Fear of producing new music

R

RuSty1

New member
Hey guys haven't posted on here in a while but I've still been producing a lot. I've been really trying to improve my music this past year. Although I've learnt a lot and improved a little I'm still not happy with the style of my music and how it sounds so I haven't released anything yet. Only been making tunes for roughly 2 years (so not that long).

Music for me this past year has been a lot of up and downs. When ever I'm making a new track that I like I get super excited and I think to myself "This is the one I'm going to release" but very quickly I kind of stop liking it/don't think its good enough for me to release when the track is 95% done. I've also noticed that I hate not working on a song. I feel like I'm wasting time if I'm not working on something new. I'm not going to lie, I always want the next track that I'm working on to be "the one I release".

Through this way of thinking I've also now become scared of starting a new track, scared that I'll start and it wont be good enough and I'll get frustrated and so overwhelmed. But sometimes I guess I try and it works and then I'm in this happy state where I can say that I'm not wasting my time and that "I'm working on this really good track that I'll probably release". Its kind of like a cycle of stress and fun haha. I also stress about how original my tracks sound. I really don't like making generic music and I always stress if my track is original enough or dancy enough.

Is there any way to break this loop and not get stuck in this massive rut between making tracks? I'm also aware that someone who makes 100 songs in a year will be a better producer than someone who has spent a whole year on one song. My goal is to just make heaps of tracks so I can improve my music. I'm looking at making 1 track a week.

I don't doubt great producers find themselves in creative ruts from time to time but I'm in one between every track I make. I think its impacting my mental health and stress and making music shouldn't really be doing that to me.

Can anyone help me out? Any strategies? Should I try have a set process when it comes to making music? Should I have a certain approach I should take to every track I start producing? and how would I even come up with that?

thanks guys
 
I've got less experience than you but I think what you're dealing with is good taste. You like good, well produced, original music and probably dislike the rest. It might even be why you started producing. Naturally, because of this, your music doesn't meet your standard. But here's the interesting thing I've found, it might for others, and if it doesn't you can get great feedback for the next track.

Its fascinating to me that as a producer we will never get to do what a listener can - hear it for the first time. Because of this interesting dynamic our opinions of our tracks is impossibly tainted.

If you've got 2 years in, and want to make a track every week, I'm going to assume you make solid tracks because of the time and commitment alone.

How much feedback to you seek for your tracks, I know you don't release them but do you share them? My best advice would be to force yourself to finish tracks and seek as much feedback as possible. Personally I'm in several FB groups, a Discord group from here, SynthShare, and a few random producer's I've met online. By seeking that feedback my learning curve has been shortened and I've gotten great tips/techniques/ideas to implement that have made me happier with my sound. I'm still lightyears away from where I want to be but getting a little better daily. Also, I release tracks somewhat regularly despite the quality lacking because I want to develop the habit of finishing and releasing music now so when my skill is higher its natural.

Also, I just took 2 weeks off. Never opened the DAW. This is after spending nearly every free hour inside of it for months. Was a big boost to my creativity and even workflow. Keep at it brother, and if you want a fresh set of ears on a project let me know.
 
I've got less experience than you but I think what you're dealing with is good taste. You like good, well produced, original music and probably dislike the rest. It might even be why you started producing. Naturally, because of this, your music doesn't meet your standard. But here's the interesting thing I've found, it might for others, and if it doesn't you can get great feedback for the next track.


Its fascinating to me that as a producer we will never get to do what a listener can - hear it for the first time. Because of this interesting dynamic our opinions of our tracks is impossibly tainted.


If you've got 2 years in, and want to make a track every week, I'm going to assume you make solid tracks because of the time and commitment alone.


How much feedback to you seek for your tracks, I know you don't release them but do you share them? My best advice would be to force yourself to finish tracks and seek as much feedback as possible. Personally I'm in several FB groups, a Discord group from here, SynthShare, and a few random producer's I've met online. By seeking that feedback my learning curve has been shortened and I've gotten great tips/techniques/ideas to implement that have made me happier with my sound. I'm still lightyears away from where I want to be but getting a little better daily. Also, I release tracks somewhat regularly despite the quality lacking because I want to develop the habit of finishing and releasing music now so when my skill is higher its natural.


Also, I just took 2 weeks off. Never opened the DAW. This is after spending nearly every free hour inside of it for months. Was a big boost to my creativity and even workflow. Keep at it brother, and if you want a fresh set of ears on a project let me know.
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Hey thanks for this great response.

I've actually never actually had feedback on my tracks. I've never known where to go get feedback. I never share them privately. This is something that I definitely need to do. Where do I even go for feedback? What was the discord group link from here? I honestly think this is what I'm missing because I've been doing music on my own for the whole time and probably criticizing my own music too harshly.

I also think I've set an unrealistic goal for my first release and pressuring that has crushed my creativity.

Its really weird because I only realize this stuff when I make a post haha.

Your songs will never be your favorite songs.
You've already killed the song before it's finished.
The reason you don't like your songs is the same reason you don't listen to 1 song forever and still find it interesting.
It's called predictability. when you hear a song over and over again, there's nothing interesting left in it.


And let me tell you this now, before you get disappointed.
Nobody cares.
Just constantly upload your songs every week, doesn't matter how good or bad it is to you or your family/ friends, because everyone has different taste.
You need to start sometime. the sooner the better.
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I've also noticed that since I know every single element in my track (since I put them there) that I guess it will never sound like "other music" because its super hard to notice every little detail in a track. So I guess the only way I know a track is good enough to release would be from the feedback I get from them.
 
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Synthshare.com is a good spot, its the whole purpose of the website. For every track you give feedback on you get feedback back. Obviously it takes a bit of time because people have to listen and give feedback but it works pretty well.
 
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