Are you destined to become a failed wannabe music producer?

[Igglethorpe]

This is a great thread and honestly, kinda brought tears to my eyes. In an attempt not to be too sentimental, I can so relate on so much of what has been said.

I keep pressuring myself to do this stuff and of course, it never gets done. I also hate my job and play way too many video games to release myself from it. Well, not as much as I used to I guess. I know I want to do music, but damn, it sure isn't the easiest thing to do. I suppose I've had way too many instant gratification things thrown at me over the years.

It is such a major effort to get me into my little studio. Once I'm there, time can pass by and I do accomplish things. It's the matter of just planting myself on the bench, turning on my synths and getting to it.

Hmm, I don't know what I'm trying to add to this discussion. Perhaps another angle. People with low motivation?

[Infinity+1]

Lol, confession time. Apologies in advance - I just feel like expressing myself and letting it all out!

Making music is actually a big problem of mine, like an unhealthy addiction.

It keeps me up all night, fools me by making me think I'll enjoy it and be good at it. I get depressed because I can't even write a simple arpeggio over two chords. My drums sound thin and crap. I play it far too loud through my headphones, I think I'm addicted to the intensity of the volume. I've been writing for about 6-7 years and have deleted every track I've ever made because when I listen back they sound terrible. I'm learning how to be a web developer and a programmer and the added pressure of learning compression, eq, sound design, music theory etc leaves my brain no time for rest. I'm far too determined for my own good, I can easily loop a chord progression for 3 hours without taking a break, and at the end of it have made nothing and go to bed. I have a ridiculous amount of samples and software installed that cost me loads of money and time to aquire.

I've quit loads of times before, and when I do I get out more, meet mates, exercise etc. But like an alcoholic I get sucked back in by the 'just a little' idea and the vicious circle continues. I'm a reasonably intelligent guy and I love music so I figure I should be able to write good music, but it's just not that simple.

Anyway, it's only a few months since I realised I have an OCD problem with producing. I've been so ignorant for so long. I sold some gear but never got round to selling my virus, so I'll do that ASAP. I'm just about to get rid of all my software and samples and I'll have to have the self discipline to say no in the future. The cognitive dissonance is crushing me and I'm better than that, my life isn't too bad otherwise.

Do I win the most depressed post of the year award or what! I hope no-one else feels this way and you all have a great time making music.

All the best.

[Khazul]

Rule #1 - never delete anything - no matter how crap it is - its worth it as a reference and inspriation for the future, or at the very least you can look back and while it may have been utterly shit, at least maybe what you do later hopefully isnt quite as bad

You sound burned out to me, go out get pissed with mates, drag a couple of fluffies back from a club or whatever your thing is - maybe next door neightbours dog/goat etc?


I never try a write whe I get home from work - its a complete waste of time - my day job is way too shitty and stressy to have a hope in hell. So often Ill just frig aorund playing random crap, often on a piano, not even a synth - just as a way to relax so I can forget the crap day as quick as possible and enjoy the rest of the evening, whether in or out. I expect most of us are in a similar boat one way or another.

If you stop being so stressed about it and stop trying too hard, who knows, maybe something will come together. What is the point anyway? You want to be making stacks of cash from producing? Is that realistic? Do you have people coming to you to ask to work with you? If not - accept it as is for now and just have some fun/relax etc.

Try doing a remix or something - there a huge advantage to doing them - even if they never go anywhere - you get to mostly forget about trying to write (someone else has done that) and can more or less focus on production and cool fun shit, end result - you get some production exprerience that eventually you can very quickly and easily re-apply when writing you own stuff - the less you have to think hard about when writing, the easier it is. If your thinking of anything but music, then you are being distracted and technology we use can be very distracting.

I sound like I know it all - no - my stuff sux too - Ive just learned to accept that, have fun along the way, and not worry about it or be particularly self conscious about it - people wither like it or they dont, and I know allready my production ability in my home studio sux (accoutically its really bad and I hate using cans) and there isnt alot I can do about that rigth now.

The only advantage I have I guess is Ive done audio production work professionally years ago (nothing fancy - just music and audio post production for corporate/promo films, national TV etc) so alot of the technology is second nature to me - at least on the hardware side - but the stupidity of software user experience designers still never ceases to amaze me, and given that production software puzzles the hell out of me at times (I'm a software developer by trade, so not even some computer illiterate), it no wonder that many people have problems remaining creative with it...

