Blog – Emma Noonan Music

Writing and Recording: My 2024 Music Projects

On New Year’s Eve, I made a commitment to write and record one song a month throughout 2024 with the aim of dropping another album at the beginning of 2025. Typically, an album consists of 12 tracks, so this time frame made sense – especially as I needed to set myself a target that I could realistically work towards whilst managing my family, work and church life. As every teacher knows, managing a life outside of the classroom is not easy!

With 6 songs in the bag, one ready to go (July) and 1 week to go to write a song before the end of August, I am veering off course a little. I thought I would have heaps of time during the summer holidays to write; however, the holidays seem to have dissipated with the summer heat.

One of the challenges I have encountered is managing all the extra admin that goes alongside writing music, such as: releasing tracks along the way, marketing, advertising, keeping social media up to date, producing lyric videos etc. I was also thrown an unexpected curved ball last week when my music and personal Facebook accounts were disabled as they had been linked to an unauthorised account (It appears I had been hacked). Trying to resolve this issue has been excruciatingly problematic as there is absolutely no way of getting in contact with anyone from Meta… unless you pay! I spent the best part of the day online to find out how to get support. The best advice I found (it seems that there are are heaps of people who have been in the same situation) was to pay a £9.99 monthly subscription fee to get a verified blue tick on my music instagram account in order to access the Meta support team. So, I am now sporting a blue tick on my Instagram account and have had some fairly lukewarm, almost robotic, communication with Meta Support, who have apparently escalated a review of my accounts … that was last Thursday. One week later, I still do not have access to my Facebook accounts! This is a huge problem on so many levels. Firstly, I will be releasing ‘Extravagant Dimensions’ on Friday 13th September, so am unable to use this platform to advertise my music. Fortunately, I don’t rely on my account for income and I don’t have heaps of followers, so it is a small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things; however, my personal account is a different matter entirely. It has made me realise just how much I rely on social media to keep me connected with friends and family. If this account is taken down permanently, which is a real possibility, I will lose years of memories and there are a lot of friends that I will struggle to re-connect with. It also appears that I may be unable to create another Facebook account as I have apparently ‘violated the community standards on account integrity and authentic identity’. I actually feel like some kind of detestable con artist who has scammed a whole bunch of vulnerable members of the community. It doesn’t sit well with me and I feel as though I am at the mercy of an organisation who have the power to wipe out an entire existence in seconds. It feels like some kind of Spiritual attack, so I am desperately praying for a breakthrough.

Aside from this particular low point, there have been a number of high points. I am currently working on a collaborative instrumental worship project with a Christian marketing manager and recording artist in America. One of my other passions, aside from contemporary vocal worship, is more ambient instrumental worship that combines piano pieces with soft textures and interesting soundscapes. I find this particular music can support quiet reflection, Bible study and prayer. It also helps declutter our minds in order to make space to encounter Jesus. So, between us, we have collaborated on a collection of music, which we will be releasing under our respective music labels. It has been a real pleasure to meet with him via Zoom in order to discuss album design and marketing strategies etc. It is amazing how modern technology can be used to bring two worlds together. Despite my frustration with the destructive power of social media, the internet can be used to create as well as share the love and word of God. It was great to get an insight into his life and hear his testimony, which is truly remarkable. It was also great to pray together and meet his wife and children briefly. As we work on this project, I am reminded of Romans 8:28 ‘and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose‘. I firmly believe that God has connected us to share the Gospel and enable people to meet with Jesus through the gift of music.

As part of this project, I am currently writing a collection of ambient instrumental worship music based on Genesis 1, which evokes 12 aspects of The Creation story. I will be releasing the first track ‘Shaping the Void’ on Friday 30th August under a different label: Ambient Worship Collective. You can follow my progress on Instagram and Youtube:

https://www.instagram.com/ambient_worshipcollective/?hl=en

The debut single can be pre-saved on: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ambientworshipcollective/shaping-the-void

One week to go …

Saturday 11th November 2023:

Don’t forget to book your free tickets for the ‘Bricks and Mortar’ album showcase on Eventbrite…

With only one week to go, I’ve been working on some final organisational details. I’ve never put on an event in my life, so I can honestly say that I am way out of my comfort zone! I am, fortunately, blessed with some really amazing members of my church family, and wider contacts, who have agreed to help out with: decorating the church, welcoming guests, organising refreshments, compèring, CD/merchandise sales, sound and lighting etc. – not to mention a bunch of awesome musicians! I’m relying on a lot of goodwill to make this happen and it certainly stretches a long way.

