I'm doing a little research for a project I'm starting next year regarding the process of making music.

I've struggled for years finishing music and after 25 years of producing, I feel like I've finally hit my stride and I'm able to follow through from start to finish consistently, even if its low output. I'm curious to know what specific struggles you all have encountered or deal with regularly that keeps you from finishing the music you make. I'm hoping you all could share your input with this poll and maybe some words about your own experiences. Thank you so much!

 

One possible aspect to add: file management and backup (organisation / logistics). It can also interfere with musical productivity, when you have hundreds of random files on your desktop, no clear folder structure or no proper backup setup (some musicians have lost years worth of work due to that).

Or when you have hundreds of plugins and suffer from choice paralysis or at the very least it slows you down...

 

@Hazen great point, I've added it to the poll. Thank you!

 

I wish that I had someone to name the tracks and to do all those other tedious tasks that take away from the actual moments in-between moments where I find my flame of creative momentum. Doing everything from soup to nuts is both a godsend and a curse. It's amazing to be blessed with the tools of recording such as being able to just turn on a computer, click on an icon and basically be up and running to capture anything from an orchestral piece to a solo guitar performance in just a few moments in the comfort of my own home, though I long for the days when I'd plug in and let someone else fiddle the faders and let me be mindless in the here and now. I'm a musician but need to wear hats that are either too large or too small these days (since around ADAT days).

 

To me it's perfectionism, but mostly aimed to identity. I can do a bunch of things decently well but even if the result is technically good enough, most of the time i get the feeling it's just another piece of music, not "my" piece of music.

It's not a quality or complexity thing either, it's just the feeling of connection to the music i make that in general is really hard for me to get just right, and as a result i end up ditching a lot of ideas and taking quite some time to do anything at all.

Little disclaimer though, I make music exclusively for myself, so that might be the reason why this is such a big deal for me.

 

All my problems are related to ADHD : getting motivated to start a project, keeping focus, not feeling extremely tired and discouraged..

I have a bunch of finished (or abandoned near completion) tracks, but the vast majority of my output stems from improvisation -thus my idiosyncratic style of ambient-noise-bleeps and bloops-autistic atonal jazz®

 

That's a really good point. Having to juggle so many hats can be extremely overwhelming. I struggled with this over the years just trying to process and apply the knowledge of making music. It doesn't come easy for a lot of people and probably one of the main the detriments to crossing the finish line when it comes to production.

 

Distractions, for sure.
But I still enjoy spending time with my girl on this beach here. Should connect my keyboard to that phone soon, anyway.

 

Working with a lot of other people and their schedules

I record without fail, the prior three albums included, with real musicians and instruments. Many of us reside in different countries.
This is valid - other people delay my processes, not creatively or writing or performance, the project itself.
There is no blame on them at all because my music is creative instrumentally and a few have families to feed and a few of us the kids are adults. So my music must come second for gigs that put food on the table for them. So it requires patience, acceptance and more understanding than many would.

I am a perfectionist too I suppose, but truly, I have no issues with being able to say to myself it was the best i could do at the time. Semantics in perfectionism are the killer that causes delay. get past that and you can get over yourself.

 

This is another great point and one of the things that I think a lot of us struggle with. It's really hard to develop a distinct style, let alone one that stands out among the sheer volume of music being made today. I went ahead and added this to the poll btw. Thank you!

 

Giving a shit. Either about doing it in the first place or doing anything with it after.
Actually, that applies to everything.

 

I remember you speaking of wouldn't it be great if a system that could do this with only a thought a while back, that was an interesting concept.
As I said this site is your baby. Yep, 'tis moi.... I found you cannot download Kontakt wallpapers properly without being a member.
PM if you need to but I think you've worked it out.

I used a walkman in the early days. Then I didn't need to recall it even though I couldn't sing for shit it was enough to remind me of my processes.

 

Two things.

First, figuring out ear candy, transition FX and all the other stuff like that. Genuinely not the first time my track is complete except the risers, filter movements and such. I don't understand them.

Second, and it happens recently, not enough mental and emotional resource to even install all the missing software, let alone write or try anything new.

 

Mine is filling out a song.. taking it from a really great sounding loop to a full on song. Maybe I should just sell loops.

That somewhat goes along with what @justwannadownload says too, adding those little ear candy details. I'm starting to figure that part out now though, so it's more expanding a problem of expanding it from nice loop to full track. I also think I get a bit bored if working on something too long too.

 

of course being able to play the stuff i come up with on guitar/bass, but then keep making mistakes when i hit record. i give up on that, so most of the recording i do is midi/synth stuff. but then once i record just a handful of tracks, it sounds full up sonically. aren't i supposed to have 10-1,000 tracks like everyone else seems to? i mean, you could just hold down one note on some patch using omnisphere for four minutes... maybe add a drum loop... and there''s a finished composition. lol

 

The act of "making music" is not that hard for me, as I use it as a mean to save money on mental health therapy, but I enjoy a lot more the journey than the destination. When a track is finished I feel some kind of pressure to release it, and to only think on all the tedious work and circular reasoning that implies doing it: go to distrokid, fill the fucking forms, go to bandcamp, fill the fucking forms, desing the cover, am I going to do a visual piece for it as well? With the actual state of the industry, it's even worth it? Even if the mix is decent, but should I send it to No Avenger so someone else with taste and more knowlodeage and professionalism than me can fiddle with it and make it prettier? Should I spend money on it? Am I going to promote it? Do I want to promote it? Should I upload it on Soundcloud and call it a day and then get depressed cause I'm not promoting it and we live on the "like, subscribe and reproduction count happiness zeigeist"? I don't have driving license, I'm 46 and live in the middle of the forest, my wife drives me to places, should I be studing to pass the test instead of thinking all of this nonsense?

It's really tiresome to release a track. Or that's the reason I fool myself with. Who knows.

 

For me it is in this order:
1) keep some enthusiasm even though I know almost no one will care to listen to my tracks (I am a hobbist that pretentiously thinks is doing some art so a little recognition is very welcome now and then to keep the moral up - and I am not talking about money);
2) make the vocal line with lyrics that do not sound too dumb, record singing it myself and mix it in a way I do not hate/despise my own voice and give up;
3) record and mix my guitar parts (that "press the rec button anxiety" or whatever it is called in English applies here, even when I am home alone lol).

PS: have to say thanks to this place cuz some of you here have helped me a lot with #1

 

Last edited: Dec 11, 2024 at 5:24 PM