After x years of making music, I finally bought myself a MIDI keyboard around a week ago — the M-Audio Oxygen 61 MK V. I wanted to buy the Novation Launchkey 49 instead, but since the price was lower than the 49 because it was used, and 5 octaves, 8 pads, 9 knobs, and 8 faders for $160 is, in my opinion, a ridiculous price, I figured I hit the jackpot.

Though, I don't see this as a long-term purchase — not because it might break, but because I won't need it anymore. For the past four years, I am struggling with a lack of inspiration — there were the times when I could write twenty songs a year, but the last one I wrote was a whole year ago, and it was the only one that year.

Over the years, I've gotten used to working using only computer. Laptop, even — I didn't use any keyboard, pads, or other MIDI controllers because I didn't need them, and if you read my posts, you'll see that I haven't been in this business for just a day or two — I could carry on without them. Furthermore, I don't even need these knobs and pads to be honest. I have them "just in case".

I recently downloaded Synplant 2 from a sister site, and aside from how complicated and chaotic the plugin core is, it's actually pretty good. I'm afraid, though, that neither using it the keyboard will give me any new ideas.

I'm at my wits' end. Those who struggle with a lack of song ideas know exactly how I feel. I have EVERY sound in the world, an INFINITE amount of time, appropriate amount of experience and (it seems) EVERY tool required to create a good song like a normal musician, but I'm missing that one core thing: inspiration.

This post won't be about how to look for idea, because it comes on its own. However, I'm starting to seriously consider turning to generative AI in music in order to find them; yet the very idea of reproducing the result of a model's inference — trained on already existing data — is, for me, not so much immoral as simply counterproductive:

 

nothing more inspiring than typing a sentence into a prompt generator!

more seriously though, because the above is VERY sarcastic, try joining the non contest we have here! we make music to a picture. i find it to be a cool idea. other than that good luck, sounds like you've figured out the problem at least, first step of finding a solution.

 

When i'm unispired i often go to Youtube to find some synth combinations that were used in the past to make hits, crafting tones, creating samples, searching for analog racks on social media, or just listen to music. Sometimes a new plugin can be a kickstarter. Learn Synplant, take a good time with it until you feel you're ready to cook some songs. It will be stronger than what you might think.

 

Appetite comes with eating: just start with something and you will (hopefully) find inspiration again.

 

I have a similar problem when it comes to my own music, since I started mixing and mastering for a living, it just went out of the window. Once you lose your rhythm, it's gone, but it's not forgotten. I decided this year to go back to making more music, and it's been a battle to get the hang of it again.

My suggestion is to take it slow. This system is working with me:

• I'll only allow myself to have three tracks until my idea is solid: chords, melody and drums
• I'll never open the DAW without knowing what I want to make, or suddenly receiving that divine blessing of inspiration (a rare thing). I'll only start once I know what song I'm making, otherwise I'll keep cycling through presets expecting something will happen
• I'll only work in blocks: maybe two or four bars at a time. Once they're filled, into the next one. I can't repeat what I made before without introducing something new. This works surprisingly well. If you struggle with having maybe 5 seconds of music that has a ton of tracks, that should help you work horizontally instead.

There's more, but I think that's enough to get started. Small steps with instruments you know well. Once you get the blood running, the music starts coming out pretty fast. Might not turn into a full finished song, but it's good to leave the DAW feeling like I had fun.

 

I was up all night worrying about your workflow.

 

This is what midi files are for. You can get them in any number of ways, wether you download them, or use Scaler or some kind of FeelYourSound chord generator plugin, assign a synth plugin to it for some chords, or a bass plugin to it for a simple bassline. Expand from there. Once you get going, you can delete the original midi part you used to get started with. Play or program stuff on top of it. This is one of the most basic workflows you can do, and it's why so many people people use midi files.

Or get a pattern sequencer like Seqund and make some midi loops yourself with it and then drag them out to your DAW arrange page.