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smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:37 am
by kev herb
when i started producing a little over 2 years ago now i smoked cigs and that green stuff that comes in bags.
when ever i was at the computer i would smoke like a trooper and my tune writing was natural (i knew what i wanted to happen next and could hear the tune in my head but my sound quality was shit but hey i had just started).
after a year i gave up smoking cigs and the other and then found my tunes became static sounding but the sound quality was improving but i seemed to loose my spark musically untill one day i bought some weed and now i smoke again which disappointments me to say the least. however i seem to have more energy in my tracks and the sound quality is still getting better.
has anybody else had this happen and has anybody managed to stay off the fags without it affecting the music... if so how :?:

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:52 pm
by beats me
There's hope, brother!

Here's what ya do for a healthy alternative.

1. Get involved with a new lady who has personality flaws you initially see as cute but will later determine were huge red flags.
2. Fall in love despite all that.
3. Get predictably emotionally crushed. See: cute/huge red flags
4. Once the thoughts of suicide become manageable fire up your DAW and churn out an album or two's worth of quality tracks.
5. Once you've milked that experience, repeat.

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 5:35 pm
by JuanSOLO
I agree with beats me, my best songs were born of heartbreak and still hold up over the years.

As far as weed goes I quit smokin years ago. Only after truly giving it up did I realize many things about it. It alters perception no doubt, sometimes good sometimes bad. For example, I would "think" I was kicking out all these creative ideas but never had much to show for it. I definitely mixed poorly but it sure sounded cool while I was doing it.

Some of the most creative/innovative people I know do not smoke, and they usually get 10times more accomplished than the people I know who smoke, but seem to actually produce art.

There is a lot in this world to be influenced and inspired by, try not to get your vision too cloudy and you will see what I mean.

I think my all time favorite realizations about weed was when I was doing a lot of heroin and cocaine. Most of my friends were devastated by my drug use and would always clammer on about how I should just stick to the weed, it was more natural, less harmful, "creative". I would tell them heroin and cocaine come from plants, and I had more arrests and difficulties getting through life due to weed. I used to also say crazy shit like "Oil comes out of the ground too, if you drank it it would really fuck you up, but I dont see anyone talking about that."

It's been years since all of that, and I can still draw inspiration from it. The funny thing to me is how much creative juices I had when I was a little kid before I ever tried any drugs or any girls. I was exploding with imagination effortlessly, funny how I chose to allow myself to think I needed something to get my imagination working?

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:36 pm
by Styles Bitchly
My best stuff comes to me whilst I'm sitting on the crapper pinching off a nice beefy deuce. It's true. I've had to start keeping a pad with me. Once I composed an entire song on a segment of toilet paper when I was in a hurry and forgot the pad...one of those 5-alarm loafbursts if I recall. :wink:

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:10 pm
by nathannn
beats me wrote:There's hope, brother!

Here's what ya do for a healthy alternative.

1. Get involved with a new lady who has personality flaws you initially see as cute but will later determine were huge red flags.
2. Fall in love despite all that.
3. Get predictably emotionally crushed. See: cute/huge red flags
4. Once the thoughts of suicide become manageable fire up your DAW and churn out an album or two's worth of quality tracks.
5. Once you've milked that experience, repeat.
This is so true!!! :lol:
except i did not milk the experience. i just shoved those songs to the side. they are all to depressing.
I hate drama!

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:32 am
by regretfullySaid
There's a quote from Hemingway that says: "Write drunk, edit sober."

It stuck with me since I've been in the habit of having a system that I wouldn't mind getting out of, where the 2 main sources of the problems are chemical dependence and certain self-imposed limits I put on myself before working on something.

The first problem is is that I don't want to start or continue to work on something unless I feel like I have 8+ hours to do it.
But, there's this "15-minute idea" that's been floating around the internets regarding artistry, where everyday, you work on something for at least 15 minutes; it doesn't really matter what you do; it's just the fact that you're doing something towards completion. It's actually pretty fucking helpful and something I'd like to condition myself to everyday.

