their debut song Replay)

JONGHYUN - Blingers 

MINHO - Flames

KEY - Lockets

TAEMIN - Taemints

• • • • • • • • • •

photo references: https://www.soompi.com/article/1282253wpp/shinees-lucifer-2nd-mv-surpass-100-million-views?fbclid=IwAR2fRQL4uQp7OOa7UiNKBzZOJQMyyMA_C2N1SxFNEfaz9ScYLfRh6kcLEXY https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer_(Shinee_album)#/media/File:Shinee_Lucifer_cover.jpg https://www.soompi.com/article/1105241wpp/shinee-posts-handwritten-letters-announcing-decision-japanese-concerts

references:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer_(Shinee_album) https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/8544710/best-k-pop-songs-2010s-top-100 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Shinee#:~:text=Their%20second%20album%20Lucifer%20(2010,well%20as%20the%20Popularity%20Award. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinee

[hobstagram]

album review

yes I'm on hiatus, yes I need to talk abt this album in depth bc I'm going fucking insane

Persona: this fucking song ok it pays homage to their old hip hop sound whilst still sounding like the ‘current bts’, namjoon’s flow is amazing and works really well with the beat of the song, which is also just... fun and bouncy.... the song just makes me wanna bounce in my chair. the beat is just rlly fun and good and the chorus is catchy and fun and just honestly one of my favourite songs on the album

Boy With Luv: I'm not gonna lie it’s better than what I expected but still.... manages to be the most Okay song on this album. like its not bad I can’t really pick out anything that I specifically don’t like it’s just that there’s also very little that I can pick out that I really like. but what I will say is... yoongi and namjoon’s raps!!! r so sexy!! the rap breaks up the rhythm of the song nicely and is a little unexpected (esp yoongi’s) also whilst I don't dislike halsey’s part she didn’t bring anything new/interesting to the song and I personally find her ad-libs rlly annoying esp her ‘I want it’ (and esp on the non-mv ver bc they’re on Every Chorus) but I do think her effort is commendable singing in a new language/learning a dance is hard and she did ok. the mv was also just generally cute and the dance seems like a lot of fun! 

Mikrokosmos: i like this song! it’s gets a tad too repetitive for me by the end but the beat is rlly funky esp when u listen w good quality headphones u can hear a lot of nice little quirks of the synth that it’s harder to pick up w normal quality headphones/out loud. it’s the kinda song that needs ur full attention to be able to appreciate it. I like the chorus even tho it’s quite simple it’s effective at getting the feeling of the song across and the melodies r all so prettyalso the vmin (?) harmonies are so pretty!! the raps are nothing special but they fit the vibe of the song rlly well and add the perfect little change. but my favourite bit is at around 2:40 when the beat drops out and there’s this dreamy synth under the vocals..... that’s the SHIT but the build up afterwards is kinda meh... if they’d finished the song there it would’ve rlly been something special the last bit just doesn’t bring anything new to the song. I just like..... idk I rlly want to like this song!! I really really want to like this song a lot but it’s just an amazing first half that fizzles out by the end...... I still like it tho I would definitely recommend listening to this song w nice headphones!!

Make It Right: ok this song fucking sounds like an ed sheeran song I could fucking tell this song was ed was soon as I heard it. personally this is my least favourite song on the album but there’s still a lot of good things about it. I like the synth initially and hoseok’s singing!!!! (maybe the hoseok stan just jumped out) but generally this is probably the most forgettable song..... dare I even say aggressively mediocre...... the synth motif gets rlly old quite fast like by the end I just don't wanna hear it anymore!! it gets old waaay too fast bc it’s so simple n repetitive and nothing new happens in the song after the first chorus...... it’s just the same.... idk again not bad just quite...... boring....... there’s just no development at all. the vocals during the pre-chorus r also just so breathy although it feels like a creative choice..... I just don’t particularly like it (again personal preference) I feel like this song will b popular w the gp bc again it sounds like an ed sheeran song skdjfh (maybe it gave me flashbacks to when I was 11 ok don't @ me)

