Are you destined to become a failed wannabe music producer?

[nvisibl]

Writing a new track can sometimes be an exhilarating buzz, but how come you never seem to muster the gumption or staying power to take your tracks to conclusion and finish them off? Is your PC hard drive littered with 8 bar loops and generally sporadic half assed’ness in wav or MP3 format? The ideas sound great you think yeah? And as you lap up the little praise you receive from useless listeners you affirm to yourself once more that you will or can complete them if you want to? Stop kidding yourself.

Or are you one of those who is always talking a good track, going on about what you’re going to do next, how you’re going to tweak this and sequence that. How you’re going to write or do things in a way that’s better than everything and everyone else that’s out there. Do you continue in your fat mouthed energy criticising other artists, styles and producers trying to convince yourself that you yourself know what the fuck you are doing. Perhaps that’s just it, you don't know what the fuck you are doing, and so you spend more time talking and saying rather than actually doing the doing.

Do you insist on having to buddy up or collaborate with others, hmmm? If so then you obviously lack energy, inspiration, willpower or even hope or faith in your own ability. Perhaps adhere the lesson you wash-out as the spin cycle repeats itself again and again, your never ever going to find that right person to work with and of whom is creatively compatible with you. Mostly because you’re not even creatively compatible with yourself and so trying to feed off the energy of others to fill the gap that’s created by the lack of inspiration or belief in yourself is a useless endeavour which nearly always ends in bitter feeling.

And lastly Einstein, technical proficiency doesn’t necessarily count for creative ability. So your tendencies of “experimentation” are your simply making noise with the toys to the detriment of getting anywhere. It’s oh so easy to fuck about aimlessly with the gadgets, try writing some music for a change. And no you don’t need any more new kit, just get on with it.

[LivePsy]

Dude, don't you realise that those on forums are here because we can't really make music?

[Hollowcell]

Shit where did I put those 8 bar loops?! Ah that's right, I deleted them to make space for pron (the other thing I use my DAW for). hehe

So what is this thread about again?

[nvisibl]

dont mind me, just a 1 on 1 with the devil inside

[Doc Jones]

hey nvisibl, don't be so hard on yourself.

Over the years, I have pretty much asked myself those very same questions.
And because of those questions, over the years I have taken a more realistic view of where I am going with this stuff. What's really neat is that once I took the pressure off of myself (ie thinking that I have to "do something" in the music industry), my creativity really started to take off. I still have lofty (though more realistic) goals that keep me motivated - I would like to have enough decent material to be able to play out at the local clubs. Utltimately the whole process is a lot more enjoyable for me. When the creativity is there - I am wholly addicted to it, but when it isn't there, I can easily just step back and take a breather - no pressure.

I guess ultimately what I am trying to say is certainly figure out a way to stay motivated (and using pressure is definitely one avenue of motivation), but also see if there is a way you can step back and really just enjoy the whole process.

[nvisibl]

No worries, i'm fine. The speil above is a reflective commentary on what i've seen in the 'wannabe producers' around me over the years, and of course from what i've seen in myself too. I wasn't sure how to frame it, and I also thought it may push a button or two, so was a bit wary.

Its a 1 on 1 with the devil in all, coaxing him out of his hiding places so that he can be seen, better understood, and defeated through acceptance.

I get what yer saying on the pressure thing Doc.. nice one and so true.. i've been down that road many times too, and may visit again i'm sure.

The way I see it is like you understand that its all very important as its what you've chosen to do and have put so much time and energy into it, but its important in a not so important way. There is much more to life than the fullfilment of your own desires, most especially if your the type who fancy themselves as a pop star of sorts.

Detaching from expectations and results are key. And if experiencing anoff day then its just an off day, simple as that. Go do something else, or go one better and do something for another. That will help break down ego, its resistance and complaint.

[nvisibl]

I find that motivation has its roots in the fundamental choice of 'is this what you really want to do?'.

Inspiration can be a little different though similar to motivation in that things flow better in each case when you learn to get over yourself.

Self doubt serves as the killer of motivation, and serves also as the plugstop in the flow of inspiration.

[Khazul]

Or just accept what you do is and allways will be complete and utter shite :p

Just have some fun doing it and if someone happens to like it - well great, if not - so what :)

[jasedee]

All the negativity doesnt help though, call me a new age fag, but I do think there is some merit in the whole "law of attraction" theory.

