What motivates you when you have producers block?

Biggest thing for me is just taking breaks and spending the time doing/discovering other things.

Usually when I'm stuck or feeling stagnant, I'll listen to different genres of music to try and learn some new techniques, drum patterns etc.

I'll also get back into a specific instrument and spend some more time playing just guitar, piano, drums etc just to mix things up.

I'll also read a lot or just get into other topics or interests completely outside of music.
 
First post, I've been producing for about 4 years, and just last week I watched chapter one of Ill.Gates, Ill methodology workshop, which I highly recommend watching, but the two biggest things I've learned was first setting up a Night Producing, and a Day producing schedule, At night, Night meaning a session I may only work on for an hour or so, Smoke all the weed you want, have a beer, whatever, but only focus on sound design, very slight mixing, etc. However, for day mixing, set aside a larger period of time, such as 2-4 hours, don't smoke any dope, remove your phone from the room, turn off the internet, and go.
Split all your processes into it's own clear section.
When you're arranging, do not do any mixing or sound design, so on and so forth.

Also, the best thing I do when I have writers block.... is write, write unrelated riffs, write a guitar solo, a lead, whatever. Just get the gears turning in your head again.
 
this is a good question, i love how many of you say you have a smoke,
i do that regardless of whether i have writers block or not haha! ;)
sometimes i go through like a fortnight where i dont touch my computer, and sometimes like a month goes by where im making tunes between 2 and 8 hours a day. :)
realistically, if you have the block, its better not to try at all. you just get frustrated. if i have writers block i just ignore my studio - trust me a week of this goes by and suddenly i have an idea or hear a sample or hear a tune and my brain just goes nuts (this usually happens halfway through my workday bless my soul) and then im back on it again haha :)
if its more of a short term block (halfway through a production session if you're feeling tired an fatigued, the same way you do at work or school) i find it good to have a coffee & cigarette, or play some zombies or have a jam on another instrument, get a natural vibe happening.
dont forget youre using your brain! you can walk away from a production session just as tired as you would be after a full day of school or work, you just feel better about it because youre creating something wonderful (or at least I like to think so haha :) )
i like what dylzor said about the daytime/nighttime sessions - i just work full time so its all night sessions for me haha!
Also, you dont have to even make a tune when you sit down at your DAW. i often find myself just tweaking my soft synths and making patches or playign with compressors and testing drum patterns :) i recently did this and stumbled across a way to make pretty decent dnb at 90bpm (which im assuming isnt the conventional DNB tempo haha!)
good luck to all of you!
Skerrick's sounds on SoundCloud - Hear the world
 
80/160bpm - 90/180bpm is pretty standard for drum and bass, jungle, etc.
like your method, though-- it's similar to mine. usually go for days to a week or two without making anything to speak of, then get balls deep for a couple of weeks day in and day out
 
80/160bpm - 90/180bpm is pretty standard for drum and bass, jungle, etc.

really? i had no idea... i just kinda stumble upon tempos... 127.00 is awesome for slow minimal tech, ive heard that 133bpm is like technically the "perfect" bpm for dance music... but yeah its all experimental for me, thats what makes it so much fun haha :)
 
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