HOME: oh yes..... as soon as namjoon starts the song u know it’s gonna b sexy. I like jimin’s voice!! in this song!! like they don’t force him to strain and it sounds good!!! however the autotune kinda makes vocal line all sound like jimin which is just a bit...... weird....... but in general jimin’s parts rlly shine in this song!! all of rap line’s verses are really good!!! it’s just groovy!! ngl the part of this song that gets me the most is the lyrics. but I feel like the song ends weirdly.... it finishes w the bridge and so sounds like it should lead to something else..... it feels unfinished and also bc it’s a bridge it doesn’t musically resolve so furthering the kinda unfinished feel (general pet peeve tho pop artists just fucking resolve ur songs its not that hard!! resolve it!! ur not cool for not resolving at the end of ur song!!)

Jamais Vu: ugh jin starting it off...... big sexy...... ngl hoseok’s first verse is sexy as well and the synth piano is nice the way it goes minor all of a sudden big fuckin sexy but then u know whats the real fucker in this song when jungkook fucking KEY CHANGE all of a fucking sudden like I practically had a heart attack when I heard it for the first time i feel like it’s a perfect musical representation of what jamais vu feels like. just this kinda musical experimentation is what I'm fucking here for!! u used to get a lot of crazy key changes in like early 2010′s kpop but recently ppl r being v safe and western but like BAM this I just love it ok ksdjhfksdj it manages to be jarring but also fit perfectly with the rest of the song like I just love it. I LOVE hoseok’s 2nd verse as well the deep synth brass(??) sounds it’s just sexy ok like this song is sad sexy and I'm fucking here for it. ugh and he layering of hoseok’s sing/rap over the vocals at the end just..... so good. it doesn’t feel messy it’s clean and effective and again matching w theme of jamais vu and kinda gives it a conversational feel. jin and jungkook both sound so good and the song actually builds on previous musical ideas and doesn’t just repeat them over and over again blindly, it feels nice and more experimental (they still didn’t resolve the song but this time I feel like it fits w the idea of jamais vu) the more I listen to this song the more I love it, it might actually be my favourite

Dionysus: holy fuck yes this was by far my favourite song in the album on the first listen like it perfectly manages to fuse the old school hiphop sound bts used to have with rock and I fucking LOVE it like it starts off as a hiphop song and the rock elements enter completely flawlessly. it’s one of the few times I really really like the super over auto-tuned voice like it feels purposeful and it fits so well with the song. also just all of hoseok’s high-pitched nasal rap/ad-libs just fits so well!! yoongi’s rap allows the best to quiet down a little and build up again w out having to have a ‘beat drop’ neccesarily. this song gets me so much more hype than a lot of their other ‘hype’ songs!! the high note/scream as well.... just wow!! it feels like there’s a lot happening but it manages to still sound rlly cohesive and just!! how the fuck did they even think of this idea I'm just in AWE. also hoseok wrote this song like I'm so fucking proud ksjdhf

overall: I was rlly surprised by this album! like genuinely rlly surprised! they managed to create an album that spans so many genres from hiphop to pop to edm to rock, some of the songs on here (mainly jamais vu and dionysus) work both conceptually and just as music. there r some songs that I felt like could’ve been executed better (coughmikrokosmoscough) and had the potential to be really amazing. bts has started being a lot more experimental w their music recently in terms of incorporating elements of other genres into their songs but this album especially feels like they’re pushing the boundaries a lot more. it’s interesting and doesn’t always work but it rlly worked here! I think esp as they’re becoming so much more popular they can kinda afford to experiment more w their music and I'm excited for more stuff like this in the future! generally the album is rlly good, some songs I like less but none that I actively dislike and a lot of interesting music!!

[mysynthfetish]

Soundcraft Shithead

Right so I played at Showa Techno April 29th. Some really neat acts this year (as every year). Personal favorites this time were Jin-Cromanyon (of course), T.S.P. (nice improv, 2P battle style techno), and Hidetaka Matsumae (fantastic). Lemme see if I can put a link up to my set from the show here...

undefined

Yeah so there ya go. Make sure to read the video description for all the gory details. Some stupid shenanigans went on that I wrote about there so do check it out. The video is just a slideshow of gear photos, and maybe a smidge of video from the event, but not a video of my performance (didn’t feel like bothering with shooting video this time). It was fun. I’ll do it again next year.

