In a world where thousands of new tracks drop every single day, having your own sound isn’t just a nice idea – it’s what makes people remember you. Your “sonic identity” is the invisible fingerprint in your music. It’s the way your chords move, the atmosphere you create, the tiny imperfections you leave in because they feel right.
Finding that sound isn’t something you stumble upon in a single moment. It’s a slow burn; a mix of instinct, experimentation, and life experience. The truth is, it’s just as much about knowing yourself as it is about knowing your DAW.
Know Your Influences (and Let Them Be Messy)
When you think about the music you love, it’s rarely one neat list of artists from the same genre. Maybe you grew up on punk but fell in love with movie soundtracks. Maybe you DJ techno but secretly write folk songs at home. All of that is part of you.
It’s easy to feel like you have to filter your influences to fit the sound you’re “supposed” to make. But sometimes, the magic happens when you let those worlds bleed into each other. Your influences are the raw materials – don’t be afraid to let them show, even if they don’t seem to “match” on paper.
Your Sonic Comfort Zone (and Why That’s Not Always a Bad Thing)
We all have certain sounds that just click with us. A dusty Rhodes chord, a metallic snare, a reverb tail that makes the whole room feel like it’s underwater. Those moments are clues to your style. And if you’re honest with yourself, you probably go back to them more often than you think.
It’s like ordering food. You tell yourself you’re going to try something new, but then you spot that one meal you love on the menu – and suddenly you’re having it again. Same restaurant, same table, same “I’ll have the usual.” There’s comfort in that. And in music, it’s the same. If you’ve used the same snare in 10 tracks, maybe that’s not laziness… maybe that’s just your taste showing up, loud and clear.
Some producers set little “always” and “never” rules for themselves. Always drench the vocals in delay. Never use quantised hats. These guidelines act like a kind of creative compass, helping you navigate all the possibilities without getting lost. But the thing about rules is, they’re fun to break. And the moment you do, your sound might take an unexpected turn you end up loving.
Even things as small as using the same reverb settings start to stick out and connect your tracks together. You’re naturally forming your own sound with the tiniest details you keep repeating without even thinking about them. Those little habits – intentional or not – are often the glue that makes your music instantly recognisable.
Look at someone like Fred again.. – one of his trademarks is using little snippets from videos, voice memos, and personal recordings. They’re woven through his tracks not just as texture, but as anchors to his own life and world. Over time, these tiny choices form a signature that’s as personal as handwriting.
So don’t beat yourself up for revisiting the same elements over and over. That’s how your sonic fingerprint gets deeper and more recognisable. The trick is to stay aware of it – to know when you’re leaning on your comfort zone because it’s truly you, and when you’re doing it because you’re afraid to try something different.
If you find yourself drawn to atmospheric textures and dreamy tones, our Orbital Drift pack might resonate with you. Built around a 1958 Supro lap steel guitar and processed through modular and pedals, it’s perfect for ambient or leftfield explorations that still feel personal and warm.
Evolve Without Losing Yourself – The Alias Dilemma
If you’re anything like me, you probably have a restless musical mind. One day it’s lush ambient pads, the next it’s gritty techno, and then suddenly you’re deep into making a synthwave track at 2 a.m. The temptation is strong to separate these worlds into neat, genre-specific aliases – one project for each style, each with its own artwork, socials, and releases. On paper, it makes sense.
But here’s the thing: every alias is a whole ecosystem you have to feed. New music, new visuals, new promotion. And unless you have endless hours and energy, something will start to starve. I know because I’ve done it – three different aliases, each with its own world to maintain. In the beginning, it felt exciting. Over time, life got busier, and I realised I was scattering my energy so thin that none of them could truly grow.
Looking back, I sometimes wish I had focused on building just one thing. But I’ve also learned that there’s no right or wrong here – only the path that makes the most sense for you. The important part is being aware of what you’re taking on.
A lot of us get lost in details: the way our artist name is spelled, the exact tone of our cover art, the tiny stylistic rules we impose on ourselves. And while it’s good to care about those things, it’s worth keeping them in balance. Because at the end of the day, there is no right or wrong. I don’t want to recommend or suggest anything, I just want you to think about what you’re doing. Many get lost in details; from spelling to how things “should” be exactly. It’s mainly you who cares about these things, and it’s good that you do, but it should stay balanced in a healthy way.
Documenting Your Sound Without Trapping It
It’s worth keeping track of your sound – your favourite synth patches, your go-to drum chain, the way you process vocals that make them feel like you. Having those things written down or saved as templates can make your workflow smoother and help you stay connected to your style.
Think of it like setting up a physical drum kit. If you had to start from scratch every time – adjusting every stand, swapping out heads, tuning each drum, hunting for the right cymbals – you’d burn through half an hour before you even played a beat. But if your kit is already set up the way you love, you can sit down and instantly start playing. The same goes for your music production setup: knowing your “go-to” sounds and having them ready means that when inspiration hits, you can dive into the fun part right away, without spending 30 minutes on setup before you even start.
That doesn’t mean you should only ever use those sounds. It just means you’re removing unnecessary friction between your ideas and the moment they come to life. Having your palette ready doesn’t lock you in – it gives you a strong foundation to build from.
But don’t let documentation turn into fossilisation. Your sound should have room to breathe. You’re allowed to change it, scrap it, and rediscover it over and over again. Think of your style not as a static logo, but as handwriting – it’s still recognisably yours, even as it changes.
Keeping It Fun (Because That’s Why We Started)
Somewhere along the way, when music starts to feel like “work,” a certain spark can fade. Anyone who’s had real success in music – touring, releasing on labels, landing big gigs – will tell you that once it becomes a job, you inevitably lose a little of that raw, spontaneous joy that made you start in the first place. It’s not that you stop loving it, but the relationship changes. Deadlines, deliverables, and expectations start to creep in.
That’s why it’s so important to keep a space in your life for music that’s purely for you. Not everything you make has to turn into a project, a single, or an album. You don’t have to monetize every track or turn every idea into “content.” Having a small jam setup – something you can fire up for an hour just to mess around – can be a wonderful thing. Some days it’ll just be a fun session with no agenda. Other times, without even meaning to, you’ll stumble into the beginnings of a brand new track.
Now that most of my time is spent working in a studio, doing audio-related work for other people, I’ve realised just how precious those unplanned moments are. They’re a reminder of when I first started – when I’d stay up too late making noise just because it felt good, with no thought of release dates or streaming numbers. Holding onto that feeling isn’t just nostalgia. It’s the heart of why we do this. And the more you can protect it, the longer music will keep feeling like a gift instead of a grind.
Final Thoughts
Finding your style isn’t a box you check off. It’s something you grow into, lose sight of, and find again – sometimes all in the same month. The process can be messy, inconsistent, and full of doubt. That’s normal.
The important thing is to stay in motion. Keep making, keep exploring, keep following the sounds that feel like home. Over time, your style will reveal itself – not in a big, dramatic moment, but in the quiet realisation that your music already sounds like you.
If you’re looking for a little extra spark to kickstart your creativity, our Biomorph sample pack is packed with weird, inspiring sounds designed to help you explore new sonic territories. For something more meditative and textural, Orbital Drift offers ambient loops created from a vintage lap steel guitar, processed through pedals and modular – perfect for producers leaning into mood and tone. If we can help you find that initial spark, we’ve already succeeded in our mission.