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-- I think i suck at producing...
I think i suck at producing...
Just like the topic says...i think i suck at producing music. For some wierd reason...i can't make any new songs anymore. Like i have no ideas,my head is totally blank. My producing buddies tell me to listen to some recent current tunes and see if that would help.Apparently that doesnt help out either.Maybe should i go on a break? HAH! i did..for like 5 months and i still cant make anything decent to hear.I've been producing for like almost 2 years and i dont know whats going on with me.When i was 14(Im 16 now) i made my first cheezetastic tune and i had it up on soundclick.com. Unmastered..clipping..total amatuer..and it still got on the 16th rated song on the trance section.Nowadays..i post a new tune i make..and it barely makes it past 200.Thats sad..And whats wierd is that when i decide to make a happy tune...it ends up becoming a hard trance tune. Vice versa if im doing hard. Basically all im saying is can anyone help me out? Im like braindead in music production right now and i really need advice on starting up a tune agian.It's either that..or i've gone retarded
take a break for some weeks.. you can go back with some new ideas!
Whenever I finish a track it ends up sounding nothing like what I envisioned when I started it. Oh and also, soundclick isn't about how good a track is, it's about how good you are at whoring it and getting people to download.
LOL yea i kinda figured that out after a year or so.Mostly teenage girls were listening to my cheezey stuff.Now when i ask them to listen to some uplifting trance..their all like..ewww.
don't worry...take a break and you'll see...I'm very often in this taking a break stage...it happens every now and then...
and also...you don't have to be perfectionist...sometimes the unperfect mixes get attention the most...happend once or twice to me...I thought a song is total-uter-shit, but my friends loved it...
I couldnt stand a listen though!
I would imagine you're still trying to find your unique style too... that's why they never turn out the way you invision. Don't expect to be a pro after 2 years either... it takes YEARS to really develop yourself as a producer.
But for taking a break.. I usually work on music for about 4-6 months straight... then take a break and get back into video games or poker for a couple months... then I'm fresh and go back and work some more on music...
Don't put pressure on yourself... don't force a particular style... just make music... don't try to fit a specific mould... just do what sounds good... don't worry about whether or not it's good enough to be released... just pour your feelings into the song for yourself as if no one else will hear it.
A few months ago Matt Darey told me to "Keep your sounds raw... don't fuck with them so much." BEST advice I've ever been given. I used to mess with my track so much it'd turn out muddy and would become something completely different that what I had originally. Since then, keeping my sounds raw has been the best thing that's happened to me.
Anyways.. that's my advice... from someone that's had the "production blahs" many times over... 
you think producing is easy ?
Unless you are very talented you need hundreds of hours of training to become really good at producing (just like everything else), so it's all about knowing whether you think it's worth it or not.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Tygon I would imagine you're still trying to find your unique style too... that's why they never turn out the way you invision. Don't expect to be a pro after 2 years either... it takes YEARS to really develop yourself as a producer. But for taking a break.. I usually work on music for about 4-6 months straight... then take a break and get back into video games or poker for a couple months... then I'm fresh and go back and work some more on music... Don't put pressure on yourself... don't force a particular style... just make music... don't try to fit a specific mould... just do what sounds good... don't worry about whether or not it's good enough to be released... just pour your feelings into the song for yourself as if no one else will hear it. A few months ago Matt Darey told me to "Keep your sounds raw... don't fuck with them so much." BEST advice I've ever been given. I used to mess with my track so much it'd turn out muddy and would become something completely different that what I had originally. Since then, keeping my sounds raw has been the best thing that's happened to me. Anyways.. that's my advice... from someone that's had the "production blahs" many times over... |
This is what I do whenever I feel uninspired:
I play guitar and drums as well as producing. Whenever I stop feeling the urge to do one of those things, I start listening to some other music. Like say: I'm sick and tired of producing trance and I have no desire to do so, after that I just switch to a completely different musical genre. Being a computer nerd I'm always working on my computer, and have winamp running in the background, and I often change over to heavy metal. This may get me interested in playing my drumkit, I play mostly black metal stuff. After a while I may get a little fed up of that, and suddenly I realize how much I miss trance, so I load Winamp up with all the best trance music I have and BAM!, I have a million new ideas for producing! 
