Your thoughts on handling lyrics in a performance scene

[Sonomi]

I read the other thread about vocals in background music, but my question is somewhat different... In this case, I'm wondering how to handle a plot-related scene wherein the characters are singing/playing the music.

Off the top of my head, three games that have such scenes are Kira Kira, Deardrops, and Lucid9.

In Kira Kira, they had the band play an OST with the male vocals in it, whilst the MC watched from the audience with internal monologue about the performance.

Deardrops had the narrative describe the sound of the lead singer's voice, but only the background music played by the band could be heard (in the first performance, anyway). Also, lyrics were not explicitly stated in the scene, rather they were implied.

With Lucid9's karaoke scene, they played the usual VN background music unrelated to the karaoke, but they showed the lyrics in the textbox (an approach I thoroughly enjoyed, as well).

What should I do?

I want to show lyrics, like Lucid9, because they are related to things that happened in the story. I would also love to be able to hear the vocals, like you could in Kira Kira, but I would either have to sing or find a vocalist. Lastly, I'm not sure if Deardrops' approach should work best when there is a need for narration without distracting the reader...

[LeetMusic]

Sounds like you're wondering whether to actually record the song or leave it up to the imagination. I'd suggest either committing to a great performance / recording, or play it safe and don't do it.

When I worked on Roommates there was a scene with a character writing the song on acoustic guitar, and then his band playing a polished version of the song at a show. Not sure what you're looking for, but I have a lot of experience singing and working with singers.

https://youtu.be/Oz--qDJa7HQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz0n7DWSonU

[Sonomi]

Thank you for summing up my rather long-winded question. In the end, I suppose it does depend on whether I'm able to do it well enough.

I have two sets of music: one for the band (may or may not use), and the other is for the soundtrack. Both are currently instrumental.

If I were to look for a vocalist, I would likely need a female singer, because the MC is female, and possibly male vocals for the lead guitarist if I could manage it (because that's something I definitely can't do myself).

This is all hypothetical, of course, because I should not enlist aid at just ~%3 completion and no public work in progress.

I was just curious if other people would want to hear what the band sounds like so I could figure out how to plan such scenes ahead of time.

Your music is excellent, by the way. I really like the acoustic version. It sounds authentic.

[LeetMusic]

Good luck with the project, and thanks. Feel free to PM / email me if you want to discuss later on. I work with female singers frequently as well.