I'm looking to build a relationship with someone to put a lot of time into my own development and find my finished sound. I don't have money to pay for mentoring but I have a lot of time for people, so I could offer the same time and attention in return. I'm thinking about building a reciprocal feedback relationship and maybe even general reflection. I've been in a forum a few years ago where it was good having that help available pretty quickly, from whoever was there really. It helped my development a lot, but it wasn't really tailored to my personality and as much as people really wanted to help the answers that were right for me were never really the right ones for me. I was making Dance Music and I'm not a DJ, so it was always the wrong direction. My standards are ridiculously high and I have huge expectations of myself and that's probably a lot to ask of myself, but that's the kind of person I'm looking to build together with, big aspiration so that's the kind of personality I'm looking for. I've had to find my own solution for making music to date, which I've pretty much solved now and turned into a repeatable formula/process. But pulling this all together is tough, as well as keeping on top of everything. I probably need reminders that are quite simple really if you know my outlook and what I'm capable of, like remembering to practise vocals, keep on top of exercise (boxing, fitness, cycling) and eating right. I know so much about how to balance things out but I'm useless at keeping on top of everything. My sound is electronic and I've always aimed for that crossover sound, catchy tracks with hooklines and vocals. Probably with a groove, but not necessarily aimed at dancefloors. I've defaulted to the typical 3 minute track now. Inspirations are from Cabaret Voltaire to Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Epic Trance and Prog/Melodic Techno and many of those Dance Tracks that were huge on the underground and crossed over to be number ones. So the likes of Killer by Adamski, The Power by Snap, Frankie's Relax... whilst still keeping that Front 242/Nitzer Ebb/Depeche Mode kind of energy that stops it from being too cheesy, which I tend to fall into. I just need a slap and telling blunt that I've made a cheesy instrument or line that needs swapping out. I have stopped making DJ tracks now because I'm not a DJ and I hate making music on other people's behalf. I don't understand the DJ/fame mentality, its all about the music to me, so I want to find the sound that I've always been looking for and take my tracks to the potential that I think that they have. I've had tracks remixed by Top 100 DJs, been played on BBC Radio 1, qualified for the finals of a big UK Dance Contest, studied fashion at the biggest Fashion Uni in the UK, been mentored by Cisco and I had boxing potential, but despite all these promises I haven't delivered and its a lot to ask other people to step up to... But I'm sure there must be someone out there with similar potential who just can't get it over the line and its probably the smallest of adjustments that will make all the difference, along with somebody to rely on for the best advice. I have a bunch of autism disorders and ADHD so I'm pretty intense, but that's a good thing if you need a lot of reflection at your end. I have a huge drive and determination (fuck, I still haven't given up despite endless failures), but I also get regular bouts of depression out of nowhere, sometimes in the middle of something really positive. So its a huge ask... But there will be somebody out there who has everything that I need, in a similar position who needs the same kind of help... If you know that person can you please put them in touch?
Taste (which is the missing/underdeveloped ingredient for many including yourself) is very hard to learn. Not impossible, but 80% will fail. The very resilient ones will be able to crawl through the mud and acquire it, most won’t. A mentor (paid or not) can only give some pointers, but will not do the work for you. The solution is dedication to the craft, work and more work, continuously learn from mistakes. This is pretty much how you sculpt yourself from a raw stone: less forums and tutorials and more (years) of very mindful work (you need volume - hundreds of songs made mindful: permanently assess what you did good, what you did wrong or inefficient and permanently adjust) if you finished 500 songs and still suck, maybe music is not for you. Make them in a short time-span (3 years is a very realistic term) so you can find out sooner
I recently tried to find people to care for a violated cat, since I have four cats at home already and some of them might be aggressive. Lots of people online wished that somebody will take it. None took it. The cat will have to be put down.
