Ableton Forum

just bought komplete 6. very happy with it.


i am realizing now that my music does not lack sounds, it lacks inspiration. And passion maybe.





PS i don't want to go to work 2mrw, or any other day for like at least 10 days.

Sad? Yes. Unique problem? No.

There's no shortage of people who have an irresponsible amount of software and gear that isn't justified by output, but once you're in that mindset it's hard to get out of that mode.

Usually no inspiration leads to crap music and maybe it's just time to take a break because no purchase is going to give you true inspiration.

don't know about the taking a break part but i agree with everything else beats said, but it's not like not taking a break is the problem, it's time to evaluate what's important to you, why you make music in the first place, what your music is about like why do you write songs, what are your songs about. sometimes music is alot like a conversation, it depends who you are talking to and what you're trying to convey

I agree with myself on the taking a break part.

The other alternative is to dig deeper into your software and get to know it inside and out, but some people don't really get much satisfaction out of that either. It's a bit like telling a pro ball player that is having a bad year to instead of practicing and playing games he should grab some leather and string and starting sewing together his own balls, probably wouldn't find much satisfaction or inspiration in that.

Big subject. I've had times when inspiration didn't hit. My personal way to deal with that is to learn more about music in general, either the actual writing of music, or the technology that I use to write with. Plus go over the elements of songs you love in your head and think about what it is that grabs you about it. You know what exactly it is about a group or song or artist that makes you like a song over other songs. It's my personal opinion that if you cannot pinpoint what separates a great song from a regular one for you, then it will be hard for you to write music you like.

Also, IMO most people stuck in a rut have made idols out of musicians they love, they compare their shit to some huge act and get discouraged.
Not worth doing at all.

beats me wrote:I agree with myself on the taking a break part.

The other alternative is to dig deeper into your software and get to know it inside and out, but some people don't really get much satisfaction out of that either. It's a bit like telling a pro ball player that is having a bad year to instead of practicing and playing games he should grab some leather and string and starting sewing together his own balls, probably wouldn't find much satisfaction or inspiration in that.

best thing to do is to get to know gear you have but haven't known yet. Then go out and listen to various mixtapes and such to get an idea of what sound you are really going for. Make a strong effort to put remixes of songs you like on radio/internet radio and see what you can do with your hardware and software. It might not sound good, but its pushing yourself to make a product.

i made a promise to myself to not buy any new gear until i've mastered emulator x3....i'm like a third of the way there so maybe in a month or two i can splurge or realise that mysetup is complete.

Machinesworking wrote:
Also, IMO most people stuck in a rut have made idols out of musicians they love, they compare their shit to some huge act and get discouraged.
Not worth doing at all.

amen.....so many people swear that they are responsible for saving hiphop, house, electro, drum and bass, dubstep, etc. from the world. That kind of mentality puts a lot of deep psychological fuckery in your ego. Just keep building skills and you'll know when you're getting better. If you start thinking that if you also dont have the exact same setup as your favorite producer then that will also be a letdown.

From the title, I thought of that old pic of a guy selling a table on ebay.

But on a serious tip, does playing with music make you happy or relieve stress?

If so - it's worth it. Much more constructive than many other methods of wasting $$$ to relieve stress, IMHO.

O, here's that pic again:

After some weeks of no inspiration: yesterday I've made two inspired songs.
Inspiration is like ebb and flow. No expectations, inspiration will find its own way.

Stay open, let go.

Jekblad wrote:passion maybe.

That was my (re)discovery of 2009, that music is nothing without conveying some kind of emotion or thought. It should be evocative above all else

It's not so hard once you remember to remember that.
Just realise when you are becoming trapped in a sad world of 'hey this sounds great', and check that it actually conveys something more than just "hey everyone, I bought this cool toy".
Because not too many people are really that interested in that fact.

You can convey something simple like : "I feel horny" / "I feel sad"
or you can convey something more complex, a mix of two things, "I'm feeling like a horny mathematician" , "I'm sad because I live in a declining neighbourhood"
Not much needs words, because even if you fail to nail what you were aiming at it will still seem purposefully evocative. People may misinterpret it - but at least it's conveying something.

beats me wrote:Sad? Yes. Unique problem? No.

There's no shortage of people who have an irresponsible amount of software and gear that isn't justified by output, but once you're in that mindset it's hard to get out of that mode.

Usually no inspiration leads to crap music and maybe it's just time to take a break because no purchase is going to give you true inspiration.

very well, put.

but hardly anyone wants to accept that and is permanently lying to himself... no no, well i still need this and that, blah... to make a good track.

starving student wrote:don't know about the taking a break part but i agree with everything else beats said, but it's not like not taking a break is the problem, it's time to evaluate what's important to you, why you make music in the first place, what your music is about like why do you write songs, what are your songs about. sometimes music is alot like a conversation, it depends who you are talking to and what you're trying to convey

+1

Jekblad wrote:just bought komplete 6. very happy with it.


i am realizing now that my music does not lack sounds, it lacks inspiration. And passion maybe.


PS i don't want to go to work 2mrw, or any other day for like at least 10 days.

just think...it cost 299$ to get that understanding...
that's adequate for a leason learned..
(plus you've got some nice sounds and synths for when the muse calls you up..)

oh .. and ... call in sick if you can afford it...stay home watch movies and make some music...

just.make.music.
using what you've got..

3dot... wrote:just.make.music.
using what you've got..

STICKY FOR 2010

Here's something truly inspiring:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaKuFww3 ... feature=iv