how to improve your productivity...

[mark77]

This is my first post in a long time, it feels good to be back!
Ok, first of all i don't claim to be an expert or a genius I'm just expressing my views and thoughts. This is a recent realisation that I've discovered and it may not work for you but it definitely works for me.

One of my greatest weaknesses with making (and especially finishing) songs is that the more i get into a song, the more time i spend on it, the harder i find it to finish it! The bad part is that when i've spent a long time on a song (for me a long time is about 2 weeks) i get so sick of hearing it that it doesnt inspire me anymore and i just leave it.

And what is the reason i spend so much time on a song? I've discovered its all subconscious. But this is it; I'm trying to make THE perfect song. trying to make it perfect. And, since i've discovered this I've also realised what a stupid mistake this is.

First of all perfection is subjective.. what is perfect for me is crap to someone else. So trying to make something perfect is ridiculous. Even if i DID create the perfect song in a particular genre.. as soon as the genre gets out of date and isnt fashioanble any more.. it simply wont be perfect anymore.

Since i've lessened the pressure on myself, this has given me a great deal of freedom and flexibility. It doesnt have to be perfect anymore. It just has to sound GOOD. And if something sounds good, then I LEAVE IT the way it is, and move onto making the rest of the song. If the current sound sounds good, i wont go shopping around to try out another sound just because my synth has 1000s of presets, that will just lead me back to the beginning where i started, getting bogged down again.

So to sum up, if you want to speed up your productivity, do what i do.. stop seeking perfection.

[paulmerchant]

Good post. What you're saying, in a nutshell, is to 1.) trust your own ears and gut. Here are a few other things that might help:

2.) Use a pencil and paper. Map out your song structure, instrumentation, effect ideas, stereo field, etc. on paper before sitting at a computer. Go back to paper when you get stuck.

3.) Remember the existence of an analog world. Write with a guitar or piano before sitting at a computer.

4.) When you do sit at the computer, the blessed tool that gives you way too many options, don't start searching KVR for new gear, at least not if you're trying to be productive.

[diverdee]

I'm finding i'm getting the odd idea down by utilising the old bounce button, which previously i've been somewhat averse to.
See i've always tried to leave things midi until the last possible minute & then get lost in possibilities.
Now I bounce every little idea, even if they aren't finished they are there to possibly be utilised in other projects / compositions & psychologically I actually feel like i'm getting somewhere, rather than just endlessly noodling.

[dark_virus]

2.) Use a pencil and paper. Map out your song structure, instrumentation, effect ideas, stereo field, etc. on paper before sitting at a computer. Go back to paper when you get stuck.

Until this year, I've been very frustrated about my songs, just like mark77 says. It was the same story: I get a really cool 30 sec. loop, and keep listening it again and again, trying to figure out a nice arrangement.

In 2 days, I was starting another loop. And so on.

When I tryied to put it on a paper (like a real project, with traces, patterns, erasures, fixes, in a real mess), I started to really do some arrangement and bypass the "1 minute barrier". Now, I'm amazed how this simple and banal tip could change my life!

Sit on a computer and stay fitting it isn't really productive. I think it's a first impression on a newbie at computer music that he/she will sit in front the monitor and will get the things working. Wrong.

The old tip of listening to tons of music of the same genre is somewhat valid, but to me, didn't work. I listened to tons of similar pieces to my style, but didn't get any step ahead.

Finally, the unlimited run for the coolest plugin becames a drawback to me. I keep searching, searching... and didn't find time to real explore and know my progs. Now, I stopped to colect plugins (only by recomendation, now), and starting to know how they working and "which does what".

Aprox. 5 years to come with something "musical" in some sense.


PS. I think iPods and MP3 Players does a great job at helping find the "must-fix" points of our works. Very good to go out and listening to a song with all the "urban noise" surrounding it.

[chicken muffin]

what works for me is developing a style and sound. then i know exactly what to do and how to do it every time

[napalmbob]

PS. I think iPods and MP3 Players does a great job at helping find the "must-fix" points of our works. Very good to go out and listening to a song with all the "urban noise" surrounding it.

