The crappiest part of producing I've come to realize that the crappiest part of producing is releasing tracks. Why, you might ask? Because every time I upload a track on Soundcloud or anywhere else, a week later I learn something new that could have been useful in that track.
Now, there are two obvious arguments here:
- I could go back and make changes to the track and then reupload it.
This is true. However, if that were the case, I would constantly be going back and making small changes and then reuploading tracks. And even then it's going to bug me that people have downloaded it and have the crappier version. - I should not release a track until I am completely happy with it.
The thing is that I am happy with a track when I release it (I try not to upload junk). But I listen to tracks that I finished two months ago and believe to myself "damn, this would have sounded better if I [insert recently learned technique here]."
The problem is that, as producers, we will never stop learning new tricks, techniques, and methods. The shitty thing is that I guess you have to learn to let things be unless you plan to completely rework an old track.
Just a thought. Anyone else plagued by this?
As an afterthought, I never even thought about this until a track I finished a year ago got relatively popular on the interwebz. By my ability now, I consider that track to be garbage. I even thought about deleting it. Then all of a sudden I see it popping up on blogs and Hype Machine. I reworked the song and did some updating to it. But I realized afterwards that it was kind of pointless. After all, what am I going to do? Should I hack into the hype machine and get all the IP addresses of people that downloaded my song and then hack their computers and replace the old mp3 with my updated one? Not that that's even possible. I'm just sayin'.
It's worth also noting, that if you mull around a track and apply new things you've learned and never upload it ever, it will sit on your HD until you die and no one will hear it. Hmm.... Damn it! |
Verona Fashbaugh
13.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by cutflow
i actually told some friends how scary it wud be to go this summer without a girl. i actually don't regret saying that, i prefer spending it alone with FL Studio. and whatever happens, happens but ill try to make the best of it and enjoy ourselves XOXOXO
True. FL Studio never was worried it might accidentally have gotten knocked up. |
Belen Wermes
12.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by janzak
Chill out man, maybe I just misunderstood you
alls chill on my hill, just clearing the communication fog. easy does it! |
Laraine Arceo
11.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
umm no, i was not suggesting that producers should never release music ever until they know everything there is to know about everything.
please give me atleast a morsel of credit instead of suggesting i'm completely insane/retarded. hahahaha, what a guy. :P
Chill out man, maybe I just misunderstood you |
10.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
f*ck yes. my homestudio is facing south... today it was 40 |
Georgine Thanos
10.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
holy smokes is it ever hot out, uggghhhh... summer is not a kind season for studio rats lol.
Try having your studio in the storage room above your house, with only one tiny little window (about 2x2)? |
Belen Wermes
11.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by janzak
I dunno if I agree man - what you're saying is basically "don't release anything until you're fully learned" but we all know that day is never gonna come so imo you might as well share your learning process and those who believe you're headed somewhere good will tag along for the journey!
umm no, i was not suggesting that producers should never release music ever until they know everything there is to know about everything.
please give me atleast a morsel of credit instead of suggesting i'm completely insane/retarded. hahahaha, what a guy. :P |
Laraine Arceo
10.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
Up until now you've chosen the road of sharing your learning process with your audience, but my advice to you is be mindful of one thing:Guys like me who have hard drives full of "music no one will hear" don't see it that way, what we really have are hard drives full of experiments and lessons leading up to a potential body of work that will one day be the most true representation of our abilities.
[...] but for your situation I believe if this problem of yours is a reoccurring one then maybe it's time to realize "hey, i'm still learning SO much right now - maybe i should cool the jets on releasing everything i do for a year or so and just focus on the learning process."
I dunno if I agree man - what you're saying is basically "don't release anything until you're fully learned" but we all know that day is never gonna come so imo you might as well share your learning process and those who believe you're headed somewhere good will tag along for the journey!
Like someone said, a lot of people enjoy finding up and coming artists and follow their evolution from bedroom producer to headline act |
09.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by Lambox
every time I upload a track on Soundcloud or anywhere else, a week later I learn something new that could have been useful in that track.
I listen to tracks that I finished two months ago and believe to myself "damn, this would have sounded better if I [insert recently learned technique here]."
try looking at it like this: there are others whose goal is to sound "like someone", and once they've reached it, they stop... as long as you find stuff that raises the bar for you and shows you that there's something you can improve on, you'll never stop improving.
