Tips for getting out of the 'producer block'

the.boy

New member
Yo!

I produce hiphop beats, and recently really struggling to come up with any beats..I see producers doing like 1-5 a day?! I'm still stuck on the same beat i started a week ago. Any tips for helping speed up production and break through these creative blocks?
 
im been there twice before man what did was start doin soundtrack music it was like a breathe of fresh air doin a different genre i just needed variety instead of just doin rnb and rap beats before that though i just worked through my slump over time or took a break youll be ok sir
 
Start some new tracks every day. Don't expect them all to be great.

Try new techniques. Use different sounds. Try new software demos. Use different equipment.

Personally, I eventually realised that I find it hard to compose on a computer. Hardware has it's limitations compared to software but sometimes limitations are good. When I have thousands of drum samples on my hard drive to choose from, sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Selecting a few dozen (or hundred) and loading them into a hardware sampler is quite liberating...
 
Start some new tracks every day. Don't expect them all to be great.

Yep. I 'throwaway' far more than I keep - the experimentation that goes into a throwaway beat will be recycled into knowledge on my next banger.

Other things I might do is to work to a theme for a while or give myself a project deadline.
2 finished tracks by midnight on Friday.
Or 6 tracks that use horns as the main sample.


I also play production games - Rhythm Roulette/Drop the Needle type games where I give myself a time limit to get to a certain point (like a rough arrangement).
This is especially good when I know I'm not gonna have much studio time (I have kids) to play with. Means I get something done/started.

EDIT: But most importantly - give yourself time to listen to some music NOT made by you.
 
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Whenever I have producers block I turn to sampling. That really overcomes it for me, but you could also try downloading new plugins or looking at tutorials on youtube.
 
The trick is not not try and force creativity because it's actually more dependent upon a relaxed state of mind.....it works a bit like one of those skeet shooting games with a light gun where if you concentrate you don't hit shit but if you kind of zone out and stare at the screen you can hit everything, you know it's like that "too many minds" scene in the Last Samurai where he keeps getting hit until he learns to zone out and relax so he can focus instinctively......well that's how it works with creativity too, if you relax your mind it should flow naturally.
 
The trick is not not try and force creativity because it's actually more dependent upon a relaxed state of mind.....it works a bit like one of those skeet shooting games with a light gun where if you concentrate you don't hit shit but if you kind of zone out and stare at the screen you can hit everything, you know it's like that "too many minds" scene in the Last Samurai where he keeps getting hit until he learns to zone out and relax so he can focus instinctively......well that's how it works with creativity too, if you relax your mind it should flow naturally.
I'm not sure I agree with you on all of that. There's a great deal of evidence that shows that creative processes can be learned.
 
People are different. People take different avenues to create and people are inspired, individually, by different means. Personally, I am an intuitive creator. For me it's all about what's right, in that particular moment. Tomorrow may be different. Too many times I start a project and am very inspired but the next day it's gone and I end up trashing it. Because it's all about that particular moment that is hard to recreate or fake. It's an organic experience. So I like to think of creativity as an actual manifestation of energy. But it's limited like a life bar on a video game. Sometimes it needs to be recharged.

This is mostly for people that really get into their music and their "flow state" etc.. Not people that just throw a couple chords together, layer the same drum pattern and call it "lil Dinga-Ling type beat"
 
Recently added 5 reason modules to my setup, so I'm not interested in producing anytime soon as I'm learning those inside and out :]
 
I'm not sure I agree with you on all of that. There's a great deal of evidence that shows that creative processes can be learned.

I am not saying that creative processes can't be learned, I am saying that there is a great deal of evidence that shows a relaxed state of mind is more conducive to the actual creative process itself than concentrating on being creative.

It's kind of like putting on a seat-belt, if you think about it too much there is a good chance it's going to lock up and you will end up fighting against it whereas if you relax and don't really think about it you should be able to put it on effortlessly.
 
Just finish! Even if its shi**y! That's what I did in the beginning. Eventually you'll become faster and it'll become second nature. I kinda had creative block a few weeks back and instead of trying to keep making beats, I just tried to get my mind focused somewhere else for a few days. Then when I got back into it, I was back to normal. I would say starting out though to just keep on making them. I've heard people say before that your first 100 beats are gonna suck and for me that was semi true. Most of them were trash. Patience and persistence is something that I've learned.
 
theres days iwont do music ,i'll take a break from it, take a breather as u will,then go back with fresh ears and a new perspective. i take long walks to clear my mind with no music in my headphones just listening to the avid noises around me ,just venture away from music to regenerate.
 
Work on sound design, reverse engineer sounds, read, watch youtube tutorials, practice piano, try producing different genres. Sometimes you can find inspiration away from your DAW as well.
 
whenever i get stifled like this it usually means i need to take a break for a couple days. read, do visual art, etc. it never works out well when i force myself to make music when i'm in this sort of block.
 
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