How I Got Signed With Only 8 Months Of Experience

Neon Notes — Week [8]

When I began making music again in 2023, I didn't have any notion of it being anything more than just a hobby. Sure, I uploaded my first song to SoundCloud and made it public, but I really didn't expect anyone to listen. And I was right. At the time of this blog, "Synthia" has 44 streams on SoundCloud.

But streams aren't the goal with my music. Sure it feels great, but if you're not making it for you, then I think that misses the point of making art in the first place. I initially put them on SoundCloud so I could listen to them wherever I was, and I just decided to share them publicly because I was proud of them. I am still proud of them.

I just kept making songs and uploading them, trying to improve with each release. I studied everything I could about music production, and still study today.

After about 6 months of producing, I noticed that my songs sounded so much better than before, and I started getting a lot of scam messages on SoundCloud about how they loved my song or how some big-name artist wanted to work with me. Of course I dismissed all of them.

Then a few months later in July, I released several songs that I feel were a step up in my production. Songs like "Mistakes and Perfume" and "Toxic" had spikes in listeners on SoundCloud, and "I Fall" got over 10,000 views on YouTube. Shortly after that I released "Wide Awake" and "Everything", a song I dedicated to my dog that passed away.

At this point I felt like people were noticing my music. I was starting to get messages on SoundCloud and YouTube telling me how much they liked my music, and not just from people trying to scam me.

That's when I got a message a few months later in October on SoundCloud that was different from the rest. Normally, when it's a scam, they don't get specific. They say things like, "I really liked your song" or "Your music resonates with me."

This message was specific. It mentioned "To Love You", the title of the song they liked, and seemed more genuine than the other messages.

Of course I was skeptical. Who wouldn't be? I wasn't going to message them back, but my wife said, "What's it going to hurt? If it's a scam you'll know." So I messaged them back about five hours later.

We had a brief discussion on SoundCloud, then moved it to email correspondence. In the emails, they introduced themselves more formally. The label was Triptych Music and the publisher was Blue Pie Records, a company that works with music licensing and sync placements. Lauren, who runs the label, explained that they were interested in signing me as a sync artist.

At the time, I had only been producing music for about ten months, but the songs she was referencing I made with only eight months of experience. So hearing that a label wanted to work with me just didn't seem real.

For anyone that doesn't know, a sync deal means your music can potentially be placed in things like television shows, films, advertisements, or other forms of media. Instead of focusing only on streaming platforms, the music is pitched for opportunities where it can be licensed and used in visual media.

Of course, I did my homework. I looked up the label and publisher, the artists they worked with, and tried to make sure everything was legitimate. After all the scam messages I received on SoundCloud, I had to be skeptical.

But the more we talked, the more I realized that this was real.

I wanted to be transparent and explained that I had less than a year of music production experience. I think Lauren was a bit surprised when she found out, but I also think she realized I still had room to grow, and that my productions would only get better.

So I did it. I signed, and they released several of my songs on all the major streaming platforms and pitched them for sync placements.

• To Love You
• Let Go
• Just A Game
• I Need Your Love
• See Me Fly
• I'm The Darkness
• Cold Embrace
• Too Late
• Good Liar
• I Am The Storm
• Drown Me In Your Love
• Are You Lucky Now?
• Put Your Love On Me
• I Don't Need Saving
• Eyes On Me
• Don't Worry
• All I Need
• Out Of My Mind

It was also humbling. I never expected anything like this. Not to say I thought my music was bad, but I am a realist and I try to stay grounded.

Signing that deal didn’t mean I had it all figured out. I was still learning and trying to improve with every song I made.

What it did show me was something really important.

Just share your work. Let people hear it.

If I had kept those early songs private, none of this would've happened. The only reason that opportunity existed was because I was willing to share my music while I was still learning.

Looking back, those first songs were rough, but I still enjoy them. Now my mixing is better, my writing is better, and my production skills are way ahead of where they were back then.

Those songs were the best I could do with the knowledge I had, and I think sharing each one shows the progress I've made.

Getting signed wasn't something that I ever thought about, and getting signed from songs I made with only eight months of producing experience was definitely unexpected.

