This article was originally published in 2022 and has been updated and revised to reflect my perspective as of 2026.
At the end of January or beginning of February 2022, although I can’t remember the exact date, I received a message from someone overseas on Instagram. The message was basically, “Why don’t we do a collab?”
While we were messaging each other, he had watched some of my performance videos on Instagram and liked what he saw. He asked if I would like to collaborate on a cover song and make a video together. His name is Marvin.
At that time, I was also stuck at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I had been thinking that it would be nice to make a track or do a collaboration with someone online. So I was really happy to receive his message.
Reunion (Collective Soul)
We decided to move forward with the collaboration, so I replied, “What song should we play?”
Then Marvin suggested, “How about ‘Reunion’ by Collective Soul? The guitar part is easy to play, so it should be easy for us to do a collaboration.”
I didn’t know the song at first, but I liked it after listening to it. And he was right—the guitar part was relatively easy to play.
I had almost finished learning the guitar part on the same day we decided on the song.
The original audio is included following the video on YouTube.
“Reunion” is a song from Collective Soul’s 1995 self-titled album, Collective Soul.
Making the Guitar Tracks and a Performance Video
Since I had made some performance videos before, I recorded the guitar tracks and video simultaneously, using the same method as before.
The equipment and software I used are as follows.
Recording Equipment and Software
- Recording device: iPhone
- DAW: Cubase
- Video editing software: Filmora
Instruments and Recording Equipment
- Acoustic Guitar: Headway
- Electric Guitar: alpineguitars alpST-DX
- Overdrive: BJFe Baby Blue OD
- Guitar Amp: Marshall Origin 50H & Marshall 1936
- Microphone: Lauten Audio FC-387 (for acoustic guitar) & Beyerdynamic M 88 TG (for electric guitar)
- Mic Preamp: Warm Audio WA73
I played my custom Stratocaster for the guitar solo part starting at around 1:50 in the video. This is the Stratocaster that I wrote about in my article on the original brand “alpineguitars” by Oguchi Gakki.
The acoustic and electric guitars I used for this collaboration are a Headway and an alpineguitars, both Japanese guitar brands. Momose-san is also involved in making Headway guitars, which is why I mention both names here.
I used the BJFe Baby Blue OD for the overdrive, and the Marshall Origin 50H and Marshall 1936 for the guitar amp. I recorded the guitar sounds using microphones.
Here are the related articles about Headway and alpineguitars.
The Video and My Reflections
The performance wasn’t quite perfect because I didn’t have enough time to prepare, and I had to work during the week. Also, Marvin was in a hurry to get the project moving after we decided on the song. So I told him that it would be difficult for me to finish everything on weekdays because of my work.
I managed to finish both the audio and video editing within about five days, including weekdays. The video below is my guitar performance.
One thing I regret is that I didn’t pay much attention to my clothes at the time. I was wearing clothes that were basically loungewear, and I feel like I made the video look less polished because of that.
The editing process was also where I struggled the most. It was difficult to overlay the audio tracks and find the exact points where the electric guitar video should be cut to match the timing.
But overall, it was a fantastic learning experience for me.
Anyway, once I finished editing, I sent the video to Marvin. He gave the sound a high rating, which made me really happy. I use high-quality gear, after all, so I’m glad it paid off.
The Collaboration Video Is Complete
Less than a day after I sent him my video, Marvin recorded the vocals, edited the video, and sent the finished file back to me. The completed video is below.
I was really happy that he added the vocals and properly edited the video. I really appreciate all the work he put into it.
I was excited when I watched the completed video. I had never made a collaboration video with someone online before, so I watched it over and over again.
Looking Back on the Collaboration
One of my goals for the year (2022) was to connect with someone online and collaborate on a music project, so I never expected to achieve that goal so quickly. I’m really grateful to him.
We communicated mainly through messages, and one of the biggest things I gained from this experience was that I was able to communicate in English without struggling as much or feeling as stressed as I had in the past.
It also gave me a chance to realize that I’m glad I had continued studying English.
After watching some of his YouTube videos, I wondered if he might actually be living in Japan, although I never asked him about it. It would be funny if we happened to run into each other someday.
Finally, here are Marvin’s Instagram account and the YouTube video.
Marvin’s Instagram account is here.
The video is the same one, but this is the version uploaded to his account.
日本語版 : Reunion (Collective Soul)をカバー｜海外ミュージシャンとコラボ動画を制作