Send out those positive vibes man, believe in yourself, make it happen, cos no one else out there is going to make it happen for you.

In any case, if you find you suck at the music thing, you can always become a sound engineer like me.

[LivePsy]

You're way too hard on yourself, nvisibl. I love synth gear, but I can assure anyone here that making something that others will praise me for is at the bottom of the list. Making music as a creative process is an end in itself. Making something that will please others is NOT important. You may please others along the way, but it should not be your goal. Your music's real worth is your opinion of it, not other's opinions.

I had the privelege to go through some demo tapes and CD's sent in for a radio competition - demoes unfortunately just thrown into a bin out the back. There was so much passion, individuality and genuine creativity there. Forget the poor choice of sounds, bad performances and such. This was real creativity and none of them made the short list in the competition. My point? Make what you like, learn from it and make some more.

Don't hand out your music for opinions, its an opportunity for arseholes to feel better about themselves by putting you down. Any fool can call your music shite - in fact you can count on it.

Cheers,
B

[bishopkris40]

I'm with LivePsy, I have spent thousands on music gear, and none of it was to create the next big hit or to make me better, I just love sound. I have massive amounts of poly but most of the time I play just one or two sounds and jam away to myself, no computer norecording constraints just go with the flow, infact I have started recording now because it's easier with the TI but the songs I'm happier with are the ones that I record the each track as a freestyle, not a loop just the whole length of the song. Sunnypiano is just that me playing one of my favorite sounds and a favorite chord structure.

I will never be released/signed because that's not what I want, I use soundclick to get my recording kicked in to shape and I have managed a Number 28 not bad for in my opinion bad songs. As long as I know I can play the keys layer a couple of sounds and my eyes shut and fingers keep going then all the money/debt is worth it.

However I wouldn't mind releasing a hypersaw song with a bird dancing around topless, just for the fun of making the video and having something else to think about that would make me shut my eyes and keep my hands going ;)

[nvisibl]

has nothing to do with my being hard, soft on myself or negative... and more to do with what is seen and understood, and sharing it here so that others can add to it, relate, see themselves (or not).

[nvisibl]

Don't hand out your music for opinions, its an opportunity for arseholes to feel better about themselves by putting you down. Any fool can call your music shite - in fact you can count on it.



sounds like you've been offended in the past?

[nvisibl]

I'm with LivePsy, I have spent thousands on music gear, and none of it was to create the next big hit or to make me better, I just love sound. I have massive amounts of poly but most of the time I play just one or two sounds and jam away to myself, no computer norecording constraints just go with the flow, infact I have started recording now because it's easier with the TI but the songs I'm happier with are the ones that I record the each track as a freestyle, not a loop just the whole length of the song. Sunnypiano is just that me playing one of my favorite sounds and a favorite chord structure.

I will never be released/signed because that's not what I want, I use soundclick to get my recording kicked in to shape and I have managed a Number 28 not bad for in my opinion bad songs. As long as I know I can play the keys layer a couple of sounds and my eyes shut and fingers keep going then all the money/debt is worth it.

However I wouldn't mind releasing a hypersaw song with a bird dancing around topless, just for the fun of making the video and having something else to think about that would make me shut my eyes and keep my hands going ;)

dude and happy father in the making... you can kiss your gear goodbye for at least the next two years if not more. well, thats been my experience recently anyway ;)

[LivePsy]

sounds like you've been offended in the past?

Not really offended, and I didn't mean it as a grudge against the world. Its an observation of human nature (something best avoided IMO). You can put so much of yourself into something, and it takes no effort on the afore mentioned arsehole's part to put you down. The stupid thing here is that they actually thought I wanted their approval. Its only a put down if I was hoping they would like it. So I was rather amazed that co workers and friends would come out with tertiary education critiques like "where's the singer?", "I hate drum machines", "You should learn to play a real instrument". Or the ever popular condescending, "Don't you think the kick and bass are too loud, you should listen to some successful music". Yeah right.

Back to your wannabe post (which you are pretty much retreating from yourself now), trying to make music requires you to find something inside yourself. Relying on others to help you find it won't help. IMO they can set you on the path to failure if you let them. So I thought I would take a different point of view - don't let others hear your music. If it is really good enough, the world will find out about it :)

Cheers,
B

[Khazul]

Whats kind of funny is how we (collectively) as producers seem to think the opinions of non producers dont matter.

