how long should i keep working on a track?

046oh

046oh

New member
i find that when i keep working on a track, i become unproductive and make no progress.
do you set a timelimit for yovur work?
also，do you do more than one project at a time?
 
I don't set timelimit, I work till finish or till it becomes so boring that I can't go much further. For the second question anwer is sometimes.
 
Judging from what you have posted on Soundcloud lately, you are where we all have been - where tossing out an idea was easy, but finishing it into a coherent whole was tricky; almost an impossible obstacle.
Try to finish your songs faster. Do not think about how it sounds too much; done is done and you will learn something from every song you finish this way. Store it as finished and move on to the next one. You will learn something on every track and your track count will go up generating a sense of progress in the numbers. There is always the trashcan but for now store these tracks under their own names etc..

What helped me was "never go into the studio without an idea". I make the concept of the song first, and take care of beats, arrangement and mixing later when I know where the song was heading.

And my 2 cents on several tracks at the same time; if you can´t finish 1 will it be easier to try to finish 3 at the same time? I doubt it. Finish 1, then move on to the next one IMO.

For what it´s worth, I still struggle with cutting down on the time used on every production.

Best of luck.
 
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thanks so much! when you say 'finish' a track, what do you mean? do you mean arranging and mixing, and adding effects? so should I have less parts and focus more on adding fx, fills etc?
 
update:
i wasn't sure what you meant by "finishing a track", so i tried to make a track with the least number of components.
i tried not to think about hating my bassline or wanting to tweak the synth sound.

what i tried to learn from the track i made was how to modulate stuff in the new reaper i just installed.

is this what you meant by finishing a track faster and learning something new?

also, i realized that i actually enjoy track making now.
i don't get depressed in front of my daw, thanks to your advice about not thinking too much about how it sounds.
in fact, i see that you kind of "grow" to like your song.
 
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Finishing a track = get it done.That includes writing a song (if that is what you are doing) or making a beat, arrange it so it has different elements like intro, verse, chorus etc. and make it sound as good as you are capable of. In the fastest time possible. Then save it and move on to the next one. Do not stop because you cannot make the clap sound exactly like Timbalands clap from Mirrors or the bass to sound Armin Van Buuren. Just do what you can and push yourself a little every time to learn something.This way you will finish projects and every little one will be a little better than the previous. But you gotta push yourself and try to mimic what you hear and like from commercial music. Learn the tricks of the trade as you go.
 
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When I get stuck on a track, as in no more good ideas, not making it sound any better mix wise, or adding anything good really, I tend to switch to other projects. Sometimes I open back really old projects and finish them in one go (couple of long hours though).

I think if you're stuck, take a break from that track, clear your mind and your ears. Listen to music that you like and new music to find that fresh vibe and get back to it when it feels right.
 
How about taking a break from that track for a week or so, and produce another track meanwhile.
Also, bounce the track down, sit down and relax like a listener would, and then listen to it over and over again and write down everything you want to do with your track, and get it done.
 
I am in agreement with the others..

My friend this is something we all struggle with.

My advice would be to start a new project with a plan...

Think about what you need improvement on(which topics)....is it EQ, compression, mixing, velocities, transitions, base melody, arrangement, effect,etc...

We Need improvement in most of these areas but,,,,its not easy to cover all of these topics in EVERY project we do.....because you are a beginner still...

Really just focus on a couple topics per project...

And alongside your projects you should be watching tutorials and reading material, studying and researching topics a little more indepth. Apply yourself in your projects little by little. Don't just let it come naturally(do the research!), you will grow a LOT faster.

But I've noticed anyway, when you work to long on a project, or overthink the melodies/composition....things can get way offtrack.
Once you have the right elements, really focus from there how you can Vary those "Base Elements"...and different ways to present them to the listener.

The Melody for instance can always be transposed to another instrument or octave...just an example.
Or the Time signature can always be changed....not the bpm....but the length of notes.

these are just 2 examples...but if you look closely...there are Many many ways to be creative with your "Base Elements" and tell a story to your listener, in different fashions...

Don't overthink your project or its direction....

There are also tricks to making good music....I won't tell you mine! lol gotta find your own, I just found mine.
 
thank you so much guys for the advice.
i realize that my biggest fault is hating my composition.

i've been trying not to focus on that aspect, and more on getting it done.
that really helped a lot.

right now, my "trick" is "having fun with the process".
 
I think the good ol' "10% inspiration, 90% perspiration" very much holds true when it comes to music production - the initial thrill of finding a great groove (or pattern, or melody, or whatever) only lasts so long, and then you just gotta sit down and work at it, even though it might be not that "fun" anymore - but that's how songs get finished. On the other hand, I don't really think forcing yourself to finish everything quite works, though. If you get completely stuck, start something else and revisit the other project(s) later on. I often end up working in a series of passes - work on a bunch of tracks, adding something there, another little bit there, and move on to the next one, eventually ending up with something half complete that gives me the rush again and gives me the urge to finish something. Probably doesn't work for everybody, but works for me.
 
THERES A SIMPLE ANSWER FOR THIS MY MUSIC BROTHERS ...... THERES NO LIMIT OF TIME TO STOP JUST STOP WHEN YOUR HAPPY WITH IT OR WHEN YOU THINK ITS REACH A LEVEL THAT CAN BE SHARED WITH OTHERS ✊ PS i will share my music later on once i get to know you guys ✊#edmfamily
 
046oh said:
thank you so much guys for the advice.
i realize that my biggest fault is hating my composition.

i've been trying not to focus on that aspect, and more on getting it done.
that really helped a lot.

right now, my "trick" is "having fun with the process".
Click to expand...

Thats it, just trying to have fun is what its about. I agree with just trying to get it done then moving on. I've learnt alot more doing that sticking on one song till i felt it was 'listen-too-able'.
 
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