How Far Have You Pushed Your Home Recording? (94) - Released 'Jehovah (I AM WHO I AM)'

 

* Jehovah (I AM WHO I AM)

He is I AM WHO I AM

Creator and Redeemer

He is I AM WHO I AM

Reigning from Ancient of Days

Eternal King,

The world is in Your sight

Almighty King

My Life is in Your hands

Jehovah Nissi, Rapha, Shalom

* A Song Always in My Heart

Over the past few years, I haven't had much time to think about music. While running "Worship Through Life," my music production was limited to creating a weekly worship cover song and preparing meditation content. I reduced other commitments to focus entirely on pastoral ministry and finishing my book.

Even so, a passion for music and worship has always remained in a corner of my heart. Whenever I looked at my keyboard gathering dust, I felt a lingering sense of regret. Even though I rarely lead worship directly these days, messages and music praising God are always flowing in my mind.

That is why, whenever I had a spare moment, I steadily purchased necessary plugins and checked my sounds—just in case an inspiration struck for writing my own song.

* The Genesis of the Song and a Confession to Jehovah God

Recently, I discovered a free virtual instrument called "DRUMFLX." After a quick test, I immediately fell in love with the beat. I also found a pretty decent keyboard sound in Analog Lab. Normally, I rarely use presets made by layering a keyboard and synth together, but the moment I heard it, I liked it right away.

So I started writing the lyrics immediately. These are lyrics I've always wanted to write: simple yet capturing the greatness of Jehovah God. Jehovah God is the self-existent One, the Creator, and the Redeemer. He is eternal, holding the world in His sight, almighty, and ruling over my life with His hands. He is Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Rapha, and Jehovah Shalom.

I plan to keep writing my lyrics in English whenever possible going forward. While I could certainly write worship songs in Korean, I want to create my own unique music. My goal is to express the heart for the Lord within me through music, unbound by genre or language.

* The Process of Completing the Song

Although I had the idea and the overall structure outlined quickly, it took quite a while to actually finish the track. Since the style of music I pursue is not typically beat-driven, balancing the mix wasn't easy—the kick drum, in particular, gave me a hard time. I finalized the track by cross-checking it across multiple headphones and studio monitor speakers.

* Vocal Tracks

The vocal track is very simple. I originally considered doubling the main vocal, but once I put it together, I didn't like how it sounded and kept it as a single track. After Melodyne, I additionally used UAD Topline Vocal Tune.

Looking back at my past mixes, my vocal levels used to be quite inconsistent. This time, I caught the peaks with the UA 1176 and smoothed out the sound once more with the LA-2A, resulting in a remarkably stable vocal overall.

As an accented background layer, I added "Jehovah Nissi, Rapha, Shalom." I intentionally applied a doubling effect to make it stand out more. For the ending, I maxed out the delay to leave a lingering resonance.

* Guitar Tracks

For the guitars, I happened to purchase Luna Studio at a low price and tried out Melodyne's newly released "tonalic" for the first time. It is a very innovative instrument—a sort of sample where you can change the key of the sample itself, much like editing a vocal in Melodyne. Since I have the entry-level version, editing is limited, but I was able to create a quite pleasant atmosphere.

* Orchestral Tracks

I really love orchestral sounds. From the very beginning, I wanted the song's arrangement to start with an emphasis on beats, gradually shifting toward a heavy orchestral presence as it progresses. I used a moderate blend of Berlin Free Orchestra and Spitfire Symphony Orchestra: Discover. While Berlin Free Orchestra can sound a bit thin on its own, it sat very naturally within the mix.

* Mixing

No matter what, mixing entirely on headphones has its limitations. Although not very well known, HoRNet VHS MK2 was a huge help. I managed the mixing and mastering by applying headphone correction to get the balance as close as possible, and then cross-checked on monitor speakers.

The best part was actively utilizing SSL 360. As tracks multiply, checking channel strips one by one takes an immense amount of time. Being able to view the SSL channel strip at a glance with software alone—without needing hardware—saves an extraordinary amount of time. Especially being able to monitor the compressor’s gain reduction all at once was a tremendous help in organizing the track's sound.

While I’ve used Plugin Alliance channel strips a lot in the past, plugins made directly by SSL sound noticeably different. I used SSL Channel Strip 2 on the vocal and drum tracks, and Harrison 32Classic Channel Strip on all the orchestral channels.

Strangely enough, both of these channel strips make it very easy to shape the sound using just the default EQ. The Harrison EQ in particular has very smooth filters, making it easy to create a warm sound. The compressor also glues the sound smoothly, making it ideal for orchestra.

Recently, I also purchased SSL Native Bus Compressor 2. Because it integrates seamlessly within SSL 360, the convenience is outstanding. I applied it to the entire drum bus and added an extra snare track to give the snare more punch, and I am quite pleased with the sound.

Of course, you have to establish the volume, EQ, compression, and filters within the core tracks during mixing, but in the end, detailed automation inside Reaper is essential. By meticulously adjusting the volume, reverb, and delay amounts within the vocals, I was able to bring the overall mood to life.

* Mastering

I kept mastering minimal and conservative. While using the Black Box HG-2 can produce a dramatic sound, a more natural feel suited this track better. Therefore, I refrained from using heavy-handed processing plugins and polished the sound only to the level I originally intended. For the final limiting stage, I set the ceiling to -1 dB and targeted a final loudness of around -9 LUFS.

* Music Distribution

The platform I've used to release my recent tracks is freshtunes.com. It allows for free distribution by adjusting the royalty settlement ratio afterward. While customer support is a bit lacking, you can still go from finishing a song to its actual release in less than a week.

* Hoping to Rely Solely on Jehovah God

The best part about finishing this song is that it compactly captures my confession of faith. As I grow older, I realize more deeply how crucial a biblical faith in Jehovah God truly is. Amidst the loneliness of walking through life alone, I find myself thinking even more about the greatness and comfort of Jehovah God.

I want to continue pressing forward into a life where Jehovah God is with me. Only Jehovah God is the Master, Sovereign, and Savior of my life. May the reality that I cannot solve every problem in life on my own never discourage me. Because God is with me, I hold fast to an unchanging hope today. So today, too, there is happiness. :)

* How Far Have You Pushed Your Home Recording? Series (Korean)
https://jungjinbu.blogspot.com/2022/10/blog-post_31.html