Getting motivated to Produce
Getting motivated to Produce Posted on: 22.10.2011 by Eunice Howe This is a rather ridiculous question but never the less im asking itI just bought (maybe 20 minutes ago) an Akai MPK49 only a week after i bought the Akai MPD26 the MPD was for both production and Djing Im working on a mapping to map the MPD purely to be used by itself with an external mixer in traktor / maybe a x1 aswell Now the MPK is purely for production ofcourse, i use FL studio for production and am looking to try other softwares out there But i seem to get very demotivated extremely easy and am wondering does anyone have any tips for me to keep me motivated to produce i understand its a long and possible frustating process to learn but i want to give it my all as DJing alone is not satisfying my musical needs . | |
| Kattie Weldin 24.12.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
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| Bailey Fergurson 22.12.2011 |
Originally Posted by tomflynn
http://soundcloud.com/gumool/tom-flynn-mr-hedgehog http://soundcloud.com/eatseverything...ng-worthy-tric If your giving advice Tom, at least be honest mate. |
| Brinda Tidrick 11.11.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
Me personally, if I have a day off work, with the best intentions I can sit in front of my computer and nothing will come out. Then other days when I'm not expecting it, inspiration will strike and I'll bang a tune out in 6 hours... I do get a bit worried I don't produce enough tunes, but then again, the ones I do produce get good feedback so there's a definite balance. Do I force loads out and get mixed reviews, or produce fewer and farer between and get more support....? As for OP. It can be tricky to get motivated, but I believe it's down to inspiration more than anything else - as with me, you probably get an idea in your head and just have to get it out, then the rest of the track forms quickly around it. I wouldn't worry pal, just make tunes at a pace that suits you - so long as you're happy with the results when they come, who gives a fuck?! |
| Eunice Howe 26.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by TWD
I just got an Akai MPK49 and have been sitting down and remaking soundtracks like Tennesse from pearl harbour and its going extremely well i eventually lose momentum with it but i have been sitting for around 3 hours learning all the parts (im not piano player) and replaying them into fl studio and making it again. Its alot of fun to do hopefully it will be when i make something of my own |
| Glennis Bischoff 29.12.2011 | i don't get why people are saying "oh, you shouldn't need any motivation boo hoo do something else." personally, i have times being a producer that things just don't work. i have an idea, and i just cant get it to work. i try and try and try, but the sounds just come off unpleasent. so i give up on the song. i try again with a different song, and i still am unhappy with the result. so i take a break to listen to some other kinds of music to refresh my creative mind, but the memories of past failure haunt me a little. so i put it off until i just get into a rut of not wanting to make anything. that's where i need toe motivation. i get tired of what im making or trying to make, i cant get what i want, and therefore quit trying as hard, so my work sucks even more. a half assed attempt will yeild a half assed result. in order to get motivated again, there's a few things i can do. my first go to is: 1) try another method. what i do is switch from ableton to FL Studio. it forces me to take a new rout to make a sound that i can use. bringing new ideas and motivation. it breaks me out of the rut that i was in by challenging me differently. 2) try to make s different genre in the fashion i was previously using. what i mean here is instead of making a dubstep song with a dubstep approagh... try making a punk song in a dubstep manner. its a neat way to warp ideas into a new creative mean. 3) dont try and be productive. theres nothing wrong with playing. just sit down and play what you want to, no matter how bad it sounds. just play with things to HAVE FUN!, not to make a new club banger or top hit. just have fun with it. i hope this helped a little bit more, and dont listen to all the hard-asses who believe a lack of motivation is like the plague. every musician has motivation ruts in their life. its natural. but its what you do with your dry spells that defines who you are as an artist. -bloodhound |
| Valentin Doong 25.12.2011 | Take some Adderrall or Vvyvanse. Seriously. It helps. If you have ADD like I do, you'll be producing tracks all evening lol |
| Carl Lorig 24.12.2011 | Well, I'm fairly new here and new to production and DJ'ing. I can safely say you're not alone. My biggest problem is inspiration, or lack of. A lot of the time I've spent trying to produce a track ends up sounding like something that already exists. I guess my piece of advice would be to run with something you like the sound of, then manipulate it into something completely fresh. It's amazing what you can do by changing a few notes/chords/beats. Keep doing what you're doing. If it's all in the name of fun, keep it fun. Glad you posted this thread, it's revealed the true colours of a few members. |
| Josefina Schutten 24.12.2011 | Maybe studying on some good books could help |
| Reece Murray 24.12.2011 | Right on man. Good to hear you're starting to get a feel for things. Having a learning curve is nothing to be ashamed of, especially if you're starting from the ground up. Sometimes it takes a long time to build tracks that are more than just filler - but that's ok. I feel like you should give yourself as long as it takes to create something that stands above the rest. People that say you should get out if you get demotivated might be taking it for granted that you already know the tools inside out. Making modern electronic music is a combo of creative flow AND technicality - the latter can be difficult when you're new to it. |