I was just making music and not being afraid of letting people hear it.

Sometimes the best thing you can do as a creator is just make it and share it.

Now Creating

• Replacing old cover art
• Physical merch?
• Finishing up some songs for Electric Skyline Volume 2

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. New posts go live every Wednesday.

From Death Metal to Retro Pop: How Did I Get Here?

Neon Notes — Week [7]

I wasn't always into electronic music.

Don't get me wrong, there were some great Synthpop and New Wave songs that I loved from the 80s, but I was more into Rap and R&B at the time.

That all started to shift in 1999, when Slipknot's first album came out. I had listened to some rock over the years, but Slipknot was an awakening.

After my short experiments with MTV Music Generator in the early 2000s, I had all but moved away from anything that didn't have distorted guitar. I couldn't get enough. It was like a drug, and I had to find music that was heavier and heavier just to get my fix.

To me, 2005 was a golden year in metal. So many bands were making their mark, and I was there for it. The Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage, and As I Lay Dying, just to name a few. That's when I decided to get a guitar. I thought, if I couldn't find the next heavy song, I'd just make my own heavy riffs.

So that's what I did. When I wasn't listening to heavy metal, I was writing riffs. I had no formal training, just a guy with a guitar, figuring it out. At first it was all power chords, no nuance, just right to the face. Then it became palm-muted, chuggy riffs that had groove but still sounded angry. Lots of hammer-ons and pull-offs, keeping the riffs tight and melodic.

But then another shift happened. I discovered Dubstep. It was raw, and it appealed to my love for distorted guitar. It was a short stint, but it was enough to nudge me back toward electronic music.

That's when I heard a few songs from Ladyhawke. They were rock, but they had a retro sound. I couldn't quite place them into a genre in my head, and that led me to my first real synthwave experience. "Collateral" by The Midnight was the first time I heard anything like it, and I was enamoured all over again. I all but moved away from metal this time and had to consume more and more of this newfound love.

Fast forward to the present day, and all those experiences helped shape the way I write music. Instead of a guitar, I use a synth, and instead of distortion pedals, I stack synth layers.

I may not consume as much metal as I used to, but it's still with me when I write synth melodies and in the way I program my drums. I still think in riffs and technical drum fills. I use repetition with intention, and I still try to keep the melodies tight.

Even when I’m writing shimmering leads or thick synth basslines, there’s still a part of me thinking like a guitar player. I’m looking for that moment where a section locks in and I get goosebumps. I want the drums to hit with purpose. I want the melody to feel like it could stand on its own, just like a good riff.

The sounds changed. The mindset didn’t.

Metal taught me about energy. About commitment. About not holding back once you find something that works. Dubstep reminded me that texture and grit matter. And synthwave showed me that atmosphere and melody can carry just as much weight as distortion.

So how did I get here?

Not by abandoning what I loved before. Not by randomly jumping genres.

I got here by following whatever moved me at the time.

Every phase left something behind in my writing. You can hear metal in the way I structure sections. You can hear electronic influence in the sound design. You can hear nostalgia in the melodies.

The guitars might not be front and center anymore.

But the riffs never really left.

Now Creating

•  Remastering some older songs
•  Working on a new and improved website
•  Finishing up some songs for Electric Skyline Volume 2

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. New posts go live every Wednesday.

Why I Stopped Using Generative AI For Cover Images

Neon Notes — Week [6]

When I first started making music again in 2023, it was a whirlwind of excitement and rediscovered passion. I was completely absorbed in the process. Writing, arranging, producing. It took up most of my time and headspace in the best way possible.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I uploaded my first song to SoundCloud after about a week of producing. A few months later, I put it on YouTube. What I did not think about at all was artwork. Suddenly I needed a cover image for every single release.

At first, I took some pretty bad photos and used those. I didn’t care how they looked. I was just proud of the music and wanted people to hear it.

Around that time, I discovered an AI image generator website. I will not name it here, but it felt like an easy solution. I make music, not visual art… right? I convinced myself I just needed something that looked decent so I could upload my songs.

So I started generating image after image. I would edit them in Canva, add my artist name and the song title, and call it a day.

