Do you get "stuck" often when producing?

[ferez21]

Good evening pips,

It happens to me quite often, that i get stuck while working on a track, and just can't find the solution. Sometimes it happens with effects, sometimes with mixing, and some other times with sound design.
Today for example, iv'e tried for a couple of hours, to find a lead sound to play a melody i have within a track. You can say the track is 70% finished, but i just can't find a suitable lead for it, Problem is that it gets me really frustrated, and draws all my energy from my creative side, to the technical side - which i usually like too, but not to tweak a single sound for 3 hours without being able to make it suitable for the mix

So how often do you get stuck?

[Kim Lajoie]

If you're getting stuck, it's probably because you're trying to solve the wrong problem. Ideally, you should be able to listen to the track and imagine (hear in your head) how you want that melody to sound. If you can't, then either the track doesn't need a melody in that spot, or your imagination has failed you. Move onto a different part of the track, or go out and listen to a wider variety of music...

-Kim.

[GrebsoK]

very often! is my answer!

and the problem seems to be bigger, the bigger the soundlibrary grows!

when having just a few synths, this wasn't a problem for me. but now, when having many big synths and samplers, always a brain twister from the start! to many sounds to choose!

NI MASSIVE seems to be the overall solution for me tho, when it comes to choose leads!

what synths do you have?

[triwel]

very often, at the start when creating a melody. I'll try for like 15 min, then I watch cats on youtube all day and think im productive

[DuX]

Try to take a break, hear the song in your head, and hear the lead, too. Then try to find that lead, sounding like it sounded in your head. If that helps. That's how I do it anyway.

[Aiynzahev]

If you're getting stuck, it's probably because you're trying to solve the wrong problem. Ideally, you should be able to listen to the track and imagine (hear in your head) how you want that melody to sound. If you can't, then either the track doesn't need a melody in that spot, or your imagination has failed you. Move onto a different part of the track, or go out and listen to a wider variety of music...

-Kim.

+1

It could be that the track needs a re-think or restructure. When I get stuck because it feels like I just can't find the right part or melody, I scrap the goal I was working towards and see if I can turn the track around into something else.

The track will sort of dictate it's own needs, sometimes I try to force an idea because I wanted to produce "that" kind of a sound, but I realize it's just not the right setting, maybe I made a wrong turn, but these days instead of throwing it away I adapt it to something new, maybe it won't be all I hoped but I find I can always come up with something interesting. There are times when just about every decision I made was wrong and it would take more effort to revive it than to just throw it away and start again.

I try not to get too emotionally attached, ironically, and this helps a lot and I don't lose my artists expression, the lack of fear of failure actually free's me up a lot. I don't think about reaching the exact goal I had anymore, just enjoying myself and exploring the track.

Also, don't put in the final touches later, do them right away, automation, volume rides and effects, everything as you go, other wise you might think your missing some part and keep stacking parts up, when really you needed to make the music work.

If it doesn't work out I've at least explored some new ideas for next time.

[stillshaded]

lots of good advice in this thread.. basically I'll just put things in a slightly different way..

IMO, one of the best things you can get in the habit of doing is not butting your head against the wall; not trying to force things. If something doesn't work relatively quickly, don't try and force it. Try something else. Surely you can think of some element of the track that could be improved, and perhaps once you do, it will inspire you to come up with that lead sound. If it doesn't, you might want to try as stated above, and restructure things a bit.. if that doesn't work, then just give it a rest.. work on something else, makes some patches.. whatever..


Just don't beat a dead horse. Whatever you decide to do, make it worth your time.

[drinkthecoolaid]

Only during long periods of sleep deprivation or my computer has a virus on it and my operating system is bare =/

However, you can go into a self-induced trance when making music while hearing the same rhythm repeating itself over and over and over again. You need to take breaks and/or distract your ears with other shit once and a while.

[elnn]

write melody first, adapt synth timbre later

[Harry_HH]

Your header said "production" text "sound"but you didn't say if you have problem with writing the lead melody, arrange it, or just find a right sound (and/or instrument) for it - all different type of challenges (of course related to each other).

