If you don't seem to be going anywhere, should you just stop making music?
- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
there is a kind of idea that's gained traction today about the selling of music, as if there was some time in the recent past where people sold a lot of music from their home. if you want a remunerative career in music, get on the road with an act that sells the door, have tee shirts made that look attractive, develop a stage persona people can project themselves into and become an entertainer. expect a lot of resistance, assholes abounding and expect to suck a lot of dick.
- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
professional vs amateur, "these are words with meanings". they are words with connotations above the meanings.
amateur, French: "lover of", from Old French and ultimately from Latin amatorem nom. amator, "lover" - is the actual derivation or root meaning. it can have a pejorative sense which comports say with 'dilettante'.
Professional has a more obvious basic meaning I reckon. it is also a term for 'whore'.
amateur, French: "lover of", from Old French and ultimately from Latin amatorem nom. amator, "lover" - is the actual derivation or root meaning. it can have a pejorative sense which comports say with 'dilettante'.
Professional has a more obvious basic meaning I reckon. it is also a term for 'whore'.
- KVRAF
- 4287 posts since 6 Nov, 2009
Someone mentioned joining a band... Yes. A lot more gets done, at least in my case. There are many people who have great ideas and need help getting it all together. You know your daw and you have equipment they dont even know about!
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- KVRAF
- 3645 posts since 27 Nov, 2003 from beach side australia
some nice and thought provoking posts here..
- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
people think about waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much shit, stop over thinking art...James, live, love, have fun...music will always find a way in because it's always there....k, we got that settled....what's next? 
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
- KVRAF
- 5703 posts since 8 Dec, 2004 from The Twin Cities
If words had no nuances that would be true. But you don't have to spend more than 5 minutes at a place like kvr to realize that the word 'pro' is imbued with all kinds of subtle nuances that are only tangentially related to 'making a living'. To many people, not being 'pro' means 'not good enough to be pro'. It seems worth pointing out that someone who chooses not to play in cover bands for a living doesn't necessarily make that choice because they 'aren't good enough' to play in cover bands for a living.ghettosynth wrote:
Surely there's a simple distinction here. I don't think anyone said anything about being a "real" musician, however, being a "pro" certainly means that one is making at least some part of their living "as" a musician. In fact, I would say that to most people, the thing that separates "pros" from "amateurs" is whether or not they earn their living with the skill in question.
And what of someone like Milton Babbitt, who sold almost no records in his life, and made but a few pennies off of performance royalties, but who taught music at Julliard for over 20 years? Was he a 'pro'? Obviously he was, but would kids trying to find 'that PRO sound' be satisfied doing something like teaching at Julliard? I doubt it.
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- KVRist
- 195 posts since 11 Dec, 2006
We have gone from playing our instruments for our own entertainment to producing beats on our workstaions for some mug punter. I wonder if it would have been different if we'd just stuck with the word sequencer?herodotus wrote:If words had no nuances that would be true. But you don't have to spend more than 5 minutes at a place like kvr to realize that the word 'pro' is imbued with all kinds of subtle nuances that are only tangentially related to 'making a living'.
And who the hell buys beats anyway?
/rant
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- KVRAF
- 16977 posts since 23 Jun, 2010 from north of London ON
mmmm...how 'bout what to do with wetlands?Hink wrote:people think about waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much shit, stop over thinking art...James, live, love, have fun...music will always find a way in because it's always there....k, we got that settled....what's next?
Barry
If a billion people believe a stupid thing it is still a stupid thing
If a billion people believe a stupid thing it is still a stupid thing
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- KVRAF
- 16977 posts since 23 Jun, 2010 from north of London ON
mmmm...what about if you be an ugly butt?

Barry
If a billion people believe a stupid thing it is still a stupid thing
If a billion people believe a stupid thing it is still a stupid thing
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- KVRAF
- 3227 posts since 4 Jan, 2005
Sad thread really ..... I make music all the time , more noodling on the guitar , playing drums with a midi pad controller , messing with noises and samples . I like using Alchemy too . Its hours of fun with nothing to show for , occasionally I'll get serious, concentrate, and write a song , sometimes I'll never finish recording it because I get bored of it before it reaches perfection . Make music for fun and if no one likes your stuff who cares , ex . not every HS football player goes to college not every college player goes to the NFL and make $ , did they have fun ? If your doing music to make it big your probably gonna fail and it will probably be a dishonest thing anyways . Most artists have songwriters , producers , mixers and masterers lol helping them . Us home musicians fill all those rolls , thats quite a feat for 1 person . 1st Music is Art . Food is Art , so is BBQ . TV , Radio , and Hollywood is marketing and sales look at all the comic book movies and rehashed crap and lady Gaga is like the female version of KISS ,lol not every thing sucks I like shows , movies and music still . and Do music for fun , create and enjoy it , if it sucks dont open your own BBQ restaurant . Who cares . Have fun again . Sometimes I BBQ and I dont make any side dishes and just eat the meat with some bread and sauce, who cares ? no mac or cheese , beans or po-tater salad, There are no rules in life for Art or creating , except to have fun creating . If you want to impress people try to conform a tad bit and make something to impress add a little mac n cheese or can o beans to that BBQ .
- KVRAF
- 4315 posts since 31 Oct, 2004
I'm in a similar situation, except that I don't plan to stop doing music. I'm just tired of the computer based setup and the infinite possibilities that it offers. I now want to focus on composition and on one or two electronic hardware instruments. More details here:
http://samplesciencesounds.blogspot.ca/ ... emise.html
http://samplesciencesounds.blogspot.ca/ ... emise.html
- Banned
- 10196 posts since 12 Mar, 2012 from the Bavarian Alps to my feet and the globe around my head
Good luck! Every end can be the new begin of something better!:DSampleScience wrote:I'm in a similar situation, except that I don't plan to stop doing music. I'm just tired of the computer based setup and the infinite possibilities that it offers. I now want to focus on composition and on one or two electronic hardware instruments. More details here:
http://samplesciencesounds.blogspot.ca/ ... emise.html
I should more concentrate on composition, too, I'm lost in too many plugins!
And to the OP, if you're in a depression, you should look what your body (and soul) wants to say to you! Maybe it's time to change some things...
- KVRAF
- 1596 posts since 19 May, 2011 from North Carolina
Even if you're staying in the box, a good way to de-rut is to limit your instrument choices and genres. Of course, I'm facing the difficulty of choosing from all my damned instruments (and effects)!SampleScience wrote:I'm in a similar situation, except that I don't plan to stop doing music. I'm just tired of the computer based setup and the infinite possibilities that it offers. I now want to focus on composition and on one or two electronic hardware instruments. More details here:
http://samplesciencesounds.blogspot.ca/ ... emise.html
But I think that even when we have software that betters our hardware, there's something about producing with a particular piece of gear that's inspiring. I think you're more apt to work hard at a tune using some old rhythm box played through a tube amp than to pull up a Kontakt library of the same, knowing there are hundreds more like it a click away.
BTW - @SampleScience - "Hand Shaking" -
