|
Never satisfied anymore... perfectionism kills productivity
|
View this Thread in Original format
| 4am |
So I have been producing for about 5 years. When I first started, I didn't know all the techniques and theory, but I was having so much fun and I always came up with such interesting ideas.
Now when I sit down to write music, I'm such a perfectionist about everything that I end up spending 2 hours on one midi line and then I just quit and don't even end up saving my "work"...
Is there any way you guys have been able to overcome this kind of perfectionism?
I hate it. It's destroying my productivity.
-Heather |
|
|
| Numb |
| I'm in the same situation right now except I got 18 years .Hope someone with very inspirational words chimes in. |
|
|
| Eric J |
I have found that the joy comes in just "writing". Lately, I have been just coming up with stuff based on things I hear that inspire me. I used to attempt to write these complex, trance tracks, but the best tracks are always simple ideas. I have been writing and listening to a lot of house, tech house and progressive house.
It seems to be more satisfying, because there is just something cool about having a good groove and just letting the track be what it is, instead of trying to write something super complex.
I have found that its better to think in terms of how your tracks are used in a set, rather than trying to write an entire track that stands out when listened to by itself. Remember that if yo are trying to get your stuff released, then mostly DJ's are going to use your track to tell only part of the story, so it may help to come at it from that angle. |
|
|
| palm |
Ive been producing (part time/hobby only though) about 5 years, and Ive never had this problem, im happy I dont, it seems very common. I might would have had the same kind of problems myself if I started producing earlier because I used to be a perfectionist, thank god (or Zeus for that matter) I managed to shake that away before getting into producing , it leaves nothing but frustration being so. Also most perfectionists are s. I used to have this problem earlier in DJeing.
When it comes to producing I focuse on having fun and being creative rather than the actual result, I love to lie awake in my bed thinking about structures, rhytm patterns, baselines etc and then try to put them into action next time Im on my PC. Sometimes I feel like I can explode of all the creative ideas I got in my head which I dont have time to put together. I have ideas for complete albums but I never managed to get it down. Thats another story though lol.
I use each project as practice and hopefully I see progression between each track I finish, maybe not while working with them but when looking back a month later or two. I think its really fun and inspiring to listen and compare my old productions to the new ones to see what ive become better at and what needs attention. Also the feeling i get by finishing something without caring about the result is way better than the anti-climax I used to get on finishing stuff that was only about the result. Like school, what a waste of time. |
|
|
| Beatflux |
| quote: | Originally posted by 4am
So I have been producing for about 5 years. When I first started, I didn't know all the techniques and theory, but I was having so much fun and I always came up with such interesting ideas.
Now when I sit down to write music, I'm such a perfectionist about everything that I end up spending 2 hours on one midi line and then I just quit and don't even end up saving my "work"...
Is there any way you guys have been able to overcome this kind of perfectionism?
I hate it. It's destroying my productivity.
-Heather |
What would a friend to say what you thought? Or what you would you think of a friend that said what you thought?
If you step back from your own thoughts, you'll see them in a more rational way.
Would you expect every pro's release to be absolutely perfect? I really doubt it, because then you wouldn't be able to enjoy any of it.
Go easy on yourself and challenge yourself enough to make yourself grow. If you push too hard you'll stunt your growth.
A pat on the back can go further than a crack of the whip.
I don't know...what do you think? |
|
|
| Subtle |
If what you are trying to do doesnt work in 5-10 minutes, just quit, open another project or move on to a different part of the song.
This works for me, and i get alot of stuff done! |
|
|
| Brownsound |
this happens to me every now and then so i just start up a new project and copy a famous producer's songs beat by beat. and i end up finishing that side project song then go back to my original song fresh with new ideas and finish it.
also i used to try to mix as i arranged but i stopped doing that because after an hour of sitting there all i'd have would be a kick, bass, and a lead that sounded great but went nowhere. now i just leave the faders at their default levels (or do some minor adjustments) and get the main song structure down. |
|
|
| derail |
| quote: | Originally posted by 4am
I'm such a perfectionist about everything that I end up spending 2 hours on one midi line and then I just quit and don't even end up saving my "work"...
-Heather |
I'm not so sure that this is a case of perfectionism as opposed to not being clear about what you want to create.
How close is your work to "perfection"? Are you getting feedback on your songs that they are better than just about any other trance producer on the planet can create?
There is no such thing as "perfection". It exists only in the human mind, and we decide when we apply the term and when we don't. We hear a fantastic trance song and think "well, that's perfection". But that trance song could have gone in a different direction, with many sounds ending up different, and we could still have listened to it and thought "well, that's perfection".
There is no ONE perfect way. You do the best you can, and that is the way it is.
You prepare yourself during practice sessions for what is required of you when you create a song. If you find you're spending two hours on a single MIDI line, you need to devote some practice sessions to composition. Download trance MIDIs from nonstop2k and study them. Listen to other music that inspires you and transcribe what's going on. Get to know what works for you, so you have a clear idea of what notes will fit, before you spend two hours trying to work out what you want.
Separate your practice sessions from your production sessions. When you're practicing, be clear what it is you're trying to learn, or improve. When you're producing, be clear about what you're trying to create, and create it to the best of your ability at that moment. |
|
|
| psymon.d |
Chasing perfection is a dangerous game, as perfection will never be reached (unless Chuck Norris picks up a copy of Cubase)...it's once you can fully realize this that you can once again begin to revisit the freedoms of experimentation.
I hit a serious case of the doldrums for nearly all of last year, basically because I wasn't happy with what I was writing--always trying to do something better, obsessed with the quality of the audio (spending far too much time on the mixing even before a tenth of the song had been written) rather than trying out different progressions, chords, etc. I (and this may or may not apply to you) found that rather than hammering away at one genre or sub-genre, found it very productive to produce in other genres, every few songs or so, just to keep the way I look at music somewhat fresh. It's easy, when producing in one genre, to get so caught up on making sure every aspect is as good as it can be (and if indeed does get to that stage, then good on you--you're owning it up) to forget about the whole musical expression side of things. Trying different genres loosens up your perspective on chord progressions, melodies, percussion, etc. That's just my two cents--hope it was of some use. |
|
|
| Nightshift |
| quote: | Originally posted by 4am
So I have been producing for about 5 years. When I first started, I didn't know all the techniques and theory, but I was having so much fun and I always came up with such interesting ideas.
Now when I sit down to write music, I'm such a perfectionist about everything that I end up spending 2 hours on one midi line and then I just quit and don't even end up saving my "work"...
Is there any way you guys have been able to overcome this kind of perfectionism?
I hate it. It's destroying my productivity.
-Heather |
Wowww thats my EXACT problem. |
|
|
| EgosXII |
I've found a deadline can really help.
when you have a deadline you can't be so anal about every little detail, and can't sit there tweaking synths for hours and hours because then you're ignoring the rest of the track which also needs work AHH :p
maybe give it a try?
it might help to try and do a remix contest (that's what i do to try to 'complete' tracks) because there's already the melody usually (gets that out of the way :p ) and you need to just focus on the rest with a time limit... |
|
|
|
|