Do you earn your living with your music ? What are your living expenses ? Do you want to be famous ? How old are you ? Where can I listen to your music? Spoiler: What are characteristics of autism: What are characteristics of autism: Experts define three core impairments that apply to all forms of autism: Impairment in social interaction, impairment in communication - in speech as well as nonverbal communication - and conspicuous fixations on specific interests. According to the definition of the Bremen research institution, autistic disorder is a "profound developmental disorder caused by a neurobiological disorder of brain development that results in massively altered perception and information processing." Researchers distinguish between several manifestations, the general term is autism spectrum disorder. This includes, for example, early childhood autism or Asperger's syndrome, which Schmidt was diagnosed with. People like him have "high cognitive abilities," Cordes explains further. In technical jargon, they are called high-functioning autistics. When it comes to autistics at work, it's - for the most part - about them. The fact that autistic people should actually be interesting as employees is because of their abilities. "Autistic people bring many positive qualities to the table," Cordes explains. They are honest, reliable, motivated, almost obsessive about their work, and rarely make mistakes, he says. High-functioning autistics are even better qualified than the average person, according to a study by the University Hospital of Cologne. 77 percent of autistic people have a high school diploma, and 35 percent have a university degree. According to statistics from the Federal Employment Agency, the national average is only 33 percent and 15 percent, respectively - in other words, less than half in each case. Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
@reziduchamp The fact that you cannot achieve what you aim for is a common feeling to all artists, you are not the only one (if this can alleviate the pain). "Mentoring" I guess you are looking for advice on how to compose and mix / master your music. You are definitely in the right place: here we do nothing but fight every day over which OS - DAW - virtual instrument - effect plugin - chord progression - microphone - studio monitors etc. is best to get the perfect sound. It would be interesting to know what your artistic output is (music, multimedia or other) you should start publishing it here, to get some feedback and maybe some useful advice. I am not very experienced in depression therapy, what I know is that an artistic work is an act of love in itself and for this reason it generates happiness.
Burnout syndrome Long-term stress and the associated chronic stress can lead to the well-known burnout syndrome. Physical exhaustion, mental emptiness, listlessness, mental and physical disorders characterize this picture. Occupational stressful situations, which can lead to the burnout syndrome, are the following: bad working conditions, bad working atmosphere, bullying, time pressure, increasing demands, dissatisfaction with the job choice, the position or the activity, increasingly high responsibility, night and Shift work, poor communication, incompetent superiors, management errors, hierarchy problems, lack of equipment at the workplace, increasing complexity and unmanageability, lack of influence on work processes, responsibility for uncontrollable processes, b� Rocratic constraints, fear of job loss. The development processcan be as follows: strong motivation, ambition, idealism, great commitment - experiencing a discrepancy between expectations and everyday work, lack of expected recognition and hoped-for success - increasing insecurity and frustration, increasing experience of conflict - restlessness, impatience, emotional instability Stress, irritability, aggressiveness, sickness - communication problems, reduced resilience, impaired performance - crisis of meaning, helplessness, resignation - fears, dejection, depression, fatigue, states of exhaustion, regeneration problems, vegetative and psychosomatic disorders such as headaches, tension, sleep disorders, cardiovascular problems, gastrointestinal disorders, sexual disorders, susceptibility to infections. Often there are attempts at self-treatment with alcohol, nicotine, coffee, medication or even drugs, which often only aggravate the condition. The consequences are about the decrease in commitment, motivation, creativity, mental abilities and performance, self-pity, feelings of guilt, inferiority and failure, bitterness, inner and outer Resistance, desperation, hopelessness, escape fantasies and daydreams, sick leave, fear of being fired, suicidal thoughts. In addition, there is often suppression of disappointments, one's own mistakes and failures, exaggerated self-reproaches and self-devaluation or shifting the blame onto others, and neglect of one's own needs , neglecting hobbies and interpersonal contacts, partnership problems, family difficulties, isolation, loneliness and cynicism. stress reduction The prevention of such stress reactions consists in doing things, both privately and professionally, that correspond to your personal inclinations and strengths (at least not contradict them), use your own strength in a dosed manner, do not constantly overexert yourself and to indulge in regeneration phases. In the end, a little less is often more. In order to cope with an existing crisis , it is important to analyze the situation as objectively as possible, to assess it, to draw conclusions from it, to develop coping strategies and to take the necessary steps. In most cases this will not be possible without professional help. The regular implementation of the relaxation training helps to dampen stress reactions and to be able to cope better with difficult circumstances. With the help of constructive thinking , the stress reaction can not only be dampened, but often even prevented. Rational analysis of the situation, checking and neutralizing negative cognitions and appropriate evaluation of oneself, of fellow human beings and situations as well as sensible planning of measures ensure that negative emotions and the resulting stress consequences either do not arise in the first place or are quickly reduced will. With good control and regular use of the exercises, the balance between the sympathetic (predominant in the phase of tension, work and willingness to perform) and the parasympathetic (predominant in the phase of relaxation and rest) is restored. During the relaxation exercise, there is usually a switch from the sympathetic phase to the parasympathetic, regenerating phase. In addition to mental and physical stability, the reduction in stress also strengthens the immune system. In addition to relaxation training and constructive thinking, physical activity (regular and moderate sport), sufficient sleep and healthy nutrition have a positive effect on stress prevention and stress management.
