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.