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.

 

Go with the flow. Follow your heart.

 

Last edited: Jun 18, 2026 at 5:28 AM

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.

 

As a former jam session musician, i love to open the DAW and play anything until i'm jamming with myself. Track some bassline, add some synths, drums and then start developing from there.

 

If they now pin their hopes on AI instead of solving their problem, they will be stripped of their remaining cognitive abilities.

There are several options:

Cut back on internet use—try an absolute ban on downloading (you’ll see that you start to experience withdrawal symptoms). Try going without the internet for a day; you’ll realize just how dependent you are on technology. Then, try using the internet less over a longer period and avoid downloading anything new.

Step back into the real world—go to a concert or an art exhibition—and leave your smartphone turned off and at home!
If you give your brain a good long break, you’ll be able to see things from a different perspective. Learn to enjoy the silence of nature, and write down your goals and problems on a piece of paper.

By the end of this process of self-healing, you’ll be fresh, energized, and ready to write a new song!

 

If you want to make more music then stop trying to make it on your computer, that's the problem. I've been making music for over 20 years and I found myself having the same issue, the problem disappeared as soon as I stopped opening a DAW to create. All my ideas are recorded on my phone's recording app which I made accessible without having to unlock my phone, I only start recording when I feel something is coming but maybe it might be good for you to even avoid that at the beginning. I do everything on my acoustic guitar and I only touch my computer once the songwriting is done. If you don't play guitar then I suggest you get any kind of CASIO keyboard, synth with its own speakers or an actual piano. Falling into the AI trap isn't a solution, it will make things worse for you.

PS: I would also suggest you try to work on a new idea every day or with whatever consistency it works for you, but you need to finish them no matter how bad you think they are. If you consistently work on ideas while ignoring their "value", you will find yourself having a lot of good ones in between the terrible ones.

 

So your "workflow" is...waiting until a finished song idea pops up in your head?
Waiting until a half-finished song idea pops up?
Waiting until some kind of idea pops up?

There's a lot of Flow and far too little Work in your "workflow", man. That's your problem.

Inspiration comes from various sources. Either consume media until you find it, or work until you strike something that rings true to your ear.

Or sure, yeah, you can also twiddle your thumbs and write sad forum posts about not having inspiration. So people can give you tons of ideas that worked for them, but probably not work for you. Not because the ideas are bad, and we're all different; just because you will probably not even try them, because you were not inspired enough.

Also, read up a bit on boundaries and how they affect creativity: https://www.google.com/search?q=bou...CDU5NzVqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Also on choice paralysis, because you have the completely wrong mindset. Exactly because you have EVERYTHING, you are unable to choose something. And you're creating imaginary pressure on yourself.

Pick a key, pick a rhythm, pick 3-5 instruments. Now, make something USING ONLY the things you picked, instead of your INFINITE toolbox.
See how much simpler that is?

 

you are talking about "buying a midi keyboard", "downloading synplant" and "having no ideas" while "beeing in business" and then you summarize these things under "workflow"?

you didnt not eve mention a single thing releated to workflow? you´re going to deliver that info later?

 

I feel you, the more I age the more it is "yeah I've come up with that idea a thousand times already and every other guy too...". Plus I only made good music when I had a really bad time. And life was good over the last years, so...
But I take a good live over 'bad live but making good music' any time, I don't have to live from composing.
Do you have to output music? Why do you consider using AI, would it feel better to use AI than to produce nothing?
Your post reads like you don't have to live from that craft, more like a personal journey (that is what it is on my side).
//edit// I'm not against AI. I'm against content farming and spamming spotify with 300 albums a month on 30 aliases. Using it as a sort of randomizer is not that much different than skipping through a sampling cd in the 90ies. I personally wouldn't do it because I don't want to give AI companies another subscripton or show them that there would be a need for their services on a free plan.
My thing is that I lost the urge to create over the years.
You seem to have the urge, so that is very different to me.

 

Last edited: Jun 18, 2026 at 5:31 PM

Word.

Stop trying to 'create' something, just play.

 

Consider attending some parties at least, if you don't have inspiration to create and get music out of you, then let the music come to you, immerse yourself into the music, remind yourself why you even started in first place and there's no better place then Funktion One rig and you in the middle of the dancefloor, full of some questionable substances. if that doesn't work out, just quit at that point, it's gone.

 

i also have a 49, but maybe someone stole an octave from mine, as i have only 4 of them?!

 

images don't inspire me, I don't have THAT artistic soul

every single one i tried is crap, it was a miracle that TranceEngine I've used previously spit something good once (I've tried)

i tried that too, and i always got same result:

Spoiler

i'm not forcing myself to finish these 92 unmaintainable sketches that i have rotting on google drive

yes

i meant that i believe i will get an idea, because keyboard would let me write melodies more flexibly instead of clicking notes on piano roll using a mouse, as i've been doing so

have no time for it

price was a point

 

Put all your stuff beside and play around with VCV Rack for a few weeks.
Controlled Randomness > AI
I find it very inspirational at times.
Trust me bro

 

ok, so your workflow is to "click notes on a piano roll".

maybe i do not understand what "workflow" means, i would have expected something else.