interesting point of view. that's pretty much the way i work. i've got plenty of unfinished stuff that i will never touch again. i keep them just in case, knowing it won't happen.
or play live only. i've never really bothered trying, but i guess there's something to do there. Thinking your track out of the "hopefully pressed on vinyl one day" format.
When the project just wont finish
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maxeinsoul
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Phurniture
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I agree with kristofason that you have to just force yourself to arrange the track at some point. I've found that is the key to getting the track finished. Even the best patterns and loops will get boring to you if you just hear them looping over and over again. You'll get tired of them and quit the project. The genius of most good techno/house type tracks is not necessarily the patterns themselves, but how tension and excitement is built over time as the track progresses. Interesting builds and transitions are what can make a pedestrian track a real banger.
To get started, I usually start with a loop/pattern that I think I can create a progression with, for example a chord pattern or lead line, and I simply create a progression with that one part for starters. I'll start it off with a more basic version of the pattern and begin introducing more and more of the riff as the track goes on, or I'll add some sort of modulation or effects as the track goes on. Then I might build a simple beat behind it. Once I have a decent length of a track (let's say 5 to 7 minutes) then I'll add more parts (bassline, more percussion, other synth parts, fx sounds). The details of the arrangement aren't even that important at this stage. I just want to get a track's worth of patterns going together.
Once there's a basic arrangement either add patterns where needed, or perhaps (more importantly) remove what's not needed n order to build up sections. Don't reveal everything too early. Have an intro, have some builds, have it breakdown. After you get more of an arrangement happening, listen to it at a later time. You'll no doubt key in on parts that need to be changed somehow, and you'll know immediately what needs to be done.
And another thing that's been said here that is very important - if there's a part that's not working, because it doesn't fit, is boring or just cheesy, delete it. Either the track needs a different part or it doesn't need any other additional part, just a better arrangement.
I hope this helps...
To get started, I usually start with a loop/pattern that I think I can create a progression with, for example a chord pattern or lead line, and I simply create a progression with that one part for starters. I'll start it off with a more basic version of the pattern and begin introducing more and more of the riff as the track goes on, or I'll add some sort of modulation or effects as the track goes on. Then I might build a simple beat behind it. Once I have a decent length of a track (let's say 5 to 7 minutes) then I'll add more parts (bassline, more percussion, other synth parts, fx sounds). The details of the arrangement aren't even that important at this stage. I just want to get a track's worth of patterns going together.
Once there's a basic arrangement either add patterns where needed, or perhaps (more importantly) remove what's not needed n order to build up sections. Don't reveal everything too early. Have an intro, have some builds, have it breakdown. After you get more of an arrangement happening, listen to it at a later time. You'll no doubt key in on parts that need to be changed somehow, and you'll know immediately what needs to be done.
And another thing that's been said here that is very important - if there's a part that's not working, because it doesn't fit, is boring or just cheesy, delete it. Either the track needs a different part or it doesn't need any other additional part, just a better arrangement.
I hope this helps...