So try changing completely to another music genre for some time. Try to really get into the music that you're listening to, don't even think about electronic music. After a while you'll start to miss it and you start thinking up all these new melodies that you want to turn into a new trance song
I'll tell you about my experience about producing, and I'm sure you're going to find it very similar to feelings and experiences you've had.
There were already quite a few people that replied and everybody was right in their own way. But at the end it's all about how you truly feel and what you want.
My production journey started about 4 years ago, and not to brag about it I became good at it. There were moments when the inspiration was flowing strong and there were moments when I felt weak.
Recently I hit the same stage as you. I just cannot sit down and come up with tunes as before. There could be a good driving baseline and a synth line or two accompanying it but that's it. Everything else all of a sudden would come to a screeching halt and there is was just frustration left.
So, you already know about this and you want to know what it is you can do about it?
I'll give you a few pointers that might be taken into consideration
1. Try to answer why is it that you're getting into production? If you love sitting and creating music and that relieves stress and creates energy, production is for you. Music composers do it because they love it, because it fulfills them.
It's like playing sports as an amateur. You don't do it because of money, chicks or fame. Sports are supposed to give you a feeling of connections with other team mates, relax you, make you feel less stressed and pleasantly tired for the same reason at the end of a day.
2. Try to streamline your setup; don't spend too much money on unnecessary equipment. I have bought a Nordlead3, JP8000 and a KS rack. All virtual analog, and for what reason...to make me better. Well, it's not going to, it's just emptied my bank account.
Get the gear you feel your productions might need and learn all about it. Become an expert. When you know how to use it and produce an amazing sound from scratch, the inspiration will come, and you'll do wonders. You'll only need a few pieces of good gear (or software) and a fast computer to start.
3. Take frequent breaks. Make a bassline or a kick that rocks and stop. Don't spend more than 2hrs per day in front of a computer unless you're extremely inspired and you're just building layers upon layers of tracks that sound amazing (it happened to me!).
Monitor and listen to your body and mind. When it tells you that it's tired and it doesn't have any new ideas, it's tired and it doesn't have ideas. Get the hell out of the studio and do something else.
At the same time you cannot be lazy and forget all about it. It's a fine balance that some people never find in life. If you achieve this, you've mastered your own destiny.
4. Somebody before me said 'keep it raw'. This is unbelievably true, and I'll tell you why. Have you ever had a moment where you came up with a great riff and ruin it by listening and changing details so much that it becomes almost unrecognizable?
I've done that with whole songs for God's sake.
Don't get caught up with details. Just start recording and layer those tracks. If it sounds good, don't change. Don't change the groove of your loops...they're already grooving. Keep adding tracks, layer upon layer upon layer.
And then, the next day you'll sit down with it and think what a bunch of crap! You'll start deleting things, changing it, adding delays, effects, compression, and eq and so on. All of a sudden you'll see something being born, just like the diamond in the rough that needs to be processed to get a brilliant and shiny star.
Everything in nature starts raw, until you mould it into a work of art. Don't be afraid to rerecord and delete shitty tracks but work fast and don't get caught up in details. You'll workout the details later on during mixing.
Another analogy is building a house. You start with the foundation and proceed up. Half way, if you asked anybody if they like the looks of a house, they would tell you 'I don't know...it's not finished'. The same with your tracks. Only the last step in the mastering will conclude the process and confirm that you have a great tune on your hands. And even if some people don't like it, who gives a shit? It's part of you and your early venture into music production waters. You enjoyed the process, you got relaxed and you felt happy to listen to it when it was finished.
5. Build a web site and post your work. Keep it updated regularly, share your experiences and I can guarantee you there is going to people listening and following. This is just another source of inspiration, when you know somebody is listening.
These are some of the things you might do to help overcome the problem. I hope it will work out for you and you'll be on a path of creating awesome music again.