But I was never under the illusion that I created anything.

Whenever someone asked about the artwork, I was honest and told them it was AI generated. I was not pretending otherwise. Still, something felt off. The music was deeply personal. The artwork was not.

To be fair, I did use some real photos on a few releases back then. But most of my covers were AI generated until I did some real soul searching.

I asked myself a simple question. If I can learn how to produce a song from start to finish, including mixing and mastering, why can’t I learn how to create my own visuals? I used to paint. I used to draw. Creativity was never limited to one outlet for me.

So why was I outsourcing this part of my art?

Fast forward to March 2025 and the release of my single One More Time.

When I sat down to write that song, I made a decision. From that point forward, all my cover art would be built from licensed photos or photos I took myself. I would edit them. Shape them. Make them mine.

The working title of that song was A New Beginning.

It fit for two reasons. First, the lead synth in One More Time was the same lead I used in my very first song. Maybe slightly tweaked, but still there. A full circle moment.

Second, it marked a shift in how I approach my visuals. The music was always personal. Now the artwork would be too.

Now I am in the middle of the painstaking process of replacing all of my old AI generated images with real, genuine photos. Even my artist avatar and logo are getting a rebrand soon.

I am not against technology. AI can be a tool like anything else. But for me, it started to feel disconnected from the creative process that I care so much about.

I want every part of what I release to feel intentional.

Not perfect.
Not polished beyond recognition.

Just real.

Now Creating

• Rebuilding my catalog artwork with genuine photography
• Finishing songs for the next EP, Electric Skyline Volume 2
• Exploring new writing techniques

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. New posts go live every Wednesday.

How My Mixing Has Changed

Neon Notes — Week [6]

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how different my mixes sound compared to when I first started.

Back in 2023, I had a general idea of what mixing was supposed to be, but being a beginner brings beginner mistakes. I would write and arrange the song and then mix everything at the end. What I was left with were mixes that were way too loud, muddy, and lacked low-end clarity.

Now I mix on the fly.

As I write and arrange the song, I'm also making mixing decisions and getting problems out of the way sooner in the process. By the time the arrangement is done, most of the mixing is done, besides cleaning up sibilance in the vocal samples, that step always comes last, right before mastering. But mixing on the fly changed everything for me.

One of the biggest differences is what I listen for first.

Now, I listen for frequency clashes as soon as I start writing and deal with them right away. Back then, I would stack sounds that I really liked but that also clashed frequency-wise. I would try to force them to work, which just created a mess. Cleaning things up early keeps the mix tidy and makes later decisions easier.

Looking back, I realized that my mixes weren't bad because I lacked talent. They were rough because my ears weren't trained yet. By analyzing each song as I finished it, I started noticing patterns. I was beginning to understand why my mixes were off.

The funny thing I didn't realize back then is that mixing really is more about adjusting volume first. Getting the levels correct goes a long way before ever introducing plugins to the mix.

Knowing what fits is one of the biggest advantages when it comes to mixing.

Learning to mix properly has been one of the most rewarding things about this journey, other than actually making the music.

And like everything else in my music, my process is still evolving.

Now Creating

• 3 songs left to be released for the Electric Skyline EP
• 1 collaboration to be released soon
• Working on an instrumental synthwave style song

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. Look for new posts every Wednesday.

What I'm working on right now

Neon Notes — Week [5]

Working on my EP Electric Skyline has made me really think about where I'm heading creatively. I know that with EPs, they're usually just songs that didn't make the cut for an album, but I'm treating them like a mini album. I wanted to see if I could make a small collection of songs that sound a bit more cohesive, like they were meant to go together. I think I've accomplished that goal, but to be fair, I think a lot of my songs have a similar sound, so I think it was easy by default.

But right now, I think I'm in the middle of something new.

Recently, I wrote a song called Don't Look Back that came from losing my mom. I won’t go too deep into it here, but making music has always been how I process things, and this one came straight from that place. Sometimes songs aren’t about chasing a sound, they’re just about getting something out.

The reason I bring this up is that this directly points to what I'm working on right now. Before her passing, my sound started to shift, still retro, but more refined. Creating Don't Look Back really cemented this new sound for me. I love the new dynamics and layers in this new direction. Right now, I think I have three distinctive periods in my very short music career.

