Fiora

Dec 8 2010

Who are you and what do you do?

I'm Fiora. I'm a singer, orchestral composer and songwriter. I studied classical voice but I write and sing a lot of electronic music. I also write my own orchestral stuff and songs for other people.

What hardware are you using?

I have a MacBook Pro 2.53 GHz with an Apogee Duet. I have a Wagner U47 and a Microtech Gefell 92.1S with a Millennia Media STT-1.

What software are you using?

Depending on what I'm doing I use different software - til very recently I used Pro Tools for recording and editing vocals. I always used Logic when it came to programming and Sibelius for orchestral scores (when necessary). Recently I swapped to Logic for all of it. I'm still yet to really discover how brilliant Logic is for Vocal Editing. When it comes to the actual writing though I always start from an organic musical place. If I'm writing for orchestra I will play the violin, (I have a custom five string violin I had made by Violin Maker Philip Smith so I can experiment with Viola parts as well). Lyrics I can only write with paper and pen - I just need to catch the ideas as quickly as possible. At that stage it's just about getting out of the way.

What would be your dream setup?

My dream setup would involve a full time engineer and strategically placed studios in inspiring places with an orchestra on call in a beautiful hall. While I love to learn and get better at the technical side of music-making I just can't seem to obsess over it. I can do what I need to do to. If the setup works well enough to not get in the way - I am happy. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Make your own kind of music - I'm very much a believer in focusing on your strengths and being yourself - music should always be personal and connected to you in some way - there is no right and wrong, only your choices. Understand the priorities in your music and do your best with what you have in the moment. My classical singing teacher, Janet Delpratt, once said to me (no doubt during hayfever season)… "You have to make peace with the sound you have on the day - that is your instrument today - that is the nature of your instrument and there's nothing more to it than that." Trust and lean into it. Keep it fresh and move towards your own kind of music.

Where can we find you on the web?