I actually think its rather cool and feel kind of happy that loads of my non-producer friends have some of my few meagre noises on their mp3 players in their main playlists. Its also kind of funny going round to a mates house for a pissup/house party then half way through the evening, jumbled in with a whole load of well known stuff you suddenly recognise something of you own on and people are still dancing and not yelling "turn this shit off" or hitting the skip button :) - ok - so they probably so pissed they dont care - for those who dont know its something of mine I dont bother telling them - a mate might, but I dont.

Even better when it a local DJ you know whos playing it at a pub or party your at and several hundred people are still quite happily dancing away to it. Sometimes I cringe and think wtf you playing this for, sometimes its a real buzz to see people enjoying it - either way - I sure as hell cant get used to it.

I know the reality though - there a hell of a difference between people enjoying something that costs nothing and fit in with the modd and getting to folk out hard cash in HMV or via iTunes or whatever, so am under no illusions about trying to pedal my junk.

Oddly, with the few public sets/mixes etc that I have done recently - Ive never stuck my own stuff in them - maybe its just because I do it just for my own enjoyment and while happy to let them be heard, I never feel they are good enough - or imaginative enough to be worth forcing upon people.

And yes of course we all would probably welcome a A&R guy showing up on the doorstep one day with enough cash to tell my employers what a complete bunch of wankers they are - but I know that aint ever going to happen - same with most of us I guess...

As for my muse - its a very unpredictable one - I have my moments maybe, but most of the time its AWOL, so no illusions there either.

On collaboration - actually I would welcome it, but it would have to be someone of complimentary tastes, skills and personality. Very few of us are lucky enough to find a good long term production partner - and often those that do are so much the better for it - the sum does seem to be greater than the parts - people who dont colaborate actually become too set in their ways often, or dont stretch themselves enough - Im certainly guilty of that.

[LivePsy]

Whats kind of funny is how we (collectively) as producers seem to think the opinions of non producers dont matter.


A "producer" does not necessarily have an informed or constructive opinion. Best to be unbiased and consider ALL opinions unimportant :)

Cheers,
B

[nvisibl]

Back to your wannabe post (which you are pretty much retreating from yourself now)

Retreating? no. Clarifying the initial intent? yes.

[nvisibl]

seems theres a lot of hangups about other people and their responses, wether they be good or bad. acceptance and or rejection playing part in motivation/ inspiration???

I reckon if you've been in the game a while then you know if yer stuff is good or not, or if something needs fixed etc... very rarely will someone point something out that you don't already know, or at least have an idea of.

[bishopkris40]

Yeah nvisibl, I start putting my gear in the loft last night, it brought a tear to my eye, but my TI and supernova with monitors and PC are now setup in a tight little cornoer, all piled up on the blank section of the ti, Can't play too hard or PC screen falls ;) But actually a very good basic setup, I worry about keeping the TI as I may not get to use it much and it'll loose money, but since I've never sold gear I suppose I can cope.

As for others commenting on music, because my close mates have been around since the start they don't listen, but folk who I have met within the last few years all do, and I think there is nothing better than being up fishing a loch in Scotland and someone is whistling along to one of my tunes in the pitch dark because it's on the MP3 player. Also the other week I was at a party and a cd was put in, Personally I'm cringing thinking I should have changed this and that, but they liked it.

It's only fun for me and sure I'll get annoyed in future years ;) When I finally get back to playing after changing nappies :lol:

[nvisibl]

you sound pure jammin mate.... happy days ahead.

Today I said to my wee one... okay what do you want to do, walk in the park or go on a bus. She chose bus.... so i'm getting us ready for the big bus outing.. packed lunch n stuff...we don't get to go on public transport much because we're toffs. *cough... aye right ye are lol

[bishopkris40]

Ah the joys of getting your bones rattled. I'm looking forward to those sort of days ;)

[D4F]

Interesting topic.
For me music is more like a break from real world. I unfortunately don't have a job I like. I'm not complaining $$ wise but still that isn't something that I enjoy doing so when I get home, play with my kid (very often my 3 year old daughter brings her Korgmicro X to me and asks for a mic so she can sing to the patches and that's quality time :)), help my wife, do whatever I have to do and then after all day just put my headphones on and build some sounds on the TI or just listen to old vinyls looking for samples and etc. Few hours per week if I'm lucky but they are mine. I don't give a crap if I'll ever release any of the stuff I do it but I will surely keep doing it. Not for others but for that quality time I have doing it.
In my opinion anybody that starts to work under pressure will in most cases fail in the long run or music will become 'another job/hobby' cause of the stress related to it and not enough entertainement.

