How did you get your name?

By working hard. Beside producing as much as I can, I spend a lot of time engaging with the community and my followers. I’m always open to criticism, because I know that can make me a better producer. I’m probably not the most talented producer, but I believe hard work can equal that easily. As a ghost producer I have some regular clients for who I make music. Beside that I also did some marketing jobs for music brands on my Instagram. I also try to help anyone who reaches out to me for advice. It takes a lot of time, but I know that people appreciate that a lot.

How did you get into Producing?

I play music since I’m 14 years old. I got a crappy guitar from my aunt that was 25 years old and has been at the attic for over 15 years. My parents wanted to make sure I really wanted to play music before I could buy my first instrument. After a few months I had shown I was serious about it and I bought my first bass guitar. I played in a few bands, but they all got separated. At a certain moment I was sick of trying to find a band and I sold my, by then, two bass guitars. I wasn’t sick of music though. I wanted to be in control of the entire production process, so I wouldn’t need anyone else to make music. With the money I got from selling my guitars I bought Ableton Live and Ableton Push. That’s where it all started for me.

What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?

I started viewing video’s on Youtube. That was a bit chaotic to me and it didn’t help me to get better as fast as I was hoping. That is why I signed up with Bassgorilla.com. The courses there thought me so much. First, I had a basic Ableton course to get me started and then I took a lot of start to finish courses. It has helped me to see how other producers produce. Not to copy them, but to learn skills and to see how they keep their workflow going. Together with the Bassgorilla courses I kept searching for Youtube video’s about topics I was interested in. After that I also took some specific courses on mastering. After a while I needed to get out of my cave (aka my bedroom), so beside all the online stuff I talked to a lot of other producers and produced with others as well. It has always helped me to get new insights and skills I hadn’t thought of before. At the moment I’m trying to get a degree as a music producer. I’m sure I still have a lot to learn a lot, so I keep talking to new people and hope to get better at producing every day.

What did your first set up look like?

Asus laptop, Ableton Live 9, Ableton Push, computer monitors beneath all expectations.

What does your current set up look like?

iMac, Ableton Live 10 Suite, Ableton Push, Pioneer S-DJ50 monitors, Komplete Kontrol S49, Komplete Audio 6, Sensheiser S-25, Fender CD-140SCE.

How did you get your Producer/Artist name?

My last name is Saron, so I just turned it around to get Noras. Not very inventive, but I thought it sounds good.

If you could produce for any artist (dead or alive), who would it be?

That would be Carl Cox. I think it’s unbelievable what he has done so far and how important he has been and still is for the evolution of electronic music. His influence on house and techno, and even beyond that, is enormous. He is talented, but he worked very hard to get where he is right now.

What is your goal when you create?

I always want to give music a certain feeling. I think of a story and try to get the right music to go with it. It is important that I can convert a basic idea of that feeling in music fast. Mostly I don’t have 3 or 4 hours a day to think about that story. So, when I think of something, I need to get it out of my head soon. Sometimes I just make some notes or hum something on my phone. I also record audio at places where I have an idea. This way I can reconnect with that story and feeling the next time I’m in the studio. Traveling and visiting places and new cultures is very productive to me and helps me creating stories.

What's your go-to song right now?

Nandoo by Sam Shure. I discovered it a while ago. I can listen to that song over and over again. The feeling that Sam Shure was able to get into this song is something I really love. Like I said I try to tell a story when I create music and with Nandoo, I feel like I’m in the middle of a story.

What is your dream as a Producer?

First of all, I would love to get my degree as a Music Producer. At the moment I’m studying for that. I hope that opens doors to work for a record label or bigger studio. That way I dream to work with a lot of artist and try to have an influence on the electronic music scene.

What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream to become a Producer?

It’s probably the biggest cliché but working hard is to only way to reach your goals. Don’t try to skip any steps. To many producers are desperate to get their music signed by a record label, but sometimes you need to be patient. Don’t just sign with any label, but make sure the label can do something for you. Try to stay to your core business, which is making music. Spend a lot of time making music and try to learn something new every day (especially at the beginning). If your music is good, people will start to notice it. Make sure you only get your best tracks online. There’s really no use in putting your music online if you know it is not good enough. People will remember that, and you will have a bad name from the start. If you have a finished track which you are happy about, ask someone’s opinion. Preferably not a friend, because they will probably be more easy going than someone you don’t know. Try to finish every track you start. You will learn a lot from the process of finishing a song. I’m not saying you can only work at one track at a time, but make sure you finish everything you start. If you are finished, ask yourself if this is the best you can do at the moment. If the answer is no, then try to find out where it went wrong and focus on that in your next track. If the answer is yes, it doesn’t mean you have reached your top, but simply that this is the best you can do at the moment. Just start producing another track and you will find out you are still making progress. Spend some time engaging with the community. You will learn a lot from other producers if you are willing to listen. Be visible online. You will not be able to reach listeners if you are not online. And last but not least: believe in yourself. It will probably take you years (unless you are really lucky) before you will start making a name for yourself. Believe you have the capability to be a good producer and work hard. Eventually you will be rewarded.

Where can people find you? (social media, website, etc)

Website: www.norasaudio.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/noras_audio

Twitter: www.twitter.com/noras_audio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/norasaudio

Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/noras_audio

Respect the Producer Interview with Noras Audio