I am losing my sanity producing my own music, please help.
- Thread starter Toasta Whales
- Start date
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Ummm...that's neither the OP or the original question. That was just a sidebar to one of the guesses regarding the OP question.
G.
snow lizard
Dedicated Slacker
Tosta,
I think there's a lot of fundamental stuff that has to be in place before things start to really gel and sound good.
Timing is one issue that's been sort of beaten to death in here so far. FEEL is something that's critical to the life of music. It comes with practice and dedication to your musicianship. A critical ear helps to be able to navigate this stuff, and since you're asking these sort of questions I think it's an ability you're probably starting to develop.
Playing, recording and producing music is like wearing 3 different hats at once. It can be overwhelming and very difficult to navigate if you're doing it all on your own. Never say never.
Playing - if your recordings are showing you things that could be improved here, it's a great avenue to become a better musician. You're your own worst critic, but time invested in rehearsal can get you over that and recording is a great way for you to look at what needs to be improved. It's much more difficult to be objective about what you need to improve on while you're playing.
Recording - TONS of stuff to learn. How room acoustics work, mic placement techniques, following the recording chain and trying to figure out gear considerations for what might help to improve the core. When doing demos it might be helpful to just work quickly and get the ideas and the feel down. Rehearse. Don't sweat the quality until the ideas become more developed.
Producing - probably one of the most difficult things to learn. I found that I've done a lot of demo stuff where I'll print a few basic tracks and add to it to flesh things out. A lot of the time it doesn't work. Things get cluttered. Critical listening can be a big help here and it's really difficult to be objective about it simultaneously while you're performing and laying the tracks down. Sometimes you might have to record a project and then leave it alone for a few days so you can come back to it with fresh ears. You might try listening to your favorite music. It's easy to appreciate this stuff as a fan, but eventually you can develop your hearing to the point where you can hear the quality of the recordings and the quality of the production. Taking it back to your own songs and arrangements, maybe try to strip your songs down to the most basic elements. Decide what the most important element is to the song. Examine the other parts that fit and ask yourself if they really do fit, or is the guitar or keyboard part stepping on the vocal or something? Tweak. Experiment. Adjust. Re-arrange. Mute tracks. Rinse. Repeat. Sometimes less is more. Identify the weak link and take it one thing at a time. The great thing about it is the songs aren't finished until you say so.
Don't beat yourself up over it. It's pretty much impossible to live on both sides of the glass at once. Wear one hat at a time and concentrate on that thing to the best of your abilities.
I know it can seem disappointing and like a lot of work, but the simple fact that you're asking about it leads me to think that you might be on the verge of a breakthrough. Honesty and objectivity are requirements for that. I'd say keep working at it and keep trying to develop a critical ear to identify any areas that might need improvement. If this stuff was too easy I don't think it would be as much fun.
Good luck.
I think there's a lot of fundamental stuff that has to be in place before things start to really gel and sound good.
Timing is one issue that's been sort of beaten to death in here so far. FEEL is something that's critical to the life of music. It comes with practice and dedication to your musicianship. A critical ear helps to be able to navigate this stuff, and since you're asking these sort of questions I think it's an ability you're probably starting to develop.
Playing, recording and producing music is like wearing 3 different hats at once. It can be overwhelming and very difficult to navigate if you're doing it all on your own. Never say never.
Playing - if your recordings are showing you things that could be improved here, it's a great avenue to become a better musician. You're your own worst critic, but time invested in rehearsal can get you over that and recording is a great way for you to look at what needs to be improved. It's much more difficult to be objective about what you need to improve on while you're playing.
Recording - TONS of stuff to learn. How room acoustics work, mic placement techniques, following the recording chain and trying to figure out gear considerations for what might help to improve the core. When doing demos it might be helpful to just work quickly and get the ideas and the feel down. Rehearse. Don't sweat the quality until the ideas become more developed.
Producing - probably one of the most difficult things to learn. I found that I've done a lot of demo stuff where I'll print a few basic tracks and add to it to flesh things out. A lot of the time it doesn't work. Things get cluttered. Critical listening can be a big help here and it's really difficult to be objective about it simultaneously while you're performing and laying the tracks down. Sometimes you might have to record a project and then leave it alone for a few days so you can come back to it with fresh ears. You might try listening to your favorite music. It's easy to appreciate this stuff as a fan, but eventually you can develop your hearing to the point where you can hear the quality of the recordings and the quality of the production. Taking it back to your own songs and arrangements, maybe try to strip your songs down to the most basic elements. Decide what the most important element is to the song. Examine the other parts that fit and ask yourself if they really do fit, or is the guitar or keyboard part stepping on the vocal or something? Tweak. Experiment. Adjust. Re-arrange. Mute tracks. Rinse. Repeat. Sometimes less is more. Identify the weak link and take it one thing at a time. The great thing about it is the songs aren't finished until you say so.
Don't beat yourself up over it. It's pretty much impossible to live on both sides of the glass at once. Wear one hat at a time and concentrate on that thing to the best of your abilities.
I know it can seem disappointing and like a lot of work, but the simple fact that you're asking about it leads me to think that you might be on the verge of a breakthrough. Honesty and objectivity are requirements for that. I'd say keep working at it and keep trying to develop a critical ear to identify any areas that might need improvement. If this stuff was too easy I don't think it would be as much fun.
Good luck.
This post is an insight into latency problems.....I use Sony Acid and Im blaming that for my timing problems. I usually chop my tracks up into peices and drag them back a little.
Snow lizard says it all....your post is spot on. Its ok to throw ideas together when your creating , good timing or bad timing, if only you can refect a few weeks later you can pick up on some of the essence and build on ...what you or others feel is original and interesting.
I see the Post Policeman SSG has been creeping around here...funny how you never write anything constructive.
Snow lizard says it all....your post is spot on. Its ok to throw ideas together when your creating , good timing or bad timing, if only you can refect a few weeks later you can pick up on some of the essence and build on ...what you or others feel is original and interesting.
I see the Post Policeman SSG has been creeping around here...funny how you never write anything constructive.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Yeah, it's not like I have over 7,000 helpful posts on this board and a completely free website offering helpful information for the home recordist or anything like that.
Don't get pissed at me for the way you act. Nobody is responsible for that but you.
G.
NikFrivilous
New member
Are you recording your synths and funny noises with a line-in or usb? If you use midi you can quantize it later to make it in time if thats the problem. Make sure you use a click track every time you record, even if you feel it takes away your feel. That is just you not being accustomed to playing in time exactly and wanting to speed or drag. Take your time, youll wind up with a better finished product. 
Do you have a link where we can hear your recordings?
Do you have a link where we can hear your recordings?Toasta Whales
New member
Are you recording your synths and funny noises with a line-in or usb? If you use midi you can quantize it later to make it in time if thats the problem. Make sure you use a click track every time you record, even if you feel it takes away your feel. That is just you not being accustomed to playing in time exactly and wanting to speed or drag. Take your time, youll wind up with a better finished product.
Well actually my woes have been resolved. I purchased a digital drum machine and my recording has been going VERY smoothly. I couldn't be happier with the songs I recorded since.