As for gear... In Future Music (not sure which issue) one guy stated something like this. '...the more gear I had the more time I was spending setting/tweaking it all up just to realise that in the end I was making less music than before when I had just one synth...'

It's so true.
I only have a Virus B and Virus TI, Gigastudio for natural sounds and MPC for beats and cuts and honestly I'm not looking into expanding my setup anytime soon. There is simply no need to. creativity is what makes the difference. just my .02

PS hope you all understand what I just wrote lol as my English isn't very good.

[Khazul]

As for gear... In Future Music (not sure which issue) one guy stated something like this. '...the more gear I had the more time I was spending setting/tweaking it all up just to realise that in the end I was making less music than before when I had just one synth...'


Yeh there is alot of truth in that, but you can also burn alot of time trying to coax sounds out of gear that just cant do the job. Its fine balance between a broad sound palette that you can still usefully work with and a simply too much stuff to get anything done.

Im very much coming round to the view that the ideal core setup is a decent rompler, drum machine, very good and flexible VA (ie virus ti at the moment) and a real analog synth. Not sure that the drom is quite characterful enough to be that real analog - maybe sunsyn, code8 or voyager. Anything on top of that is the occasional and/or simple to use stuff or a synth that does something really unqiue - v-synth for eg.


BTW - what do you keep your virus B for?

[The girl next door]

PS hope you all understand what I just wrote lol as my English isn't very good.
You takin the Mick ???

[D4F]

BTW - what do you keep your virus B for?

I got used to it :)
I am actually thinking to sell it and get something else but honestly nothing catches my eye.

[D4F]

You takin the Mick ???

What means 'taking the Mick'??

[Infinity+1]

It means you must be joking because your english is great!

[Igglethorpe]

This is a great thread and honestly, kinda brought tears to my eyes. In an attempt not to be too sentimental, I can so relate on so much of what has been said.

I keep pressuring myself to do this stuff and of course, it never gets done. I also hate my job and play way too many video games to release myself from it. Well, not as much as I used to I guess. I know I want to do music, but damn, it sure isn't the easiest thing to do. I suppose I've had way too many instant gratification things thrown at me over the years.

It is such a major effort to get me into my little studio. Once I'm there, time can pass by and I do accomplish things. It's the matter of just planting myself on the bench, turning on my synths and getting to it.

Hmm, I don't know what I'm trying to add to this discussion. Perhaps another angle. People with low motivation?

[Infinity+1]

Lol, confession time. Apologies in advance - I just feel like expressing myself and letting it all out!

Making music is actually a big problem of mine, like an unhealthy addiction.

It keeps me up all night, fools me by making me think I'll enjoy it and be good at it. I get depressed because I can't even write a simple arpeggio over two chords. My drums sound thin and crap. I play it far too loud through my headphones, I think I'm addicted to the intensity of the volume. I've been writing for about 6-7 years and have deleted every track I've ever made because when I listen back they sound terrible. I'm learning how to be a web developer and a programmer and the added pressure of learning compression, eq, sound design, music theory etc leaves my brain no time for rest. I'm far too determined for my own good, I can easily loop a chord progression for 3 hours without taking a break, and at the end of it have made nothing and go to bed. I have a ridiculous amount of samples and software installed that cost me loads of money and time to aquire.

I've quit loads of times before, and when I do I get out more, meet mates, exercise etc. But like an alcoholic I get sucked back in by the 'just a little' idea and the vicious circle continues. I'm a reasonably intelligent guy and I love music so I figure I should be able to write good music, but it's just not that simple.

Anyway, it's only a few months since I realised I have an OCD problem with producing. I've been so ignorant for so long. I sold some gear but never got round to selling my virus, so I'll do that ASAP. I'm just about to get rid of all my software and samples and I'll have to have the self discipline to say no in the future. The cognitive dissonance is crushing me and I'm better than that, my life isn't too bad otherwise.

Do I win the most depressed post of the year award or what! I hope no-one else feels this way and you all have a great time making music.

