Previous Issues of the Newsletter
Subscribe to the Saturday Soundscape...
Join over 9,000 artists who already receive my weekly newsletter featuring short, actionable pieces of experience to improve your compositions/productions; no algorithms - straight to your inbox each Saturday morning.
How to Sequence without Boring Everyone
Apr 20, 2024
Continue Reading...
I love a great sequence.
Lucky for me, a lot of electronic music heavily relies on sequencing. And like anything that's used a lot, sequences can start to feel stagnant, predictable, and cliché.
Today, we'll talk about some ways I've found to make my own sequences less...
Failure is part of the process...
Apr 13, 2024
Continue Reading...
Actor Michael Caine once told a story from his early days as an up and coming actor.
In rehearsal for a play, he was attempting to enter a scene through a doorway. There was a chair blocking his path.
He sheepishly leaned his head in and told the director "I'm sorry, I can't get in....
How do I know when my music is FINISHED?
Apr 06, 2024
Continue Reading...
When to Push Through and When to Pivot
One question I get pretty often is "how do I know when my music is finished?"
Or, "when do you know when you've hit that point where you start overthinking and making your piece worse."
Great questions.
In my own experience, "good enough" is a moving...
How to NOT rip off your own music
Mar 30, 2024
Continue Reading...
I've often sat down at the piano and improvised something I really like. But then a strange feeling will come over me as I realize....I've already done all of this before.
It can be a tricky balance between maintaining one's own musical voice/taste and simply rehashing all the ideas we've already...
Why I Stopped Reviewing Music Gear
Mar 23, 2024
Continue Reading...
A couple weeks ago, I saw this thread from a fellow artist I know and respect from Instagram.
As someone who has made my share of gear-centered content, I understand this sentiment.
When I first got serious about my YouTube channel a couple years ago, my first thought was, "well, I like synths,...
Why You Can't Forget That DUNE 2 Theme
Mar 16, 2024
Continue Reading...
Crafting an Unforgettable Melody
When you think of a Hans Zimmer score, you may not think of melodies at all.
Maybe you think about the powerful ostinatos and sequences in The Dark Knight. Or the layered orchestral textures in Inception. Or that catchy vocal riff and unique sound...
Please Repeat Yourself
Mar 09, 2024
Continue Reading...
This week's Newsletter is brought to you by Kajabi.
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for websites, landing pages, email marketing, online courses, membership communities, and coaching.
I run my entire online business through Kajabi. My only regret is not switching to them sooner.
If you've been...
Stop Learning About Music. Start Making It.
Mar 02, 2024
Continue Reading...
About 4 years ago I decided that if I was going to call myself an independent artist, I should start acting like one and actually build my own audience.
I chose Instagram (it was a different time then and you could get decent organic reach there).
I made the decision to create one...
Surviving as Artists in a World that Hates Us
Feb 24, 2024
Continue Reading...
I'll be hosting a LIVE WORKSHOP in March roasting some of my first releases and discussing what I might do differently if I were composing them today.
Availability will be limited so everyone can interact and ask questions.
Tickets will only be sold to folks who join this WAITLIST (no cost to...
Be a Human.
Feb 17, 2024
Continue Reading...
About 8 years ago I was working on learning Mozart's Adagio and Allegro in F Minor for "organ."
Except, it wasn't REALLY for organ. Mozart wrote it for mechanical clock organ - a popular device in his day.
Because of this, the piece is notoriously difficult to play for a non-mechanical...
Improvisation isn't Composition
Feb 10, 2024
Continue Reading...
Imagine you've got this idea for a novel - wait no one reads anymore? Damn. That does not bode well for this newsletter...
Imagine you've got this idea for a Tik Tok.... ok, I really need something a bit more substantial to work with here.... let's say a movie?
Imagine you've got this idea...
Modular Synths Suck at Music
Feb 03, 2024
Continue Reading...
I haven't used my eurorack stuff very much in the past year. It's just been sitting there taunting me. So I decided to renovate it. I hoped this would revive my interest in it and, you know, help me make new music.
I made a post about this on my YouTube community. And, people had strong...