Lalin
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Lalin I'll tell you about my experience about producing, and I'm sure you're going to find it very similar to feelings and experiences you've had. There were already quite a few people that replied and everybody was right in their own way. But at the end it's all about how you truly feel and what you want. My production journey started about 4 years ago, and not to brag about it I became good at it. There were moments when the inspiration was flowing strong and there were moments when I felt weak. Recently I hit the same stage as you. I just cannot sit down and come up with tunes as before. There could be a good driving baseline and a synth line or two accompanying it but that's it. Everything else all of a sudden would come to a screeching halt and there is was just frustration left. So, you already know about this and you want to know what it is you can do about it? I'll give you a few pointers that might be taken into consideration 1. Try to answer why is it that you're getting into production? If you love sitting and creating music and that relieves stress and creates energy, production is for you. Music composers do it because they love it, because it fulfills them. It's like playing sports as an amateur. You don't do it because of money, chicks or fame. Sports are supposed to give you a feeling of connections with other team mates, relax you, make you feel less stressed and pleasantly tired for the same reason at the end of a day. 2. Try to streamline your setup; don't spend too much money on unnecessary equipment. I have bought a Nordlead3, JP8000 and a KS rack. All virtual analog, and for what reason...to make me better. Well, it's not going to, it's just emptied my bank account. Get the gear you feel your productions might need and learn all about it. Become an expert. When you know how to use it and produce an amazing sound from scratch, the inspiration will come, and you'll do wonders. You'll only need a few pieces of good gear (or software) and a fast computer to start. 3. Take frequent breaks. Make a bassline or a kick that rocks and stop. Don't spend more than 2hrs per day in front of a computer unless you're extremely inspired and you're just building layers upon layers of tracks that sound amazing (it happened to me!). Monitor and listen to your body and mind. When it tells you that it's tired and it doesn't have any new ideas, it's tired and it doesn't have ideas. Get the hell out of the studio and do something else. At the same time you cannot be lazy and forget all about it. It's a fine balance that some people never find in life. If you achieve this, you've mastered your own destiny. 4. Somebody before me said 'keep it raw'. This is unbelievably true, and I'll tell you why. Have you ever had a moment where you came up with a great riff and ruin it by listening and changing details so much that it becomes almost unrecognizable? I've done that with whole songs for God's sake. Don't get caught up with details. Just start recording and layer those tracks. If it sounds good, don't change. Don't change the groove of your loops...they're already grooving. Keep adding tracks, layer upon layer upon layer. And then, the next day you'll sit down with it and think what a bunch of crap! You'll start deleting things, changing it, adding delays, effects, compression, and eq and so on. All of a sudden you'll see something being born, just like the diamond in the rough that needs to be processed to get a brilliant and shiny star. Everything in nature starts raw, until you mould it into a work of art. Don't be afraid to rerecord and delete shitty tracks but work fast and don't get caught up in details. You'll workout the details later on during mixing. Another analogy is building a house. You start with the foundation and proceed up. Half way, if you asked anybody if they like the looks of a house, they would tell you 'I don't know...it's not finished'. The same with your tracks. Only the last step in the mastering will conclude the process and confirm that you have a great tune on your hands. And even if some people don't like it, who gives a shit? It's part of you and your early venture into music production waters. You enjoyed the process, you got relaxed and you felt happy to listen to it when it was finished. 5. Build a web site and post your work. Keep it updated regularly, share your experiences and I can guarantee you there is going to people listening and following. This is just another source of inspiration, when you know somebody is listening. These are some of the things you might do to help overcome the problem. I hope it will work out for you and you'll be on a path of creating awesome music again. Lalin |
wat if u dont whore on soundclick
i had a track on there that was like 9 on the trance shit
i didnt tell anyone to dl it
LOL yeah i really didnt kno anyone that voted for me.
Have yourself a wank and faghetaboutit!
cheerup, I suck 2 
LOL nice!
What have worked for me is:
- Take a break (2 day is ok).
- Play my favorite albums.