No. Not really bothered about that these days. Just want to finish these tracks to the high standard I expect of myself Benefits Couldn't care less. Comes back to the DJ thing, I don't get it. Its all about the music really not fame. Seems like music always suffers with success... I'm hoping to find a way to sell my tracks eventually without having to deal with the promotion stuff... I feel that if the music isn't good enough to sell then its not ready and it shouldn't need any hype, it should speak for itself. That's the kind of standard I've always aimed for Nearly 50, but mentally about 15 probably :D I keep deleting these online accounts every time I have a reset. I'll have to think about this now, I hadn't even thought about that aspect, which is my typical dumb as fuck approach to everything There's a couple of old tracks on here https://soundcloud.com/rez-i-dent I'm very high functioning to the point where you can't really see the disorders. I have dyslexia but my spelling is brilliant really so I was shocked when I tested for it. I have dyspraxia but exercise improves my reactions to the point where you don't see that too much either. I had no idea I had ADHD until I took the meds and instead of having a scatty brain like everyone else I get tunnel vision. Since then I can see how little attention I have without meds... The autism mainly affects things like motor skills and my learning speed, reactions, ability to chat at a normal speed etc. Can't read body language, but I've got good at guessing, but I can't hold conversations for very long because it takes a huge effort to try to appear normal... My brain never shuts off and I'm ridiculously creative, too creative, its a flood of ideas when I do creatives. My tracks have been carnage for decades now, but I finally balanced out my Templates so that I can see where I'm going, but I'm effectively back at the beginning with this new approach, but with a proper vision and understanding of balance, and fuck all experience really because I have a bad habit of overloading instead of keeping things simple. Some of my intelligence is really high and some below 70. It doesn't make sense really, but that's the disorders in a nutshell I'm probably at the point where I'm capable of finishing tracks now. I'm more than capable of giving myself feedback on my tracks, writing myself notes and then fixing stuff. Its generally bringing everything together, keeping on track, remembering to focus on the Paretto stuff (my templates kind of address this. I built them to tackle that because I put everything at full volume so everything is overload in my world) ...Just generally a kick up the arse and figuring things out is what I need help with, from someone that can understand my general taste and what suits me I guess... I'm a pretty deep thinker. I have to learn everything thoroughly before I understand it and it usually takes me ages, unless its building on something familiar. I learned sound design properly and tend to learn a new synth in a few minutes these days, but that's from a shift in focus from shiny knobs that make squelches, to thinking about the sound that I want to create and seeing what tools can do that... As mentioned above, most education is pretty crap, but its about figuring out what's missing then looking to learn how to fix it. I couldn't hear a mix properly because nobody ever teaches that properly. Nobody has a proper approach to making music or a plan of how to make a track come to life. Its all just pot luck when you watch them... I need to know what I'm doing and remove as much of the time sucking as possible so that things can flow without thinking too much, so my Templates are built around my crazy mind... As an example, for decades now I've never realised that Synths that I label 'Backing Synths' belong in the background, not loud and in yer face. So positioning those in advance helps me to focus on the balance, see what's missing and build the tracks with a proper approach... But its very early days with this new outlook and I'm still screwing up quite a bit. I'm starting to realise that some of these Synths need a single note, not to follow the whole line and the impact becomes night and day - and this is the kind of thing I've been trying to figure out for decades now but I needed a proper balance in advance, menus prepared with sounds that I've built that are me before any of that was possible... Wish I'd known this 30 years ago I don't know how this post reads btw, but at the times of these successes I've never told people around me about them. Its always that fine line between reaching out to get the help I needed, wherever they were (probably nowhere near me back in those days) and telling the wrong people, who just screw things up with the party mentality etc, or even more pressure to be a success, so that they can be a success... I always felt it was better to keep quiet. And I'm just not someone who can go out on stage really, even though I've done gigs. I'd have learned the DJ thing if I was... Love being in the crowd though and dancing. Dance Music was always about the dancing to me, not standing around in a DJ Booth So yeah, I guess my interpretation of success is finishing tracks to a quality like those radio tracks that I know that I have in me... But then what do I do with them if I don't want to be famous etc? Dunno... I just want to finish the tracks really and probably take it from there... But clearly there's a lot that I haven't even considered and don't really care about
I'm not sure that this is what I'm after really now. I've probably got to the point where I have all of the skills, I've set everything up in such an organised way that I should be able to finish them now. I have a 4 stage process, but I've realised that I need a 5th stage where I give myself feedback on the laptop, phone or whatever and write notes about what needs to stand out, what's working etc. I can hear all of that, so I must have the skills for it, but when you think about everything involved in music, unless you just get lucky with productions, probably like randomly grabbing samples and throwing a track together at speed on instinct, you need to have some ability to push a track to a finish from nothing... I'm not the kind of person to just rely on luck. Once you have some success people expect you to follow that up and if it was difficult in the first place then its not going to get any easier. I think I'm pretty close now to the point where I can do everything that I need to do... Mastering is another issue, but I'll worry about that later if I even care really Cheers for the advice. The forum thing I was in before is similar, where its just general feedback from multiple minds, with no idea of what I'm aiming for, so they can tend to lead me towards their ideas or taste. I'm easily led like that... This is pretty much what the post was about, where I'd like to build a proper connection with someone who I can help in return. I guess its like the 'band' mentality, where the crowd creative feeds itself. Seems like successful bands would be quite insular and stick to their own ideas, so if you translate that to working as a mentorship, you keep your own tracks and build with someone who understands you, what you are aiming for, what your influences are and where you belong etc and give the same in return, hopefully. So its similar to the band approach, but not just randomly reaching out to all ability levels and tastes and not knowing which advice is good, never mind right for each of us... Seems like a logical outlook to me, but I do think differently Interesting point about depression. I don't think therapy is the answer for me. I just recognise the clouds are coming and ride it out these days and I tend to be over it within a matter of days instead of monthsand hopefully that can continue, but the point is that I'm really random in general. And I sometimes turn that depression into a creative as well. Why waste inspiration right? But there's definitely an element of burnout and a lack of perspective. My boxing sessions can be 5 hours long, which is ridiculous really. Its probably this kind of thing that works against me, but if I don't put in a ridiculous effort it feels pointless and I don't tend to feel the exercise, so I just keep going... there's a pattern here So like with everything, the sweet spot seems to be at about 70% effort and I typically run at 110% in everything. That needs addressing, but its easy to say these things. I can set out with a plan and 2 minutes later I've lost focus and I'm doing something completely different. This weekend I'm half considering cycling to the football, about 140 miles and I know it will destroy me for days. So I know I shouldn't do it, but I tend to just do these things without thinking. I need bringing back on track with shit like this and reminding that I shouldn't do it - I need to build a proper plan into my life with proper balance... And that this is probably feeding into burnout, which might be bringing on the depression... But my brain has no off switch, so I struggle seeing common sense a lot of the time 'Diary' sounds like the solution, but although I can type as fast as I can think I read like a 10-year-old, so it never works out. I'm always leaving myself notes and they get ignored and buried in hard drives. Last edited by a moderator: Apr 21, 2022
Thanks for the long text - I have read everything. Music is a good self-therapy for autistic people. There is the wisdom of letting go. In your text, the thing with the DJ appears more often. Bury the DJ and try to let go. You can practice that. The DJ stands in your own way. That was an experience - but you chose the creative process of making music, including sound design with synthesizers, and you're quite good at that. You should do what gives you pleasure or what you are good at and can handle. You released the last track on Soundcloud 9 years ago. It's about time to place a song there again. Your music is quite good and trance is your thing, please keep it up and be proud of it.
Funnily enough, I recently met a young guy with a record deal who is already playing concerts and large festivals, and we've started spending some creative time together. Nothing major, just chatting and listening to music, and then firing up the DAW and going through a few things. He is amazed by my little setup that didn't cost too much, but can do almost anything (just about!). We couldn't be more different though, I come from an art background, whereas he see's music as a means to an end, but I have opened his eyes to new possibilities and different ways of doing things. So I would definitely recommend a bit of mentoring or collaboration to anyone who find themselves stuck in a rut, or just wants to share new ideas. Oh yeah, the person I mentioned is a friend of my nephew in case you were wondering. Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
Cheers for the kind words.... Yeah these are old tracks and in the wrong genre, Trance. More DJ stuff... I probably need to build on my style at this point and just fall into my true self and this is kind of where I need some guidance, but it would take a lot of work in understanding me and what I'm aiming for to pull that off... Probably only needs small tweaks and pulling back to 70% effort, but its the psychology that's important to understanding what we are aiming for as Producers The mentoring idea feels like the kind of thing a lot of people would benefit from and could be a good idea for a forum, or even a website like those dating sites, to flick through people's style bio and look for someone to mentor with. Like a modern alternative to forming a band online... But maybe there's no demand for the concept, I don't know... And most people don't want to invest time into their development, they want instant outcomes and success
I don't think you are going to benefit much from a "mentor". I think you type well enough where you could open a Notepad,TextEdit and just type to yourself what someone else who knows the track less will tell you. When it comes to mixing, a outside person with a fresh set of ears is great. if you can "let go" of the project and let them do their thing. That is a big IF to overcome for a lot of producers. I think you would get more out of doing some collaborations at a higher level than just handing off a track for someone to mix or remix. just my .02.
