Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 103: Coming Home

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Counting Stars by One Direction (Inspiration)>

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Midnight Pulse was a local Miami rock group that had been grinding in the underground scene for two years.

Leo Carter, the frontman, had formed the band straight out of high school with his three friends: Eli on lead guitar, Finn on bass, and Jax on the drums. They spent their days practicing in his parents garage and their nights playing at local dive bars for practically nothing.

Two years ago, they thought they had finally caught their big break. A self-produced song they uploaded had randomly caught the algorithm and racked up over a million streams.

For a few weeks, they felt like they had made it. But the harsh reality of the music industry quickly set in. A million streams on an independent track barely paid enough to cover their rent.

Since they didn’t have a massive following or a pop-friendly aesthetic, the major labels completely ignored them. The hype died down, and Midnight Pulse was forced right back into playing local gigs to survive.

But they didn’t quit. They kept playing.

At 1:00 PM on a Thursday, a beat-up Ford van pulled down the driveway of Neon Sound Studios.

"You’ve gotta be kidding me," Jax muttered from the driver’s seat, hitting the brakes. He stared through the windshield at the massive, modern studio facility. Parked in the VIP lot were expensive sports cars.

"Don’t hit anything, Jax," Finn said from the back seat, holding onto his bass case.

Leo rode shotgun, looking at the building. He already had a good first impression of Von, after seeing how much he improved the draft he accused him of stealing. So he felt really excited to work with him.

"Alright, guys," Leo said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Let’s get our gear inside."

They unloaded their heavy road cases, hauling their amps, guitars, and drum pieces toward the entrance. One of the workers was waiting for them by the glass doors, dressed in his usual sharp suit. Since they were locals, there was no need for an airport pickup.

"Midnight Pulse," the woman noted. "Studio A is down the hall. Load your gear straight into the live room. They’re already setting up the mics."

When Leo pushed open the heavy door to Studio A, the band stopped for a second. The sheer scale of the mixing console and the massive control room was entirely different from the cheap, hourly studios they were used to.

Von was sitting on the leather couch, sorting through a stack of printed sheet music.

When he heard the door open, he looked up and set the papers down. He stood up and walked over.

"Leo," Von greeted, extending a hand.

"Varley," Leo replied, shaking it firmly. "You really booked Neon Sound. I thought your manager was exaggerating."

"Haha, of course we were serious," Von said, shaking hands with Eli, Finn, and Jax as they brought their gear inside. "Glad you guys made it. We have a lot of work to do."

Before diving into the song, Von took a step back and looked at the four band members. He mentally triggered the System.

[Inspect]

Four translucent blue screens materialized in his vision.

[Name: Leo Carter]

[Vocals: B-]

[Name: Eli Thorne]

[Vocals: C+]

[Name: Finn Gaik]

[Vocals: C+]

[Name: Jax Miller]

[Vocals: C+]

Von blinked, scanning the interfaces again. He searched for a hidden skill, a high-tier instrument mastery, or some kind of passive buff for the band.

There was nothing.

Aside from Leo’s respectable B- vocals, the rest of the band hovered at a completely average C+ rank. They didn’t have any special skills.

For a brief second, Von wondered if the butterfly effect had struck. In his past life, Midnight Pulse eventually became a massive, globally recognized rock band. Had his interference changed their timeline? Did he recruit them before they hit some kind of awakening milestone?

But as Von watched Eli tune his guitar and Jax help Patch set up the drum mics, he realized something. It wasn’t the butterfly effect. It was just the reality of the music industry.

You didn’t need great vocals or a magical skill to become a great band. It wasn’t always about innate talent; it was about effort, synergy, and grit. Many legendary artists succeeded simply because they worked harder than everyone else and had an undeniable chemistry.

Midnight Pulse didn’t have special stats, but they had spent years playing together in a garage. That kind of experience couldn’t be quantified by the System.

Von smiled, dismissing the screens. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the stack of papers.

"Alright, gather around," Von instructed, handing out the printed lyric sheets and chord progressions. "As you know already, I’ve already composed the entire track. Lyrics, melody, and tempo shifts. It’s fully finished."

Leo looked at the sheet music, "I didn’t forget, it’s beautiful I must admit."

Von smiled in admission. "Yup, and I need you guys because I need live drums, real bass, and guitar to give it life. Your band is perfect."

Eli studied the chord progression. Unlike Noah, she hadn’t seen the complete version of their draft yet. "The structure on this is pretty wild. It starts out really slow... like ours, but right here at the chorus..."

"The tempo completely doubles," Von nodded. "We start it off sounding like a folk song. Just me and Leo singing over a single acoustic guitar. But the second that intro ends, Jax, you hit a four-count on the drum kit, and the entire band jumps in. It turns into a high-BPM pop-rock anthem."

Jax nodded, tapping his drumsticks against his leg. "A tempo jump. I can do that. Let me get set up."