All the best. ;)

[Khazul]

Rule #1 - never delete anything - no matter how crap it is - its worth it as a reference and inspriation for the future, or at the very least you can look back and while it may have been utterly shit, at least maybe what you do later hopefully isnt quite as bad ;)

You sound burned out to me, go out get pissed with mates, drag a couple of fluffies back from a club or whatever your thing is - maybe next door neightbours dog/goat etc?


I never try a write whe I get home from work - its a complete waste of time - my day job is way too shitty and stressy to have a hope in hell. So often Ill just frig aorund playing random crap, often on a piano, not even a synth - just as a way to relax so I can forget the crap day as quick as possible and enjoy the rest of the evening, whether in or out. I expect most of us are in a similar boat one way or another.

If you stop being so stressed about it and stop trying too hard, who knows, maybe something will come together. What is the point anyway? You want to be making stacks of cash from producing? Is that realistic? Do you have people coming to you to ask to work with you? If not - accept it as is for now and just have some fun/relax etc.

Try doing a remix or something - there a huge advantage to doing them - even if they never go anywhere - you get to mostly forget about trying to write (someone else has done that) and can more or less focus on production and cool fun shit, end result - you get some production exprerience that eventually you can very quickly and easily re-apply when writing you own stuff - the less you have to think hard about when writing, the easier it is. If your thinking of anything but music, then you are being distracted and technology we use can be very distracting.

I sound like I know it all - no - my stuff sux too - Ive just learned to accept that, have fun along the way, and not worry about it or be particularly self conscious about it - people wither like it or they dont, and I know allready my production ability in my home studio sux (accoutically its really bad and I hate using cans) and there isnt alot I can do about that rigth now.

The only advantage I have I guess is Ive done audio production work professionally years ago (nothing fancy - just music and audio post production for corporate/promo films, national TV etc) so alot of the technology is second nature to me - at least on the hardware side - but the stupidity of software user experience designers still never ceases to amaze me, and given that production software puzzles the hell out of me at times (I'm a software developer by trade, so not even some computer illiterate), it no wonder that many people have problems remaining creative with it...

BTW - what production methods/software do you use - that can make a hell of a difference.

Also allmost anything can sound good in either shitty accoustics, or when played loud. Most of us are guilty of both :) Having the levels turned down tends to help with both problems.

Another random observation - if something loops really well - then its often really hard to move on from it in a useful way. Introduce some more sounds into the loop, cut others and break it up, then it may natural progress/evolve to something else. Making loops is easy - getting out of the damn things can be quite hard. If you typically edit around 4/8/16 bars for example, then you will mentally get ingrained with the loop - allmost any style music become a form of trance in that state. So when editing, dont loop around loops, start well before and loop back well after - it keeps you alert to whats actually happening, otherwise you just get used to it and ignore it.

[LivePsy]

Man oh man, you've turned a hobby into a disease :)

Can I suggest a couple of things:-

You may not have met the right beat box yet. For me, making beats on the MPC is a breeze and they sound 'right', whereas a whole history of purchases spanning 17 years before that I was never happy with even just a kick and snare. I dont wanna think how many bits of hardware and software I purchased because I thought it would make the difference. And accidently I discover the MPC is the one for me.

Inspiration comes from some unrelated triggers. I'm going through a whole Prog Rock revival thing (Yes is so good/bad I can't get it out of my mind), and yet I am full of electro ideas. I think the break away from any narrow music genre does the world of good. Listen to music you don't like, and then question why you don't like it. Its good for you...

Lastly, you've apparently put in a lot of work. That can't be all bad, but *you* think it has been hard work. Make it fun! Sell or buy music gear however you want. And be happy to change your mind as often as you want.

Cheers,
B

[davidconway1984]

IMO i dont think there is anything wrong with working on tracks 7 hours day as long as they sound good two days later!
Infinity+1 you should post sum stuff up online for people to listen to mate , Im sure there are producers on here who know what production is about to point you in the right direction.

[Doc Jones]

you know, I kind of like this thread.
here's a bump.

[Khazul]

And very helpfully, even if you do attract the interest of a record producer and/or label, there's an article in SOS this month that tekll you what a complete ass-raping you can look forward to from the music industry :)

[Doc Jones]

I remember reading an article that your typical band that goes the traditional route when releasing an album - ie having a major label pay for the studio time, hiring of the producer and paying for mastering and distribution will end up in debt to the label for a very long time. This, even if their first ablum does very well in terms of sells. One band that sold over 100,000 copies of their 1st album still was in debt to the label and had to live meagerly until about their third album (where they finally broke even with the label).

