how long?

rainey

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
how long doe si take you to lay down the basics for a peice? (tune)

and then how long till you find your finished product?



it seems to take me forever to lay down my basics and it takes me that long im sick to death of hearing it to finish the thing off! lol :bone:





p.s. this site has the best smileys ever!
 
Hiya

I've only just started producing myself, but it doesn't seem to take me that long that I get sick of it, but I'm happy just to play around, see what turns up and not expect perfection.

My first 2 bootlegs took about 20 hours each I guess, and I've started on my first proper composition, which so far has had about 2 hours in Fruity Loops and about 4 on Acid.

The important thing I realised when I was doing the first one was when to stop, cos it sounded pretty good, and I was stuck on how to improve it, and thought if I did anymore I was going to spoil it. It can help to take a break at times, just cos it gives your brain a chance to get some rest and process what you've done. I sometimes find the answers of how I want things to go when I'm on the bus or having a coffee, I think, cos my brain is a bit more relaxed and able to put things together.

If it's getting to the point it's pissing you off, take a break and do something else for 5 minutes/a week, whatever it takes.
 
I usually end up with about 20 ideas/tunes of different styles and usually add to them depending on how im feeling ie depressed hyper or generally pissed off ( which is probably best for writing dark eerie riffs)

If ive totally ran out of ideas i mess around with acapellas and make hip hop beats, or just noodle about to find new sounds etc

I can never force a tune out 99% of the time its all about experimenting till i find a nice sound or riff and take it from there
 
I can never force a tune out 99% of the time its all about experimenting till i find a nice sound or riff and take it from there

Definitely. I write songs with a guitar as well, and if you try forcing it, it doesn't work at all. It's a bit like constipation...

The other thing I was wondering is if you are looking for perfection, cos it doesn't exist. Sometimes you need another set of ears to bounce stuff off, basically because it's easy to get lost in it, and not realise when you can call something 'finished'

And, if you're still learning the basics of music/programmes/midi etc it will take that bit longer, but the more you do it the easier it will get, and the quicker you'll be doing things.

Be easy on yourself
 
A few months ago i went to join the armed forces so i had to leave my pc with family (which broke my heart :inlove:) basically it all went tits up and im not in the armed forces anymore but my pc is up the other end of the country at the mo but it should be sent back soon

Ive got loads of tunes on their which need mastering tweeking etc. its been such a long while now ive had so many decent ideas i know that when i got my pc back im not gonna leave my room

Its a good thing to leave a tune for a few days or months in my case then listen back to it and then decide if its cack or gold dust.
 
i ask because i have done alot of messing around with different sounds.

most the time it ends up dark and sounds good but its not really what im into, ive made a nice erm high contrast stlye kinda tune but again its not my thing, so...

i got a real nice tune in the works. i like it and my mates like it (but obviously they on my side), its half done but...i find it needs more but then i listen and i think it doesnt. its so confusing/annoying and certain aspects i cant figure out ie: the build up in the break and the roll to the drop
 
Don't think your friends will ever just say they like what you do for the simple fact that they are your friends. Have some fucking confidence... and remember this, a true friend will tell you when you can do better.
i ask because i have done alot of messing around with different sounds.

most the time it ends up dark and sounds good but its not really what im into, ive made a nice erm high contrast stlye kinda tune but again its not my thing, so...

i got a real nice tune in the works. i like it and my mates like it (but obviously they on my side), its half done but...i find it needs more but then i listen and i think it doesnt. its so confusing/annoying and certain aspects i cant figure out ie: the build up in the break and the roll to the drop
 
most the time it ends up dark and sounds good but its not really what im into, ive made a nice erm high contrast stlye kinda tune but again its not my thing, so...

its so confusing/annoying and certain aspects i cant figure out ie: the build up in the break and the roll to the drop

Just cos you're coming up with stuff you're not in to, doesn't mean you shouldn't be sharing it and you can always use a different name for the project. It's coming out of you for a reason. It's also important because you are learning, and eventually you might come across what you want by accident. I can remember hearing Gilmore chappy from Pink Floyd came across some of their finest pieces by accident while he was practising, and if he can do it, so can all of us.

As a basic rule of thumb for 'events' I was told you should make a change every 16 bars, and seeing as everything works around 4 bars anyway you can do changes at 4, 8, 16, or even 32 bar intervals. the important thing is that it sounds natural and you should normally be able to hear when it's ready and then narrow it down with a bit of music theory. If something is starting to sound a bit monotonous, you obviously need to change it but how you do that is up to you as you're developing your style.

Just as a suggestion, you could always have a go at reading through the ABC guide to music theory just because it helps to explain the finer points of production. There's a bulletin in the FL production thread about the keys that might help, and really listen to the music you are into, I mean analyze it. Sit down with a pen and paper and try to deconstruct into it's group of bars so you can see where events occur and how they are done.

Best of luck with it.
 
thanns buddy, i know the 16, 32 stuff i hav e mixed for years so i know where i want things and all that.

ill take a look at the other things u mentioned tho, so thanks

with the dif styles..i know i should still carry on makin dif styles if thats how they come out but i wanna get what i want down and then i can put that into other stlyes to, if that makes sense
 
with the dif styles..i know i should still carry on makin dif styles if thats how they come out but i wanna get what i want down and then i can put that into other stlyes to, if that makes sense

I understand that, and I know that's why you're frustrated, but I think it might be a journey you'll have to discover yourself and be patient with. If there was a magic answer, I'd be using it myself, lol :D
 
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