KVR Audio

Vinz · Post by **Vinz** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 1:55 am

There was a time when I could just listen to electronic music and enjoy it a lot.

Now each time I listen to something I keep asking myself silly questions like "how did he made that synth sound? Did he use a sample there or what is a sound he made himself?", and worse "Could I do as well? How long would it take?"

In the end I finish by making a bunch of half finished songs in different styles (and I tried to restrain myself) and telling me I suck (because the songs are half finished) and getting frustrated at the same time because there are always tons of techniques/subgenres I want to try, instead of sticking to one thing and refining it...

Is there a cure ?
I thought about stopping making music altogether, so I could improve my social life and do other interesting things, but each time I listen to something interesting I get all excited at what I could do...

Steven West · Post by **Steven West** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 3:15 am

Best I can tell you...

Been there, done that - and I survived.

opiadream · Post by **opiadream** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 3:40 am

Vinz wrote: Is there a cure ?

Mental Audio Deviations · Mon Dec 20, 2004 5:09 am

I always listen to music to get ideas/ get going. There's nothing wrong with being inspired by others.

soundaddik · Post by **soundaddik** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 7:16 am

stick with 1 style,or genre. Forget about the freedom of choosing style, instrument, sounds. This can be hell, as your head is split into million directions and combination. Make a quick dicision. If u can't, pick it randomly

its better to finnish 1 song, then move to the next, than to have 10 half-finnished songs

The most important of all. TAKE BREAKS!!!! just unexpectedly shoot out of your chair and do somthingelse. This will wake you up from the dazed, trance-like state u were in

androidlove · Post by **androidlove** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 8:27 pm

I categorized my music into folders. I listened to each folder separately to determine what I'm best at. I narrowed it down to Alternative, Jazz, and House. I like Alternative the best of those so I concentrate on that.

As far as enjoying music goes, try to play dumb. I have a hard time enjoying movies too having studied film making.

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:22 pm

I say take your 10 half finished songs and make it 1 long song

Isnt that what vurt does?

j/k vurt

Mighty_Hero · Post by **Mighty_Hero** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:25 pm

I can tell you also writers block can be cured by the LITTLEST things sometimes.
Yesterday for a long time, I couldn't get going so to speak. I then took RMX and just went crazy with it, and loaded a rhodes. I played for about 10-15 minutes, and boom out of nowhere, no more writers block.
I think we all need to remember also, that artists we 'look' up to, usually take about a year AT least to make a new cd. Patience sometimes is all you need, and to stop thinking about how and what am I going to make today, and let it go where it goes.

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:28 pm

90% hard work, 10% inspiration...

Mighty_Hero · Post by **Mighty_Hero** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:28 pm

and that too.
Very true

Amberience · Post by **Amberience** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 2:25 am

Do something that you're not doing at the moment. If you're working with synths, switch to samplers. If you're working in Fruityloops, switch to Buzz. If you're working with mouse-click sequences, switch to bashing out things with a midi controller.

If you're programming synths, use some presets to get the basics down, then change those presets as you move along.

Read a book, that helps me a helluva a lot.

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 2:34 am

S_A_P wrote:I say take your 10 half finished songs and make it 1 long song

Isnt that what vurt does? j/k vurt

your jest is an occassional almost truth

take those loops you have,grap a beat slicer or similar(offzet is good here)play about with all these loops together it can sometimes kick in.

also what do you think granulisers are made for

nothing is a waste of time,cept thinking things are a waste of time

Aleatoric · Post by **Aleatoric** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 2:51 am

vurt wrote:

nothing is a waste of time,cept thinking things are a waste of time

n i c e !

Sicklecell666 · Post by **Sicklecell666** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 2:51 am

Get a Colonic wash.

kab · Post by **kab** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 4:05 am

my few rules of writing:

-forcing yourself to sit down and make a structure or song is silly. Parts come to me, I practice them, I record them, name them, and if its not a complete "piece" (which is the vast majority of time), it can be added to later, when the right parts are created to go with it.

-there are no "bad" ideas really. Lots of times, I write, and dont know how a riff should evolve.. so I just record that over and over, and try to expand on it later, or it may be blended into other material.

I guess, just work on what comes to you, and try not to force it, or things may sound forced. Your mileage may vary, I know some musicians are at thier best under pressure, but I am not one of them

Going mad