How to finish a track??

[Merlot]

Was wondering how many of you have a hard time finshing a track? You dont know how many 16 bar loops I have on my hard drive, but I can never seem to perservere and finish a track. It is really frustrating. I either get tired of hearing what i have or just don't know how to finish it. What gets you to finish a track? any advice or techniques?

[Threlly]

What do you want it to do ?
What is the track trying to establish ?
A feeling, emotion, atmosphere, paradox etc ?
If the 'verse' is a question, is the 'chorus' an answer ?

Forget the computer, get pen and a piece of paper , lay it out in sections and try to attach to each section a reason WHY that section is there.

Also, read a good book, or listen to an OLD album, if you're stuck, go back to the beginning, first principles are always the clearest.

[jasedee]

Originally Posted by Merlot

Was wondering how many of you have a hard time finshing a track? You dont know how many 16 bar loops I have on my hard drive, but I can never seem to perservere and finish a track. It is really frustrating. I either get tired of hearing what i have or just don't know how to finish it. What gets you to finish a track? any advice or techniques?

Dude...I feel your pain!!!!!

This is common I think, and is something I struggle with alot. This is the whole reason Drammy set up www.4barloop.com

It fuckin sucks! Which is why I normally fill up my time recording other people, or working as part of a group to contribute ideas. Take a look at Hollowcells stuff that he passed on to his mate. Collaboration is key here...

[Hollowcell]

Yep, having someone to colaborate with helps heaps. I had so many unfinished tracks on my drive and it was surprising just how quickly my mate was finishing them off - he hasn't had the time to become bored of them I guess.

With tracks I finish off myself, they're usually the one's that finish themselves. Sometimes things just come together.

Don't pine over them too much mate. Just have fun with it all.

[The girl next door]

loops are the build of a track...You should listen to other tracks of the same genre,listen how they build up, talk yourself through what is happening with the bassline,listen for the Hihats coming in at points to build up the tempo of the track,listen to how they use effects to change from one part to another for example Backwards Reverb effects,also listen how they use cutoff to build up to high points or come down into a Break.Try to pick out the different parts of the track (Pull the track apart in your head while listening to it) think what you yourself maybe would have done different if it was your own track....
............................................
Here is a scan from one of me books "Recording and Production Techniques" by Paul White. ISBN 1-86074-443-5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/186...30439?n=283155
(Sorry about the pen,i just love defacing me books )


Hope this helps

[nvisibl]

I would imagine every single one of us here fully acknowledge this.lol

If I ever feel myself frustrating then there is no way a track is going to come out so I end up spending the time sorting out some samples or making sounds etc... in preparation for next time when i'm in flow.

I meditate twice daily and this greatly assists in many ways, especially for quietening down the inner critic, the little voice which compares and doubts the validity of anything you got going on the sequencer.

I don't approach my projects with any expectations set, but simply allow the music to come through on its own. And what I find when flowing in this way is that everything simply clicks into place easily without having to spend half an hour looking for or programming the right Hi Hat etc...

When in flow it works like magic, you are the music and anything you touch turns to gold. You could make a bunch of shitty presets on an old Casio come to life, in such a way where people would enjoy tuning into it.

I allow everything that is going on in my life to come to an end. What I mean by this is that I empty my mind of all "Need to do's" and even those "Should have done's" or if anything is bothering me then I deal with it firstly before starting up a project. Make the mental space to host the creations.

All in all though, the only way to get the flow flowing is to remove the psychological barriers restricting the flow. It never ever ever works the other way around by trying to force the flow and make it happen.

Singing helps open up blocked channels, this even if you cant sing as what we do is all about bring our inner expression to the fore. So sing like you mean it and give it all you've got! Loosen up the passages.

Don't try to start a track, nor try to finish it.
Allow the track to write itself, and enjoy.

[Merlot]

Thanks all. Will give these suggestions a try!

[Khazul]

If all else fails - just waste a few rocks

[Khazul]

Just thinking about this - the biggest killer for me is realising that something I am doing is evolving way too close to something that allready is out there.

For eg, working with arps, chord progressions, then settling on something, building up other parts to go with it etc, then you add one last bit in and shit - you suddenly recognise it - a well known track suddenly leaps out at you and its back to the drawing board - another partial arrangement for your trash collection...