Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
It seems when I start making a song its awesome.. By the time I'm mixing and mastering, I'm tired of the song and it has no feeling to me anymore. This happen to anyone else? Any tips on not getting tired of your own music?
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globalgoon
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Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
yes. I get around it by knocking tracks out as fast as I can. I get bored if I work more than 2 days on a track 
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
As long as you get sick of it once you're done, no problem, I think that's pretty normal. Otherwise, take a break, put it on the shelf for a few days and come back to it when it's fun again.
tarekith
https://tarekith.com
https://tarekith.com
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
there are much more specific things which happen to me
I can lose the focus of the piece and I start doing generic things to it in the mix, such as making the drums more punchy just to add "excitement" ... when really the mood of the piece doesn't actually need that. So I'm doing things which are formulaic rather than fitting. "Harder kick drum!" , "ripping bass sound!", etc.
because I try and write music with a particular 'vibe' in mind I keep referring back to that 'vibe' in case I have drifted off the right path, and into the Generic Woods.
Often that means deleting hours and hours of work, because it was not in the interest of the piece. If I compare two versions and the older one has more soul then I delete the newer one.
On the subject of boredom : I think that the modern world has cultivated a very short attention span. Everything I see about electronic music making is about doing things quickly, and although certain music is great when produced swiftly - you either need to be a virtuoso (so everything is great quality!)or very harsh in killing your ugly babies in order to maintain a high strike rate.
Personally I enjoy music with complexity and obvious effort built in that rewards repeated listening. The only way to have music like that is to work on it at length, and learn how to do that.
I can lose the focus of the piece and I start doing generic things to it in the mix, such as making the drums more punchy just to add "excitement" ... when really the mood of the piece doesn't actually need that. So I'm doing things which are formulaic rather than fitting. "Harder kick drum!" , "ripping bass sound!", etc.
because I try and write music with a particular 'vibe' in mind I keep referring back to that 'vibe' in case I have drifted off the right path, and into the Generic Woods.
Often that means deleting hours and hours of work, because it was not in the interest of the piece. If I compare two versions and the older one has more soul then I delete the newer one.
On the subject of boredom : I think that the modern world has cultivated a very short attention span. Everything I see about electronic music making is about doing things quickly, and although certain music is great when produced swiftly - you either need to be a virtuoso (so everything is great quality!)or very harsh in killing your ugly babies in order to maintain a high strike rate.
Personally I enjoy music with complexity and obvious effort built in that rewards repeated listening. The only way to have music like that is to work on it at length, and learn how to do that.
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knotkranky
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Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
+1 to that.
You just reminded me of a quote from a producer pal of mine;
"Making music is the art of sifting through your own garbage"
mayabong, just plow ahead. Less garbage needs to be sifted as you gain experience. Just get some coffee and get to work!
You just reminded me of a quote from a producer pal of mine;
"Making music is the art of sifting through your own garbage"
mayabong, just plow ahead. Less garbage needs to be sifted as you gain experience. Just get some coffee and get to work!
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
I agree this is the best method. The songs I get the best responses on are the songs I took the least time on. Just let it flow start to finish and don't get your mind involved too much. After you hear your song too many times it loses excitement and you start adding things to make it exciting again which may not fit with the earlier vibeglobalgoon wrote:yes. I get around it by knocking tracks out as fast as I can. I get bored if I work more than 2 days on a track
Last edited by mayabong on Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Muzik 4 Machines
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Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
when im tired, i start another song, then come back to the "tiring" song later
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
Get rid of Ableton Live and use an old version of Cubase or something which can only handle MIDI. Also get lots of (expensive) hardware to replace the Ableton instruments/effects.
Then buy an analogue desk and loads of masking tape. Lay a strip of said tape at the bottom of your analogue desk every time you have a new idea. Plug expensive hardware into the desk, trigger it from your MIDI software, and scribble the names of each track on the masking tape.
Then compose/produce/beatmake, whatever, by tweaking largely un-recallable parameters on hardware and desk.
If you get a bit bored at some stage before you are 'finished' and want to move on to a shiny new idea, you have 2 choices:
1. Scrap the entire tune by unplugging the hardware and throwing away the masking tape track list. Put your waste of time down to experience. Worry about the money you have spent with nothing to show for it.
2. Push on and get the tune to a point which is not perfect but better than nothing. Then unplug everything and get all excited about a new tune. And hope that somebody out there likes the less than perfect recently finished one, so money can be generated to pay off the debts you accrued buying the expensive hardware.
This was how things were done not that long ago, and there was a lot to be said for it. For better or worse, the tunes got finished. There was no such thing as a 'back-burner' for half arsed doodlings.
I suppose you could try and apply this 'one tune at a time' working practice to modern computer music creation, if you could learn to be very strict with yourself. But I see little evidence of such an approach around these parts.
(PS Just in case that seems a bit finger-wagging - I am the worst offender for it. Haven't finished a tune in years. This is most probably down to whatever meagre talents I may have possessed completely drying up, but I can't help but think that making music entirely 'in the box' hasn't helped)
Then buy an analogue desk and loads of masking tape. Lay a strip of said tape at the bottom of your analogue desk every time you have a new idea. Plug expensive hardware into the desk, trigger it from your MIDI software, and scribble the names of each track on the masking tape.
Then compose/produce/beatmake, whatever, by tweaking largely un-recallable parameters on hardware and desk.
