Superstitious?

[irpacynot]

Do you think it's superstitious to wanna just walk away?

So, I've been workin' on this tune for, uh, probably even less than a week. I pretty much go all in when I record, and I'm usually done with everything in about a full week, sometimes less. But this one, whew...holy crap, it's just been chaos from the start. And I feel confident most of that has been because of my anxiety about this particular song.

I truly didn't think this was gonna come together. It was just a garbly mess of crap. But here I am this morning listening to the most recent render, thinking, damn, I think I've got it.

But there's this one power area, with some, just, super emotional acoustic strumming that's not quite coming through the way I was hoping. The mix sounds great, and yet it feels like it could possibly be a waste to not have that perceivable enough in the mix.

And on the other hand, I am now deathly afraid that if I go back in there and tinker more, I'll maybe, somehow let some roaring tiger of madness back out.

Is that superstitious of me, or just mindfully cautious?

[FranklyFlawless]

Backup the project as a snapshot, then experiment. If you do not like it, you can always revert back.

[irpacynot]

Backup the project as a snapshot, then experiment. If you do not like it, you can always revert back.

Oh yeah, I always do that before making any major changes. My fear is simply falling into a hole of madness and coming out totally left without any will to make further progress with a project.

Which is kinda where I am at right now.

I went back in first thing this morning, and of course, yup, used up about a half a day or more in and out doing tweaks here and there. And now when I listen back, I just hear disgust.

[FranklyFlawless]

Then take a break from it. Revisit it when your vision of what you want is clearer and you have had time to reflect.

[irpacynot]

Then take a break from it. Revisit it when your vision of what you want is clearer and you have had time to reflect.

Yup

[Milkman]

This happens to me all the time, lol. I dont see it as superstition, its just the nature of my spectrum brain and my particular musical sensibilities.

If you check my project folders right now, I probably have 80+ project files in there and that folder was created 3 months ago when I upgraded my system. Zero are complete. I have 150+ projects from years past, and about 30 are semi done.

I used to... destroy myself over this. I started out super broke, so anything I spent money on I would beat myself up about if I couldnt use it to good effect, if it didnt work out the way I thought it would, etc. I beat myself up a lot, then had tech issues, and I actually gave up music production for 8 years because of it. Began in 1999. Quit in 2008. Came back in 2014.

I used to... put a month of solid effort into a track, and then listen to some of my favorite music from professional producers, and then get super depressed and dejected about my own music. Every time this happened, I started a new track and abandoned the last one, and I kept doing that over and over. For years. I still sorta do it, but I never beat myself up anymore and I am totally at peace with this. I forget about tracks for months, sometimes a year, then find it again and its fresh and I feel good again. Maybe Ill finish one some day. =P

Track versions are a good idea! Your DAW have retrospective record? On this subject, I find the retro record to be super useful to trick myself into making good music lmao I make it before I realize Im "recording".

[thecontrolcentre]

Do you think it's superstitious to wanna just walk away?

What does superstition have to do with anything?
What you describe is more like paranoia.

[irpacynot]

This happens to me all the time, lol. I dont see it as superstition, its just the nature of my spectrum brain and my particular musical sensibilities.

If you check my project folders right now, I probably have 80+ project files in there and that folder was created 3 months ago when I upgraded my system. Zero are complete. I have 150+ projects from years past, and about 30 are semi done.

I used to... destroy myself over this. I started out super broke, so anything I spent money on I would beat myself up about if I couldnt use it to good effect, if it didnt work out the way I thought it would, etc. I beat myself up a lot, then had tech issues, and I actually gave up music production for 8 years because of it. Began in 1999. Quit in 2008. Came back in 2014.

I used to... put a month of solid effort into a track, and then listen to some of my favorite music from professional producers, and then get super depressed and dejected about my own music. Every time this happened, I started a new track and abandoned the last one, and I kept doing that over and over. For years. I still sorta do it, but I never beat myself up anymore and I am totally at peace with this. I forget about tracks for months, sometimes a year, then find it again and its fresh and I feel good again. Maybe Ill finish one some day. =P

Track versions are a good idea! Your DAW have retrospective record? On this subject, I find the retro record to be super useful to trick myself into making good music lmao I make it before I realize Im "recording".

I'm very sorry to hear about that. And I also apologize for how I prefaced the OT. It sounds like perhaps you misunderstood what I meant when I said "walk away." I meant to just leave it as is and publish it without doing any other possible damage. I guess my fear was thinking that I would (and have in the past) want to come back and tweak it more. Of course, after you've put it up on YouTube, Soundcloud, or whatever, people are kinda done with it. So, throwing another updated version usually sees only a very small handful of folks giving ear to it.

[Milkman]

This happens to me all the time, lol. I dont see it as superstition, its just the nature of my spectrum brain and my particular musical sensibilities.

If you check my project folders right now, I probably have 80+ project files in there and that folder was created 3 months ago when I upgraded my system. Zero are complete. I have 150+ projects from years past, and about 30 are semi done.

I used to... destroy myself over this. I started out super broke, so anything I spent money on I would beat myself up about if I couldnt use it to good effect, if it didnt work out the way I thought it would, etc. I beat myself up a lot, then had tech issues, and I actually gave up music production for 8 years because of it. Began in 1999. Quit in 2008. Came back in 2014.