| Eunice Howe 24.12.2011 | Guys just an update I did start and im hooked I do get demotivated now and again but when i get deep into a track its something i can sit hours doing day after day , i believe it was that false hope i could bang a bunch of good tracks out week after week when its just not going to be like that and may take weeks to get a decent melody going! I believe it was such a steep learning curve i was finding it hard to make music sounding proffesional because i did'nt know what i was doing in the software The first proper track i made i got the sidechain wrong and its on my youtube still because i can look at what i started with Even a track i put up a week ago i already know i can do 10x better just simply because i learnt so many more things. Im now mentally producing things when i listen to music i can pick apart the sounds and how it goes together and i would'nt say i could remake anything but i have an idea of how music goes together and how to EQ, Compress, Filter and do other things Spending time with simple getting a single kick sounding right. I still would'nt say its easy just to start and i would disagree with the original comments you would have to be very focused to start producing and not know what your doing especially when you have such high expectations as it do |
| Kattie Weldin 24.12.2011 | You truly need a deep passion for music, though. I spent nearly a year trying to figure out how to use mod trackers, because I started out producing 8 bit music. Nowadays music production is way too accessible, all for the sake of profit, profit and profit. Do you believe Pioneer really needed to release digital controllers to stay afloat? Hell no, it's just what the consumers are drooling over. Imagine emulating an Atari ST on a PC and then running music production software within it to program songs, using hexadecimal numbers and only a maximum of 3 tracks/sounds to create music, that's where I started and it didn't hinder me a bit. So as the newbies will act like the more experienced ones are being self-righteous dicks, we have years of struggle and failure to justify it. |
| Kattie Weldin 24.12.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
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| Neva Sparacino 24.12.2011 | Ignore the pair of Tiestos in here man jajajaja whatever I always have a hard time to get motivated to produce But I have a hard time to get motivated to do almost everything really I dont care im lassy But for like 6 months and so i get a half time job like a waiter then i came back to my house and sit and like diezdiazgiant says couple of beers weed believe how much time you will be producing 4 hours 2 hours whatever just have a plan at the begining and just move your mouse and the synths and your controller make automations everywhere move your hands MAKE LOVE TO THE TUNE Remember everything can be undone the trick and i read it here and on other community s its like 300+ hours of production You going to star being better by your own merits and then its when you dont need motivation cause you know exactly what sound you want and how to get it Its not about spending all day in the studio And its not about doing it 2 hours a week neither Its about enjoying the production process If you enjoy to produce dont stop keep going keep making beats loops synths presets sounds everything start to get familiar with your Vst's find in the web how you can map everything and DJ with a live act maybe The sky is the limit The guys that make negative comments are the ones that feel they are the future gettas or whatever the fuck they want to believe in Negative comments does make effects in people i dont understand why those 2 dudes always come and make that kind of crap in post like this one. |
| Marshall Aby 23.12.2011 | @OP... not everyone is as fortunate as some appear to be in this thread with motivation (must be the platinum disks accumulating on their walls). Difficulty in motivation can be down to many, many things; fear of failure; perfectionism; not knowing 'where to start', competing pressures. Hell, I've been so demotivated that I couldn't get out of bed before. Tarekith's articles are excellent. |
| Bailey Fergurson 22.12.2011 |
Originally Posted by tomflynn
http://soundcloud.com/gumool/tom-flynn-mr-hedgehog http://soundcloud.com/eatseverything...ng-worthy-tric If your giving advice Tom, at least be honest mate. |
| Micaela Scherbert 11.11.2011 | i've only been into production for 8 or so months. but i tried to get into it 3 years ago and failed after a few weeks. i believe the first few months are the hardest, because there is just so much to learn. I kept myself interested this time by focusing on different aspects. for example, one week I really just focused on playing piano, one week i focused mostly on music theory with keys and scales, then one week focusing on learning my DAW. (not in that order). whenever i felt like i was struggling, bored, frustrated or whatever in one aspect i would shift focus to another. when i returned back to it, it was surprisingly easy. This rotation has kept me learning new things and keeping it exciting. It also is amazing how each piece really interacts with each other. like learning a simple DAW technique (like effects sending to a filter or side chaining) can really change the feel and sound of a song. |
| Brinda Tidrick 11.11.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
Me personally, if I have a day off work, with the best intentions I can sit in front of my computer and nothing will come out. Then other days when I'm not expecting it, inspiration will strike and I'll bang a tune out in 6 hours... I do get a bit worried I don't produce enough tunes, but then again, the ones I do produce get good feedback so there's a definite balance. Do I force loads out and get mixed reviews, or produce fewer and farer between and get more support....? As for OP. It can be tricky to get motivated, but I believe it's down to inspiration more than anything else - as with me, you probably get an idea in your head and just have to get it out, then the rest of the track forms quickly around it. I wouldn't worry pal, just make tunes at a pace that suits you - so long as you're happy with the results when they come, who gives a fuck?! |
