I have been making music as a hobby for 10 years (since 2011), but only started to take it more seriously in the last two years. I used to play the drums and always loved trying out different instruments, however, my love for music production started when I first used GarageBand on my old laptop. I really enjoyed making beats and using my voice or hands to create original percussion sounds.
I mostly learned music production by watching a ton of YouTube tutorials and trying it out. Whenever I wanted to achieve a specific sound or technique, I’d look up a YouTube tutorial and write down how it’s done. I still have a document with a lot of handy (and unnecessary) tips and tricks.
I have been using FL Studio for the last four years. As I mentioned, I started out with GarageBand. When I noticed more and more limitations to what it can do, I switched to Logic Pro. After some years, I played around with FL Studio at a friend’s and I felt like it was a much better fit for me, which is when I switched from Logic Pro to FL Studio. If you ask me, FL Studio is the best DAW out there.
I have a couple of plugins that I love to use in my tracks. The first one is Xfer’s Serum, which I only started using a couple of months ago. I really like how you can manipulate each aspect of the sound. Also, the sound quality of Serum is outer-worldly.
Another plugin I use a lot is Nexus 3 from reFX. It provides a huge library with a variety of instruments and sounds. I mostly use Nexus for the awesome piano sounds that they offer. Great quality and a nice interface.
My favourite vocal effects plugin is Little AlterBoy from Soundtoys. You can easily change the pitch, format, and mode of any vocal recording. It is incredibly easy to use and does the job.
Lastly, I would choose Ozone 9 Elements from iZotope. This is a plugin that I started using a year ago. It basically uses machine learning to help to master the whole track. It makes the track louder, wider, and you can EQ it. It also has some insane features where you can compare your own track with a reference track. The program will then match the EQ module with the one from the reference track.
Usually, I start jamming on the piano to try to find a nice chord progression. I always start with a simple piano until I decide how I want the track to sound and then I change the instruments to something that fits that idea.
When I have an intro and verse (and sometimes a simple drop as well) I start with the drums and percussion and from there I keep building. I add effects and automations throughout the process.
Each time I work on a project I export it to my phone after I finished for the day. I then listen to it when I’m travelling, shopping for groceries, working out etc. This gives me new ideas for how to proceed with the track and what to add or change.
I learned a lot by watching tutorials on YouTube. It’s the quickest and most effective way to learn a certain technique when you’re in the middle of a project. I have also participated in a course on Monthly.com by Kygo at the beginning of the year, which was incredibly helpful.
The last YouTube tutorial I watched was regarding Serum. I had just purchased it and wanted to learn more about how to use it. It’s very helpful if you just started using the plugin.
One of the challenges I have is when I’m working on a project and I don’t know how to proceed. I try many different things which just aren’t working that great, which is annoying. The key then is to take a short break and do something completely different. After an hour or so, I’d look at it differently and it works out much better.
Of course, YouTube is a very helpful online tool for any tutorials about specific methods or techniques. An incredibly helpful website is Splice. They offer a great library of sounds, samples, recordings etc. for you to use royalty-free. Whenever I’m making a remix/edit of a certain song and I don’t have the isolated vocals, I’ll go to Melody.ml. You upload the song file and it lets you download the isolated vocals. It’s not always perfectly clean, but it’s a great and quick tool to do it.
Absolutely. Without feedback, you’re not able to improve your skills. I always ask for feedback from as many people as possible when I’m finishing a project. Of course, you must decide for yourself if you think it’s necessary to make any changes afterwards, but it’s very important to listen to other people’s advice. A lot of times when you’re working on a project, you miss certain things which other people will notice.
I feel like each new track I make is better than the last one. This is because I keep learning new things and improve my skills. The last track I made is a remix I made for a competition called “Emma Holzer – Queen (Noma Remix)”.
RepostExchange has helped me reach much more people than I’d be able to reach by myself. It also expanded my network a lot. I’ve met new people who are very talented and experienced which is not only interesting for collaborations but also to learn from.
Connect with Noma on SoundCloud.
Want more? Sign up at RepostExchange.com.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
