How do you guys feel about going back and doing re-edits of old finished tunes? Like year+ old tunes..
Since you have most likely gained more knowledge and experience than when you wrote the tune, do you think it's a waste of time or do you think with the knowledge you have gained you could possibly turn that old song into something much much better?
The way I think about it, it's kinda like songwriting ethics. Do you really want to touch that old song that you had little experience with and was really badly mixed??
I'm referring more to song structure and mixing as opposed to sound design, etc.
Thoughts?
Re-editing old Tunes
Re: Re-editing old Tunes
i'd feel great about it if they opened. i switched to a Mac and half my old sets just crash if i try to open them on it...
"the Live Set ThatOldSongYouWannaWorkOn.als could not be opened"
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"the Live Set ThatOldSongYouWannaWorkOn.als could not be opened"
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Re: Re-editing old Tunes
That really sucks. I've been pretty fortunate to have minimal crashes with ableton.
Re: Re-editing old Tunes
well, it's only the sets, not the software, that typically crash in all fairness. i am also pulling them off a drive that is formatted for a PC. i'm basically opening them right off of the original hard drive... so, i don't blame Ableton... although, it is odd that so many actually do open vs. the ones that don't. i don't typically use many plugins so i'm somewhat puzzled about it. i've been considering sending a set or to support to see if they can shed some light on this for me.
to get more to your original point; i think you should be able to open an old set and if The Muse, or inspiration touches you then, by all means, have a go at it. one method (for lack of a better word) that i use when creating a set is to stop working on it for a few day or even weeks... because when i hear the same loops over and over and over as the hours go by i start to hear them differently - what i want them to sound like vs. what they do sound like, for example. it's good to listen to something with really fresh ears. sometimes i do this and think "onward!" at other times i think... "total shit!, what was i thinking!?!" so in that sense i get to gauge and reassess the validity (in my mind) of the music that i was attempting to make. i think this is more to the point in your OP.
to get more to your original point; i think you should be able to open an old set and if The Muse, or inspiration touches you then, by all means, have a go at it. one method (for lack of a better word) that i use when creating a set is to stop working on it for a few day or even weeks... because when i hear the same loops over and over and over as the hours go by i start to hear them differently - what i want them to sound like vs. what they do sound like, for example. it's good to listen to something with really fresh ears. sometimes i do this and think "onward!" at other times i think... "total shit!, what was i thinking!?!" so in that sense i get to gauge and reassess the validity (in my mind) of the music that i was attempting to make. i think this is more to the point in your OP.
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Erik Mitchell
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:14 pm
Re: Re-editing old Tunes
I haven't done it myself, only because I don't have enough older material to work with
I personally think it's a great idea. If you can significantly improve an older track of yours that you love, why not?
I personally think it's a great idea. If you can significantly improve an older track of yours that you love, why not?
Re: Re-editing old Tunes
Not a band ideas but you can loose yourself and spend time with no result.
I currently be able to open and work with my 2004 Logic Pro files ( i did'nt use Live at this time)
It's a great thing and for a recent show, i was able to correct all the mistakes and produce enhanced mixs of the songs. Everybody was happy.
But when i try to re-aarange and re-edit old songs, i spend a lot of time with no results at the end. I just found few "gems" or few patterns i was able to develop further .
But try re-arranging entire songs just conduct me in the same blocking situation i encounter years ago.
I currently be able to open and work with my 2004 Logic Pro files ( i did'nt use Live at this time)
It's a great thing and for a recent show, i was able to correct all the mistakes and produce enhanced mixs of the songs. Everybody was happy.
But when i try to re-aarange and re-edit old songs, i spend a lot of time with no results at the end. I just found few "gems" or few patterns i was able to develop further .
But try re-arranging entire songs just conduct me in the same blocking situation i encounter years ago.
Re: Re-editing old Tunes
It depends on what role the material has. If I have released it already, then reworking it feels a bit strange.... like I am cheating people who supported a release. Unless the reworking effectively creates new tracks, I think that is alright. With parts of a live performance, there isn't a definitive version.. so updating material to make better reflect where I am now makes complete sense.
Just revisiting old unused tracks in the hope of making them sound better seems like a waste of energy to me. No doubt, I am better at mixing now, but those tracks are no longer relevant. I could be putting that time into new music.
Just revisiting old unused tracks in the hope of making them sound better seems like a waste of energy to me. No doubt, I am better at mixing now, but those tracks are no longer relevant. I could be putting that time into new music.
Re: Re-editing old Tunes
That last sentence is kinda the core thought I had, but at the same time I know I can really make some of those tracks sound a lot better, just by re-mixing them with the knowledge I have now.oddstep wrote:It depends on what role the material has. If I have released it already, then reworking it feels a bit strange.... like I am cheating people who supported a release. Unless the reworking effectively creates new tracks, I think that is alright. With parts of a live performance, there isn't a definitive version.. so updating material to make better reflect where I am now makes complete sense.
Just revisiting old unused tracks in the hope of making them sound better seems like a waste of energy to me. No doubt, I am better at mixing now, but those tracks are no longer relevant. I could be putting that time into new music.
Not really sure. Just a thought I had. Thanks for the input so far!