|
problems finishing tracks, seeing them through
|
View this Thread in Original format
| chris marsh |
hi guys
i just wondered how many of you suffer with this problem, what your thoughts are on it, how you deal with it, etc
I often struggle with a track during the beginning part. once ive got a good solid idea with a decent structure down its rare that ill scrap a track. but ill often start a tonne of tracks just to get one finished and the process often takes months and months just to get one track finished, especially with work etc
For me its often because i dont like the basic idea enough, or perhaps the track doesn't have a clear enough identity/direction
The way to deal with it for me seems to be to have quite a clear idea of whatim going for style wise, and maybe even a couple of reference tracks to aim towards
It can be a bit frustrating wasting so much time on unfinished tracks and i know it'll be very difficult to ever have any kind of success (even in a modest sense) being so slow!
Thoughts??
Cheers |
|
|
| DJ RANN |
Honestly, just finish it. I know it's easier said but one of the biggest things that learned going to work with composers is that they have to deliver. It's get to the point they know how much music (down to the second) they have to produce in a given day.
All the great dance music producers are prolific. It's not about pouring blood sweat and tears in to masterpeices, it's about churning them out relentlessly. Sure, you have to be happy with your output and at least have some talent (not pull a laidback luke and knock out tracks in four hours that really have no content or purpose) but so much of creating great things is doing it again and again, so that you suddenly make something you're finally truly proud of.
One of the biggest pitfalls if overworking tracks. If there's areas that you're no strong on, get someone else to do it (I'm not joking - if you're not good at mixing or engineering, find someone that is and let them polish it for you) and just keep making tracks. It's about a body of work, not that one divine piece of magic that will somehow come to life after the 5 month of work on it. |
|
|
| LoveHate |
i agree with dj rann in the sense that there is nothing wrong for paying a few hundreds to have someone mix and master your track that is actually pretty dope at it.
they work pretty quick as well lol |
|
|
| Kthought |
| to be fair it's a big problem for beginners, but don't be discouraged making good dance music is a difficult task. Act as if you're a professional with deadlines, and strive to meet them. Don't, however, force a crappy product either. A great start is compartmentalizing the workflow. Start with melody and chord motif or drumline/bassline then lock it down. move to effects, lock them down. make a general arrangement for intro and breakdown, and lock it down. if you intend to mix yourself, make a sandwich, then lock it down. For me it's not "making a track" anymore, (it used to be) but now it's "the arrangement on this one" or "this needs effects now." |
|
|
| evo8 |
Yeah i struggle with this also
I agree with the point about finishing tracks, what i would say is that if you feel you are at a more intermediate to advanced stage then there isnt much point finishing a track you are not happy with
Main way i get around this problem is to set myself a deadline. So ill say, right i want to be able to listen to this track at the weekend so i need to make sure i get it finished by then
And of course, its easier to finish the better tracks :) |
|
|
| DJ RANN |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kthought
to be fair it's a big problem for beginners, but don't be discouraged making good dance music is a difficult task. Act as if you're a professional with deadlines, and strive to meet them. Don't, however, force a crappy product either. A great start is compartmentalizing the workflow. Start with melody and chord motif or drumline/bassline then lock it down. move to effects, lock them down. make a general arrangement for intro and breakdown, and lock it down. if you intend to mix yourself, make a sandwich, then lock it down. For me it's not "making a track" anymore, (it used to be) but now it's "the arrangement on this one" or "this needs effects now." |
Tuedat, good idea to break it in to components. If you ever work with a seasoned producers, it's all compartmentalized stages. Sure, some go back and fiddle with stuff throughout, but a common trait is to knock out each part, move on to the next.
There was a great interview with Stuart Price (Les Rythmes Digitales, Zoot woman, Jaques Lu Cont etc), who said one of the biggest things about producing is making decisions. He was actually taking about working with madonna and the tight timeframe he had so you have to make every second count, so you make a decision and move to the next. Don't keep tweaking endlessly otherwise it juts constantly morphs in to something else and never progresses.
