One Man Band System

Chapter 54: Rolling the Tape

The next day, once Eric had recovered, though his body still felt a bit weak, he was already watching Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura practice on the third floor inside the soundproof recording room.

Eric operated the soundboard, while Emma cross-referenced the recording script on the computer to monitor the tempo changes and the flow of the melody they were practicing, while also automatically recording everything for later review and to use as a baseline if anything felt off.

They didn’t practice the whole song all at once; instead, they took it step by step until they finally ran through the entire track from start to finish, which clocked in at exactly four minutes and twenty seconds.

Based on the results of that final run, they finally found a take they were satisfied with and were ready to record the official version for release. But after they all listened back to the track together, the entire room suddenly fell dead silent.

Eric and Emma sat there stunned by the playback, while Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura were completely speechless. Hearing their own performance gave them literal chills, hitting them deep down inside.

"Wow... I didn’t expect it to turn out like this," Eric said, breaking the silence.

"This is... incredible. For those four minutes, it felt like I was completely transported to another world," Emma added.

"Sob... sob,"

Eric and Emma turned around in their chairs, startled to see tears streaming down Monica’s face as Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura tried to comfort her.

"What’s wrong?" Eric asked, totally bewildered.

"She’s just really moved... this song is... it’s so us. Honestly, it gets to me too. Ever since my parents passed away... I’ve been forced to carry on the family legacy... you have no idea the kind of pressure I’ve been under from the rest of the relatives, all of them just waiting to tear me down," Chloe vent her frustrations.

"But this song isn’t rock, and it’s not exactly pop either. It’s somewhere right in between, isn’t it?" Emma asked, sounding a bit confused as she kept analyzing the track, completely oblivious to how the entire mood in the room had shifted.

"You wouldn’t get it... your mom doesn’t breathe down your neck demanding perfection. It’s different for me and the rest of us," Priya told Emma, her voice trembling slightly.

"Oh... I see. Yeah, I guess I get that," Emma replied, looking down.

"Finally... I’m free... I joined a band... I’m out of that house," Heidi muttered, staring down at her clenched fists.

"I already told you guys why I ran away, so I don’t need to explain it again," Laura added quietly. ƒrēewebnovel.com

"Oh... wow... are you guys seriously that emotional about it?" Eric asked, still a bit lost.

"Of course we are," the five girls replied in unison.

"Um... but if you perform this song on stage... you can’t let your emotions get the best of you, right? Wait... actually, maybe you can... I don’t know... now you’ve got me all confused too," Emma stammered, completely at a loss for words.

Eric realized right then and there that the song he had written this time completely exposed everything hidden deep inside each member of The Empress, and it had clearly hit them where it hurt. He turned his chair back around and grabbed the mouse on the desk,

"Um... tell you what, let’s just swap this song out for a different one... looks like this one hits a little too close to home for you guys... sorry I pried into things I probably shouldn’t have..."

"Don’t you dare!"

Suddenly, Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, Laura, and even Emma screamed at the top of their lungs, forcing Eric to instantly cover his ears, wincing from the sudden hangover-induced headache.

"Whoa, okay, okay...geez," Eric said, startled as he spun his chair back around.

"We just got caught up in the moment... it won’t happen again," Monica said, wiping away her tears.

"Exactly... yeah... there’s no need to change the song. What you wrote is a masterpiece," Priya nodded in agreement.

"Sorry about that... we got a little emotional," Chloe said, blinking away the tears welling up in her eyes before they could fall.

"Come on, guys, let’s start the official recording," Heidi urged the others.

"Yeah... the sooner we finish, the better," Laura added enthusiastically, smiling for the very first time.

"No... let’s take a one-hour break first. Let’s head upstairs," Eric suggested, standing up.

"Why?" Monica asked, speaking for the group.

"Because you’re all still riding an emotional wave. Go calm down and relax for a bit... okay?" Eric said.

"Yeah, he’s right. Let’s go upstairs first," added Emma, who stood up as well.

The five girls glanced at one another, then nodded in unison before heading upstairs. An hour later, they all came down to the venue. Eric and Emma brought down the recording gear, including cameras and lighting, while all the girls carried their instruments, except for the drums.

Once they finished setting everything up, Eric switched on all the spotlights. Monica wore a black t-shirt under a black jacket paired with shorts; Chloe wore a black hoodie with denim shorts; Priya sported a white t-shirt and a black leather vest; Heidi wore a white button-down under a black jacket with a short black denim skirt; and finally, Laura wore a black t-shirt and ripped jeans.