I used to... put a month of solid effort into a track, and then listen to some of my favorite music from professional producers, and then get super depressed and dejected about my own music. Every time this happened, I started a new track and abandoned the last one, and I kept doing that over and over. For years. I still sorta do it, but I never beat myself up anymore and I am totally at peace with this. I forget about tracks for months, sometimes a year, then find it again and its fresh and I feel good again. Maybe Ill finish one some day. =P

Track versions are a good idea! Your DAW have retrospective record? On this subject, I find the retro record to be super useful to trick myself into making good music lmao I make it before I realize Im "recording".

I'm very sorry to hear about that. And I also apologize for how I prefaced the OT. It sounds like perhaps you misunderstood what I meant when I said "walk away." I meant to just leave it as is and publish it without doing any other possible damage. I guess my fear was thinking that I would (and have in the past) want to come back and tweak it more. Of course, after you've put it up on YouTube, Soundcloud, or whatever, people are kinda done with it. So, throwing another updated version usually sees only a very small handful of folks giving ear to it.

hahah its all good, and I know what you mean. I used to spend a lot of time on that, uh, network called soulseek. Met many fabulous people there and made many friends. I used to promote my music there along with many others, inside our channels, and I would get friends and randos to listen and critique me. Over time, I would make a partial track and get excited about it, and send it out... way too soon. Way before it was done. Then I would have to try to get the same people to download the NEW new version of it later, when I had done more work on it lmao that didnt work out super well. People get bored.

All these years later, Im just happy to still have access to all my wonderful music making hardware and software, and to have most of the barriers removed that once stood in my way. Now, my only barrier to making music is me. Its a pretty big barrier sometimes. =P

[irpacynot]

hahah its all good, and I know what you mean. I used to spend a lot of time on that, uh, network called soulseek. Met many fabulous people there and made many friends. I used to promote my music there along with many others, inside our channels, and I would get friends and randos to listen and critique me. Over time, I would make a partial track and get excited about it, and send it out... way too soon. Way before it was done. Then I would have to try to get the same people to download the NEW new version of it later, when I had done more work on it lmao that didnt work out super well. People get bored.

All these years later, Im just happy to still have access to all my wonderful music making hardware and software, and to have most of the barriers removed that once stood in my way. Now, my only barrier to making music is me. Its a pretty big barrier sometimes. =P

Ugh...preach!

Just listened back to the recording this topic was inspired by. Sounds like a turd sandwich to me. I think I'm done for the time being with setting a deadline for myself. To be fair to myself, though, I did that so I could try to stay busy and distracted while on medical leave. I hate to say it, but I miss work -- have since I left. But music needs a spark that don't usually come from a set schedule, not for me anyway. Time for me to slow down again I think.

/end of ramble.

[FranklyFlawless]

I hate to say it, but I miss work -- have since I left. But music needs a spark that don't usually come from a set schedule, not for me anyway. Time for me to slow down again I think.

The spark for me was choosing to follow my own musical journey at the expense of compatibility with other musicians. It might be circling around though, but I will know for certain by the end of this year.

[Milkman]

hahah its all good, and I know what you mean. I used to spend a lot of time on that, uh, network called soulseek. Met many fabulous people there and made many friends. I used to promote my music there along with many others, inside our channels, and I would get friends and randos to listen and critique me. Over time, I would make a partial track and get excited about it, and send it out... way too soon. Way before it was done. Then I would have to try to get the same people to download the NEW new version of it later, when I had done more work on it lmao that didnt work out super well. People get bored.

All these years later, Im just happy to still have access to all my wonderful music making hardware and software, and to have most of the barriers removed that once stood in my way. Now, my only barrier to making music is me. Its a pretty big barrier sometimes. =P

Ugh...preach!

Just listened back to the recording this topic was inspired by. Sounds like a turd sandwich to me. I think I'm done for the time being with setting a deadline for myself. To be fair to myself, though, I did that so I could try to stay busy and distracted while on medical leave. I hate to say it, but I miss work -- have since I left. But music needs a spark that don't usually come from a set schedule, not for me anyway. Time for me to slow down again I think.

/end of ramble.

Maybe stop listening to it for a few months. Try to "forget" about it, and do other things in the mean time. Then come back way later.

Seriously, I have some tracks that I made or partially made before the year 2003 hahaha (made with cubase sx 2 and reason 3, I believe. Only hardware was an Emu 1212m) that I started to HATE back in 2004. Then I took a break from music and came back years later, and some of those tracks... sound different to me today. Inspirational in a weird way. Some are still utter shit hahaha but some... have something. Something I did not see in 2004.

f**k those deadlines. I mean Im speaking purely from my own experience and my own approach, but f**k deadlines. My deadline is when I feel like Im done.

I also miss working. Badly. Been out of work... over 5 years now. Was laid off at a bad time, then I got stuck watching kids at home while my wife worked because rents suddenly rose and went insane. We couldnt afford daycare+ my job searching yet. Then COVID happened and my wife is immune compromised... so now Im just... stuck at home all the time, sheltering, trying to keep my wife alive. I wish I had all this... time on my hands for other reasons.

[irpacynot]

...f**k those deadlines. I mean Im speaking purely from my own experience and my own approach, but f**k deadlines. My deadline is when I feel like Im done.

I also miss working. Badly. Been out of work... over 5 years now. Was laid off at a bad time, then I got stuck watching kids at home while my wife worked because rents suddenly rose and went insane. We couldnt afford daycare+ my job searching yet. Then COVID happened and my wife is immune compromised... so now Im just... stuck at home all the time, sheltering, trying to keep my wife alive. I wish I had all this... time on my hands for other reasons.

Very sorry to hear about that, man.