I struggle most with getting things started ... idea or sound, but I am slow to progress ... why i cant make up my mind. I spend hours at it sometimes. often, i mean. I do find rare and unique sounds though when im not knowing what im doing, ya know? but how do you do things when you do want to know... lol i get stuck and just sit and cant decide on something.
and then getting stoned and passing out in my very comfortable studio chair. Its like i cant win.
I also struggle sometimes at not reading the instructions... thus I still dont know how to program my axiom pro or code....
Last edited by Lotus_Jewel; 06-07-2017 at 08:55 AM..
I struggle with interesting rhythms. I tend score beats in 7s or 5s but I try to make them fluid. I'm not a fan of a beat that's forced into the next bar. I run out of ideas quickly and I'm left with a half baked drum beat. So I give up and then start a new track and repeat the process. I'm a nightmare for it. Eventually it'll click and the work flow is avalanching toward a finished product but it takes me a while to get there.
As a hardware user I'm always cautious to recommend it as a route, but I find being able to interact with a real instrument has really changed things for me. It can be somewhat of an investment, of course. But there is a lot of useable entry level gear these days.
For me it isn't so much that hardware sounds better--I error on the side of caution and objectivity in such discussions--but its just much quicker than a mouse. More intuitive. Tons of people make great music all in software and applaud them. However, I wish I could go back and take a lot of money I spent on software and buy more physical instruments early on.
My hardware setup is pretty spartan compared to many, but all I do is load up my DAW with a template and turn on my synths/drum machine and I'm exploring very quickly.
For me, even if I was starting all in the box, I'd still start with my beat and bassline as this is the main focus of most of the music I'm interested in creating (dance genres really, a bit of headphone electronica). From there I build on rhtymic and melodic basics I lay out when I find some patterns.
The most important thing for me is getting a basic arrangement of the whole song down in the first session. I like to get a foundation laid out with maybe 4-5 main elements a beat (and variations), a bass, some lead sounds. Maybe chords if I am doing that, I don't always, sometimes I just build harmony w/ overlaping melodic elements.
If I can get something solid down I in the first session in these regards, 7/10 times I end up with something more than passable eventually.
I record my loops/patterns/phrases as quickly as possible and start arranging. Avoiding loopitis is key. I feel like getting this down to a science for yourself is more developing an instinct than a skill. Its taken me something like a decade to get to where I am in this regard.
Edit: I feel like I am flourishing a bit even if I have a long way to go. Always learning, but not often struggling.
I don't feel like I struggle anymore, so I'll use the past as reference.
I struggled when I knew about 10% of the way around my DAW. That really killed the creative vibe.
I also struggled when I bought a bunch of analog gear and thought it would make good music for me - it didn't, and I've never felt so disappointed with my life.
Less is more? You can tell me what the moral of this story is, because there isn't one.
Production speed. In the past few months, I've finally gotten to the point where I can hear something in my head, hold it there for 15 minutes or so while I get to my computer and put it in my daw, then catalog it to finish later. "Later" being a list that runs about a year long now, with new songs still coming down the line every few weeks. My goal was to put a song out every month this year, which I failed by missing last month. I'm hoping to squeeze two out this month, but I doubt it. I'll be taking off next week for a cruise. Might take the laptop with me as I don't have much desire to get off the boat, could get a lot done then. But I need to get to a point where I can work a full day, come home, take care of errands and chores, and find an hour or two to work on music.
Struggle most with creating movement/little snippets of interest. I feel like my songwriting/arrangements are pretty good but they sound just a tad stale because of the lack of effects, creative automation, and transitions.
I struggle with arrangements, my finished tracks feel disjointed and don't flow well.
I am pretty quick at starting ideas all otb, but I am usually terrible at making a proper arrangement that gels together.
And I am pretty lazy when it come to tracking out my hardware into the computer. I guess I don't really struggle with that, but I just kinda procrastinate when it's time for tracking things out.