If you get a bit bored at some stage before you are 'finished' and want to move on to a shiny new idea, you have 2 choices:
1. Scrap the entire tune by unplugging the hardware and throwing away the masking tape track list. Put your waste of time down to experience. Worry about the money you have spent with nothing to show for it.
2. Push on and get the tune to a point which is not perfect but better than nothing. Then unplug everything and get all excited about a new tune. And hope that somebody out there likes the less than perfect recently finished one, so money can be generated to pay off the debts you accrued buying the expensive hardware.
This was how things were done not that long ago, and there was a lot to be said for it. For better or worse, the tunes got finished. There was no such thing as a 'back-burner' for half arsed doodlings.
I suppose you could try and apply this 'one tune at a time' working practice to modern computer music creation, if you could learn to be very strict with yourself. But I see little evidence of such an approach around these parts.
(PS Just in case that seems a bit finger-wagging - I am the worst offender for it. Haven't finished a tune in years. This is most probably down to whatever meagre talents I may have possessed completely drying up, but I can't help but think that making music entirely 'in the box' hasn't helped)
mendeldrive wrote:NOBODY designs their own sounds... There is ZERO point in reinventing the wheel.
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
this thread is the story of my life 
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
Great quote.knotkranky wrote:+1 to that.
You just reminded me of a quote from a producer pal of mine;
"Making music is the art of sifting through your own garbage"
Knowing what is worth saving from the garbage is the hard part.
So get some second opinions! Play your stuff to family and friends and ask them to be brutally honest...
Last edited by beatmunga on Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mendeldrive wrote:NOBODY designs their own sounds... There is ZERO point in reinventing the wheel.
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
On the subject of songs on "The Backburner"
I have loads of them, but I use some software called ToDoList by AbstractSpoon to keep completion notes on my unfinished tracks.
I save each track in there with a completion percentage and a rating out of ten, also some notes on what needs doing or any problems I'm having with it.
I can listen to rough mixes at any time and make notes in ToDoList. Often it's arrangement ideas, or instrumentation or mix ideas.
Then, when I have free time, I take a look which song suits my current mood and has a decent rating / percentage and I'll work on that. feeling moody and ambient, with only a couple of hours to spend and want to complete something : there's an ambient track with 80% completion and an 8/10 rating.
Or, feeling aggressive and creative, there's a 160bpm track with 30% completion for that.
I have loads of them, but I use some software called ToDoList by AbstractSpoon to keep completion notes on my unfinished tracks.
I save each track in there with a completion percentage and a rating out of ten, also some notes on what needs doing or any problems I'm having with it.
I can listen to rough mixes at any time and make notes in ToDoList. Often it's arrangement ideas, or instrumentation or mix ideas.
Then, when I have free time, I take a look which song suits my current mood and has a decent rating / percentage and I'll work on that. feeling moody and ambient, with only a couple of hours to spend and want to complete something : there's an ambient track with 80% completion and an 8/10 rating.
Or, feeling aggressive and creative, there's a 160bpm track with 30% completion for that.
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
Great idea Angstrom.
Even a wipeable whiteboard and pens on the wall of your studio is arguably more useful than expensive acoustic treatment.
Even a wipeable whiteboard and pens on the wall of your studio is arguably more useful than expensive acoustic treatment.
mendeldrive wrote:NOBODY designs their own sounds... There is ZERO point in reinventing the wheel.
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knotkranky
- Posts: 4336
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Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
Yeah, knowing what to toss is the hard part, but it definitely pays to be brutal. I prefer to play them for strangers first, unless you're willing to cut through some fam n friend bsbeatmunga wrote:Great quote.knotkranky wrote:+1 to that.
You just reminded me of a quote from a producer pal of mine;
"Making music is the art of sifting through your own garbage"
Knowing what is worth saving from the garbage is the hard part.
So get some second opinions! Play your stuff to family and friends and ask them to be brutally honest...
I speak for myself.If blood, sweat and tears are not shed, we only get lucky a few times with good material.
Finishing is always the super rough part.
Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
Yeah, I know what you mean. Friends can be too nice. Family can rip you to shreds... Or vice versa.knotkranky wrote:I prefer to play them for strangers first, unless you're willing to cut through some fam n friend bs I speak for myself.
Strangers is probably the way to go.
mendeldrive wrote:NOBODY designs their own sounds... There is ZERO point in reinventing the wheel.
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Psychoactive_Music
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Re: Do you get tired of your songs when working on them?
The problem I have found is that say I'm working on a track, ive been dipping in and out of working on it but always at least an hour or 2 per day, sometimes I dont like bits anymore so I change them.
Problem is, is it because it isnt good or is it because ive heard the same bits of audio looped for hours on end days after days while working on it?
When I make a track I feel its like getting on a train and then getting off at the right stop. If you miss your stop the train keeps going and you end up lost . Keep with it and eventually the train does a full circuit and you get your chance to get off the train at the right stop again, but the train probably has a different driver at that point and a lot of new passengers.
Problem is, is it because it isnt good or is it because ive heard the same bits of audio looped for hours on end days after days while working on it?
When I make a track I feel its like getting on a train and then getting off at the right stop. If you miss your stop the train keeps going and you end up lost . Keep with it and eventually the train does a full circuit and you get your chance to get off the train at the right stop again, but the train probably has a different driver at that point and a lot of new passengers.