What are you biggest challenges to completing songs?

[chef of def]

Organizing samples, and building kits or instruments, is a big distraction to my song completion. Or I will get sidetracked on some sound design project. I just recently got Ms. Pinky via M4L nicely worked into a template for possibly performing a live set. And have been digging through my old projects looking for things to mix within a dj set.

[Angstrom]

Organizing samples, and building kits or instruments, is a big distraction to my song completion. Or I will get sidetracked on some sound design project. I just recently got Ms. Pinky via M4L nicely worked into a template for possibly performing a live set. And have been digging through my old projects looking for things to mix within a dj set.

strangely enough I'd say that's one of the quickest things for me which can make a song completed.

step #1 : grab old and over-worked drums, output to stems.
step #2 :Grab several over-intricate basslines, in too many time signatures, as stems
step #3 :play all the clips of them on 4-bar loops, as a mash-up.

realise they are probably better that way.

[jbodango]

obtaining sample clearance for spoken word materials

[Cool Character]

Talent

I know this feel.

[eyeknow]

I have the coolest ideas and I'm great at combining sounds. I just can't get by the main theme most of the time.

[Monchai]

My Chanllenges are
: inspiration to start a song ( I can get about 80-90% of how I want my music to sound if I can get that starting sound (well 8 bar loop))
: Vocal ( I can't sing)

[Tagor]

Sometimes it help to switch the Genre !

If you normaly do Techno start do some Reggae iE.... mhmm just an Idea

Bankcock sounds Nice @ Moonchai!

[XSIMan]

I keep thinking im good enough for iTunes but then while learning new effects and synths I listen to my last completed song from weeks ago and think ewwww badly made presets and badly mixed too cheesy. New song I just made up by accident sounds more me and better.

I also think I'm trying to be too much of a perfectionist and afraid to release anything to the public that I might hate and be embarrassed of later.

[beattorrent]

Hi All, I post here very often and since I've read a lot of people having road blocks in completing a song I think it would be a good idea to share the stems and let the others finish it and consider it as a collaboration, what do you guys think? I think its cool if I can help someone finish their tracks, it would serve as a practice to my production skills as well, I have a shifting job like everybody else and do music during rest days but I make it to a point that I finish something before going back to work. Maybe we can all share our unfinished tracks and let someone finish it with their idea and call it collaboration.

[Donnie]

Getting it done before I get bored with it.

Lately I'm pushing myself to get the foundational elements in place as quickly as possible, which seems to be working well.

[eyeknow]

I think my frontal lobotomy has something to do with it.

[innerstatejt]

You Guys & Girls are Rocking this stream! I hadn't checked in in a while, but I'm going to go through all these comments & try to respond to the most common themes I hear. I appreciate you all taking the time to share your songwriting experiences! Keep them coming. You are not alone!

[Martin Gifford]

I have the coolest ideas and I'm great at combining sounds. I just can't get by the main theme most of the time.

Five solutions:

1. In the next section change to the relative minor chord or move it up a fourth.

2. Just put anything in the next section. Maybe two notes, then loop the end of the cool idea with the start of the next section, and you will hear the right next note.

3. If your cool idea emphasises the first beat, then in the next section emphasise the off-beat, and vice versa.

4. If your cool idea emphasises melody, then the next section can emphasise rhythm or chords, and vice versa.

5. Emphasise production by just repeating the cool idea in many different ways, e.g. Levels by Avicii.

I agree with beattorrent's idea of collaboration. If you post a cool thing you have been seriously stuck on for a long time, then one of us will come up with a solution.

[eyeknow]

I appreciate any and all suggestions.

[Garry Knight]

Being a home studio guy, even though I usually use virtual synths I collect sample packs. And on the - hopefully rare, so far - occasion that I get stuck for where to go next, I'll have a break then randomly click on loops: synth loops, drum loops, instrumental loops, breaks, tops, whatever. Sometimes they'll spark an idea. Interesting ones I'll drag into Session view to come back to later. Often it will be an idea for the next piece I do, sometimes it's an idea that either gives me the next step to take or leads towards it. Sometimes that doesn't happen until the next day after a good sleep and I'm glad I put the interesting loops in clips.

I also carry my H2n most places and if I hear anything interesting - anything - I'll grab it and if I'm too late to catch it all I'll do my best to describe it, hum it, whatever, so I remember it later.

I listen to TV commercials, recommended YouTube videos, stuff that's outside of my normal range of interest, anything - even lift music - for interesting sounds, pieces of melodies, interesting rhythms (or ones that make me want to move) and make notes for next time I need an idea.