[horsegrip]

Hey Dude,
I rather think that I have a professional studio and a big cock, rather than a a fast car and a tombstone.
To get to the point, regardless if we get there or not.
It's the enjoyment of expression and music, rather than spending shit loads of cash on a car, which will get you nothing than an early grave.
We'll get the fast car and an early grave after making money from music and then it was all worth it.
Or could have spent that all on 2 weeks with a high price hooker. Now that's got me tinking.

[Khazul]

For alot of us - we aint after the loads-of-bling scenario, however some of us are after the give up your day job and earn an equivelent living from music full time - for me that means an income that can match my IT job so I can still pay the mortgage etc and ideally in a more enjoyable way - so not an easy jump to make without some industry help at the right level.

[Ceri JC]

For alot of us - we aint after the loads-of-bling scenario, however some of us are after the give up your day job and earn an equivelent living from music full time - for me that means an income that can match my IT job so I can still pay the mortgage etc and ideally in a more enjoyable way - so not an easy jump to make without some industry help at the right level.

+1

I've never really been one of those people who desperately wanted to be a full time musician above all else, or considered not being one any type of failure, but of course, I've had moments where I've considered the possibility. I made a decision about 5 years back that whilst I could probably scrape a living doing music, I'd end up having to do things I hated- like making tracks in genres of music I really dislike, DJ at weddings, etc. to make ends meet. In a way, choosing to keep music as something I only do exactly what I want to seems to have more artistic integrity than the alternative. My music is definately improving over the years, but I'm progressing well in my career (probably faster than in my music, comparatively), so the amount I'd have to earn in music as a "starting wage" becomes more and more unrealistic as time wears on.

That's before you start looking at real world practicalities; my gf is a full time self employed writer and mortgage/insurance people only really tolerate that because of the comparative stability of my job. If I became self employed too and had patchy income (not even that much less, just coming in unpredictable dribs and drabs), we'd really struggle to be able to keep our house come mortgage renewal time. It's not even like my "day job" is something I loathe doing, or even "just a job" to me, I really enjoy it and would do it anyway as a hobby, even if I was independantly wealthy, so this makes it even less palatable to jack it in if doing so involves any appreciable paycut, loss of security, etc.

Ultimately, any money I make from music just goes towards making a dent (and that's all it is), in the cost all the gear and records has had over the years. My dream situation would be to make enough money from music that it just negated all the costs associated with it, so it was effectively a "free" hobby. Thereby freeing up money for my other great passion, motorcycles. :D

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Writing a new track can sometimes be an exhilarating buzz, but how come you never seem to muster the gumption or staying power to take your tracks to conclusion and finish them off? Is your PC hard drive littered with 8 bar loops and generally sporadic half assed’ness in wav or MP3 format? The ideas sound great you think yeah? And as you lap up the little praise you receive from useless listeners you affirm to yourself once more that you will or can complete them if you want to? Stop kidding yourself.

Or are you one of those who is always talking a good track, going on about what you’re going to do next, how you’re going to tweak this and sequence that. How you’re going to write or do things in a way that’s better than everything and everyone else that’s out there. Do you continue in your fat mouthed energy criticising other artists, styles and producers trying to convince yourself that you yourself know what the fuck you are doing. Perhaps that’s just it, you don't know what the fuck you are doing, and so you spend more time talking and saying rather than actually doing the doing.

Do you insist on having to buddy up or collaborate with others, hmmm? If so then you obviously lack energy, inspiration, willpower or even hope or faith in your own ability. Perhaps adhere the lesson you wash-out as the spin cycle repeats itself again and again, your never ever going to find that right person to work with and of whom is creatively compatible with you. Mostly because you’re not even creatively compatible with yourself and so trying to feed off the energy of others to fill the gap that’s created by the lack of inspiration or belief in yourself is a useless endeavour which nearly always ends in bitter feeling.

And lastly Einstein, technical proficiency doesn’t necessarily count for creative ability. So your tendencies of “experimentation” are your simply making noise with the toys to the detriment of getting anywhere. It’s oh so easy to fuck about aimlessly with the gadgets, try writing some music for a change. And no you don’t need any more new kit, just get on with it.