As mentioned in this thread earlier, very often just time (enough distance) and hard work may open the dead end. I've noticed there are three type of songs (productions):
The best scenario is that the production process is very intensive, short and the end result is great, even after some time (happens very seldom in my case);
then there are songs which you really like but you can't get a satisfactory production, you re-make the arrangement and mix several times, use a lot of time because you feel you haven't reached the gem, the real essence of the song, in some cases you never reach the satisfactory end result; and then there are songs which you first thing are great productions but after some time they sound like shit (unfortunatly this happens quite often in my case - but these are valuabel as well because these productions shows your "level" in that time and are some sort of evidence of you own progress (the case #3 may lead to the #2 if the song is good enough). H.

[lfm]

The immediate reponse to OP would be - how long should it take to find the right lead?

A couple of hours is nothing.

I am slowly grasping how much work is involved in a professional recording that I listen to all the time.

The process of getting these precise instruments arranged and balance of it all - that's a profession by itself.

I thought a couple of days or a week was much - now my horizon is much longer.

#1. Let it take as long a needed to get the right instrument/sound for a part!
#2. Possibly adjust background to get a lead to come through the way you want.
Just adding a lead might need that. You could remove a couple of parts completely to let lead stand out.

I saw some documentaries over the creation of an album certain producers were involved with.

They could spend 3 weeks to get the drums right in the studio.
A mix for a hit record these days may be months - for one song.

Sometimes I feel - now I spent several hours on these lyrics.
Then I saw an interview with Bruce Springsteen, how he kept a book in his pocket and refined his lyrics for months.

So keeping this in mind - helps me to be more patient. What we get when buying a record maybe seems easy - but the amount of work involved is just starting to be clear to me.

[dark_virus]

Happens all the time here.

Sometimes it's an arrangement issue. Other, a certain sound I don't know how to make. Very frustrating.

I've reduced this issue by choosing familiar sounds and simpler production techniques.

[SuperNoise]

Good evening pips,

It happens to me quite often, that i get stuck while working on a track, and just can't find the solution. Sometimes it happens with effects, sometimes with mixing, and some other times with sound design.
Today for example, iv'e tried for a couple of hours, to find a lead sound to play a melody i have within a track. You can say the track is 70% finished, but i just can't find a suitable lead for it, Problem is that it gets me really frustrated, and draws all my energy from my creative side, to the technical side - which i usually like too, but not to tweak a single sound for 3 hours without being able to make it suitable for the mix

So how often do you get stuck?

I have similar problems with leads, basses and other instruments. Most often my conclusion is that I want to solve impossible problems.

Example: i want a nice bass sound. I have some basses in my mind and they are from different music tracks I remember. So, what do I do? I just try to find right preset in any of my VSTis or correct sample BUT this is impossible because the bass I need is constructed with 2-4 layers (a lot of sound seems to be detected as one layer but in fact they are perfectly glued with 2-4 layers).

My conclusion are:
1. I can find in internet people with higher experience to recreate some nice instruments, so google, kvr, youtube helps.
2. I'm starting to go my own way and presets sounds/samples are for me ony the begining in creation of some nice sounds (layering, modulation, volume changing, filters - everythink matters and makes my instrument more dynamical, more expressive and so on).

Best regards,
SNoise

[ferez21]

Great responses guys, thanks.

This is true that we have too much going on with current DAWs and Vsts - There is so much variety of instruments, effects, and other mixing tools, that it easily draws your attention from the main piece you are writing, and put you in a position where you think you have endless choices, and you'll never be satisfied until you find the "perfect" sound. So this is a psychological problem, and the only solution is trying to limit yourself.

I actually read an article the other day, which talked about how creative ideas are created, and how can we help ourselves be more creative. They made some experiment with college students (don't remember the details), and the conclusions were that people are generally more creative when they have less tools and resources, rather than unlimited options - when you limit yourself, you can find very creative ways to solve a problem.

Anyways, another issue is really the layering thing. I usually don't layer sounds except for Pads and Snares\Claps, and maybe that's a problem because i don't "think" of lead sounds as layered, and i maybe missing a huge aspect of sound design here, and one of the reasons for that is that i don't really know which sounds compliment each other. How do you figure it anyway? Do i just layer till it sounds good or are there certain guidelines?

[Sendy]

How do you figure it anyway? Do i just layer till it sounds good or are there certain guidelines?

It helps if you have a certain sound in mind. I layer when the synth I'm using nails a large portion of the sound but more is needed. The truth is you can layer sounds that contrast, or you can layer similar sounds for a kind of "unison with variety" or you can do it to get different registers, which these days is almost mandatory for getting a solid bassline.

There are no rules but having a goal and previous experience helps.