The beginning was when I thought I wanted to make pure Synthwave. The songs were pure electronic and very rough. The second period is when I shifted to Retro Pop, a little bit more modern sounding, but still very retro. Someone described it as “Neon dreams for the broken hearted”,  they know who they are.

And now, this period is much more modern pop. Super polished production while still sounding retro. Hints of disco, ’90s freestyle, and ’90s RnB. Obviously, the Retro Pop is still in there, and I still make instrumental Synthwave songs, but this shift is organic just like the last one.

My new sound really started a few months ago. I was experimenting with the way I process and write my drums on an instrumental track I titled Journey. I guess you could describe it as Progressive Synthwave, it's very spacey, but almost has a live band feel. This new sound really hit me, so I started using it in more projects. Then I created a personal remix of Dua Lipa's song Break My Heart for fun, and it just fell into place. Now I'm going for more natural sounding drums, which in turn changes the way I process everything else.

Here's a rough snapshot of what's on my hard drive right now.

The titles of these songs could change, but Drown My Pain and Falling For Your Love have a very prominent disco sound, Release Me has a dark RnB sound.

Been On My Mind has a party vibe. I Surrender has a groovy bassline, very smooth overall, and Dangerous has a very dramatic sound with sexy vocals.

I have a few untitled songs as well as some other songs from my previous sound that I'm working on. I can't guarantee they will all see the light of day, but knowing me, they will.

I don’t know exactly where all of this will lead yet, but I do know I’m excited again. And right now, that feels like exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Now Creating

• Writing new material in this more polished, modern-retro direction

• Experimenting with more natural sounding drums and layered synths

• Letting ideas develop organically instead of forcing them

• Sitting with a few untitled tracks and seeing where they want to go

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. Look for new posts every Wednesday.

How I know when a song is finished.

Neon Notes — Week [4]

Knowing when a song is finished isn’t something that is absolute. Is a piece of art ever truly finished? Finished, to me, probably has a different meaning for you, so let’s look at how I know when a song is finished.

When I began this music journey in early January 2023, I had no idea where it was going to take me. I thought it was just going to be something I would do to pass the time when I was bored. That was not the case at all. Within an hour or two of messing around with Ableton, I was all in.

I spent the next several hours with my DAW open, watching YouTube videos on music production, and just learning everything about it. I “finished” my first song, which I called “Synthia,” on January 16, 2023.

At that time, I didn’t know if a song was finished. I just knew that I had no more to put into the song with my limited knowledge. So, with my limitations, I decided to give myself a two-week deadline for every song. This forced me to make deliberate decisions, and if I didn’t like something about the song when the deadline was up, I just made sure to fix that problem in the next song.

Fast forward to the present.

More knowledge, more confidence, more discipline. These things can only improve by doing, by pushing yourself, by showing up consistently. My workflow is faster, my sound design is streamlined, my decisions are deliberate. I still go into a new project with almost no idea what it’s going to be, but two things are for sure: it will have a retro sound, and it will have a lot of synths in it. Now I spend more time crafting the finished song instead of crafting the ingredients that make the song.

I hear a lot of talk about not being able to finish songs, and that’s totally understandable. Knowing when my song is done is not some clear-cut line in the sand; it’s more of a feeling. After all the hours put into my song, I could tweak it forever, trying to make every detail absolutely perfect, but I have to keep moving forward. So, when I think I’m close to finishing a song, I’ll put it on loop and listen to it over and over. If I let it loop and I don’t have the overpowering urge to change something, that’s the moment I know it’s done.

Someone once told me that their favorite part of creating music is when a song is done. For me, the song I’m working on at the time is my favorite song, so finishing a song is a bittersweet moment, because I can’t work on my favorite song anymore, but I also get to start my next favorite song.

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. Look for new posts every Wednesday.

How my song usually starts

Neon Notes — Week [3]

Ok. Now that I've gotten the introductions and the "Why's" of my music out of the way with the first two posts, it's time to explain the "How's".

