Behind the Scenes: Arranging RTHK #1 hit 你们好 - Jonathan Wong

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL92-p8byDU First, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who left invaluable feedback on my first behind-the-scenes blog entry! This will be the second entry on 你们好, answering the following questions:1) How did we develop the idea of arranging this song , without any instruments?That this song has no instruments should not be a surprise, given Jonathan's a cappella influences!  If you are familiar with Jon's debut album "超越声音 Beyond Sound", it's clear that a cappella is one of the most prominent elements in our productions. We often strip out instruments in parts of our songs, leaving only the vocals.  In addition, we've also created introductions and interludes entirely out of voices!  I guess that was just a long winded way of saying that a cappella is not just a gimmick to us, but an integral part of both Jon as an artist and myself as a producer. :)  Upon hearing the fun, slightly campy way our song's melody turned out, we were led to the conclusion that an a cappella treatment would not only be appropriate for the song, but also accentuate its unique flavor and vibe in a way that no other treatment could!2) How did we make voices sound as full and complex as an instrumental arrangement? What was the arranging process like?Technique A: Direct TranscriptionThe arranging process really started seamlessly with the very beginning of the songwriting process. We transcribed the chord pattern using a notation software package called  Sibelius.  The four-beat, blocky Motown pattern in the piano chords I played, morphed eventually into the backbone of the arrangement for voices.Technique B: Layering - Percussive and Held texturesOnce this backbone was set, Jon started developing parts to add varied textures on top of the basic structure.  A basic technique we used was to layer percussive parts on top of held parts.  For example, both held "oooh"s and percussive bell-like "ding"s were used in the prechorus section to add texture and interest to the arrangement.  The clip below demonstrates this layering effect: first we have the "ding" part, then the "oooh" part, and lastly both combined.Technique C: Syllables FTW!For the rapped bridge by MC Jin, we used another technique of layering not just different rhythms, but different sung syllables, to both change up the sound and also add a new dimension to the meaning of the song. As a tribute to the idea of "World without strangers", the layered background parts feature "hello" sung in various different languages.  For example, phrases like  "Guten Tag" and "Konnichiwa" are hidden in the texture, if you listen really carefully. How many different languages do you hear? :)Technique D: Instrumental ImitationAnother technique we used was instrumental imitation: all "drums" and "trumpet" on this track were beatboxed and lip-buzzed, respectively.  Here's an example of the "vocal trumpet" raw recording, followed by the mixed/processed sound. You'll notice that the raw recording is actually quite close to the final mixed sound! These vocal techniques do take a lot of practice, but really add a whole new dimension to an arrangement when used sparingly...And on to mixing...We aimed to achieve a final product that was a dense, layered arrangement sounding every bit as powerful and interesting as an arrangement with instruments. In other words, the listener should be able to enjoy the song without missing real instruments one bitTo achieve this outcome, on top of creating an interesting and effective arrangement, I had to employ various specialized mixing techniques to enhance the vocal tone, morph parts to sound more like instruments and drums, and anchor the entire song in deep, booming, subwoofer-ready bass. :) The picture above shows an actual screenshot of the SONAR 8 session for 你们好. To find out more about this process, stay tuned for the next entry of this blog: Behind the Scenes - Mixing!