SoundGym Hero: Diana Chow

Blends her classical piano roots with innovative production, and when she's not making music, she's competing in tennis leagues. Diana Chow is this month's SoundGym Hero!

How did you first find your way into making music?

I grew up classically trained on the piano and wrote simple melodies on my own then.

Sometimes I recorded them on a portable recorder, but I didn’t do anything else with them. My first experience making anything close to a song was in Garageband with my friend Larry who got me onto Mac computers as I grew up using PCs.

Garageband was a lot of fun but I didn’t know much about song arrangement or structures at the time. It wasn’t until I started directing and arranging music for an a cappella group years later where I began to understand how to compose different instrumental parts to make songs.

Aside from music, what hobbies or activities do you enjoy?

Playing tennis, cooking, trying out new restaurants and foods, and reading!

What’s something you're surprisingly good at that has nothing to do with music?

Tennis! I compete in a USTA league, and our team has won the league and advanced to sectionals to represent Los Angeles multiple times. I’ve also captained the team.

If you could play or create with any artist, who would it be and why?

Kendrick Lamar or Audrey Nuna. I love how they push the boundaries of rap and R&B as well as their attitude and character in their songs. I also dig their vibe from what I’ve seen in interviews.

What piece of music gear do you love the most, and what makes it irreplaceable in your creative process?

I’m really enjoying the Ableton Push 3 and its MPE pads. It’s my first MPE anything and has expanded my ability to express emotions in sound. It’s also helped me immensely in my ability to perform my music live as someone who makes music mostly in the box on my computer.

What daily or weekly habits do you have in place to keep you creating?

Sleeping, eating, and hydrating as well as I can. Otherwise I’m not in the mood! 

What keeps you motivated to continue making music?

The fun and curiosity of seeing what new thing comes out each time, and watching the journey of songs I release and other projects I work on. Also observing the progress I make in the craft.

Nearly every new song I continue to work on I feel is “the best thing I’ve ever made” and I stay curious to see what that sounds like in the next creation. Hearing music from other artists that move me and wanting to do that for others with my own music also plays a role.

What song would you choose as the soundtrack of your life?

As someone who can sometimes overthink, I choose “ruminate” by slenderbodies. I’m almost always in the mood to listen to this song. And sure enough, I ruminated on this answer for a while. :)

What's your favorite feature on SoundGym, and how has it helped you in your musical journey?

Peak Master has helped me the most with my mixes and in shaping sounds and tones in my productions.

What’s something exciting you're working on or looking forward to?

I just wrapped up my first EP and am so excited to see it go out soon!

It’s a body of work showcasing a handful of songs I’ve made over the past couple of years. The songs express some of what I experienced in my relationships, heart, and head over that time. It’s called feels.

You can follow Diana on her Instagram, Spotify, and more here.

 

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