How do YOU stay productive?

[Germ777]

How do you stay focussed and productive in the home studio?

Well. My main method is to stay sober

[eduardo_b]

I just find it so easy to get distracted and go off and do something else (like visiting KVR) instead of getting on with what I really enjoy - making music.

are you absolutely sure that making music is the thing you really enjoy most?
I can't help thinking that if it was
you wouldn't find yourself so easily distracted.

I find myself noodling around with various plug-ins and combinations of them, so I never actually produce much music. I've got a folder full of synths -- too much choice that leads to lots of non-productive "wow, that's pretty cool" sounds. I _want_ to finish something, but I don't have the discipline apparently. It's easier when I write articles, so maybe it's a lack of talent for music on my part that causes me to mess about instead of having lots of songs to show for my efforts.

--eduardo

[ravasb]

I write all my songs on guitar or piano, and then go into the studio. It gives me a lot more focus and it keeps me just from playing with the synths, though every now and then I stumble onto something that turns into a track when I am just playing around.

[vurt]

how do you stop is my question?i have so much non music stuff that needs doing

[Mr Coffeehouse]

I've made a pact with myself that when I sit down with T2, I should be productive and try tp get something I need done, done. Fortunately, there are a few things I DO need to get done by using T2, so that helps

I too find myself sometimes spending a lot of time just trying out virtual instrument presets, but if I use even that time to find and catalog usable patches it is time well spent.

Taking time to jam on the keyboard with particularly good patches is also time well spent I believe because it's practice and I get a chance to build up my chops.

Visiting KVR and learning and sharing info on T2 and VST-I's, etc. is also quite helpful and esentially productive.

So, maybe you're being more productive than you realize

Best, Mike at The coffeehouse

[eduardo_b]

how do you stop is my question?i have so much non music stuff that needs doing :o

And maybe that's also my problem. I have lots of non-music responsibilities, and given that I'm not trying to make a living from music, I give the least amount of time to that endeavor. I have just enough time for fiddling with a synth or two and then it's off to do something else. So, I suppose the motivation has to be strong enough to want to stick with it even though there are other things needing attention.

You know, writers are notorious for finding reasons not to write. It's amazing the number of things that one discovers need to be done when writing isn't going well or not even what one wants to do at the moment -- or many moments.

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

Well, for me it's pretty easy - I don't have many responsibilities outside my tropical fish, and the only other things I do at home are write (lol) or chat online, soo... my main challenge is not spending hours at a time online in chat rooms!

It takes some discipline.. I find I'm more productive with my Fantom-X6, for instance, than I was when sitting in front of Tracktion2 with 8,192,435 VST/i begging me to play each and every patch in them! Sometimes limitations can be freeing...

I also find that turning the computer OFF before I leave for work causes me to turn the Fantom ON when I get home and leave the computer shut down!

And somedays you're just not going to be able to do anything.. so I try not to sweat a few days of nonmusicality, it's not like I do it for a living so I can afford to let things slide for a while.

[vurt]

but how do you manage when every sound yu hear inspires creativity
i have i the past been known to walk out of a job because the machinery got my mind going so i just had to go home and get down what iwas feeling.doesnt help in the keeping of jobs and no i dont make music for money(altho i have been paid for bits)
i just want to be able to lead a life where traffic doesnt inpire me,its not easy you know.

[CypherOne]

I have no idea having never been productive...

[eduardo_b]

Sometimes limitations can be freeing...

Another way of saying less is more? There is also the upside that really learning a few tools completely is usually better than having many instruments but only a passing knowledge of any.

[eduardo_b]

but how do you manage when every sound yu hear inspires creativity

I tend to believe in the 90/10 rule -- much stricter than the usual 80/20. That is, only 10 percent is really good, be it music, films, books, whatever. As long as you feel that every sound is an inspiration, it's going to be difficult -- probably impossible -- to create stuff you really like. Just read some articles or books in which mixing and mastering engineers talk about keeping things simple so the music is really there. When it's too crowded, with too much going on, everything gets lost. The managing comes from limiting the sound palette to those that really speak to you and work together.

When I edit other people's writing, one of the main tasks is to remove excessive words and tighten sentences and paragraphs. Good writing is tight and clean.

--eduardo

[vurt]

its not about it being good,its not about what astering engneers say.its more to do with the fact that every sound speaks to me,it may not be that what do with it is "quality" in the eyes of a listener but i still have to do it or it will haunt me.

[FEV]

Exactly, studies are perfect, especially writing a diploma thesis...

So true Been there 4 month ago, actually
As for being productive, this is an excellent "excercise"

cheers,
Bart

[shamann]

When I edit other people's writing, one of the main tasks is to remove excessive words and tighten sentences and paragraphs. Good writing is tight and clean.

I would mostly agree with this, except to say that it should be only as tight and clean as the thing can bear. Embellished or sloppy art has its place, elegance is the goal (which is: as refined as you can make it, but not a bit more).

On doing too much music, sometimes you just have to force yourself not to, and live with the haunting. But then I'm not an advocate for self-destructive neglect, which might explain why we talk about Kurt Cobain and not Steve Hamann, so YMMV.

[munchkin]

I put on my very tight leopard print leotard, grab a mic and pretend to be David Lee Roth...

...now about staying productive - I tend to book out time so that I can concentrate on my music. Even if I don't use that time to compose because the muse doesn't take me I'll do something music related like organising my samples or singing into a mic dressed as...