I've chatted to some artists who, in my eyes have had alot of success (No. 1 hits and stints on Top of The Pops)...and they all say the same thing. The tracks that made them sucessful were their least favourite (creatively speaking)...and most, if not all found it very hard to keep the momentum going. All the big hits were recorded in studios where there was input from 3 or 4 people.....working together to make it happen. Face the facts.....its a tall order for anybody to do it 'Lone Ranger' styleee....

My advice would be to strip back all the uncessary crap that you may have in your studio....and go back to basics. Keep it really simple... 1 monosynth, 1 polysynth, 1 drum machine, 1 effects unit....and bin the crappy samples cd's you love the thought of using but never will. Thats right Randell...there is an Easter Bunny...

You must talk yourself out of the mental state that your in. Focus on small, attainable goals, work on individual tracks....try not to conceptualise an entire album....its overwhelming. If you want to rock out with some jamming mates....don't feel bad about that....sometimes thats exactly what one needs to do........lighten up...don't take it too seriously - you could be run over by a bus tomorrow.

At the end of the day, how successful you are primarily comes down to your mental wellbeing, technical knowledge of the gear your using...and yes....some creative flare. I have seen some big names make it.....who are no more talented than the average guy walking the street. Sobering thought.

Now, get out there...have a beer....get some pussy and make some tracks tonight.

DS

[Juho L]

get some pussy and make some tracks tonight.

I hope you have realised that these two things rule out each other? Although I did have a cat that walked on the keyboard creating Mike Garson stuff.

[IamEvil]

I had a pretty well equiped home studio about 6 years ago - which I'd slowly built up over years... but had no success with (the one on the pics in my sig. link)

I sold it to a DJ friend who was a total beginner when it came to writing music and production.

He took my gear and had a record out after about 6 months

[annikk.exe]

Man, what is going on here :P So many tortured artists !

I've quit loads of times before, and when I do I get out more, meet mates, exercise etc. But like an alcoholic I get sucked back in by the 'just a little' idea and the vicious circle continues.

I've had the opposite experience from you, Infinity+1. Music is something I have fought tooth and nail to stay in. In the beginning when I had no money, classical training or source of advice, I used tracking programs and deleted the sequencer contents of other people's songs so I could write my own tune with their samples.

Later, during the years of the band I worked so many shitty jobs, just trying to feed myself and help pay for the next tour. I never found it difficult to sit down and start writing, it came very naturally to me. I swiftly learned to embrace the raw, badly produced feel, and didn't worry too much about perfecting the production. To reinforce this I even wrote songs and intentionally made them sound awful. Harsh, abrasive, non-musical music. Gradually I learned what compressors did, and why EQ is handy, and picked up tips from various different places until eventually getting a reasonable sound was more like a part of the actual programming.


It keeps me up all night, fools me by making me think I'll enjoy it and be good at it. I get depressed because I can't even write a simple arpeggio over two chords. My drums sound thin and crap.

Infinity+1, if I were you I would set myself a challenge to write a song with only 3 different synth patches, a kick, snare, and hat, and actually focus on paying zero attention to the production quality, and complete the entire song in less than an hour. Just GET IT DOWN, get it out there.
If you keep doing this, sooner or later you'll hit upon a song that you feel like developing a bit more.
I also think you sound like you could use a holiday :>


-Annikk

[D*2]

I've been seriously learning how to produce for the last 8 months...
and still havnt finished a track....
but my 8 bar loops are I'm making are considerably sounding better and better..
But.. i still need the patience and understanding to finish a complete track..
I think I'm happy with the dozens of unfinished projects i have!
but one of these days I'm finally going to finish one!

[Ceri JC]

Infinity+1, if I were you I would set myself a challenge to write a song with only 3 different synth patches, a kick, snare, and hat, and actually focus on paying zero attention to the production quality, and complete the entire song in less than an hour. Just GET IT DOWN, get it out there.
If you keep doing this, sooner or later you'll hit upon a song that you feel like developing a bit more.
I also think you sound like you could use a holiday :>


-Annikk

I agree, I find this very useful when stuck in a rut of not actually finishing tracks. Take an 8 bar loop you've done, create another 2/3 variations on it then force yourself to record "live takes" of a track (recorded in realtime) with you selecting patterns, playing along, changing fx etc. Bounce it to .wav and save it. Eventually you'll stumble on something you like/that works well and then you can go back and polish it. Sometimes I don't even realise which tracks are the best/worth working on further until a few days after they're done and I'm listening to them on my mp3 player.

