Why I Don't Try to Make Every Song Better Than The Last

Neon Notes — Week [24]

Chasing perfection is one of the things I try not to do.

That's a surefire way to get completely stuck on a song and never finish it.

Instead, I try to look at the song objectively. What works, what doesn't, and let the song dictate when it's done.

I know that sounds cliché, but it's the truth.

As long as I find something in my previous song that I think could be better and improve it, that's really the only thing that matters.

When I'm making a song, I'm not thinking, "How can I make this better than the last one?" I'm just creating and having fun.

Of course I'd love it if every song was better than the last, and anyone who says otherwise isn't being truthful.

But that's not realistic, nor is it healthy creatively.

But having a standard? Now that's something I won't compromise.

Every song doesn't have to be better than the last, but they better be just as good.

When I'm done with the song, and I'm happy with the outcome, that's all I care about.

Maybe I tried a different style of drum beat or mood. Maybe I used a style of vocal that's a little different than what I normally lean toward. In the end, if I can say, "I like this," then I can't ask for more than that.

If I were to constantly chase a better song, then I would risk thinking a song is a failure just because it's not better.

But if I maintain the standard that every new song at least has to be just as good, then that lets me experiment and be more creative.

The standard I'm talking about isn't necessarily how complex a song is, or how intricate a drum beat is, or how complicated a synth patch is.

I just mean how it stacks up against my other songs. If I can listen to it on repeat, then I've achieved my goal.

As long as it has my sound, and it's fun to listen to, then I can't ask for more.

Even the best artists or producers can't make every song better than the last, so I shouldn't expect that from myself either.

One example of this is my song "One More Time."

It's a dark R&B style song, which isn't something I'd normally make. It's darker, slower, and more stripped back than my normal stuff, but I still wanted it to sound like me.

So I ended up with what I describe as a retro pop take on dark R&B.

I wasn't thinking, "This has to be better than the last song I made."

I just wanted to see if I could take something I normally wouldn't make and make it sound like me.

And that's what I mean by having a standard. "One More Time" didn't need to be better than my last song. I just had to like it.

Would I love every song to be better than the last?

Absolutely.

Do they have to be better than the last?

Absolutely not.

I just want to keep making songs that I enjoy listening to. Some will be better than others. Some will be more experimental, some will be simpler, and some will probably end up being songs that I never release.

But as long as I can finish a song, listen to it and think, "I like this," then I consider it a success.

I'm not trying to make every song better than the last.

I'm just trying to make every song good enough that I want to hear it again.

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 Make Songs No One Else Will Ever Hear

Neon Notes — Week [23]

I've made a few songs that I think other people would enjoy, but they'll probably never hear them.

It's not because I think they're bad or anything, I just made them for me, that's all.

In reality, all my songs are made just for me.

I don't mean that to sound selfish, because it's not. I just want to hear a particular melody, a certain vocal style, or a specific drum groove.

Basically I want to hear something that I can't hear anywhere else.

Not to say that I'm making some groundbreaking new genre of music, I just like the way that I do it.

And if I make something I love and other people enjoy it too, that's an awesome feeling. But someone else liking it was never the reason I made it in the first place.

That's why I have several songs done or in progress that no one will likely ever hear.

I did a remix of Dua Lipa's Break My Heart, and I still listen to it all the time.

I didn't make it because I was trying to get attention or gain commercial success.

It's actually quite the opposite.

I heard the song and immediately wanted to hear my version of it.

Not just an EDM remix with some chopped vocals over a catchy beat.

I wanted a fully reimagined version of the song that was structured in my style.

And that's what I did, knowing that I could never release it.

But that wasn't the point, because now I have a song that I love and can listen to anytime I want. It doesn't matter that no one else will ever hear it.

I did the same thing with a song from Sade. I took what would normally be a slow, sensual, intimate song and drenched it with my style.

It still has her sultry vocals and somber tone, but I added a little more energy and retro sound.

I also had an artist reach out and ask me to do a remix of her song. Of course I said yes, and I'm currently working on it. We also both agreed that once it's done, it's just for us to listen to.

No plans for a commercial release, just something we can both enjoy.

To some, this may sound strange. To spend all those hours on songs no one else will hear, but it's not strange at all when the joy comes from the process of making the songs.

I've talked before about needing to create music because I love it, and these songs are probably the best example of that.

There is no thought of streams or others listening. I'm making them because I want to.

And when I get done and continue to say "I love this" every time I hear them, that's all I need.

Not every song has to become part of my catalog. They don't have to have some huge audience telling me how good they are.

Some songs are just for me.

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 I Know When An Idea Is Worth Pursuing

Neon Notes — Week [22]

When I first started making music, I had no idea what made an idea worth pursuing. I didn't have a process or a way to judge if something was going to become a song. I just followed wherever the idea took me.