BTW - what production methods/software do you use - that can make a hell of a difference.

Also allmost anything can sound good in either shitty accoustics, or when played loud. Most of us are guilty of both Having the levels turned down tends to help with both problems.

Another random observation - if something loops really well - then its often really hard to move on from it in a useful way. Introduce some more sounds into the loop, cut others and break it up, then it may natural progress/evolve to something else. Making loops is easy - getting out of the damn things can be quite hard. If you typically edit around 4/8/16 bars for example, then you will mentally get ingrained with the loop - allmost any style music become a form of trance in that state. So when editing, dont loop around loops, start well before and loop back well after - it keeps you alert to whats actually happening, otherwise you just get used to it and ignore it.

[LivePsy]

Man oh man, you've turned a hobby into a disease

Can I suggest a couple of things:-

You may not have met the right beat box yet. For me, making beats on the MPC is a breeze and they sound 'right', whereas a whole history of purchases spanning 17 years before that I was never happy with even just a kick and snare. I dont wanna think how many bits of hardware and software I purchased because I thought it would make the difference. And accidently I discover the MPC is the one for me.

Inspiration comes from some unrelated triggers. I'm going through a whole Prog Rock revival thing (Yes is so good/bad I can't get it out of my mind), and yet I am full of electro ideas. I think the break away from any narrow music genre does the world of good. Listen to music you don't like, and then question why you don't like it. Its good for you...

Lastly, you've apparently put in a lot of work. That can't be all bad, but *you* think it has been hard work. Make it fun! Sell or buy music gear however you want. And be happy to change your mind as often as you want.

Cheers,
B

[davidconway1984]

IMO i dont think there is anything wrong with working on tracks 7 hours day as long as they sound good two days later!
Infinity+1 you should post sum stuff up online for people to listen to mate , Im sure there are producers on here who know what production is about to point you in the right direction.

[Doc Jones]

you know, I kind of like this thread.
here's a bump.

[Khazul]

And very helpfully, even if you do attract the interest of a record producer and/or label, there's an article in SOS this month that tekll you what a complete ass-raping you can look forward to from the music industry

[Doc Jones]

I remember reading an article that your typical band that goes the traditional route when releasing an album - ie having a major label pay for the studio time, hiring of the producer and paying for mastering and distribution will end up in debt to the label for a very long time. This, even if their first ablum does very well in terms of sells. One band that sold over 100,000 copies of their 1st album still was in debt to the label and had to live meagerly until about their third album (where they finally broke even with the label).

[annikk.exe]

Man, what is going on here :P So many tortured artists !

I've quit loads of times before, and when I do I get out more, meet mates, exercise etc. But like an alcoholic I get sucked back in by the 'just a little' idea and the vicious circle continues.

I've had the opposite experience from you, Infinity+1. Music is something I have fought tooth and nail to stay in. In the beginning when I had no money, classical training or source of advice, I used tracking programs and deleted the sequencer contents of other people's songs so I could write my own tune with their samples.

Later, during the years of the band I worked so many shitty jobs, just trying to feed myself and help pay for the next tour. I never found it difficult to sit down and start writing, it came very naturally to me. I swiftly learned to embrace the raw, badly produced feel, and didn't worry too much about perfecting the production. To reinforce this I even wrote songs and intentionally made them sound awful. Harsh, abrasive, non-musical music. Gradually I learned what compressors did, and why EQ is handy, and picked up tips from various different places until eventually getting a reasonable sound was more like a part of the actual programming.

It keeps me up all night, fools me by making me think I'll enjoy it and be good at it. I get depressed because I can't even write a simple arpeggio over two chords. My drums sound thin and crap.

Infinity+1, if I were you I would set myself a challenge to write a song with only 3 different synth patches, a kick, snare, and hat, and actually focus on paying zero attention to the production quality, and complete the entire song in less than an hour. Just GET IT DOWN, get it out there.
If you keep doing this, sooner or later you'll hit upon a song that you feel like developing a bit more.
I also think you sound like you could use a holiday :>


-Annikk

[D*2]

I've been seriously learning how to produce for the last 8 months...
and still havnt finished a track....
but my 8 bar loops are I'm making are considerably sounding better and better..
But.. i still need the patience and understanding to finish a complete track..
I think I'm happy with the dozens of unfinished projects i have!
but one of these days I'm finally going to finish one!