Originally Posted by Lambox
I never even thought about this until a track I finished a year ago got relatively popular on the interwebz. By my ability now, I consider that track to be garbage. I even thought about deleting it. Then all of a sudden I see it popping up on blogs and Hype Machine. I reworked the song and did some updating to it. But I realized afterwards that it was kind of pointless.
from my experience, if you're not into mainstream, nothing is more unpredictable than how people will react to a track. the success of a dubstep tune is not as programmable as with, say, a lady gaga track that is entirely based on years of regurgitating the same shit over and over again with slightly different female vocals and more compression.
just do your thing and keep pumping out tunes, in a few years you'll have something to look back on and smile. this is why I always keep around a copy of my earliest stuff... most of it is horrible, of course but there's one or two that I'm sure I will dig up sometime in the future. then I'll rework them and upload both versions just for kicks. |
Verona Fashbaugh
09.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by cutflow
how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i believe thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.
a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.
so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it.
In my opinion, you really shouldn't be producing just because you want to get signed to a label.
im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
You should really work to create your own sound and style, not just imitating other artists, even if they do belong to a label that you like.
Just my opinion. |
Breana Singerman
09.07.2010 | Novice or not, a record label know what they are looking for, and if you're not doing it then it doesn't matter if your a novice or a professional.
Just email/snail mail them demo's in all honesty. If you've networked and built up some connections all the better.
A record label doesn't care if you're a good or bad DJ, as long as you're making killer tracks that they want.
Originally Posted by cutflow
how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i believe thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.
a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.
so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it.
|
Leeanna Ayla
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
The crappiest part of air conditioning is the $400 electric bill I got this month. :eek: That's pretty normal for the next few months as the temp hovers around 100 for most of the day. It'll get back down to the $200 range around October though. |
Nikki Mcpeek
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
When I started there was no such thing as a blogosphere or a beatport, you pretty much had to get signed to a legitimate label to release music. This meant that releasing songs I had made within the first couple years of producing was out of the question because record labels are not going to sign novice producers - period. What I've gained from that old harsh (but realistic) climate is that I've set a personal bench mark for myself which is this; before I try to get signed I must first create a work that not only compares with the top producers, but also competes with the top producers.
how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i believe thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.
a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.
so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it. |
Jacqulyn Shoemo
27.07.2010 | I believe releasing music and then later discovering how you would have done something differently is part of the learning/growing process and not to be feared. |
Verona Fashbaugh
13.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by cutflow
i actually told some friends how scary it wud be to go this summer without a girl. i actually don't regret saying that, i prefer spending it alone with FL Studio. and whatever happens, happens but ill try to make the best of it and enjoy ourselves XOXOXO
True. FL Studio never was worried it might accidentally have gotten knocked up. |
Nikki Mcpeek
13.07.2010 | i actually told some friends how scary it wud be to go this summer without a girl. i actually don't regret saying that, i prefer spending it alone with FL Studio. and whatever happens, happens but ill try to make the best of it and enjoy ourselves XOXOXO |
13.07.2010 | BTW: sticking a layer of tin foil on your window really helps. I don't even have the big-ass fan running anymore. woohoo! |
Belen Wermes
12.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by janzak
Chill out man, maybe I just misunderstood you
alls chill on my hill, just clearing the communication fog. easy does it! |
Laraine Arceo
11.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
umm no, i was not suggesting that producers should never release music ever until they know everything there is to know about everything.
please give me atleast a morsel of credit instead of suggesting i'm completely insane/retarded. hahahaha, what a guy. :P
Chill out man, maybe I just misunderstood you |
11.07.2010 | hahahaha, true, we practically pinned ourselves as uber-nerds
as celsius said, "I love the summer... up to a certain degree". |
Belen Wermes
10.07.2010 | ^ that sucks bro, yeah i hate it when electronics start spazzing out with the weather changes. my computer has been fine so far, but one of my external hard drives has started acting all fucked up. i know it's the heat so i've had to resort to only using it when i really need to use it.
hahaha look at us geeks complaining about the nice weather. i used to love everything about the summer, what happened to that guy- are we THAT old & boring already? |
10.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
f*ck yes. my homestudio is facing south... today it was 40 |
Georgine Thanos
10.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
holy smokes is it ever hot out, uggghhhh... summer is not a kind season for studio rats lol.