Very rarely do I go into a song knowing what it will be, not that I don't have inspiration, but I like to feel where the song takes me. There are some occasions where I'll start a new project with a specific idea, but the organic flow of not knowing is what makes it most fun for me.

This is the order in which I make a song:

• the first two are chords and vocals
• simple drum beat 
• bass
• lead synth melody
• main verse
• chorus
• intro
• Arrangement adjustments (if needed)
• break or bridge
• synth solo (if it has one) 
• second verse/half
• drums/percussion finalization
• fx
• Final arrangement
• Outro

I always start a new project in one of two ways, a chord progression, or a vocal sample. If I start with a chord progression, I'll pick a minor key and start building the progression. The structure of the progression will then determine the tempo of the song, of course I may tweak the progression later and decide to change tempo at that time, like I said, I love the organic approach.

If I start with a vocal, that sample usually dictates the tempo, mood, and feel of the song right away. Although, I could change the cadence of the sample to be more upbeat or downtempo. It all depends on what hits me.

The next thing I do is create a really simple beat just to get a rhythm going. I'll let the beat, chords and vocals (if the song has vocals) loop for a while and just listen. At this point I'll start writing a bassline for groove that fits the chords or adjust the chords to fit the bass.

Then I move on to writing the main melody using the soft synth called Serum. Once I have the synth melody, this is when I start dialing in the main synth and the bass design. I'll tweak the synth and bass depending on where the song is going, is it up tempo? Is it more chill? That's what determines if my bass and synth have more groove or more emotion.

Once that's done I start on the main verse or core of the song. It will either have a vocal or stripped down version of the main melody. It's usually 16 bars with the second 8 bar section a little more energetic leading into the chorus/hook.

Now it's time to work on the chorus or hook of the song now that I have the main verse done. My goal here is to build a catchy earworm hook that makes me want to hum or sing it all the time. This is where I use the main melody of the song, and it always has the most energy or emotion. 

Now it's time to move on to how I want the song to start, if it's an upbeat dance song, I might start with the chorus/hook, right into the meat of the song and keep the energy going. Or, I may have a moody slow building intro if the song is lower tempo, and more emotional. It all depends on my mood.

At this point I have lightly arranged the song, and now I'll deliberately make changes to the arrangement if needed. I'll move sections around so that they make sense to me in the context of the song. Sometimes, this can lead to major changes in how the song feels, like I said, it's all an organic approach.

Once I have a basic arrangement down, I start work on a break or bridge after the chorus/hook. This break/bridge is usually in the middle of the song, and will lead into one of three things...A synth solo, the chorus/hook again, or directly into the second verse. If it's a solo, I'll write 18 bars, 1 bar at the beginning as a lead in, 16 bars of actual solo, and one bar at the end for an outro that leads into the second verse or chorus/hook. 

Now that the bridge and solo (if there is a solo) is done, I either go into an even more energetic chorus/hook or the second verse. The second half of my songs almost always have more elements, energy, or emotion than the first half. It's just the way I like to write.

This is where I start adding percussion, like rim shot grooves, shaker grooves, tom fills, and I also finish the drums. I either make it a simple 4 on the floor or I make it groovy depending on the feel of the song.  I also start adding drum fills and beat cuts, as these can make a huge difference in how interesting a song is.

Next up is all the fx and ear candy, swooshes, blips and bloops, ambient breaths...all the things you hear, but wouldn't notice until they're no longer there. The fx and ear candy can make take the song from plain and boring to super interesting with just a few additions. 

Now it's time for the final arrangement. This is where I solidify how the song is structured. Sometimes this step only takes a few tweaks because the arrangement works, sometimes I make major adjustments (rarely) because something seems off. The goal of this step is to keep the song as interesting as possible so that it makes me want to listen to it over and over.

Finally, I work on the outro. Now...when I first started making music, I just did a fadeout because I just thought that's how it's done. Now, I write deliberate, meaningful endings to my songs.

And that's it, that's how I build a song. It's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done besides becoming a husband and father. Music has always been apart of my life, it's always been there to cheer me up, or make me think of a certain time of my life when I hear a specific song...and now, maybe I get to do that for someone else. 

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. Look for new posts every Wednesday.