Production speed. In the past few months, I've finally gotten to the point where I can hear something in my head, hold it there for 15 minutes or so while I get to my computer and put it in my daw, then catalog it to finish later. "Later" being a list that runs about a year long now, with new songs still coming down the line every few weeks. My goal was to put a song out every month this year, which I failed by missing last month. I'm hoping to squeeze two out this month, but I doubt it. I'll be taking off next week for a cruise. Might take the laptop with me as I don't have much desire to get off the boat, could get a lot done then. But I need to get to a point where I can work a full day, come home, take care of errands and chores, and find an hour or two to work on music.
yeah .. the translation of ideas into reality is a real struggle ...
personally i've had a real boost in that area when I finally made the bold move to completely change DAW, going from Sonar to Bitwig
the workflow speed is amazing, and that's something when you have an idea, sit down and can translate this idea almost instantly..
i've produced a 5 track EP in 2 months, then another 6 tracks EP in less than the following 4 months
also, I would suggest that you don't bring your laptop on vacation
although the idea seems nice, and the whole situation seems inspiring, it usually doesn't work like that, too much distraction, out of comfort zone, unfocussing, etc
i've done it many times and I find that it is better to really relax and disconnect during your vacation and come back refresh.. sit down at your workstation, in your studio, in the envrionment you are comfortable and focussed, and also without distractions, and you will be surprised that in 4 hours you will output much more and better quality than you would have during your whole vacation
I struggle with crushing self criticism and always being focused on where I want to be and not the road there. At least when it comes to music I enjoy the process of making it so much it has carried me through a few projects so far.
When it comes to the technical side of things I struggle with the tremendous variety of settings on most Processors and FX and how to not just pick something that sounds good on that single instrument but how to process everything so it sounds thick and cohesive. I think that's just a matter of acquiring more experience though.
Also with regards to the cohesiveness of the sounds I've been trying to start with fader only mixes and maybe a few high pass filters and panning before doing the rest of the mix and I've found that helped a lot.
I struggle at making sounds I want to hear. I tried for hours one night trying to get that low ducking kick/bass sound that is typical of techno. I couldn't do it. Whats wrong with me? Is it my process? my equipment my retardation? It doesn't help that all the tuts online aren't with basic plugs; its plugs tied to specific programs that have special knobs.
Then there is the matter of transitions and ending.... It can be soooo hard for me to find the right transitions, sure i could whip some sort of typical I/IV/ V /I thing i hear on the radio but that's not my intent.
Those are my two weaknesses. Oh yeah I have more, the more I think of it.
because of this fight for sound scapes and transitions i am constantly fighting and giving up . Sure ill eventually finish a song but my process is sooooooo slowwww.
Ah then there is a big deficit on ignoring rhythm parts. I come from genres where rhythm is only like s sprinkle topping on a sunday, and not the main course. I dont do enough fills and variations with that .
Now that I am mad at myself I think I'll go try to make some music.
I sometimes struggle with finding the correct keys and chords to match samples i have used as i have very little music theory, though once i find them i can play them fine.
I normally do that by ear but have discovered looperman as of late which also gives you the root keys ect which is very handy.
I don;t really ever get stuck that much though. I seem to be a music production machine at the moment, starting and pretty much finishing 3 tracks a week.
Sometimes i can start a track and get into the 'zone' so much that i could almost have the track produced, mixed and arranged within about 8 hours.
Those tracks that tend to be quick to produce normally tend to be the best tracks once finished too.
My biggest weakness is staring a beat, arraning it, having a rough mix and then tweaking or leaving the track for a week or two. By that time I have around 20-30 beats in this state and not sure which one to finish, then it's even easier for me to repeat the cycle.
I sometimes struggle with finding the correct keys and chords to match samples i have used as i have very little music theory, though once i find them i can play them fine.
I normally do that by ear but have discovered looperman as of late which also gives you the root keys ect which is very handy.
If you find sample, and sample says Emin, thats E minor. You go google and you search E minor key. in that key you will have all the chords Eminor has.
I don't have musical theory, I can't play piano, but if I learned anything is life is to find a way.
I suggest Cubase 8 LE program, it has chord helper, basicly all you need, you dont even need google. You set chord helper into E min and you have ALL chords.
Example, my track in signature. I had guitar sample. I open cubase, set my chord assistant to sample chord and play. You will be amazed what kind of chord progressions you can make with 0 musical knowledge.
I suggest Cubase 8 LE program, it has chord helper, basicly all you need, you dont even need google. You set chord helper into E min and you have ALL chords.
1. Getting a modern sound, think I prefer the old school though so maybe half the battle already won/lost?
2. Coming up with some original drum content.
3. Making the track sonically and musically interesting.
4. Big focus for me at the moment. Getting the strips, groups and master bus levels right to maintain dynamic and achieve a decent audio level with consistancy across all my productions.