Try having your studio in the storage room above your house, with only one tiny little window (about 2x2)? |
Dorcas Bassignani
10.07.2010 | end of the day, fuck it, if you like it release it. check my Juno link in my sig. plenty of stuff gives me a cringe now |
Belen Wermes
11.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by janzak
I dunno if I agree man - what you're saying is basically "don't release anything until you're fully learned" but we all know that day is never gonna come so imo you might as well share your learning process and those who believe you're headed somewhere good will tag along for the journey!
umm no, i was not suggesting that producers should never release music ever until they know everything there is to know about everything.
please give me atleast a morsel of credit instead of suggesting i'm completely insane/retarded. hahahaha, what a guy. :P |
Laraine Arceo
10.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
Up until now you've chosen the road of sharing your learning process with your audience, but my advice to you is be mindful of one thing:Guys like me who have hard drives full of "music no one will hear" don't see it that way, what we really have are hard drives full of experiments and lessons leading up to a potential body of work that will one day be the most true representation of our abilities.
[...] but for your situation I believe if this problem of yours is a reoccurring one then maybe it's time to realize "hey, i'm still learning SO much right now - maybe i should cool the jets on releasing everything i do for a year or so and just focus on the learning process."
I dunno if I agree man - what you're saying is basically "don't release anything until you're fully learned" but we all know that day is never gonna come so imo you might as well share your learning process and those who believe you're headed somewhere good will tag along for the journey!
Like someone said, a lot of people enjoy finding up and coming artists and follow their evolution from bedroom producer to headline act |
09.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by Lambox
every time I upload a track on Soundcloud or anywhere else, a week later I learn something new that could have been useful in that track.
I listen to tracks that I finished two months ago and believe to myself "damn, this would have sounded better if I [insert recently learned technique here]."
try looking at it like this: there are others whose goal is to sound "like someone", and once they've reached it, they stop... as long as you find stuff that raises the bar for you and shows you that there's something you can improve on, you'll never stop improving.
Originally Posted by Lambox
I never even thought about this until a track I finished a year ago got relatively popular on the interwebz. By my ability now, I consider that track to be garbage. I even thought about deleting it. Then all of a sudden I see it popping up on blogs and Hype Machine. I reworked the song and did some updating to it. But I realized afterwards that it was kind of pointless.
from my experience, if you're not into mainstream, nothing is more unpredictable than how people will react to a track. the success of a dubstep tune is not as programmable as with, say, a lady gaga track that is entirely based on years of regurgitating the same shit over and over again with slightly different female vocals and more compression.
just do your thing and keep pumping out tunes, in a few years you'll have something to look back on and smile. this is why I always keep around a copy of my earliest stuff... most of it is horrible, of course but there's one or two that I'm sure I will dig up sometime in the future. then I'll rework them and upload both versions just for kicks. |
Verona Fashbaugh
09.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by cutflow
how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i believe thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.
a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.
so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it.
In my opinion, you really shouldn't be producing just because you want to get signed to a label.
im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
You should really work to create your own sound and style, not just imitating other artists, even if they do belong to a label that you like.
Just my opinion. |
Breana Singerman
09.07.2010 | Novice or not, a record label know what they are looking for, and if you're not doing it then it doesn't matter if your a novice or a professional.
Just email/snail mail them demo's in all honesty. If you've networked and built up some connections all the better.
A record label doesn't care if you're a good or bad DJ, as long as you're making killer tracks that they want.
Originally Posted by cutflow
how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i believe thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.
a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.
so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it.
|
Giselle Kawalec
09.07.2010 | c'mon fellas! we all know the crappiest part of producing is when someone tells you to turn the music down! |
Leeanna Ayla
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
The crappiest part of air conditioning is the $400 electric bill I got this month. :eek: That's pretty normal for the next few months as the temp hovers around 100 for most of the day. It'll get back down to the $200 range around October though. |
Nikki Mcpeek
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
When I started there was no such thing as a blogosphere or a beatport, you pretty much had to get signed to a legitimate label to release music. This meant that releasing songs I had made within the first couple years of producing was out of the question because record labels are not going to sign novice producers - period. What I've gained from that old harsh (but realistic) climate is that I've set a personal bench mark for myself which is this; before I try to get signed I must first create a work that not only compares with the top producers, but also competes with the top producers.
how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i believe thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.
a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.
so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.
3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it. |
Verona Fashbaugh
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
holy smokes is it ever hot out, uggghhhh... summer is not a kind season for studio rats lol.
Yeah that has to be awful. I'm living at home until next month, when I move back into my house at school. Needless to say there's no air conditioning. Even if there was, my roommates would rather spend the little cash we have on booze then pay for something like air conditioning. |
Belen Wermes
08.07.2010 | not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.
holy smokes is it ever hot out, uggghhhh... summer is not a kind season for studio rats lol. |
Stephan Roob
08.07.2010 | lam, this is exactly my problem :/ |
Verona Fashbaugh
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
you don't have to release everything you do in the studio. I've been producing (mostly learning) for the last 10 years or so, haven't released anything and the few songs I've "finished" were never really finished.