That actually worked out pretty well.

During my initial 90-day Ableton trial, I was able to finish 12 songs before it expired.

They were simple songs, and they were far from what I make now, but they taught me something very important. The only way to learn how to make songs was to finish them.

Sometimes I create a really cool synth patch and I'm sure I have something. I'll add layers, build whole sections, but ultimately it goes nowhere.

A cool synth or bass doesn't always mean there is a song there.

The most important thing I look for is not if an idea is perfect, but if it keeps me interested.

If I want to hear the next section, or I'm already imagining where the song is going to go, I know I have something. If I can't wait to open the project the next day or the melody gets stuck in my head, that's how I know.

I actually have a new song on repeat as I'm writing this, and that's usually a good sign. If I keep coming back to an idea even when I'm not working on it, I know there is something there.

Of course not every idea turns into a song. If the idea is going nowhere, one of the most powerful skills is not forcing it and being able to step away to focus on something else.

This is a skill I learned pretty quickly. Dwelling on a dead idea kills creativity.

Looking back, I think the biggest difference between then and now is that I trust myself more.

I used to think that every idea had to be amazing from the first moment. If it didn't sound awesome at the start, then it wasn't worth pursuing.

That's why I rarely go into a project with an idea in mind. I start creating and see where it takes me.

The most important thing is to give the idea a chance.

After finishing dozens of songs, the thing I learned is that the best ideas aren't the ones that sound amazing at the beginning.

They're the ones that I can't stop thinking about.

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 Keep Making Music Even If It Never Becomes A Career

Neon Notes — Week [21] 

If someone told me today that music would never be my full time job, I would still open my DAW tomorrow.

I'd still start a new song, experiment until something sounded good, try to finish it, and enjoy creating something that didn't exist before.

This may sound strange to some people because creativity is often tied to success, money, or recognition. To me, it's something much simpler.

The act of creating is what matters most.

There is something incredibly satisfying about opening a blank project and asking myself, "What do I want to make today?"

Fast or slow? Dark or vibrant? What genre?

Sometimes I have a clear idea before I even open my DAW. Other times, I have no plan at all. I just know that I want to create something.

Even after all this time, that feeling hasn't gone away.

In fact, I have several songs that will never be released simply because I made them for myself.

Of course I want other people to enjoy my music. Who wouldn't?

Knowing that I created something I love and that other people connect with it too is one of the greatest feelings a musician can experience.

Over the last few years, I've had some completely unexpected things happen. Radio play, interviews, signing with a label, and hearing from listeners who connected with my music.

Those moments have been incredible, and I'm grateful for every one of them.

But those moments are occasional.

Making music is constant.

That's why I still make music almost every day. It's no longer something I want to do. It's something that I need to do.

If I only made music for money or recognition, there would be long stretches where I had no reason to create.

When I first started, I was driven by curiosity. I had dabbled with making beats years ago, and one day I decided to give music production a real chance.

That curiosity quickly became a passion.

And that passion keeps bringing me back to the studio.

The process itself is the reward.

Music may never be a full time career, but the fact that I put something into the world that didn't exist before is all the success I need.

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 I knew I Was Becoming A Music Producer

Neon Notes — Week [20] 

Like most music producers, I started with tons of curiosity and a creative itch.

Of course when I started I was just messing around, trying to figure out how it all worked. No thoughts of anything more than some fun songs I could play when I'm by myself.

I saw all the possibilities and I was in awe, such a big creative world was at my fingertips.

I talk about how I got started in January of 2023 in a previous blog which you can find here.

Fast forward 7 months to July of 2023. I released several tracks that got some attention, and I began to think. Maybe this is just more than me messing around.

My desire to learn something thoroughly like music production, accidentally led to me actually being a music producer.

Of course I knew that I still had a lot to learn, and still do. I was just making music I wanted to hear.

Looking back, it wasn't just one specific moment that made me think I was becoming a music producer, it was actually a bunch of smaller moments that I started to notice.

Things like finishing more songs with cohesive arrangements, getting vocals to sit right in the mix, making my drums more interesting. 

All those small moments were adding up, and I started to view all of this differently.

I switched from thinking "I'm learning music production" to "I'm a music producer".

This new outlook took my already obsessive need to learn and turned it into an all out passion to create.

The funny thing is, nothing changed overnight.

I didn't get a certificate in the mail that said "Hey, you're a music producer".

No one game me permission to be one.

At some point, I realized I didn't need permission.

I earned it by learning, putting in the work, and not accepting that my songs couldn't get better.

I think I became a music producer long before the interviews, radio appearances, or signing with a label.

Those are all great moments that I'm proud of, but that's not what made me a producer.