+1

[Meloday]

i find more inspiration when i'm composing without timelines, grids, steps, etc. thats why i like Bidule, because it doesn't have a sequencer. i can just setup instruments and effects chain, press record and start jamming without having to look at the screen. after one take, i'll load up that first take audio file, press play, and start jamming/experimenting again....build up the composition that way...then edit and arrange in a linear sequencer....

another thing, be a crafty rip off artist! i'm not talking about stealing the instrumentation or composing aspects of a piece...rather, choose your favorite song and outline the arrangement of the song....then use this outline for your own instrumentation/composition....

[morphex]

Here are a few tips that I use to help stay focused and on track, both before and during the creation of a track:

1 - Decide if the time you are going to spend is for fun and exploration, or for working on a song.

2 - If you are starting a new song, set some reasonable time limits on yourself for each aspect of the track. For example, let's say you're starting a new track that includes programmed drums, synths, guitar and vocals. Give yourself (depending on skill level) about an hour to come up with some chords and a chorus that work well together. Another 30-40 minutes to map out and program a basic drum pattern with some fills and break-downs. 30-40 minutes to find and program a decent (but still basic) bass synth line. An hour and a half to setup and record scratch guitar parts (i.e.- rhythm guitar, lead, ect.). An hour for scratch lead and backup vocals (provided the lyrics are already written). An hour on any other simple pads and/or sound effects. Now you have plenty of material to work with...especially a structure, the sounds can always be replaced later.

3 - Use pre-made templates for frequently used recording methods or genres of music, including soft-synths (and their midi routing), and channel strip settings along with a bpm.

4 - Disconnect your computer from the internet before a session, and turn off your cell-phone unless you're expecting a call (they can always leave a message).

5 - Get to know your DAW's key commands and customize them to suit your favored work-flow.

6 - If you're going to spend time exploring a new synth plug-in and it's features, choose only one synth at a time and be ready to hit record at any time to capture some fresh ideas and sounds that can be used in another track at a different time. Use the manual to get a jump start (unless you're like me and just like to see what sound is produced when you alter different parameters). Save any cool settings as your own custom patches or presets.

7 - Take breaks, both to give your ears a rest and to keep yourself nourished with healthy foods and plenty of water.

8 - Keep your cables in order (including power supplies), labelled and out of the way so no one trips over them.

9 - Make sure you maintain the cleanliness of your computer, keypad and mouse, table top and any other piece of hardware that might gather dust.

10 - Form a solid backup stragety and stick to it...everyday!!!! Keep important projects that are finished on a dvd-r or cd-r as well as a firewire disk for archiving.

11 - Burn cd's or mp3's of your project at different stages of the production and listen to them on headphones, a car stereo or iPod to get a feel of how it sounds away from your recording environment.

12 - Let friends listen to unfinished mixes (I know that's hard sometimes), and ask their opinion...and tell them to be honest. You can skip this if you are making music for your own enjoyment, and don't care what other people think.

13 - Try to learn what you can about mixing and mastering but don't overwhelm yourself to the point of being overly-critical of each mix.

14 - What ever it is that you're doing, enjoy yourself and your music. If you don't 'make it big', don't worry about it, you still have a creative outlet with which to express yourself. We are living during a great time of modern hardware and software at our finger tips...do what makes YOU happy.

15 - This isn't related to productivity in the studio but, please - if you download a free plug-in that you end up really liking, send the developer a "thank you" email and consider making a donation to them for their efforts. They are the life-blood of a lot of our productions and they deserve some credit. Instead of a pint, click the 'donate' button on a dev's site. You know it will make their day to hear from someone who is enjoying the plug-in they worked so hard on to create.

I know most of this is just common sense stuff that you've probably read or heard a thousand times before but, sometimes in the middle of a project, it's easy to lose momentum or lose focus on your goals, just take a breath and relax. Music is supposed to be fun - when it isn't, then it's time to look for some other creative outlet, at least until you get your 'mojo' working again

Peace - morphex

[butter]

If I get stuck on something I typically mix the parts I like down and then start another song that may or may not be similar. Usually after three song attempts I've either a) completed one of them or b) have enough material mixed down from previous attempts to drop into Live and arrange it there. If it's missing things I can usually combine unrelated parts from other uncompleted songs into it and before you know it I have a song ready to get mixed back in Cubase.

