quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Richard, you never answered my question. What is "dog charity advert music?"

My youngest Brother and his clubbing buddies take the p1ss out of the trance I play - for example Above&Beyond and say the breaks remind them of cancer or dog charity musak on daytime TV.

I've tried many times to get them to listen but they just take the pee. Another thing they say is it sounds like skinny white mans dance music - straight beats and no groove, no beef is thier opinion.

I think they're pretty closed minded on music.

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quote:

Originally posted by Andy28 My take on "dog charity advert music?" is crappy attempts to make you feel emotional (usually with strings and a flute) in order to get you to feel sorry and donate some money.

Big breaks with pianos and stuff too.

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Like that ad on TV with Sarah McLaughlin asking for donations to help abused animals.

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Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

After what I have been experimenting lately, I think that the "correct" mind setting and focussing in production and music makes the difference in a track production. I mean it is very easy to get distracted while making music, there are millions of plug ins, knobs faders everywhere. And then it is very easy to loose what I call "perspective" and you detach from the emotions that you were trying to express. For me there are times where I feel more creative, and times when I prefer adjusting production, although they are always close related.

Everybody is different regarding this, I think the best way is to know yourself. I write down bad habits and good habits. Before starting a tune I try to have a general idea of the project. If during a project I find something that was different from my previous idea, I think it twice because Its very easy to end up adding things unnecessarily with a bunch of instruments and beats that you are not sure what to do. My music teacher always tells me, "Add instruments only if the track asks for it".

hah,, happens similar to me. Every time I realize more the importance of mind setting. I mean, soccer, or NFL, NBA, Tennis, whatever, there are plenty of examples of Top Players having terrible performance because of there day mood...

quote:

Originally posted by Eric J A typical studio session for me goes like this: Work on music for 20 minutes. "Oh, look there is this movie on TV, I've seen a million times but it's still good. I think I'll watch it." Watch TV for an hour. "Gee, maybe I should go back and work on this track for a little while". Work on music for another 30 minutes. "Man I feel like playing XBox". Play Xbox for 30 minutes. "Maybe I should work on this some more." Work on music for 30 minutes. And so on... I still manage to get things done.

Mine is similar:

"Gotta knock some items off my music-to-do list!" Work on one item for 10 minutes.

Son: "Daddy, I want a popsicle." Get popsicle.

"OK, where was I? Oh yeah, working on a new melody." Work for 10 minutes.

Wife: "I'm running to the grocery store for milk - watch Evan". Take a 20 minute break until wife gets home.

"OK, back to work on that melody." Work for 5 minutes.

Son: "Daddy, I want a popsicle."
Me: "I just gave you one.:
Angry Son: "But I want ANOTHER one!!!!"
Me: "No, you're not having that much sugar before bed. Why don't you play with your trains?"
Son: "OK, let's play trains, Daddy!!!" Play trains for 20 minutes.
etc....

I think I still manage to get things done (after he goes to bed).

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quote:

Originally posted by Eric J Oh and this doesn't help selling the whole "having children" bit to me, either. Haha.

Yup, having children will make you learn to forget that you ever had quiet time to just sit and focus.

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quote:

Originally posted by ken_lee lets hope robby reads it. 16 instances of zeta for a baseline, enough said.

I did read it and I've kinda sensed I had that problem already.

I don't need an "epiphany" to know that spending 3 years on nothing but kick/basslines is wrong. But at the same time I have still learned a lot of helpful things and I can't really label that time as "wasted".
Had I spent those 3 years trying to focus on emotions and simplicity, my basslines would still sound like a 4 year old made them.

I think my real issue with trance is I don't feel like I have an identity or style. I love fm sounds and some of my favorite tracks have been fm styled. All I know is I hear a lot of trance thats just predictable sounding, and thats what urks me most. I'm trying to develop a unique sound, and am really lost about how to go about it. So I get caught up in a lot of OCD type behavoir when if anything I should really be focusing on creativity. The issue is I can't be creative unless I have a sound that inspires me, and I can't have a sound that inspires me unless I look pretty damn hard for it. Lately I've been actually reading how to do fm, and I can tell you I feel refreshed like I finally found a canvas worthy of painting on. I'm just so sick of saw leads, and saw basses, and saw pads. I love hyper/resonant/distorted sounds. And I do think I am at least getting closer to some sort of identity. I once posted once of my favorite tracks on here, and it wasn't blueman or airbase or anything most people would expect. It was a dirty, nasty, angry, but still pure and pristine type of sound. I don't even remember where to find it because I had found the track years ago and it had no artist name. It was in a mix someone gave to me.