- Forget all about producing and have fun.
- Dig in old records (it's always interesting discover techniques and sounds from the past).
- Then listen to all my abandon/unfinish sequences (the ones which at some point i didn't like so i left unfinish). At this point 2 things can happen: you find out what you don't like (maybe you'll decide to finish it) or you can hear something and say "hey, that's cool", and start an all-new track with that cool element.
- Also is good create something else than trance.
- Try to do a remake of a song (not a trance song) 80's stuff is good a option (beacuse of synths and drum machines).
- Try things that usually you dislike. ex. i used to clean every sample and recording to pristine sound quality, nowdays i have found interesting listen to some noise, in fact instead of removing it, now i'm adding noise to my recordings.
- Post a sample in TA so others can coment about it.
Hey man, I wouldnt worry about it too much. I was producing pretty well for a while. I released a track in March of 05 and then didnt finish another song until November. Sometimes I just cant get anything decent to take shape. I took a break over the summer and focused on promoting my current music and did a little bit of producing, but nothing significant. There was a composition contest at my school so I decided to make a track for it and I did so well! (1st place at district) I'm not bragging, just trying to inspire 
A little while after that someone contacted me to do a remix and since I had never done one before, I gave it a shot. It turned out great (except for some not so beautiful vocals). All I want to tell you is that even though you may not be releasing anything good, you are probably still improving as a producer and just never satisfied with your work as it is. Eventually you will get to a point where stuff will sound good to you. Feel free to listen to my tracks at www.myspace.com/adamkellymusic Nova was my March track and Midnight Air was my November track. I improved a lot between that time even though I didnt think I made anything decent. Go figure.
- Adam
#16 on the soundclicks chart is very good. Just looked, I'm not even on the top 150. I hardly had any plays or downloads, but recently a DJ from djsource.com played one of my tracks in an online session. All the sudden I got more downloads and plays, but nothing impressive as far as numbers.
You say you suck at producing, well, I think you mean to say you're out of ideas, or can't come up with anything worthwhile. Writers block is every creative person's worst fear. There's no one soluton, but the one thing that always works is inspiration. Find something that inspires you, a great trance tune, a beach, a sunset, the night sky, anything at all. Sounds corny but it works. I find that listening to a good trance DJ inspires me a whole lot.
this is what i really recommend
1. stop listening to your style.
you like tech trance? then dont listen to it. ive experienced the same problem, when you listen to the same style over and over, you lose creativity. go off and listen to other styles of music. any music. country or hip hop or some slow songs. you will appreciate music more when you listen to other genres when you get sick of your style. plus you get many ideas from other types of styles that you can later use.
2. make things simple.
like lots of other ppl said, dont just work on one sounds effects the whole day. first make everything, and thene try improving things by editing, efx, ...
3. start creating a song that is mixable.
this is what i think of when i run out of idea. suppose you want to make some nice uplifiting trance. choose a great uplifting trance track that you admire (oceanlab-satellite IMO is uplifting) and start building a song that can be mixed with satellite. do it like this.
a. what kind of kick should i use that flows well with satellite
b. when do i need percussion.
so on.
the most important is to listen to different style. attend concerts, parties, gigs, whatever. ull get inspired by this kinda stuff.
there are other things that really help as well
Your position at soundclick shouldn't be the thing you measure yourself on. Just saying.
Soundclick sucks now...lol i dont go to that site anymore and i dont post there anymore so yeah.I gotten a couple ideas now and im working on a tune so im pretty happy now "D
Yeah, I havent updated my soundclick page in so long... because soundclick is garbage in comparison to myspace. with myspace you can actually show your fans a picture and keep in touch with them (remind them you still exist and that you have new songs). You can also fully customize your page, thats really unique for a free music profile site.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by slyfoxark Yeah, I havent updated my soundclick page in so long... because soundclick is garbage in comparison to myspace. with myspace you can actually show your fans a picture and keep in touch with them (remind them you still exist and that you have new songs). You can also fully customize your page, thats really unique for a free music profile site. |
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