Why I Build Songs Around Vocals

Neon Notes — Week [9]

At first, I didn’t think I wanted vocals in my music.

The creative part of me had other plans.

I started experimenting with vocals just to see what would happen. I really had no idea what I was doing. Just dropping them into a track, messing around, chopping them. I didn’t really plan on using them much.

That didn’t last long.

The vocals quickly became more than just a layer. They started to become the foundation.

I’ve talked before about how I usually start a song. Sometimes it’s chords, sometimes vocals. But what I didn’t really get into is how different a song can be based on those early decisions, and why I build songs around vocals now.

When I start with chords, I’m really laying the foundation of what I hear in my head. It’s because I already have an idea going in.

But when I start with a vocal, I feel a bit more emotion in what I’m writing.

Sometimes I’ll leave the vocal as is, and other times I’ll chop it up, timestretch it, or completely change the tempo based on how the song evolves.

It’s less about the vocal deciding the direction, and more about seeing how I can turn it into something I want.

Instead of asking myself, “What kind of song do I want to make?”

It becomes, “What can I turn this into?”

Asking myself that question changes everything.

It puts me into an experimental mindset. I’m just moving with the music, letting my creativity take control.

Sometimes that means letting the vocal carry the emotion. Other times it means building something more nuanced around it, adding atmosphere and texture.

I’ll loop the vocal over and over and just listen. No writing, no sound design, just letting my mind figure out where the song is headed. I try to let the ideas form naturally and not force anything.

A melody or chord progression might come from the rhythm of the vocal. A bassline might pop into my head, or a drum beat might form.

Things start to connect.

And even if I decide to change the vocal completely, chopping it or stretching it, that original idea is what sparked everything.

That’s why I keep coming back to vocals.

Something about the human voice is so powerful, and it makes me approach music completely differently than before.

It's a different way of building a song from when I first started, but it feels more natural now.

The challenge of taking the vocals and changing them into something that's mine is so satisfying.

And that's what it's really all about.

Finding that spark, that idea, and following it wherever it takes you.

Now Creating

• Working on new music, and a new sound
• Still updating the website
• Almost done with Electric Skyline 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.

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.