[RockNice]

Yes I'm quite sure weve all been through this type of rut us producers, musicians,
and beat technicians but in the end go
with your first instinct and ride all the
way home with it.

If you dream something wake up and lay it down right away because that could be the hit you were looking for all along.

And what ever you do put all your heart and soul into it because thats what you will get out of it.

[Lunatique]

The way I compose is I first sit down and just listen to what's in my head. Then I'll write descriptions of how the track starts, how it progresses, what instruments playing what, with what kind of effects, where is the breakdown, where is the climax...etc. I'll then refer to that when I start to feel a bit lost.

[Andywanders]

Give yourself strict deadlines and stick to them.

[MaxSynths]

Sit down and play everything you can and have fun... in a second moment you have all the time to do boring things like mixing, equalizing, etc. But when you are composing the improvisation and the fun you feel while plying is all.

[frequency_algorithm]

I just practice until I have something good. I don't always sit down expecting to finish a song. Sometimes I simply practice my drum hits or synth playing.

I find the worst thing to do is sit there and tweak sounds all night. It may be cool at first, but you get no music done.

Learning how sounds FIT WELL INTO MUSIC is key. Learning how to make weird sounds is useless, often in music.

Whoever posted the thing about going around and walking outside hit it on the nose. Your music must be heard by you in different environments, espcially urban ones, where there is people, because people is what you make music for, unless you are making music for trees.

Also, let all kinds of kids (specially young ones) hear it and tell you what they REALLY think, don't just ask your friends, cause they'll lie and tell you it's good.

Bump shit in stores, where you work, ask your homie who works at the shoe store to bump it, give it to people, ask them what they think. If they don't get back to you, it prolly sucks. If you have to ask them how it was, instead of them getting back to you first, it prolly isn't that hot.

Bump shit you like, then play your shit right after. See the difference and don't toot your own horn.

Practice before you make a song. Make sure you are fucken badass at hitting buttons if you are hitting buttons for a living. Make sure you fucken mouse clicking skills are nuclear before you act like a pro at the computer desk. Eat, shit and sleep keyboard shortcuts and read about keyboard shortcuts while you take a shit even. Be the awesomest at your shit, then how can you lose?

If you key playing is top notch, then you know whatever patch you use will be used to the f**king fullest, so you will have confidence when you play. Confident music attracts people, ever notice? If you are the best at drum hits, also the same. Practice is key.

Don't expect to buy an instrument or software and start composing right away. All guitarists and pianists and drummers and keyboard players and drum programmers have to practice constantly. Quit trying to write music all the time and practice, then you will have good skills to make good music.

Getting good at playing music is the first key step to making good music. Otherwise you will never make good music.

Don't worry about playing every instrument the best, becuase musicianship is universal. If you get insanely good at one instrument, you will be able to translate that skill into other instruments. Certain instruments, such as piano and drums make it easier to cross over to other instruments, so i recommened these two if you haven't chosen something to delve into yet.

Here's an example of how playing piano translates into other areas of production. This could be you, if you wouldn't sit on your ass so much and lie to people on the internet about what an elegant composer you are.
This guy is a classically trained pianist.



Here's another example of what the f**k you should be doing when you make a song.




Do you see how boring you are compared to this guy? That is why you are not making great music. Get your energy and imagination to that level (or higher) and you will begin to enter the real world of entertainment.


Also, don't be afraid to become insanely good at something. Just from looking at this forum you can see that some nerds have become insanely good at posting comments. I'm sure you've become insanely good at some video game, or even sports. You can do it, nothing can stop you. Keep practicing.


Don't put a f**king celing on your imagination. Quit being a geek. You can do it, little nerd, yes you can!

[frequency_algorithm]

the two videos i posted above are the same guy by the way.