The 2nd problem is regarding "motivation". This is where the chemical dependence comes in. I either have a jug of wine or a 12 pack before I start working on something. Because I know I have my precious space of 8+ hours to devote entirely to making music, I feel more motivated to get shit done when I get hyped up after a few drinks; this is where I start to work on shit, and become productive (and I do like the fact that I can listen to something the next day with "fresh ears" because I may not have remembered everything I did), but when I start to get in the "3rd Act" of my drinking is when I want to take a toke or 2, and THAT'S when I'll just start listening to shit over and over again, just enjoying it, so production slows down. At worst, the end result may cause some abstractions (good and bad), or just plain going backwards, though that is more on the rare side.

No doubt about the alcholism; I'd really love to get out of that habit without going to meetings or whatever. The main point kind of goes back to those people who keep straight and push out consistent quality with quantity. But there is this principle in my core that says that going into altered states is part of our job/being; it's part of what makes us who we are and is central to the great things that we produce (any form of art). I guess half of it comes from my interest in shamanism and the other half the history of great artists.

I was an everyday weed smoker for over ten years until I slowed around 6 years ago and would just take a toke with friends or buy the occasional eighth a few times a year, because now I only get interested in smoking after getting drunk and the only thing I think about when I'm high is wanting to write something, so I reserve the weed for production time.

There's also been clumps of time when I've written sober for a good amount of time and then months later I'd give songs the acid test by listening to them high, and I'd be surprised and satisfied.

So, I guess from my point of view, is to just start using the healthy alternatives, like sitting on the shitter and taking notes (good one!), or carrying a notepad everywhere, record ideas into your phone or whatever, and most importantly, stop thinking so much about what you're going to do and just fire up Live and start SOMETHING and go with it. The hardest part is always getting out of the usual habit but, like exercise, it's not as much of a hassle as you think once you're in it + you'll feel better for just doing it.

If you need to stay off the cigs, then you need to remove every trace of smoking paraphanelia, and like most of us who like to drink, stop drinking, cuz God knows I smoke like David Koresh when I'm drinking. The problem is, I enjoy it.
beats me wrote:
There's hope, brother!

Here's what ya do for a healthy alternative.

1. Get involved with a new lady who has personality flaws you initially see as cute but will later determine were huge red flags.
2. Fall in love despite all that.
3. Get predictably emotionally crushed. See: cute/huge red flags
4. Once the thoughts of suicide become manageable fire up your DAW and churn out an album or two's worth of quality tracks.
5. Once you've milked that experience, repeat.
And #3 just happened to me today! The great break-up! What a great way to start the new year!
So what did I do? I went to the store to get more smokes and a jug of wine and *expect* to do what I haven't done in a long time. Just some good ol rock jammin on guitar and bass.

Juan, I hope you're off the H and C. Good for you if you are. Coke makes me feel like a robot (though I'd love to write a season of a tv show if I had a weekend with it)

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:48 am
by JuanSOLO
shadx312 wrote: Juan, I hope you're off the H and C. Good for you if you are. Coke makes me feel like a robot (though I'd love to write a season of a tv show if I had a weekend with it)
I quit drugs years ago, dont miss em.

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:56 am
by regretfullySaid
Sweet.

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:55 am
by cmcpress
A few hits of LSD should do it.

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 12:30 pm
by Rabalder
I usually smoke weed every night. Sort of makes me forget everything Ive done during the day, which makes starting up the next day a lot more interesting.
Sigarettes all day though.. I enjoy very much to sitt and look at the smoke as it morphes trough the air when listening to the latest loop or whatever..
Ahhhhhh.. Good times..

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:32 pm
by martin808
I'm in the same boat as the op. Smoked tobacco and weed while producing for years and now I'd rather not smoke it any more. I have no problems not smoking in any other situation except when i sit down to make music. I find it quite annoying, It's almost like i can't be bothered. I just sit and listen to previously made stuff, not really doing much. As soon as i light up though I start a new live set and get loads done. A tough one to crack indeed.

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:59 pm
by Cryptic UK
Best to stay off the crack

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:30 pm
by ze2be
I "quit" a few years ago.
But sometimes its ok, if you know when to use it. Just dont get hooked, and your fine!
I stay 100% sober working in the studio, or when walking up on stage. Nice to get rid of the dust in the studio.. But purely for listening and analizing, it can do wonders from time to time.

Re: smoking and producing... a tough one to crack!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:49 pm
by Mint Invader
I dont smoke at the computer usually. I just step outside and have a breather and think about where I want to go with it.

Ill have a power session with a pack of cigerrellos and a glass of (Insert available Liquor here) on the porch if I want to arrange a track in one sitting... so about 3 hours.