What do you guys do when you're stuck?

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-- What do you guys do when you're stuck?

Posted by mto on Feb-04-2005 20:17:

What do you guys do when you're stuck?

I'm making a track. I got 2 min and 5 seconds of it down, but i absolutely have no clue how to continue or how to introduce the new sound. I'm very amateur and newbie to this, and yes i'm only using FL.. however, what can you tell me that will make me think and give me ideas to proceed with this? Obviously i have to break at least the 5 min mark for this to even a be a track.

What do you guys do when you're just drawing blanks? I need inspiration.

Posted by Zombie0729 on Feb-04-2005 20:23:

i map everything out on paper, like when/where/what and i go from there...

stop looking at ur screen for about half an hour, go to a place you like, outside, whatever. and take what you have and pretend ur starting from scratch. you'll have a lot more ideas when you step away from your project.

Posted by burns on Feb-04-2005 21:15:

Most artists get this, it usually occurs to me when i got any doubts about the track..ie. when i am mega inspired by the way a track is herading i finish it, however if i begin to doubt anything, i will get the problem you are talking about..so my answer is, if you get stuck 3 mins into a tune, move on, start something else. May seem like you end up with a libary with clips, but its worth it because the things you finish, are the best of your efforts (applies to me anyways).

Posted by R.j. on Feb-04-2005 21:29:

i take a week off producing and start djing and vice versa...

Posted by Jake Conlon on Feb-04-2005 21:32:

a way i comabt this is by making the track in 8 bar sections. so ill start with the first 8 bars of the main part then move those 8 bars across and then make the last 8 bars of the builup until it comes to the stage where i only have to make an intro and outro.

Posted by KilldaDJ on Feb-04-2005 21:41:

have a wank.

uh. actually i dont.

um i listen to other trance and stuff to inspire me

Posted by staticblue on Feb-04-2005 21:52:

quote:
Originally posted by burns
Most artists get this, it usually occurs to me when i got any doubts about the track..ie. when i am mega inspired by the way a track is herading i finish it, however if i begin to doubt anything, i will get the problem you are talking about..so my answer is, if you get stuck 3 mins into a tune, move on, start something else. May seem like you end up with a libary with clips, but its worth it because the things you finish, are the best of your efforts (applies to me anyways).

+1

if you start doubting about what you are doing, it's a bad sign. I have this problem too at times and i suppose it's the same for everyone.

Posted by Project 7 on Feb-04-2005 22:08:

quote:
Originally posted by KilldaDJ
have a wank.

+1

Or have a cup of tea and a break from your production

Posted by yioryios on Feb-04-2005 22:09:

i think that you have to understand that music in general (not just trance tracks) is all about the art of repitition. that is, how to present the same idea over and over and over and over again in an interesting way. perhaps switch the melody and bass parts, do something interestingly different with the rythm, bring chords in, or leave them out, or introduce new instrumentation, or change the dynamics, or add sound fx, or any of a number of other things. with just one part, you can do so much.

Posted by alanzo on Feb-04-2005 23:15:

quote:
Originally posted by KilldaDJ
have a wank.

bastard.. beat me to it.. i was going to say:

beat off

(yes, i'm serious)

Posted by DJ_Ikronix on Feb-04-2005 23:26:

If I'm STUCK, like, STUCK STUCK, as in, STUCK...

I stop it and do another song. I'll just come back in six months to cannibalize the parts I like, and ignore the ones I don't.

Not really efficient, but hey.

Posted by DJ-Igloo on Feb-04-2005 23:43:

omg heck ya have a huge orgy or something sex allways helps

nah just listen to some other tracks get inspired play with diffrent sounds etc etc to get ideas.

Posted by DickieThijssen on Feb-05-2005 00:02:

i watch videos of preteen girls being raped by dogs

yes i do

Posted by DickieThijssen on Feb-05-2005 00:04:

bark bark
barf barf

Posted by Luke Terry on Feb-05-2005 00:41:

i tend to do something else for a few days, altho it seems to be uni work these days...

Posted by alanzo on Feb-05-2005 06:17:

I tend to not get "stuck" as it where... i always have an exact plan for what i want to do in the track and then i just do it.. if I where a classical composer, which is much more complex, getting "stuck" might be an issue.. but since i'm doing a genre that is 75% production based, it doesn't really matter...

as borat would say "chen qui"

or whatever

Posted by EliPsE on Feb-05-2005 06:24:

Just dont try so hard. I find when i try really hard for a song i just end up with 2 min and get stuck. Just go with the flow even tho you aren't sure about it and worry about the sounds later.

Posted by alanzo on Feb-05-2005 07:42:

BTW - you used "you're" correctly.. you da man.. you are now officially smarter than 2/3 of all trance producers

Posted by 4am on Feb-05-2005 14:48:

Pass your track to another producer. I have a partner to bounce ideas off of. Whenever I get stuck, I pass my track to him!

Posted by RiCo on Feb-05-2005 19:37:

I've noticed that when I don't plan to tske the track serious, that's when I never get stuck and it actually sounds better than anything that I get inspired. Oh well, works for me. But yes, sex (REAL sex, not with Palmela Handerson, LOL) also helps when you're stuck...because it's an adrenaline rush and then relieves the stress when you get done with your girl or THE girl (if you're a man-slut or don't believe in relationships, haha).

Posted by DRM on Feb-05-2005 19:50:

i give up and start something else equally as shite, quitting is for winners

Posted by UphoricNitemare on Feb-06-2005 13:35:

I start another project, the sounds i make in the other one usually go well with the first, i guess because i'm used to the sound or something...And then I can combine them, or totally change the original. Sometimes I watch a movie and then go back...Go do something else...as soon as I take my mind of the music an idea hits me. Also when i don't take my productions seriously they sound a lot better. I think the best thing is to start a new productions and try to create something you've never done.

Posted by pho mo on Feb-07-2005 02:23:

Firstly, don't worry too much about being stuck. You've got to push through it. Believe me, if you keep on making small, incremental improvements to the tune then after much perserverence it will be a good tune!

Secondly, find other released tunes that have a similar style to your own. Listen to them a few times and see what elements those songs introduce. Hopefully this will give you some relevant ideas because with those similar and finished songs, you're most likely to find elements and ideas that will fit your song.

Just don't give up! Nobody ever got better by not-finishing songs. ( I think! )

Posted by Azza Robinson on Feb-07-2005 16:40:

i always get this problem i do what the guy above says now, you just gotta carry on with it persistance pays off, try not to listen to it too much over and over again as you get bored well i do neway. like hearing a really good tune and getting bored of it cause it gets overplayed on radio's ect.