Problem: repeatedly subverting/ruining your own ideas

[someonelikeyou]

dusk mate,
you're doing nothing wrong, you've got your whole life to make music.

Perfect!!!!!! Someonelikeyou,

[jobbanaught]

regardless of how you structure your tracks Id say try working on more than one project. When you get to a point where you are starting to not have fun work on a different one then go back to the other one later.

I am usually working on about 5-6 projects. Keeps me from getting bored of it or too picky and destroying and overannylizing things.

good advice imo. Try to keep the momentum when working on a track. Its easy to overanalyze and even ruin a good thing when listening to it for hours...

[AK]

Im not sure how much this is in relation to the original topic but in terms of arrangement, linear sequencing (for me) has to be the most soul destroying aspect of making music. Its one of the main reasons ive abandoned computer based set ups. Ok live is refreshing but when you place too much thought and effort into a linear based arrangement, I think something is lost. Spontaniety, creativity? I dunno what exactly but I know I myself become somehow distanced from my own music. I reckon 90% of creative ruts can be singled down to linear composition and its so easy to try out other ways. You could literally record for an hour and get stuff youd never achieve when you sit there pre-planning it. Just my 2 cents.

[oblioblioblio]

yeah plus one on that. (tangent alert! :0 )

when i first started out with linear sequencing it was great, just becuase I was so lost in the whole thing i was tripping out easily. But the further I got into it the worst I got.

Computers are dangerous business. I picked up some electric guitars from the attic recently, what i used to try to play before I discovered electronics. fck! It's just you and this machine. Time stands still. Raw.

Obviously electronics are so much more abstract, and not as physical like a guitar. But anything that takes you further into menus and planning and microscope composing in advance. Like filling in a spreadsheet.

I've noticed some people still have that spark in their eye when using a computer. But I got sucked into a dull swamp without noticing.

Back out now and have a groovey real life machine that i can happily dedicate a lifetime to. hooray!

[oblioblioblio]

Back on topic, I think it can be weird as a 'producer'. You;re kinda on your own a bit, which is a touch unusual compared to say, playing in bands where there's a collaborative process about what you decide is good, or shite (though that probably doesn't make the process any easier).

I certainly sabotage myself all the time. Spend too much time overanalysing my work, to the point where I can't stand to hear that sh!t.

Guess it's all part of the fun. Hopefully anything good enough to survive life in your creative hands, will be the 'good' stuff. Or maybe not!

I think Soundcloud can be pretty decent way to upload stuff and see if it floats or sinks. I got some feedback from a user here on a track that I made that I didn't think too much of, and it made me reevaluate my opinion of the track.

[eggnchips]

You really should be finishing what you start.
Finishing tracks increases your workflow/workrate and therefore you start to learn more and more regardless if you like what you are doing or not.

I think increasing workflow also helps you get to that decision point of whether work is worth carrying on or scrapping, much quicker.
Then the odds of hitting something you really like are also increased as you are turning over more tracks.

Although what I just wrote is something I also have trouble adhering to.

Somebody once told me that one of the guys out of ABBA would just write hundreds and hundreds of songs even though most of them would never see light of day.

[coldfuture]

You really should be finishing what you start.
Finishing tracks increases your workflow/workrate and therefore you start to learn more and more regardless if you like what you are doing or not.

Yeah this also helps me.. to just keep moving and knock it out. Again I do it with hardware so its really my only choice... but it helps to think when a song is making me frustrated, that perhaps frustration is the emotion being expressed in the song itself! This frees me up to feel whatever I am feeling as I write.

I know its a bit vague and wavy gravy, but it works for me.