Apparently, it is a good idea to sell a bit of merchandise when launching a new album, so I decided to purchase some mugs with the scripture that has inspired the songs. I’m not sure how many I will sell, but it was really fun designing them and I personally love them!

The final preparations are well and truly underway and we have one more rehearsals to go. Even though we have been rehearsing since the beginning of August, I still feel we (or at least I) need more time, but at the end of the day, things in life are never perfect and sometimes you just have to go for it and hand the rest over to God.

After spending so much time recording, rehearsing and planning this event, it is easy to lose sight of the true purpose of my songwriting. All my songs are composed from a place of worship and it is through music and scripture that I want to communicate the love of God. My prayer is that on the 18th November, I will be able to put all my anxiety about everything that could go wrong behind me and focus on the true reason behind this event – to honour God!

CDs Arrive

Thursday 18th October 2023:

Everything is falling into place for the ‘Bricks and Mortar’ release date on Friday: press release written and distributed to various Christian music websites and radio stations; campaign plan in place to promote the release more widely; ‘Hiding Place’ lyric video is ready to go live; album showcase event on November 18th is coming together and CDs ready for purchase.

As an independent singer/songwriter, I have had to develop lots of skills from writing, arranging and recording music to video production, graphic design, marketing and event co-ordination. I absolutely love learning new skills and stretching my capabilities. The final part of this journey, the album showcase event, is by far the most challenging and daunting as it takes me way out of my comfort zone. Even though I am used to leading worship in a range of church contexts, I am not used to performing to an audience. Fortunately, I have a fantastic band behind me !

Album Photoshoot

Monday 28th August 2023:

With the album artwork nearly complete, there was one thing missing – a decent shot of me. A part of me would rather remain in the background, but as a person who is interested in people and stories, I felt that it was important to capture the person behind the music. It takes real skill to capture shots that bring out the subject’s personality – especially when the subject is photographically awkward, so you really need the right person for the job. Fortunately, I am really blessed to have a brother who works in the film and photography industry. Even though he mainly takes photos of still life objects and landscapes, I think he did a particularly amazing job. We also had a bit of help from my husband Andy (whose role was to make me laugh) and my niece and nephew – young people know how to work the camera!

All photos were taken on the Vine cricket ground in Sevenoaks – the town that was made famous after the Great Storm of 1987 brought down six of its seven oak trees. It is also the place where I was born and raised, so it was a particularly special place to capture some great shots.

Album Artwork

19th August 2023:

Now that my album ‘Bricks and Mortar’ is almost ready for release, I need to think about the artwork for the CDs that I will get made. In the 21st century age of digital screening, CDs are pretty irrelevant; however, like books, there is something special about picking up a physical CD: the smooth texture of the case; the smell of freshly printed paper; the sound of the case as it clicks opens and snaps shut. Music, like reading, should, I believe, be a multi-sensory experience.

With this in mind, I will be ordering 50 CDs to sell should anyone still have a CD 💿 player and wish to go old school. My husband keeps warning me that they will be a waste of money and that we will probably only sell 3 and have 47 languishing in a cupboard gathering dust. I have tried to convince him that it is a rite of passage for a published songwriter to produce a CD – it’s mainly about the artwork, which gets forgotten about when you click on a digital album in Spotify. I guess it is because the music industry is so fast moving and accessible to all that people don’t have either the time or money to invest in a CD as it takes a lot of effort and skill to design the artwork. As someone who loves learning new skills and also being creative, I thought that I would bite the bullet – in for a penny; in for a pound as they used to say in the old days before vinyl was even invented (that’s a record by the way – so old that there isn’t even an emoji for me to use).

I decided to use my weekend away in the Isle of Wight to take a few arty photos to create a mood board for my album. The Isle of Wight is a special place for me as I have holidayed in Freshwater Bay and Yarmouth since I was a child – it is my second home. The Isle of Wight also has a lot of interesting 19th century military fortifications, which were built to protect the South of England from foreign invasion. I used the ruined Cliff End battery over looking Fort Albert near Freshwater where I take regular weekends away for my iPhone photo shoot. These buildings are the perfect backdrop for my album ‘Bricks and Mortar’, as both the title song and ‘Hiding Place’ on the album contain motifs linked with walls, bricks, ruins and battle against the enemy. I took some interesting shots of brick work, ruins and battlements, which I am currently using to design CD artwork, inlay and lyric booklet (with the help of Canva, a duplication company and my brother Simon who has extensive knowledge of photography and graphic design).