So, Soundcraft. Yeah. A while back I bought a used Spirit Folio Si 18-2, and used that for the show. I was running the Mix Inserts to a Focusrite Compounder, but the signal started getting scratchy and intermittent, and I had to fuck with the jacks to get it to stay stable. Aaaaargh. Two weeks ago, the left insert just totally shat itself, no signal unless I pushed super hard sideways on the cable and I knew that was definitely Not A Good Thing. So fine then time for some surgery.

Here’s the mixer. The Mix Inserts are in the back row of sockets at the upper right, middle row, second and third over from the right. The jacks Soundcraft went with on this mixer are a funky kind made by Neutrik. All plastic body, with a plastic retainer ‘nut’ that can be removed by inserting a coin into the + and gently rotating to the left. It’ll make a nice CLICK and then you can carefully pull the ‘nut’ off. I’m not so sure how I feel about these. For ease of disassembly, compared to metal threaded jacks with actual nuts and washers, these Neutriks are definitely the winner. But they’re plastic, and plastic is obviously not as robust as metal, so you have to wonder about the lifespan of the ‘nut’ part itself. In any case, opening the mixer wasn’t a huge pain in the ass.

Underside of the PCB. It’s all one gifuckingnormous PCB, which was a nice surprise. (Mackie I’m looking at you here). Pretty easy to navigate, and as these are Made In England the soldering and build was actually very, very good (sorry if I offend anyone but fuck made in china, end of brief rant, we now return to program in progress). I desoldered the L Mix Insert jack to see what there was to see. This is what I seed:

Well, the little metal part there had worked its way loose. It seems the ‘teeth’ that are used to hold these things in had worn away at the plastic after who knows how many times a cable was inserted and removed over how many years. Ok. At this point I had two questions. First, is this part still available, as the mixer is from the early 2000s? Second, is flattening the teeth out and snapping the metal piece back in going to work (or last)? The answer to the first question was yes. After some data sheet detective work, I found out that the currently available part (NJ5 FD-V) has the same footprint and is basically drop-in compatible. The only difference is that the ‘nut’ is no longer a + shaped weirdo, but looks like a nut. Here:

Anyway, I ordered two pairs from Mouser, but for the time being, finagled and Ghetto Engineered the metal piece back in, re-soldered it, and so far it’s been working fine. So the answer to the second question is a tentative yes. Here’s more fun photos:

In any case, I’m happy I got the thing working again. These mixers hit the spot in a way that no other fucking mixer on the market since has. Tons of stereo inputs, a minimal pair of mono inputs. I have shitloads of stereo stuff, be it synths themselves or synths being run through stereo effects units/pedals. I don’t need a half-dozen mono channels. WHY ARE THERE NO MIXERS LIKE THIS?!!?! 2 mono (with mic pre-amp), and 8 stereo channels. Nice EQs. Sweepable mid on the mono channels. Tape input. Monitor and Main outputs. Mix Inserts. The only thing I wish it had was a Mute button on every channel. Why they left that out bewilders me. Anyway, when the Insert shat itself I immediately jumped to the Worst Case Scenario Useless Mixer Dilemma Must Buy Replacement Immediately If Not Sooner Arrrgh, and bought another one off Digimart (an online amalgamate of new and used gear shops here in Japan). So, the latest incarnation of the Lab Of Machines Of Nefarious And Questionable Repute looks like this:

Under the pimped out MPC500 you can see a HHB Radius 3 Fat Man Stereo Tube Compressor (made by TL Audio). I tooled with a Presonus Bluetube DP for a bit but it wasn’t what I was after. This thing though, fucking hell. Or more like FUCKING HELL YES! I swapped the factory tube out with a Mullard tube and have the Spirit Folio Lite  Mix Inserts running to it. I’m using that little mixer as a sub-mixer for all my drum machines. Let me just say, I am fucking more than happy with this. Warms up and glues the drum mix together SO NICELY. I’m toying with the idea of picking up NOS tubes periodically to see how the character of the sound changes. Need a budget first... (sigh).

That’s about it for this time, kiddies. I’ll end with some shameless self-promotion and throw up some action photos from the show. Take care y’all!