Making Music — how composers create songs that stay with us
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A COMPOSER — AN INTERVIEW WITH UK songwriter, performer & vocalist — VOCALATTI
AudioSparx, and its sister company RadioSparx, loves composers, singer-songwriters, producers, bands and solo artists, and we’ve built a global network comprising nearly 8000 of these talented artists, across 134 countries. We would love to know all our artists individually, find out what makes them tick, but due to our massive global coverage, that isn’t always possible.
Right now, we’re focusing on our rising stars at AudioSparx and RadioSparx, asking them questions about their daily lives as composers. We think you’ll find their answers as fascinating as we do.
First up, we’re interviewing VOCALATTI, a talented composer, singer, songwriter and performer, who hails from Manchester in the UK. She is influenced by the Jazz Greats, such as ELLA FITZGERALD & SARAH VAUGHAN. She composes music in many genres, favoring LATIN rhythms, SOUL & DEEP HOUSE. Her music encompasses ORCHESTRAL sounds, with FULL STRING SECTIONS & beautiful memorable CHORD structures that linger in the listener’s mind, long after the song has finished.
VOCALATTI’S MUSIC has had airplay on the BBC Sounds App, Jazz FM, KJazz Radio UK, and Curved Radio Australia.
AUDIOSPARX: Tell us about your day composing; from waking up to going to sleep and how your composing day pans out.
VOCALATTI: The morning always fills me with excitement and anticipation. It’s usually around four or five in the morning when the creative sparks seem to ignite, and sleep becomes impossible. The song lyrics that have eluded me the day before suddenly come flooding into my head, and I frantically search for a pen and paper to write them down before all is forgotten.
On a cold winters morning the studio is a cold place to be, so before attempting any music I have to warm things up a little!! I put on my two spotlights over my keyboard and the stage is set. My trusty notepad is always by my side so I can make notes about specific details my various compositions and which instrument is assigned to each track. Paper is everywhere! I am not a tidy worker when it comes to music and my ideas and notes are strewn chaotically all over the table! Yet I seem to know where everything is!
Once immersed in a project, lunch becomes more of a hindrance as it interferes with the thought-process and you can lose track of your creative thoughts.
If the days recording has gone well, then it is a joy to chill out in the evening in the knowledge that something has been created from all of those ideas that I’ve had, and a new song has been born! I collaborate with my husband too on different projects and he always adds such soulful vocals and profound lyrics to our songs.
AUDIOSPARX: How do you start composing? What technology and software do you use?
VOCALATTI: How musicians write a song is a very personal thing; I always begin with the rhythm and tempo; it’s the heartbeat and a canvas on which to add all the other layers. Most of my beats are produced on my KORG TRITON LE KEYBOARD. It’s like an old friend and my ‘GO TO’ for most of my sounds.
Once I find the perfect beat, I download it onto a CD-R and then upload it into my Zoom MRS 16-Track Digital Recorder. I prefer this digital method of recording as you can physically move the sliders up and down, unlike virtually on the computer in your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
AUDIOSPARX: Talk to us about your relationship with your voice, and how you use it, as an instrument. When did you start singing and how do you practice and keep your vocal cords — as an instrument — ready for your work?
VOCALATTI: I have always had a passion for singing and was in the choir at school. I loved to sing along to the music that my father would play in his car on long journeys, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Burt Bacharach being his favorite music to play.
In my early twenties I had singing lessons form a lovely lady who lived nearby; she had connections with the BBC, I think she was a session singer there. She taught me just how important singing from your diaphragm is, how it improves your breathing and how breathing helps when holding a note when you sing. Most people sing from their throat and this makes your vocals very breathy!
I noticed quite early on that my voice was unusual in the fact that I could reach the lower notes and was more comfortable singing in a lower keys like Bb or F. This is called a ‘Contralto’ voice.
I do not carry out any specific vocal exercises, I just sing frequently which keeps my vocal cords supple!
When I approach the vocals on a song I have written, I often find that the first take has that raw emotion and a feel that works well. Sometimes though I’ve had to re-record a section over and over, that first emotion gets diluted and you lose that spontaneity, so it’s a joy when the first take goes well.
I find singing very liberating and a real joy-giver! I’ve recently read that singing boosts your immunity and lowers stress too!!
AUDIOSPARX: How does your songwriting develop to the point of it being a finished product?
VOCALATTI: After playing back a new song around three or four times, the lyrics and melody line start to magically materialize, and I start to get a feel for where a solo instrument might come in.
At this stage, I like to try out a rough vocal idea to get a feel for the styling and vocal delivery. Sometimes certain words do not fit and have to be changed around. With the rough vocal in place, I listen back intensely and decide what the song needs to give it the feeling that I am looking for.
I like to add strings as they add a warm backdrop and complement most vocals and solo instruments. I will then decide whether to add a sax, piano, or guitar solo.
One of my SOUL favorites that I wrote — The Rhythm of Life — was a song in the summer of 2015 after seeing a pod of wild dolphins in Mallorca. There is an ebb and flow to life, and just like the tides, music, and nature have their own rhythm.
Once everything is in place, I will put my final vocals down; this is time-consuming but has to be right!! I analyze the track carefully, and at that point, I decide if a change of emphasis on a word or a phrase is needed.
When the final vocal and the solo are in situ, I like to add some extra percussion, maybe some Tom-toms or other unusual percussion sounds which add extra interest for the listener.
The song is then mixed down in my ‘Zoom’ while I pay special attention to the recording levels of each track before doing the final master. I will then download the final song onto a CD-R and upload it into my DAW, where I will add ‘Compression’ (the musician’s friend) that helps to bring everything together, tightening up all of the elements and giving the song a smooth uniformed sound!!
AUDIOSPARX: Tell us about how you approach the business side of your composing life.
VOCALATTI: When in the studio and in the ZONE, nothing else seems to matter! A force-10 gale wind might be blowing outside, and I wouldn’t hear a thing! Aliens could have landed in the back garden, I would tell them to come back tomorrow once I have my piano melody in place!!! Even when the song is finished, the excitement does not end there!! Choosing the artwork cover is always great fun and part of the creative process! I am big on the socials, and find that useful and very necessary. Making music is a business, a love affair and a passion, so it’s important to realise that all elements need time and effort to bring everything together. But I love it all.
Check out VOCALATTI’S music kit.
· Piano solos, Strings, Beats & Synths are produced on the KORG TRITON Le
· Microphones used are the RHODE NT1 5th Generation Large Diaphragm Cardioid Studio Condenser Mic & the RED 5 AUDIO Condenser Mic
· Vocals — ROLAND VP-7 Vocal Processor
· Baby Grand piano (for practice)
· ZOOM MRS 1608 16- track digital recorder — for recording
· DAW is a MIXCRAFT 8 PRO STUDIO by ACOUSTICA, for Beats & Samples
· Headphones — SONY MDR-7506
Click on VOCALATTI’S music page on AudioSparx.com and on RadioSparx.com