What made me a producer is when making music became part of my routine. Not because I had to make music, but because I wanted to make music.

I didn't wait for inspiration, I didn't wonder if I should start a new song. 

I was just making music because that's what i did.

My rule has always been, finish the song. If there is something I don't like about it, I make sure it's fixed in the next one.

Adding up all those small things changed me from someone who wanted to make music, to someone who actually did.

Now Creating

• New music soon
• More collaborations coming
• Replacing old ai cover art

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.

The First Time Someone Wanted To Hear My Story

Neon Notes — Week [19] 

When I started making music, I never expected to be interviewed for it.
At the time, I was just trying to figure out how to make a coherent song.

I started making music at the beginning of January 2023, and within a year and a half I signed with Triptych Music, a sync label, had two written interviews, and appeared on Neon X Radio, formerly KSWV Radio Shockwave, an internet Synthwave radio station out of California.

All of this was so surprising because I had such little experience and never thought anyone would be interested to hear my story.

It all started when I met a Synthwave artist (Memory Design) on YouTube. At the time, I was making much more Synthwave style music and was in the early transition into the sound I make now.

We started chatting and they invited me to a Discord channel with other artists, fans of retro music, and the hosts of KSWV Radio.

I introduced myself and instantly found a connection.

The person who introduced me encouraged the hosts to play one of my songs, and they asked me to send it to them.

In my head, I was thinking there is no way they'll play my song next to some of the biggest Synthwave artists at the time.

I sent them the song, and to my surprise, they played it on the next show.

I was humbled, excited, and a little nervous. That meant my song was being heard by thousands of retro music fans. This is a niche audience that is looking for a particular sound, and my song was in the mix.

A short time later, they played a few more of my songs and they were well received. It eventually led to them asking me to be an on air guest on their main Saturday night Synthwave show.

They asked me about how I got started, my production techniques, and my influences. Just the basic questions to let people get to know me.

Unfortunately, the recording is no longer available, but it's a memory I will always cherish.

Just a few months prior to that, two internet magazines, Full Send and Ready Mag, reached out for written interviews. Answering all those questions was so much fun and made me take a step back and really look at what I was doing.

People were actually starting to notice my music.

This really shifted the way I thought about my music. It let me know that I could make what I wanted to hear, and that there was still an audience for it.

That was something I never expected when I opened Ableton for the first time.

Now Creating

• New song Thursday at 3pm est.
• Continued art replacement
• More collaborations soon

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 Don't Make Pure Synthwave

Neon Notes — Week [18]

I love everything about Synthwave music. From the retro 80's drums, to the tape distorted synths. I just love the nostalgic sound that it gives.

So you may be wondering why I don't make pure Synthwave.

I briefly touched on my organic shift from a more traditional Synthwave sound to my current Synthpop/Retro Pop sound in a previous blog, but I thought that I would really dig into the reasons in this post.

The main reason is that I love to process vocals, and a lot of Synthwave is instrumental. I just really like the process of building a song around the vocals, and making it all fit.

Ultimately, I view the vocals as another instrument, the topline of the song. And sure, some might say that it's easier to build a song around vocals because you have a built in melody.

But, it can get tricky because you must make everything else in the song fit the vocals, or get creative and change some of the vocal notes to better fit your vision, which is what I like to do.

(My layering, chopping, and pitch adjustments of vocals could be an entire blog post itself, so look for that in the future.)

The next reason why I don't make pure Synthwave comes down to the production aspect. I really like the sound of modern pop, the crisp drums and overall polish of the songs drew me in.

I understand that a certain talent is needed to make a song sound like it came from the 80's. The semi washed out drums, and the overall spacey feel is not easy to get right.

But getting the punchy drums, several synths, synth bass, fx, and vocals to all sit while sounding crystal clear is a challenge as well.

It's ultimately the challenge I have more fun with.

And I really think that's what it boils down to, fun. I really liked making my early instrumental stuff, but I love making Synthpop with vocals.

Because I am the target audience, I want to hear it.

Obviously, I still carry the pure Synthwave influence into every track I make. I still put tape distortion on my synths or chords. I still put a gated reverb on my snares, but I also try to make my kicks and percussion really punchy to balance it out.

I try to give it a retro sound with a lot of clarity and energy, at least that's my goal.

When I first used vocals, I just thought it was a cool experiment. Then I used them a few more times, and suddenly, I could hear my "sound" forming in real time. It just kinda clicked, and I knew from that point what I wanted to do.

I wanted a sound that worked in headphones, in a car, at a club, or Saturday night at the roller rink.

Now Creating

• Finalizing songs for Electric Skyline Vol. 2
• New website on hold for now
• More collaborations coming soon

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.