Their setup looked completely professional. This time, they weren’t just doing a simple live-and-share recording; they were shooting it like an actual live concert at a venue, even though there wasn’t a single person in the audience except for Eric and Emma behind the cameras.

"Okay... ready, guys?" Emma asked, raising her hand.

"Yeah," Monica, Chloe, Priya, Laura, and Heidi replied at the same time.

"Go."

"Claaang!"

The guitar instantly echoed through the room, backed by a soft, steady drumbeat. Then the keyboard kicked in, laying down the foundation of the track, followed by the bass adding weight to the melody. Right after that,

"When we met for the very first time... back when we were total strangers... before we ever knew what standing together felt like..."

Monica immediately dove into the lyrics, her voice seamlessly blending into a flowing melody where every element chased the next, yet locked together perfectly to create a sound that cut straight to the soul.

Hearing it live, Eric couldn’t help but peek out from behind the camera lens, keeping his hands perfectly steady while wanting to witness the girls playing his song with his own eyes.

Eric smiled, his heart pounding as he watched Monica sing with absolute devotion, her eyes closed and her hands gripping the mic as if it had become an actual extension of her body. Priya swayed, her fingers flying across her guitar strings with intense focus, while Chloe looked completely locked into the groove, feeling every note as she poured her soul into the bassline.

Heidi’s fingers practically danced across the keys, her face completely expressionless and cold, yet entirely immersed in the performance. Laura kept her eyes closed every now and then, her steady drumming wrapping around the other instruments to bind them all into a single, cohesive track.

"Yes... this is it... this is exactly what I heard in my head... they are absolutely incredible," Eric thought to himself.

Eric glanced over at Emma, who was filming right next to him. Emma looked completely captivated by the song, and without even realizing it, tears were streaming down her face, though she kept a wide smile and never stopped rolling the camera.

"Twaaaang," "thud...thud...crash,"

As the music faded out, Eric instantly checked his watch. The total track time came to four minutes and twenty-two seconds. He didn’t cut the recording just yet because even after the song ended, the five band members stood frozen in their tracks. Then, they glanced at each other, immediately set down their instruments, gathered in the center of the stage, and pulled into a tight group hug.

Only then did Eric stop the recording, and he immediately hit playback. The exact same track instantly filled the venue all over again. Monica, Chloe, Priya, Laura, and Heidi jumped down from the stage.

They were all dripping with sweat, making it impossible to tell if the moisture on their faces was sweat or tears. But they all looked incredibly happy and clearly relieved, wearing wide, unburdened smiles.

They immediately crowded around Eric to watch the playback of their performance, and Emma walked over to join them. After a moment, Eric looked up at the six girls surrounding him and smiled.

"Alright... I’m uploading it now," Eric said.

"Do it!" Monica, Chloe, Priya, Laura, and Heidi shouted.

Eric squatted down by his laptop and immediately transferred the recording. Once that was done, he uploaded the track to two online streaming platforms. "Clap," he shut the laptop lid, turned to Emma, and nodded to let her know the upload was complete. Emma instantly looked over at the others.

"Now let’s hope for the best, okay everyone?" Emma asked.

"Of course, manager, hehehe," Monica teased.

"We’re completely serious about it this time," Priya added.

"Yep... we’re finally crossing over into professional territory," Heidi added.

"I’m satisfied... genuinely satisfied... and relieved," Chloe added.

"Same... I just hope other people love it as much as we do," Laura added.

"Don’t worry, I’m positive this song is going to be a hit... and the proof is that it made me cry... you guys know I never cry, hahaha," Emma said, wiping away her tears.

The six girls immediately pulled each other into a group hug, jumping and spinning around the room in celebration. Eric just shook his head, but suddenly, "clang... clang," he jumped at the sound of something rattling against the rolling metal door. He stood up and walked toward the entrance, then peeked up the stairs. He could hear a commotion outside, and the rolling door was vibrating as if people were pushing against it.

"Huh... why is it so crowded out there?" Eric thought to himself.

He slowly walked up the steps to sneak a peek outside, but he instantly jumped back in shock. There was a massive crowd gathered right behind the rolling door, seemingly trying to catch a whiff of the music inside, pressing their weight against the metal.

"Whoa... what is all this?" Eric thought, a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest.