Nee advice..cant move ahead with my songs..

[JakeMitchell]

I have a similar problem, I've only been producing for about a year now. A friend of mine told me the first step to becoming a better producer is working with the fact that your going to be a terrible one for a few years. Being musically illiterate I'm current learning the piano, which is helping a lot. Also, to make my tracks sound more original I start building around a sample, I'm a sucker for jazz, so it's normally something I've lifted off a record.

[Daily Crisis]

I have a similar problem, I've only been producing for about a year now. A friend of mine told me the first step to becoming a better producer is working with the fact that your going to be a terrible one for a few years. Being musically illiterate I'm current learning the piano, which is helping a lot. Also, to make my tracks sound more original I start building around a sample, I'm a sucker for jazz, so it's normally something I've lifted off a record.

I'm in the exact same process as you.

[Risc12]

Seems like you've hit a plateau! We all have been there but it still sucks, you will have a period where everyhting you make feels uninspired and boring. I have these moments every few months or so, then a few months of mad inspiration where I start projects and don't finish them, then a month or so just finishing those projects with a clear head.

What always works for me is to focus on my sticking points, what don't you like about your sound. Focus on those topics, one at a time.

Do your kicks sound boring? Focus on your kicks only, immerse yourself in making kicks and kicks only. Do your melodies suck? Listen to a lot of tracks and re-create melodies from other producers. Do you get dull sounding synths? Learn synthesis, open up some presets and fiddle around, watch tons of youtube videos. Don't do them all at a time, but learn point by point.

Good luck!

[sagar4848]

Good to read others personal experiences with the same problem. Thanks!

[taylortailor]

yeah must agree, well produced loops (loopmasters, primeloops, beatport) can make a world of difference and save lots of time. Dont feel bad using loops but make sure to your best ability to cut, slice, sample those loops so your sound does not sound like the next guys.

[cagepatterns]

(argh! i typed a long reply and just lost it!! i'm going to try one more time)

like many others here i too know how you feel - its part of the creative process - there will be days you will struggle - don't beat yourself up about it!

firstly don't allow "commercial" success to warp your thinking - make music that you love, rather than music you think you should love (excuse the cheese please)

when stuck i generally do the following:

1. listen to new music for inspiration. when i find a song that i love - i dissect it into its component elements as far as possible to get an understanding of the intricacies of why it sounds so good - i mean how it flows, what changes when and why.
2. read everything (music, science, art) - there are so many great ideas in other disciplines - its always great to get fresh concepts from other areas.
3. take a break - a proper break. turn everything off and have some silence in your life, or maybe go for a walk.
4. i look to artists that I'm inspired by, i read their back story - there is so much to learn from their mistakes and successes.

technical advice is difficult since every producer will have his/her own way of doing things. I've picked up a couple of producer manuals off Amazon that helped a bit. like others have mentioned earlier in the thread youtube and google are great.

there is no magic formula of course. somedays everything just works for inexplicable reasons. other times this feeling of being stuck can go on for weeks. but the trick is to keep at it. and over time things will begin to work.

good luck.

[kmc310]

Google + Youtube is your friend. Just immerse yourself in it, that's all I can say. It's a learning curve, and there's only so much we can tell you on here. There's no "magic bullet" that's going to do this for you. Just have to keep on trucking until you have that "aha!" moment. It's all part of the learning process.

Words of wisdom. I started with Youtube tutorial after Youtube tutorial. Also, don't restrict yourself to a specific structure or arrangement; experiment with different styles, genres, and sounds.

Another approach you could take is focusing on your technical skill first, rather than creative skill. Learn from other people's styles, and once you have the techniques down, you can develop your own unique sound.

[RphPd]

I'm not sure what you mean by them two words. In my eyes, the definition of commercial means trade or business.

So you're trying to sell your tracks? I think just about every producer thinks their first tracks are going to be hits (I certainly did/do ). It doesn't work like that unless you know some one that's heavily involved in the music industry, or you are rich, or you are extremely lucky.

Think of every track you make as a learning curve.

If you have used some of Adobe's software such as Photoshop or After Effects then you'll be familiar with the preset 'curves'. Might sound a bit stupid but basically, you start at the bottom, and then you work your way up until your image (song) looks (sounds) better and better. And then you progress, and then if your track is really good... Then there you go, there's your hit.

NOTE: This may take fucking years.

Please don't hate I just want to put a different view point on things . I am a fairly new producer myself, I haven't done as many tracks as you but I've been producing for about 2 or 3 years. And I'm still at this level.

What I've noticed about peoples songs that sound more exciting and not boring is they actually put a lot of shit in for example effects, loops, samples etc. And then a really good job on the mixing/mastering.

As I'm sure others have said on this post, spend time googling and youtubing and foruming loads of shit, any thing to do to help. Also take breaks often, go have a coffee, go for a smoke etc. Don't let it get to you! You have to show the music who's boss! I know it's frustrating but you've got to take control and have fun at the same time!

Sorry for the essay.

You said it all man!

When I got stuck I simply go for a smoke, or do sth else... But as a friend, remember:
Inspiration has to come when the artist is working!

[Combo Meal]

Here's are a few tactics that i use to get over it:

a. bin it all, move on, start fresh

b. take a week off, re-listen

c. do "final" mixdown on speakers and not headphones

d. loop digging

e. sylenth

f. toke to refresh