Yeah its a different outlook right? In relation to my post, certainly from my perspective its something where I could learn about somebody's vision with a lot of work, figuring out the influences and things like the overall warmth of a mix by finding tracks that are relevant, but it takes a lot of work... As an example, someone I know wanted me to help engineer his gospel music, which isn't my taste at all, but I developed this into deeper thinking to try to understand what he's after exactly, so reference mixes to get an idea of the balance, get me stems from his church to put them into a rough balance so that he can tweak from there etc... This kind of deep thinking, rather than just throwing up faders and setting EQ. It could be balanced a million ways and still never be to his taste, and I'm starting from a place where its not my musical taste so what chance do I have really without some kind of reference? So with the art stuff, I'm seeing that as an abstract inspiration, where you appreciate what he's doing and try to understand that creative mind. There's always things to take from that kind of thing in my opinion. Some inspiration from the emotions in the art? The mindset. What the artist hopes to achieve. What struggles they face and maybe is there a way to relax into it or better ways to work? Do some skills need some developing to make things move faster and more reactive? Even things like placing the paints etc in a different place can make a difference to some people... Feels like when we open ourselves up to these experiences outside of our interests we get a lot back if we can see it in the moment. And even things like where to put the paints opens my mind up to thinking about how I organise my own setup, so that kind of thing would pay me back. I found this all the time giving feedback to people. I probably got more out of it than they did... I already addressed my music organisation and it made a huge difference to me, rather than flicking through hundreds of samples, getting sounds ready in advance makes it possible to make music faster. Even having a Template with sounds ready to go, might take a few minutes to load up, but you'll only have to keep loading sounds down the line, so why break off the flow? Creatives probably have so much to offer each other if they only lifted their fuckin heads from their phones in public for 5 seconds :D
Music is essentially painting with sound (and words), so the skills are transferable. Creating a song outline would be the equivalent of sketching a scene, etc. Everybody is born creative, but they usually manage to beat the creativity out of you by the time you leave school
Yeah that is a great idea. I've done it already though and because I see music very differently I can't wrap my head around collabs. I'm full of ideas in the creative part but I struggled beyond that. Its weird because at that time I could finish my own tracks just fine with some hacks. Might be like a pressure thing as well... And a couple of those got released, so more pressure in life that I can't live up to and don't need adding on :D I made a post on here a while back about my setup, where I realised how to visualise depth in a mix and coloured everything so that I could see the whole mix, going from light at the front to dark at the back. This developed and the Templates are in a great place now where I can see the whole production process. For most other people they won't connect with my setup and its arse over elbow. In the early versions while I was figuring things out I had over 600 tracks with insane routing. Its how my mind works. I have to see things fail before I can learn anything... As an example, where I will double up a line with an extra synth it will sound lifeless, but if I switch that line to stabs in different instruments, like a call and response it comes alive... Then I can hear the difference between the failure point, why my tracks have been failing because its flat and why I should build the tracks with those stabs and that its what I've always heard in my head but coudn't figure out... If somebody just showed me that process I'd probably not grasp it properly. I'm aware that's crazy, but its just how it is and its not a problem for me now What you suggest about collabs I don't seem to learn anything at all from really. I get the concept of what you meant though and you'd think I should be able to get tonnes from it... I have no idea why they set the levels as they did. I get the idea that most people will just do that on instinct and feel, but for me until I know that a synth is a 'backing synth' I don't know that it belongs in the background so I have no idea what level to set it at - so it just gets blasted... This is where I need the Template outlook now... Weird and long drawn out way of understanding things, but its just the way that I have to do things... And I'm aware of this now, so its all good really Cheers for the suggestion. Would be a great idea for most people, I appreciate it