As an independent recording artist, I’m trying to manage my budget carefully by doing most of the work myself from the initial recording/production to photography, graphic design and marketing. Even this website has been created by me using a basic package with ready made templates at minimal cost. It may not be all singing and dancing, but it hopefully gets my message, as an independent recording artist who just loves creating music to honour God, across. My vision is to create the best with what I have at minimal cost. As an English teacher, I love learning, writing and creating, which goes a long way!

Album in the Making

14th & 15th August 2023:

After a year in the making, I spent two days at Appletree studio to work with Phillip Goss on the final mix and mastering of my album. It was really exciting to hear the work he had put into the production…

Throughout the year, I have been working on the album ‘Bricks and Mortar’ in my home recording studio where I record and arrange the piano, keyboard, acoustic guitar and vocal parts using Apple Pro-logic digital audio software. Once I am happy with my recordings, I send Phillip WAV files of each individual track (stem) so that he can add percussion, bass and electric guitar parts. It can be a little daunting trusting someone with your work as they may have conflicting ideas or misinterpret the mood and style of the song; however, Phillip understood exactly how to enhance each track without altering the core elements. When working closely with a recording artist, it is helpful if they have a similar creative vision – as a Christian and singer-songwriter, Phillip understood my music.

Both days in the studio were really intense as we were working on 10 of the 12 songs, which will be featuring on the album (the other two ‘Prince of Peace’ and ‘Freedom in Your love’ were completed and released as singles earlier in the year). Listening to each track reminded me of opening presents at Christmas when I was a child – each song was a gift that kept giving! The first one, ‘Hiding Place’ was really exciting and I was totally blown away by his arrangement – it was exhilarating to listen to at high volume. The following track ‘You’re All I Need’ was just as exciting with lots of ‘wow’ moments; he had created an awesome dance beat with elements of chill and indie pop. Some of the songs had an injection of rock with one or two electric guitar riffs to build dynamics and lift.

By the end of the morning, Phillip asked me which track was my favourite so far, but that was a question I found impossible to answer as each one had something that I absolutely loved. So many presents, but which one did I like best? It is definitely the thought that counts as far as these gifts are concerned!

Listening to music at high volume, and spending several hours adjusting levels and mixing the tracks, was extremely tiring (I’m in awe of Phillip’s indefatigable concentration and phenomenal work ethic). It is important that you listen to each individual element of the song in the mix to ensure that the production is well balanced. Establishing the best mix can be quite tricky as we use so many formats to listen to music, such as: mobile phones, headphones, car stereo etc. Each format can make the song sound different: too much treble, too much bass etc. Listening on high grade studio speakers will make the song sound very different compared to the sound quality on an iphone, so which mix is best for all devices? That is a difficult question to answer and often down to individual interpretation anyway. I personally felt that the bass guitar may have been a little too loud at times; however, Phillip wasn’t convinced. He reassured me that our perception of levels can change depending on where you stand in the room. Also, would the bass guitar be audible on an Amazon Alexa? As well as adjusting the overall volume of each instrument, you also have to consider panning (adjusting volume in each speaker) to create space in the mix. Mixing requires a huge amount of skill experience and personal preferences, which is why I hand the work I have created in my home studio over to the professional!

After spending the first day mixing each song to ensure the levels of each stem were set at the correct level, the following day, Phillip mastered the songs. Mastering is the process of adjusting and enhancing the overall sound by: adding compression to ensure that volume is consistent; equalisation to balance frequencies and stereo spread to distribute frequencies.

After another intense morning, we headed out for lunch to discuss the order of songs as well as ideas for the album title and artwork. Phillip’s knowledge and experience at this stage was invaluable!

The remainder of the afternoon back at the studio was mainly over to Phillip to use software and skill to complete the mastering process, so I was able to curl up on the studio sofa and have a Power Nap – apparently a lot of his clients fall asleep on this sofa whilst the master is at work!

Mastering complete, Phillip put all the songs in order and checked that the the songs worked in sequence by listening to the beginnings and ends of each track. The final order was saved onto a CD (that’s a compact disc 💿 for those who are too young to appreciate what these are in this age of digital streaming). The CD will be encoded with an International Standard Recording code (ISCR ) in preparation for distribution.

Beyond the recoding studio, my next steps are to design the artwork for the CD; put together some lyric videos for my YouTube channel and organise an album showcase gig ahead of the release date in the Autumn.

Watch this space …