pK moon
my music-making process and journey to figuring out my sound + original music
Hi everyone!
My name is Paul and my artist name is pK moon! I’ve been making music in my bedroom for about a year now, and I’m excited to share what I’ve made/my process with you all :)
Why Shift?
Growing up, I’ve always loved to create. From origami to filming Vines to YouTube story-time animations, my hobbies were always centered around self-expression (but really just making anything I could be proud of). However, all throughout high school, I found pursuing these kinds of passions to be quite lonely. I’ve always wanted a community of people to share personal projects with and Shift was exactly that!
I’m super grateful for all the friends I’ve made this year and can’t wait to meet the new creators this fall!
Covers and Finding My Sound
I joined Shift with the goal of releasing a 4–6 song EP by the end of the year. As I started this project, I realized there were still things I wanted to fix about my vocal delivery. I thought it’d be best to take things one step at a time and practiced by covering songs. My two most recent covers are linked below.
As you might’ve noticed, the vocal delivery/styles are quite different between the two covers. I’m still figuring out which sound to go with (or if I should even pick one over the other)… but rather than overthink that, for now, I’ll probably just use whatever best matches the vibe of the song.
Starting Original Music
A few weeks ago, my desktop gave me the “blue screen of death” 🥶😩 .. A lot of my progress, beats, freestyles, etc are on there and I didn’t back up my data (uGH.. rookie mistake I know). So, unfortunately, I can’t share or make progress on those projects until it comes back.
But that’s okay! I do have two original instrumentals that I uploaded to SoundCloud and will link here as well.
At the Shift retreat, I met with another creator, Neil, and made more original music (linked below)
I use FL Studio as my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). The two tracks above were made with various sound/drum kits and the track below was made with purely stock sounds + a guitar.
Here are some other instrumentals I made earlier this year! (before my computer died)
[for Draft 2 Still Needs Some Arranging N Stuff] I read a mixing tip somewhere about how to make a guitar or ukulele sound more full. The trick was to record two takes and slightly pan each of them (one to the left, the other to the right). I tried this technique and I think it turned out great.
Final Thoughts
Although a rather late realization, I learned that I am good enough! I know that sounds really simple but self-confidence was a huge struggle in getting started. Now, I think I’m close to finding my unique sound and couldn’t have done it without this wonderful community.
This year has been a tough one, not only in terms of growth as a creator but with the pandemic as well. And, even though I didn’t reach my goal of releasing a 4–6 song EP, I still think I’ve had a successful year creating and learning. I’d also like to thank everyone in my sandbox; weekly meetings really kept me grounded when life got tough, and I’m incredibly grateful for you all.
What’s Next?
Once my computer gets fixed, I’ll be releasing my first original song (hopefully) by early June! If you liked any of the stuff above, consider keeping up with my YouTube channel ( www.youtube.com/pKmoon ) or my Instagram ( @ paul.moon1 ) !!
Creator: Paul Moon
I’m a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying biomolecular science (hoping to go into pharmacy eventually)! I’m from SW Michigan and like to ride my longboard or go on drives in my spare time. You can keep up with me on my instagram @ paul.moon1 or shoot me an email at pkmoon@umich.edu