I should try to find it so you know what I mean better.
Lately I should mention I've been able to consistently get past the break, which for years I could not as I was never happy with my bass. So something HAS changed recently, I do feel like I'm developing, its just sometimes like watching a tree grow.

Last edited by DJ Robby Rox on Jan-12-2011 at 21:51

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox I did read it and I've kinda sensed I had that problem already. I don't need an "epiphany" to know that spending 3 years on nothing but kick/basslines is wrong. But at the same time I have still learned a lot of helpful things and I can't really label that time as "wasted". Had I spent those 3 years trying to focus on emotions and simplicity, my basslines would still sound like a 4 year old made them. I think my real issue with trance is I don't feel like I have an identity or style. I love fm sounds and some of my favorite tracks have been fm styled. All I know is I hear a lot of trance thats just predictable sounding, and thats what urks me most. I'm trying to develop a unique sound, and am really lost about how to go about it. So I get caught up in a lot of OCD type behavoir when if anything I should really be focusing on creativity. The issue is I can't be creative unless I have a sound that inspires me, and I can't have a sound that inspires me unless I look pretty damn hard for it.

if it makes you feel better, it happens quite the same for me, I am trying to discover my own sound style. Even if it can vary much between styles, I want to discover, lets say my music "ADN".

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox I'm trying to develop a unique sound, and am really lost about how to go about it. So I get caught up in a lot of OCD type behavoir when if anything I should really be focusing on creativity. The issue is I can't be creative unless I have a sound that inspires me, and I can't have a sound that inspires me unless I look pretty damn hard for it.

Maybe I can shed some light on that. I was having a conversation with one of the singers the other day about the album we're working on and I expressed some concern to her over the diverse styles of songs that we are putting on the album and that it might end up lacking any cohesiveness. I want to make sure that the album has a characteristic sound and style, despite the fact that it's going to encompass a bunch of genres, tempos, feels, instruments, etc. Her response was "Are you kidding me? I can listen to 20 seconds of a song and know that it's one of yours." Maybe that's good or maybe it's bad, but the reason I'm saying this is because I have never tried to develop a style or a sound. I just do what I like and I incorporate my influences and my gut instincts and make it sound like what I'd like to listen to. So, I guess what I'm suggesting is that, rather than focusing on trying to create your own sound, maybe you should just focus on doing what comes naturally (which will largely be based on your many influences) and your own style will eventually start to come through.

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@mise: Completely hear you. People on this forum always tend to look at less experienced producers as being copycats or following trends and what not but even when my music sounds like some cookie cutter bs, I don't think a lot of people understand how much I actually despise that type of sound, even when its my own music. It really is just the easiest to replicate. Anytime I try to do something new or original, it largely winds up sounding completely UNoriginal.

Its not easy finding a niche or groove in music that you feel seperates you from the masses. I think everyone wants to stick out from the crowd, but its much easier said than done. I think it takes a lot of work, a lot of obsessing, a lot of thinking outside the box, and even a lot of times mere luck.


edit: and Cryo thanks thats a good piece of advice. It does seem like developing a specific sound or style is not something you can neccessarily force to happen. Its like consciously forcing your personality to be original, the more you try, the less you allow certain natural tendencies to just take over. I guess some things in this world just aren't meant to be found. Maybe they're already inside of us and theres no really need to look for them in the first place.

Last edited by DJ Robby Rox on Jan-12-2011 at 22:57

Yes true, many times is difficult to auto judge ones creativity, I think is a continuous feedback between the producer and the listeners. If what the producer is expressing is received by your listeners. But in the end you must love what you are creating to bear with it.