@Sean Walsh Thanks Sean. I read so much stuff about Distrokid being super sketchy and pulling people’s tracks and UM kept being the first thing that popped up so I figured it was worth a shot. I figured $60 to release music on all platforms for a year was worth it but I am keeping my eyes peeled for sketchy stuff and will definitely spread the word of any funny business.

@Sean Walsh For sure! I remain cautiously optimistic.

Alex throughout all your instruction there’s a consistent message of “Hustle as often and as creatively as possible.” I’ve subscribed to that mindset as a performer for years so it translated nicely when wondering how to function as a composer in the world today. Subsequently, by realigning my own paradigms and considering what the offering is in a dynamic and global 21st century economy, I’ve been able to communicate much more effectively to the point where it’s measurable purely by consistent, clear, and productive communication. Not to say I am rolling in gigs and swimming in a pool of royalty money; but I’m absolutely not getting ignored anymore; I’m either moving forward, or someone’s helping me understand something. There’s a lot to unpack in your courses, and folks will undoubtedly find things that work better for their circumstance than some others might, but any advice you’re willing to take the time to share with us is absolutely worth paying attention to and considering how it might be reflected in the uniqueness of one’s own circumstance. Thanks for continuing to make these sorts of things so accessible for so many of us.

Congratulations!

I’m realizing how uncomfortable the little ones that go into your ear are after a while so I favor something more external for comfort. I bought some sound cancellation ones in the Barcelona airport last week for 25€ that were very comfortable and sounded great. I’m not sure what brand but they were generic enough to be inexpensive. I often have to sit down and learn a number of new songs-or review old ones so I don’t forget-for gigs at home and use a Bluetooth speaker. Other than that, usually when I’m driving. My car speakers sound nice but they’re whatever the Subaru factory felt like installing 😂

I realized that so many years of working with choirs and singing as a vocalist in so many different gave me a special connection to sounds generated by the human voice so I started trying to incorporate some vocal elements as a regular practice recently. Spitfire’s Eric Whitacre choir is nice for delicate work and EW contrast is a nice piggyback but the real magic for me is in the smaller vocal ensembles and some of the cool engines coming out. Folds by Void and Vista is a great modern tool with a vocal base and a lot of imagination. Heavyocity’s Vocalise and Mosaic Voices are nice colors and I just grabbed Sonara but haven’t experimented much with it because I’m working on a deadline right now. I don’t want to give a way too big a secret but one of my favorites currently the Dot Allison Vocal library from The Crow Hill Company. It’s a small library from a single vocalist with a short range but the sound is very unique, it’s got some great movements, and it can blend nicely with a lot of other vocal sounds, including any you might decide to layer in there.

@Geoffrey Schumann Second the Dot Allison and Hearth and Hollow works nicely with it, especially if you’re looking to contrast with a single male voice.