What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
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Rink
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What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by Rink » Wed Feb 10, 2016 12:24 pm

We all know that moment when we sit in front of our computer screen and can’t get in the flow of making good music. My goal is to create a tool, experience or environment for producers/musicians to get ourselves in that mood.

Hi I’m Rink Bergsma, studying Product Design and making music in my free time. I’m in my research phase of my graduation project where I try to get as much personal experiences as possible to create a useful product. One that we all can relate to.

So again my question:
What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme before / when making music?

Cheers from Utrecht, NL

Idonotlikebroccoli
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by Idonotlikebroccoli » Wed Feb 10, 2016 12:40 pm

I give myself challenges: trying a certain genre, using a certain sound, making a theme song for random thoughts I have, etc.

Lots of people participate in so-called One Hour Compos, where people are given one hour to make a track based on a certain theme: http://compo.thasauce.net/compos/view/OHC

Quantity is more important than quality in the idea stage. Your next good track is X ideas away, so it makes sense to just get through a lot of ideas.

tedlogan
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by tedlogan » Wed Feb 10, 2016 12:42 pm

What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme before / when making music?

Greetings.

I've tried various things throughout my music-making life, like decor & lighting, prior listening, drugs and alcohol, whatever.

But 99% of the time during all those years, music-making was born from spontaneous inspiration, completely out of my control.

Except for the last year or so. The one and only thing that works consistently for me is simply working with sound & music every single day whether I want to or not. This can involve playing guitars, VST instruments, designing sound, building racks. It took some time to get used to and disciplined enough to do this - especially if you really cannot be bothered - but after about a month or so it became a habit, and then it became very enjoyable. I now look forward to my daily sessions. Ironically, I now don't have the time to do this every day as I'm feverishly working on CG projects.

So in answer to your question - I used persistance.

I should add that I quit drinking completely, and I think this probably had a bigger impact on productivity than all of the above.

Everyone else's mileage will vary.

Regardless, good luck with your project.

Tagor
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by Tagor » Wed Feb 10, 2016 1:26 pm

Hi,

since i make music on my own, i am lagging in consuming music by others.

so there is a tension between those 2 things.... when i listen to music produced by others, inbetween
it does not matter which genre, i go to an analytic mode and try to reproduce certain moods..

special the oriental mood, moviescores, influences of dub(oldschool) and rootsreggae or also complete
new tracks like MIA - Borders http://vk.com/video?gid=33581653&z=vide ... _171504837
can bring into a musical mood. For example that reverse-reverbed pitch vocal in the trackbeginning @0:30
is amazing psychedelic... try to follow it through the sound...

so once a goal set for a mood, sometimes the beats and other sounds just workflow around that magical.

ps.. if it flows it do not depend if i smoke some weed, but if it not flows smoking make it not better :D

beats me
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by beats me » Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:28 pm

Tagor wrote: since i make music on my own, i am lagging in consuming music by others.
This is also a good way to help prevent you from thinking your music sucks. :wink:

sana48
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by sana48 » Wed Feb 10, 2016 8:07 pm

Rink wrote:What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme before / when making music?

drugs.


:twisted:

(sobriety is a drug as well)

Seriously though, I always relive an important memory to give me the inspiration to make a track..

but when I am just jamming the music is the drug..

other times drugs help, but nothing illegal, that would be bad.

mrgrim3
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by mrgrim3 » Thu Feb 11, 2016 12:31 am

i try to not worry about it so much because the best creative flows ive gotten just came from me just doing things and not overthinking it

Stromkraft
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by Stromkraft » Thu Feb 11, 2016 6:39 am

I sit down and focus on exploring the ideas at hand, recording often. That is I just get started. No waiting really. I make quick decisions without worrying if it fits an objective like a mood or not. If I feel I risk wasting my time I give myself a time frame to finish an experiment.

If I don't know which idea to start with — usually I have many — I take an unfinished track and focus on one instrument part, listening and playing around for fun with it, before moving on to another.

If I have absolutely no ideas I load a sound I like and start playing as expressively I can without any goals in mind.

I used to try and nail and get down an idea in my head or that I've noted down earlier before, and sometimes I make a test of an idea like that, but usually as a starting point. I feel my best work probably comes from when I play around and experiment, then decide what to keep and what to just ignore.

I take at least one break per hour and do something else. If I get tired on one song I load up another. Usually I've decided to make music for at minimum a specific number of hours. That's hard for me, but is how I want to do it.
Make some music!

Tarekith
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by Tarekith » Thu Feb 11, 2016 6:54 am

I use forced limitations for getting ideas all the time. Trying to create a song using only one bit of gear, or in specific time frame, etc.
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mrgrim3
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by mrgrim3 » Thu Feb 11, 2016 7:10 am

Tarekith wrote:I use forced limitations
i do this by not buying plugins i only use stock synths and effects and it helps because i end up with too many choices if i dont stay to stock

Tarekith
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by Tarekith » Thu Feb 11, 2016 7:29 am

Ditto, it's pretty rare I reach for any 3rd party plug ins these days unless it's while mastering. The effects in Live are more than good enough for me, no need to get distracted by other options.
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tedlogan
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by tedlogan » Thu Feb 11, 2016 10:22 am

Tarekith wrote:I use forced limitations for getting ideas all the time. Trying to create a song using only one bit of gear, or in specific time frame, etc.
Ah yes - I've also found this to be super important to actually getting solid stuff done - for me at least. Master a few tools instead of becoming ok at many. Plus we all know by now that without limitations it's almost impossible to decide upon anything.
Stromkraft wrote:If I have absolutely no ideas I load a sound I like and start playing as expressively I can without any goals in mind.
I'm mostly approaching music and sound like this as well.
mrgrim3 wrote:i try to not worry about it so much because the best creative flows ive gotten just came from me just doing things and not overthinking it
and that.
sana48 wrote: (sobriety is a drug as well)
I hate them prats who tell you they're high on life :D - but I now find myself as one of them! - was drinking heavily for about 18 years or so. Since stopping I've become insanely creative and productive.

Rink
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Re: What do you use or do to get you into a certain mood/theme?

Post by Rink » Sat Feb 13, 2016 10:43 am

Thank you very much guys!! Really appreciate the input you gave! This thread is still open for more.

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