How to stop being a perfectionist?

Droppoutt

Droppoutt

New member
Yo.

When I first started making music (years ago) it was a lot of fun. I had no idea what I was doing but I really enjoyed doing it.

Now every time I try to make something I just get frustrated because it never sounds like my favorite artists. I feel like I keep trying to copy them even knowing I should be trying to acquire my own sound and stop comparing myself to everyone else. I'll work on my music and maybe take a break and listen to some of my favorite albums and I'm just sitting there like "wow, my track is 100% dog shit." It's just no fun anymore because I keep trying to get the exact synths from Kanye's Graduation, or the exact mix that 9th Wonder used on a certain beat, or getting my kick and bass to knock like one of Dipset's tracks by Just Blaze...

Then I'll watch videos of people making beats and I'll see how complex their projects look. They'll have like 60 patterns a bunch of automation a shit load of sounds all kinds of effects.... How do they figure all that out? At what point do they add that much? When I make a beat it consists of pretty much nothing compared to that. Something to hold my drums something for my sample, maybe something for bass and that's about it. Then with patterns I only have a few. I just can't figure out why these people have so much in one project and I can't figure out how they start making a track and end up with that much...
 
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You have to just let yourself progress over time. The better I got, the less I envied. And the higher the level I got too, the quicker I ended up with a polished track. Try to keep things simple and don't strain too much or you'll find yourself spread in different directions. It can take years to find your sound though, and what can speed things up is not getting bogged down but finishing up tracks and moving on to the next batch. When you hear weakness in your music, apply that to the next batch of tracks, not the previous. That's how you stay creative and keep excelling.
 
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes
Art is knowing which ones to keep"
Scott Adams (via Dilbert)
 
You need to remember what it is that you enjoy about the music you would like to make.

This has happened to me before, and yes it does suck. I am the same, like a lot of people on here no doubt.

Create the stuff that really excites you. For example, sometimes I'll hear some strings or something in a movie, and I'll think "It'd be really cool to make some epic pads".

So that's what I do, go into the studio, and just make a pad. I'm not making it because I have to, but because I want to make something that sounds awesome.

And if that turns into a song? Great! If not, I might keep it in a library of sounds.

In short, don't put so much pressure on yourself and enjoy it. If you're enthusiastic about what you're doing, it will reflect in what you produce/write.

Hope this helps,
Slychain
 
The key is to not think about it. F what everyone else is doing. If you think it's tight then rock with it. Would you rather be known as the guy who did the same stuff as everyone else or would you rather be the guy who did something cool by accident and started a new trend?
 
slychain said:
You need to remember what it is that you enjoy about the music you would like to make.

This has happened to me before, and yes it does suck. I am the same, like a lot of people on here no doubt.

Create the stuff that really excites you. For example, sometimes I'll hear some strings or something in a movie, and I'll think "It'd be really cool to make some epic pads".

So that's what I do, go into the studio, and just make a pad. I'm not making it because I have to, but because I want to make something that sounds awesome.

And if that turns into a song? Great! If not, I might keep it in a library of sounds.

In short, don't put so much pressure on yourself and enjoy it. If you're enthusiastic about what you're doing, it will reflect in what you produce/write.

Hope this helps,
Slychain
Click to expand...

Thanks man.

It's been like this for awhile and I'm not sure how to fix it.

It's mostly because I know what mixing and mastering are now. It makes me feel like if it's not properly done it's garbage. I don't have the money to spend on the best monitors and gear so how am I supposed to have fun making music if all these people talk shit on every ones mix if it's not up to par. I keep trying to get my beats to sound like my favorite records but I just can't pin point how they got that sound. I keep trying and trying and it always turns into something I'm just not feeling. Maybe I'd be into it for a little bit but then it starts sounding bad to me and I scrap it.
 
rideforvankay said:
Would you rather be known as the guy who did the same stuff as everyone else or would you rather be the guy who did something cool by accident and started a new trend?
Click to expand...

But be careful with this! Don't strive to be an innovator either. If that happens, great! Beware of the pressure though that this kind of thinking can bring, we often end up trying too hard to be different, which can also result in music that we're not really pleased with.

Just do it for you and because you love it.
 
rideforvankay said:
The key is to not think about it. F what everyone else is doing. If you think it's tight then rock with it. Would you rather be known as the guy who did the same stuff as everyone else or would you rather be the guy who did something cool by accident and started a new trend?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the post.

That's what I tell myself at times. I keep wanting to be my favorite artists. When I started really getting into hip-hop I wanted to be Nujabes so bad. I was listening to his music and I was like "damn... I want to make shit likes this" That's kind of how I first started getting dedicated to hip-hop and music in general. At first it was just something for me to do that was creative because that's what I always liked doing my whole life. I wanted to draw but never got to good but once I started getting into music I've been dedicating years to become the best I can at it. I feel like I haven't made progress but I know it's a load of shit to say that because when I listen to my old music I know for a fact I'm miles ahead of where I was back then and hope for the best that if I give it more and more time I'll be another J Dilla or Heatmakerz.
 
Hey dropout.

I'm new to the board but I've been producing for quite some time. Honestly...We've all been there where we wonder if what we do is good enough...but what are your standards for your music? Are you trying to copy or are you trying to make your own lane by building off of the producers who've influenced you? If so....I'd say create your own thing have an artist in mind per track.
 
I don't think "perfectionist" fits this thread at all..."Knowledge is Power", you learned something and now your wondering what to do with that knowledge. Your old ways just won't cut it anymore. Your not being a perfectionist, your knowledgeable.

Sooo...You should ask, "How do I exploit my knowledge?", doesn't really matter what it is or for the reason.

I was the same way, I lost interest in making music when I found out mine sucked. HOWEVER, no one knows this, only us.

I also started to learn about mixing and mastering as much as I could and then when I do sit down to make music....I just "make music", there is no more learning this or that (even though I have loads to learn). Now I can create without the hassle of the learning curve.

FOR FUN, turn off your studio monitors, take off your headphones, and make an entire song, WITHOUT listening to it...if that is where you are failing. STOP THINKING!

Really, being "creative" and being "thoughtful" are two different things. My BEST TRACK...and I mean this, took less than 3 hours to create, mix and master! And when I say best, I mean the overall response from the "world". (I would link it but it's not the right forum topic, contact me and I will send you the link.)
 
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Being a perfectionist is what you need to be to be a good producer! Isn't music all about finding perfection? We all have gone trough that fase when you start think you are a shity producer and you are nothing compared to the 'real' producers. What i did was just stop produsing for a week/ 2 weeks, and after that time you will have that urge to start producing again, not because you want to be better then your favorite artist, but just because it is FUN! atleast that is how it worked out for me.

And don't worry about how many patterns you use in your song. A song can sound good if you have 20 patterns, and a song can sound good when you use 200 patterns, it is not about the quantity but the quality ;).
 
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