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.

How Collaborations Unlock My Creativity

Neon Notes — Week [17]

Making music alone is great. I can just be in my own head, getting lost in ideas. It's perfect for an introvert like myself, but sometimes I have to push against my comfort zone. Especially if I want to work with other people.

And up until I had my first collaboration, I had no idea the ideas and creativity that could spark from that.

New people means new ideas, decisions I might not have made had I been alone.

Hearing input that another producer or artist has totally changed the way I think about music production.

I knew that in order to get better and perfect my craft, I couldn't do it alone.

When I'm working alone, I am most comfortable, but this comes with certain downfalls. I tend to just do the same thing I've always done when I produce a song. There is nothing wrong with that, but I think I would just stagnate if I just always produced alone.

Collaborations forced me to look at music from someone else's perspective.

While I might not agree with every choice that a collaborative partner makes, I at least get to see things in ways that I probably never would've noticed.

For example, I was working on a collaboration for the song Cold Front with an artist and another producer.

I went into the project with solid ideas on how I wanted to produce, but after talking with my partners, I completely changed the way that I processed the vocals. Instead of heavily processed pop type vocals, we opted for less processing and a more intimate sound.

The song itself is still a retro inspired track similar to my other songs, but with a little less super processed vocal. And that is a decision I would not have made had I been on my own.

We also opted to use a real bass guitar for the main body of the song instead of my usual synth bass. This changed the dynamic, and also changed the way I had to mix the song slightly.

Another thing is the excitement. Working with another person can build momentum quickly. One idea leads to another, and then another. And soon, we're feeding off of each other's excitement, and there is no better feeling than that.

Collaborations also force me to make quicker decisions. Simply having another person involved prevents me from sitting on an idea too long. I have to make deliberate decisions in order to keep the group dynamic moving forward.

Just getting out of my own head every once and awhile, and letting someone else hear my idea is sometimes all it takes to unlock new ideas.

Plus, I can adapt my sound in new and different ways, and that's exciting on its own.

So don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone, you never know where it can lead.

Now Creating

• Steady music releases on the way
• Website is on hold for now (Personal Reasons)
• Still updating old artwork

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 Wait Until I Feel Inspired

Neon Notes — Week [16]

There is nothing better than having inspiration when doing something creative. Ideas flow effortlessly, stress is almost non existent, you're just doing whatever it is that you love.

But what if you're not in the mood? What if you just have no desire to be creative?

Sometimes it's best to just do something else.

But often times, I open my DAW anyway. Not to force myself to make something, but to just sound design for a while, or organize some of your sounds. Maybe tweak your template.

I do these things when I don't feel inspired, but guess what. I often start making a song because something hits me while I'm doing these necessary yet mundane things.

In the back of my mind, I know that if I at least open my DAW, there's a chance that something might spark. At the very least, I can get some other work done.

I also do this to stay sharp and improve my productions. I think that at least doing something related to your creative outlet can only be a positive.

When I first started, I just had idea after idea. As soon as I was done with a song, I was right into the next one. For over 2 years, I just kept coming up with songs. Were they chart toppers? Absolutely not, but I was getting better with every song.

As I started to run out of instant ideas, I had two choices. Wait until I had inspiration, or do some form of work around the music. I chose to do something related to music more often than not.

I have more experience now, and it would be ok if I waited for inspiration, but I still jump into the DAW almost daily.

And more often than not, something valuable is gained from doing this.

I come out of it with a new synth design, or a drum pattern. And often times, I come away with the beginnings of a new song.

At the very least, I did something that might help me in the future.

You don't always have to be inspired to start, but sometimes inspiration happens after you begin.

Now Creating

• Several new songs coming soon
• More collabs coming soon
• Refining my sound

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 Rarely Use Loops

Neon Notes — Week [15]

Let me start by saying, there is nothing wrong with using loops in your music. Using loops or samples creatively is a skill in itself, and I have used a few loops in a couple of my early songs.

I used a sax, ambient pad, and a guitar loop. But I've always wanted to try to create everything in my songs.

That also includes my lead synth and bass design, and my drums are always created from scratch on every track.

The reason why I do this is to force myself to be creative, and to stay sharp.

I also think that not using loops or samples other than vocals has helped me solidify my sound. It's given me a chance to train my skills into something that I think is recognizable.

Now when I start a new project, either solo or with another producer or artist, I can fuse my sound into any track.

Sure, loops can speed up the process, and not using them did slow me down in the beginning. But by not using loops, I've trained myself to be able to create a desired sound relatively quickly.

Sometimes the easy path is to just use a loop when I'm having trouble dialing in a sound that I want, but I push forward with my sound design anyway. I want those sounds to be my creations.

And over time, my drums have evolved into something that sounds like me. I try to give them lots of life and movement by making the fills between sections sound a little more human. And my synth sound has become more consistent with each release.

I would never have been able to do that had I just used loops.

This is not to say that my way is the right way, it's just the right way for me. I love opening a new project and trying to create what I hear in my head.

In the end, just do what feels right to you.

Now Creating

• Refining my drum sound. More punch and clarity
• Starting to finalize the songs for Electric Skyline Vol 2
• Recent life changes have put the website redesign on hold

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 Use Remixes For Inspiration

Neon Notes — Week [14]

Writer's block is a real thing, whether you write lyrics, instrumentals, or both, this can be frustrating.

When I'm having a little writer's block, I tend to do a few things to help me overcome it. I'll either go into an old project and make a new version, sound design in Serum for future songs, or remix someone else's song.

Most of the time, sound designing or going into an old project just help me stay sharp, but remixes usually give me some kind of inspiration.

There are various ways to get vocals from popular mainstream songs, but that's another post on its own, and any remix I make using these vocals are only for me. While I may let people hear them, they are never uploaded to any streaming sites.

One example is a remix I'm working on using the stripped vocals from a song by Dua Lipa titled Break My Heart.

When I do a remix like this, I purposely stay away from referencing the original song. I may be familiar with the song, but I don't want any influences other than my own creativity and the vocals to drive the song forward.

I want my song to sound completely different from the original, so this is how I use remixes for inspiration.

I listen to the stripped vocals, no music, no beat. I just listen and try to imagine my own song around the vocals.

I may leave the vocals lined up like the original song, sometimes I'll chop or rearrange them.

For the Break My Heart remix, I chose to leave them as is, follow the sections and put my own spin on it.

I wasn't too familiar with this particular song, so when I heard the vocals, I had no song reference to go by.

I laid the vocal track into my DAW and got to work.

From there I start the remix like I start all my songs.

I experiment with tempo, bass patterns, different drum patterns until I get something that feels good, and complements the vocals.

I may go through a few iterations until I have something that works, but this is where this helps with inspiration.

Once I find the starting point, the rest of the song tends to fall in place.

This is the beauty of remixes. Sure, I might not always finish the songs, but great ideas come from them. I may use the main drum pattern in another song, or use a whole section to rewrite a song around that.

Sometimes, I'll just strip the vocals and keep it as an instrumental, or add different vocals that are royalty free.

Remixes have helped me get out of that stuck feeling.

In the end, it's not about making a slightly different version of the original, it's about sparking inspiration to make the song mine.

Now Creating

• The last song of the EP is out
• Still working on website
• Working on new artwork for old songs

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.