[Khazul]

Or do what lost of folks do when they are out of ideas - learn production techniques, embellish their 4/8/16 bars of bleeps and release it under minimal techo or minimal tech house ;)

Ooops - probably just upset the minimal crowd... :D

[Prime NL]

I had my xxx min. of fame, so i don't feel the pressure anymore to have something released on a CD or Album.

Did my live perfomances on stage as support act for other very famous acts or DJs, performed live on festivals, did live shows on the national radio, released CD's and EP's on my own record label and saw almost every famous club in Europe.

I feel i don't have that urge anymore to get out there and spent every minute of my life advertising my "band"....this is also due to the fact that i am married and have 2 kids walking around...they don't need a dad who will be almost every weekend on the road.

Nowadays i just have fun and feel happy in my home studio creating 8 bar loops and play around with it.

For all the people who still have the urge to "get out there" on stage or on a CD/EP plug yourself as much as you can...that is the only road to get well known and famous.

Just burn that CD with your experimental stuff and send it out to your interesting record labels who are in line with your style you create....there is always the chance that one of them will pick it up.

[Ceri JC]

Just burn that CD with your experimental stuff and send it out to your interesting record labels who are in line with your style you create....there is always the chance that one of them will pick it up.

Yes, it's surprising how few labels you need to send (half-decent) stuff to before you get someone interested, so long as you select the right labels. You hear these stories of a great band/artist claiming to have sent hundreds of demos out before it gets picked up and you just have to wonder whether they got a Music Directory and just started at A in the record labels and sent it to the first 200 they came across. I know people at labels who complain about the volume of demos they get that they would never in a million years put out, almost as if the person hasn't even listened to the other stuff on the label.

[Prime NL]

Yes, it's surprising how few labels you need to send (half-decent) stuff to before you get someone interested, so long as you select the right labels. You hear these stories of a great band/artist claiming to have sent hundreds of demos out before it gets picked up and you just have to wonder whether they got a Music Directory and just started at A in the record labels and sent it to the first 200 they came across. I know people at labels who complain about the volume of demos they get that they would never in a million years put out, almost as if the person hasn't even listened to the other stuff on the label.

Your totally right on that Ceri...it's sometimes suprising what kind of demos i get which are totally not in line with the kind of music i support.

I got CD's containing country or even Schlager or Hardrock music....even though my Record Label is registered as a Dance label.

Sometimes you will be rejected...but in my beginning of my musical career i got some great feedback of labels which comment on the music or give some critics which can be used in future demo CD's.

Just don't expect to be recognised by a label with just a Myspace page or some YouTube movies....if those people get attention by labels it's mostly luck.

Expect to be dissapointed alot...just keep up and try again. :-D

[synthetik]

I registered to reply to this thread. A folder of mine exists within my harddrive that technically has more access time than any of the other folders in my computer. Almost a gigs worth actually, only a few tracks are finished, if that. And somewhere in my mind I've always thought maybe it's just me, maybe I can make music in my head, make unlimited amounts of patches, talk like that very same extremely fuzzy and distorted patch is the most unique thing in the world and it's in my song. BUT I can't just do it, I can't sit there and actually make music.

I don't know if it's the lack of skill or the lack of dedication, believe me, I really want to make music, my desire to make music far outweighs everything else I want to do. I just can't. Reading through everyone elses' replies, I realize that maybe it isn't about making crap that other people would like but more about making those 8 bars. Thanks all.

[Ceri JC]

I don't know if it's the lack of skill or the lack of dedication, believe me, I really want to make music, my desire to make music far outweighs everything else I want to do. I just can't. Reading through everyone elses' replies, I realize that maybe it isn't about making crap that other people would like but more about making those 8 bars. Thanks all.

Perhaps your goal could be just to make the best possible loops you can and then either collaborate with someone else who'll blend/tweak them into a great track, or maybe sell them to a sample CD manufacturer?

[Khazul]

I just got an email that officially changes my status from 'wannabe' to 'professional' :D

Cant say much more right now - but definately an OMFG moment - LOL :)

[Monobeat]

Congrats homie!!! All that investment, hardwork, geek/dorkiness, late nights, early morning, millions of cigarettes... etc... as paid off. Big hugs from the west coast in your OMFG moment.