Same that Steve Duda was saying in that great Vid, especially about Joel (Mau5) - get the part you're working on to "close enough" status, in his words 80% there, lock it down and move on. Keep going this way and you end up a finished track that maybe just needs 20% polish at the very end. It constantly keeps you moving forward. |
|
|
| TranceLover007 |
| quote: | Originally posted by chris marsh
hi guys
i just wondered how many of you suffer with this problem, what your thoughts are on it, how you deal with it, etc
I often struggle with a track during the beginning part. once ive got a good solid idea with a decent structure down its rare that ill scrap a track. but ill often start a tonne of tracks just to get one finished and the process often takes months and months just to get one track finished, especially with work etc
For me its often because i dont like the basic idea enough, or perhaps the track doesn't have a clear enough identity/direction
The way to deal with it for me seems to be to have quite a clear idea of whatim going for style wise, and maybe even a couple of reference tracks to aim towards
It can be a bit frustrating wasting so much time on unfinished tracks and i know it'll be very difficult to ever have any kind of success (even in a modest sense) being so slow!
Thoughts??
Cheers |
Welcome to the club Chris ;)
Darek |
|
|
| Raphie |
The biggest pitfall is that you start noodling with 8 measures or so and before you know it, the night is gone, or you have yet another new track, half way there.
I force myself for the track to evolve, so if i'm 70% happy I layndown the arrangement and start building intro, first break, drop 2nd break drop 2 outro.
Then at least the track's foundation is there, then it's shaping and tweaking, then it's ear candy and then mixdown, sit on it for a couple of days, tweak the last annoyances and commit. Tracks are never finished, as your mind is never finished, save fabulous discoveries for the next gem, don't try to put everything in one track
Keep the wheel in motion and progress the track. Don't noodle and evolve into something new. |
|
|
| Mr.Mystery |
I like to think it's just nature taking its course. If I can't get something finished, it probably wasn't that good to begin with.
The tracks I do finish just pour out without me even having to think about it. |
|
|
| stewart.m |
| i like to set a day in the week when i just sit at my desk and get a track all laid out best as possable then just fine tune ect at a later point seem to work for me |
|
|
| evo8 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Mr.Mystery
I like to think it's just nature taking its course. If I can't get something finished, it probably wasn't that good to begin with.
The tracks I do finish just pour out without me even having to think about it. |
yeah thats pretty much it - also, dont be afraid to scrap projects, its too easy to say "ok, ive an idea for a new track" and then starting working on that whilst you have 3 or 4 other projects still unfinished |
|
|
| TranceElevation |
You seem to already have all the answers you need so I don't see the problem.
| quote: | Originally posted by chris marsh
hi guys
i just wondered how many of you suffer with this problem, what your thoughts are on it, how you deal with it, etc
I often struggle with a track during the beginning part. once ive got a good solid idea with a decent structure down its rare that ill scrap a track. |
This.
| quote: | Originally posted by chris marsh
but ill often start a tonne of tracks just to get one finished and the process often takes months and months just to get one track finished, especially with work etc |
Evaluate these project for what they are. There isn't a law forcing you to turn every project into a song. Take it as part of the process, consider it a source of knowledge. Thing what you could learn from it. Analyze it, see what are the weak and strong points. What you liked, what you didn't, why you didn't like a certain thing or why you liked another one. What is the driving force or element that makes you enjoy a certain loop, bassline, kick drum etc.
What are the settings on the compressor, how does that eq work on the kick...
Close the project, than get back at it after some months. Again...think, evaluate, analyze, compare, copy, improve, enrich, simplify...
| quote: | Originally posted by chris marsh
For me its often because i dont like the basic idea enough, or perhaps the track doesn't have a clear enough identity/direction |
There you go. You got the answers.
| quote: | Originally posted by chris marsh
The way to deal with it for me seems to be to have quite a clear idea of whatim going for style wise, and maybe even a couple of reference tracks to aim towards
It can be a bit frustrating wasting so much time on unfinished tracks and i know it'll be very difficult to ever have any kind of success (even in a modest sense) being so slow!
Thoughts??
Cheers |
|
|
|
|
|