All of that was excellent advice. Thank you. It is worth saying though that my ratio of unreleased to released songs is probably somewhere at or about 10:1.
The only time I do send my tracks out onto the internet are when I believe other people will actually enjoy hearing them too.
Originally Posted by Nephew
Producing is something you'll never master, it's an experience that will keep growing on its self your whole life.
True. The more I produce, the more I realize I don't know shit.
Originally Posted by BradCee
it's called progressing/growing as an artist. if you knew all these tricks straight off the bat, then all your tracks would sound the same, which would also be the case if you went beack and tweaked everything.
you regular listeners/followers will appreciate this 'evolution' of tricks as it shows you care enough to learn/try something new, and not stay still with a tried/tested/proven formula.
hating on your own stuff a few weeks later is a healthy thing imo
I suppose you're right.
Thanks, guys. |
Dorcas Bassignani
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by Lambox
But I listen to tracks that I finished two months ago and believe to myself "damn, this would have sounded better if I [insert recently learned technique here]."
it's called progressing/growing as an artist. if you knew all these tricks straight off the bat, then all your tracks would sound the same, which would also be the case if you went beack and tweaked everything.
you regular listeners/followers will appreciate this 'evolution' of tricks as it shows you care enough to learn/try something new, and not stay still with a tried/tested/proven formula.
hating on your own stuff a few weeks later is a healthy thing imo |
Breana Singerman
09.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by duerr
you don't have to release everything you do in the studio. I've been producing (mostly learning) for the last 10 years or so, haven't released anything and the few songs I've "finished" were never really finished.
When I started there was no such thing as a blogosphere or a beatport, you pretty much had to get signed to a legitimate label to release music. This meant that releasing songs I had made within the first couple years of producing was out of the question because record labels are not going to sign novice producers - period. What I've gained from that old harsh (but realistic) climate is that I've set a personal bench mark for myself which is this; before I try to get signed I must first create a work that not only compares with the top producers, but also competes with the top producers.
Up until now you've chosen the road of sharing your learning process with your audience, but my advice to you is be mindful of one thing:Guys like me who have hard drives full of "music no one will hear" don't see it that way, what we really have are hard drives full of experiments and lessons leading up to a potential body of work that will one day be the most true representation of our abilities.
Spot on mate, any producer will tell you that their tracks are never finished. Still find myself going back to older projects and working on them time and again. maybe applying new techniques, or maybe just coming back to it with fresh ears and noticing different things.
Producing is something you'll never master, it's an experience that will keep growing on its self your whole life. |
Belen Wermes
09.07.2010 | you don't have to release everything you do in the studio. I've been producing (mostly learning) for the last 10 years or so, haven't released anything and the few songs I've "finished" were never really finished.
When I started there was no such thing as a blogosphere or a beatport, you pretty much had to get signed to a legitimate label to release music. This meant that releasing songs I had made within the first couple years of producing was out of the question because record labels are not going to sign novice producers - period. What I've gained from that old harsh (but realistic) climate is that I've set a personal bench mark for myself which is this; before I try to get signed I must first create a work that not only compares with the top producers, but also competes with the top producers.
Up until now you've chosen the road of sharing your learning process with your audience, but my advice to you is be mindful of one thing:Guys like me who have hard drives full of "music no one will hear" don't see it that way, what we really have are hard drives full of experiments and lessons leading up to a potential body of work that will one day be the most true representation of our abilities.
I know you weren't looking for advice and I probably come across as DJ Dad telling you what to do, but for your situation I believe if this problem of yours is a reoccurring one then maybe it's time to realize "hey, i'm still learning SO much right now - maybe i should cool the jets on releasing everything i do for a year or so and just focus on the learning process." |
Nikki Mcpeek
08.07.2010 |
Originally Posted by Nephew
Just keep on trucking ahead mate, all part of the game. Even producers who been doing it for years face this issue, just keep applying what you've learned onto your next project and keep building on those new techniques .
what he said ^
and in addition, i believe i read somewhere years ago of an artist who made a track, released it, and then he wud open the project once every two weeks and add that new thing he found. so he releases the track again after a year and calls it a (name rework) or something after the title. and then releases it. idk if this could work for u |
Breana Singerman
06.07.2010 | Just keep on trucking ahead mate, all part of the game. Even producers who been doing it for years face this issue, just keep applying what you've learned onto your next project and keep building on those new techniques . |