The band moved into the live tracking room, a large, glass-enclosed space at the back of the studio. Patch, sitting at the SSL console, gave Von a thumbs-up.

"Mics are hot," Patch announced over the intercom.

"We’ll track the intro first," Von said, grabbing his headphones and stepping into the live room with the band. He walked up to the microphone stand next to Leo. Eli grabbed his acoustic guitar and sat on a stool nearby.

"Alright, Eli," Von said, adjusting his headset. "Give me that slow progression. Leo, you take the lower register, I’ll take the higher harmony."

Eli nodded and the studio went quiet.

He began to play. It was a simple, slightly melancholic acoustic riff that echoed clearly through the room.

Von tapped his foot to the rhythm and engaged he used his skills.

🎶🎸

Lately, I’ve been... I’ve been on the roam...

🎶🎸

The contrast between their voices worked perfectly. Leo’s raw gravelly tone held the foundation, while Von’s resonance carried the higher notes.

Eli struck the chords a bit harder, increasing the volume to build the tension.

🎶🎸

Looking for a place to call my own!

🎶🎸

Von locked eyes with Jax behind the drum kit. Jax’s sticks were hovering over the snare, waiting for his cue.

🎶🎸

But baby, I know... I know who I am

No more running away... Yeah, I’m coming home

🎶🎸

"One, two, three, four!" Jax shouted, slamming his drumsticks together.

The slow acoustic intro instantly vanished, replaced by the full band. Finn hit the bass, Eli switched to his electric Fender and played a fast-paced rock riff, and Jax battered the drum kit with a driving, upbeat tempo.

The genre of the song completely shifted in a single second. It was loud, energetic, and incredibly catchy.

Von gripped the microphone stand, raising his voice to match the explosive new tempo, with Leo backing him up.

🎶🎸

I see this road like a windin’ line

Leave the plastic world behind

In my face are flashin’ signs

Tell me I’m out of my mind

Cold, but I’m not that cold

Bold, but I’m not that bold

And I don’t think my soul is sold

To the lies that we were told

I feel somethin’ so right leavin’ the fast lane

And I feel somethin’ so wrong playin’ the same game

I couldn’t hide, couldn’t hide, couldn’t hide

Everything I’m riskin’ makes me feel alive

🎶🎸

The band pushed the rhythm even harder. Jax laid heavily into the cymbals as they reached the massive, stadium-sized chorus.

🎶🎸

Lately, I’ve been, I’ve been on the roam

Lookin’ for a place that I can call my own

But baby, I know, I know who I am

No more runnin’ away, yeah, I’m comin’ home

Lately, I’ve been, I’ve been on the roam

Lookin’ for a place that I can call my own

But baby, I know, I know who I am

No more runnin’ away, yeah, I’m comin’, I’m comin’ home, yeah!

🎶🎸

In the control room, Emily stopped sleeping and watched them through the glass. It wasn’t the dark R&B of Masquerade, and it wasn’t an emotional ballad. It was a massive, commercial pop-rock song. It was the exact type of track that got played on mainstream radio stations across the country. Just what she wanted!

For the next several hours, the recording process was a straightforward, exhausting grind.

Von used his composition knowledge to guide the band, correcting their timing and adjusting the arrangement as they went.

"Finn, on the second verse, lock in tighter with the kick drum," Von said over the studio monitors. "The bassline needs to drive the rhythm forward."

"Got it," Finn replied, adjusting his grip on the strings.

They ran the instrumental takes multiple times. Whenever Jax rushed the tempo or Eli missed a chord transition, Patch would stop the recording, and they would start from the top. It was tedious work, but none of them complained. Midnight Pulse was used to practicing for hours on end.

Once the instrumental foundation was solid, Von and Leo focused on the vocals.

"Leo, your vocals on the bridge need more grit," Von directed. "Don’t worry about hitting the note perfectly. Just put more energy into it."

Leo nodded, stepping up to the mic and delivering a rough, strained vocal take that fit the rock aesthetic perfectly. Von then spent another hour recording his own background harmonies, layering his voice to make the chorus sound fuller.

By 9:00 PM, they were all completely exhausted. Jax was slumped over his drum kit, Eli’s fingers were red, and Leo was drinking his third bottle of water to soothe his throat.

But as they walked back into the control room and sat on the leather couches, Patch hit the playback button on the rough mix.

The studio speakers came to life. The transition from the acoustic intro to the high-energy rock drop was seamless. The live drums and real guitars gave the track an authentic pulse that digital production simply couldn’t replicate. It sounded like a finished, expensive hit.

Leo stared at the monitors, listening to his own band playing backing a pop star. He looked over at Von, who was leaning against the console.

"Varley," Leo said, shaking his head slightly. "I’m so grateful for inviting us to hop on this track. This song... It’s really good!"

Von smirked, knowing he made the right decision. "Now get some rest. We still have to mix it tomorrow."