| Rebbecca Fennell 10.11.2011 | Espresso and weed. Maybe a shot or two. Seriously just dont over believe things, its nice to do some tedious things like breaking down others songs to help you learn but in the end just got to relax and let what happens happen. Just have fun. |
| Reece Murray 10.11.2011 | It sounds like it's not such a motivational issue as it is a inspiration or exhaustion issue. I understand that. Sometimes it takes so long to dial in what you're wanting to hear, that you've used up all your energy and still aren't satisfied. Most established producers seem to say to just keep practicing techniques until you become really fluid with your tools, so you can accomplish tasks quickly and not wear yourself down. Limiting your toolset and learning just a few tools inside out can be a big help too. I like to just designate days off from working on my tracks to completely dedicate the time to experimentation. I'll just save whatever I come up with and use it as inspiration for another day. Keeps it fresh and helps me learn new techniques. |
| Mariano Godina 28.10.2011 | You shouldn't need any motivation to do it. It should be all you believe about, all you've ever dreamed about & something that makes you sleep hardly at all. If you're struggling to get motivated I would be believeing about doing something else. |
| Eunice Howe 26.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by TWD
I just got an Akai MPK49 and have been sitting down and remaking soundtracks like Tennesse from pearl harbour and its going extremely well i eventually lose momentum with it but i have been sitting for around 3 hours learning all the parts (im not piano player) and replaying them into fl studio and making it again. Its alot of fun to do hopefully it will be when i make something of my own |
| Marnie Foye 23.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
The good thing is that some of your best work can come from moments like these. However, to help we really need more information. Why do you believe you feel a lack of motivation? Do you simply lack the will to get on the computer and work, do you feel frustrated because it doesn't sound right, or do you just have trouble finding a fresh idea to run with? |
| Monserrate Rupnow 23.10.2011 | These might help: http://tarekith.com/assets/inspiration.html http://tarekith.com/know-your-limitations/ http://tarekith.com/finish-what-you-start/ |
| Eunice Howe 22.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by chenathan
I however like what you recommend thanks for taking the time to help me.
Originally Posted by Nephew
I never said anything about locking myself in my room and becoming the next guetta in a few hours it was simply tips the same as "How do you revise for an exam" By your response it seems you have a built up hatred for anything that requires you to voice a reasonable opinion, hey thats no problem it just could have been placed a bit less aggresive even not bothered if you really felt the need to do it. I admit the question was a bit generic and heard a thousand times over by your regulars but it does'nt give you any right to demotivate me anymore, the whole post was directed towards guidance i assumed so was the community . By your reponse your actually telling me if im not going to do it as a career i should give up now would that be the same for anything i enjoy? i don't doubt that many wil have sucess in the music business but i do not seek this as a career and only a bit of fun, Therefore me producing music is not seeking help for a future career if i did'nt have the gift then thats it. hopefully you get what im saying. |
| Ada Matzkin 22.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
/hug its gonna be ok nephew |
| Breana Singerman 22.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Deejaesnafu
And you're right dafe, they're not me because if the were they wouldn't be making such an asinine post in the place. Is this something they really, honestly want to do and devote their life to? Or do they just "like" the idea of being a producer and/or DJ and will just give up if they don't achieve initial success? |
| Scarlett Saupp 22.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
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| Ada Matzkin 22.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
im sorry to post off the OP original post here but i gotta say man.... dont hate...participate.. if you dont have anything constructive to add just stay out of it. you really like to hop up in peoples posts and troll them, and that to me is much worse than even bad music. its bad energy. no one likes it. and when you spread it no one will like you regardless of how motivated or inspired you believe you are. i seriously wonder if you need a hug. i like to dj in total darkness sometimes, it makes me focus on the music, its a truly zen like experience to me, especially when i practice scratching. |
| Breana Singerman 22.10.2011 | Jeez, if you need help to get "motivated" then maybe you're in the wrong line of work? I spend days and days in the studio and don't ever feel "not" motivated if you will. It should be an insatiable need to produce music and create. if it's not, then please, stop now as you will most likely not come out with anything interesting or inspiring and only fill up the world with more unwanted music that sounds like everyone else's out there |
| Alverta Liebler 22.10.2011 | I feel like this sometimes too, but before I answer you, are you a DJ or producer or both? If you are a DJ, it is easy to get motivated by listening to other people's music (professionals) on Beatport and Youtube, and watching top DJs perform. It gets you pumping to want to make something that sounds just like that. If you are a producer, do the same thing, and then once you get a cool idea that's your own (original), just use an iPod or iPhone or something and quickly record into it, using your mouth (I know this sounds really silly, but my tracks came from this hahaahha). Just beatbox into it, add whatever synths by doing this, and it's all cool because in the end when you finish up a track based off of these ideas, you'll feel really good about yourself |
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