Totally out of inspiration. tips?

[tone-def]

are the transformers films actually any good?

[AK]

yeah plus one on stopping feeling like you have to be something.

I mainly just make music for myself. Even if my music only stops me from feeling like i'm totally loosing my mind then i'm happy.

Wise words mate.

First off, making music is all about a creative outlet ( at least it should be ) People put unconscious boundaries on themselves, they tend to want to conform to genre specifics. ie: "I wanna sound like so and so". There's the often 'fatal' error and also, trying too hard to get a certain mixdown and sound quality.

Sure, we've probably all been there, trying to conform and get one-upmanship on someone you might know or whatever but after you've been at it for some years, that's gone - and what's left is the true reason as to why you like making music. For me, I make music because - quite frankly, I have to. I will do it until the day I die, it's something I have to do as part of my make up. God knows why, I don't question it, it is what it is and once you let go of feeling like you have to conform to 'something', then you become yourself and then you become free musically.

Interesting things can come up from experimenting with anything, just the other day I was experimenting with tempo. My DAW template is set at 126bpm but things like altering that in multples can give interesting step sequencing results a lot higher than some grid resolutions allow. For instance, a 126 bpm can be multiplied to say 504bpm, then you get 1 kick ( on the 1 ) per 16 step sequence in 4/4 time but it gives a 126bpm 4 to the floor. So in all thos 16ths between each kick, your step sequencer is in hyper resolution mode, and you can obtain some interesting timing stuff. Resampling stuff off at this resolution has given me some interesting flamming percussive sounds and inspired me to write something ( as yet unfinished ) with a lot of other sounds juggled together in the same way.

It's just one example but breaking out the usual mode and just 'letting go' for a bit, can only be a good thing.

[djloko190988]

Nice, thanx guys. The BPM trick is really sweet, gonna try ASAP.

[deccard]

what works for me is collecting ideas and not putting me under pressure to finish them. i work one day on new stuff and if i feel i get stuck or the flow stops, i dont continue on that track. sometimes i do a whole track in one day just to realize there are nice ideas in it but it doesnt go anywhere. maybe changing the tempo helps. some bpm up or down change the feel of the groove and suddenly it makes more sense. maybe changing the beat from typical 4/4 to some kind of break / electro whatever and the track suddenly needs a versatile arrangement with the sequences i already did instead of a boring hypnotic buildup and everything falls into place.
testing synths or experimenting without the purpose of a result is also very helpful for me. just like somebody would practice the piano i jam with my outboard gear or some vst synth. not programming but playing it live to get faster results and practicing your keyboard skills and also hearing what that synth can do which might be useful for later use.
also preparing a new sample set from totally different music. like listening to some enio morricone flacs to find some nice parts you think you could use for later fiddeling.
my thing is to do every day something but doesnt has to be the same thing. i had times i couldnt produce anything for weeks which put me even more under pressure. so know i´m happy with being versatile in doing every day something to get on with it.
also some small breaks and moving your body a bit helps cause just sitting 8 hours in front of a screen isnt that healthy for your body and your mind.

[steevio]

also some small breaks and moving your body a bit helps cause just sitting 8 hours in front of a screen isnt that healthy for your body and your mind.

totally,
my studio is now all at standing height, no chair in my studio. dancing while making music is the only way for me now. i can spend 8 hours standing / dancing. i have to have sit down breaks instead of moving breaks...
at first it was weird, but now i dont even think about it anymore, i'm so much fitter and i dont get bad back, shoulder, neck strains etc...
sitting infront of a computer 8 hours a day is the fast track way to get old.

[oblioblioblio]

i went in the opposite direction. i only have space in my new room for a bed and my desk. ahahahaha.

i lie down for ages and get lost when i hear something nice.

luckily i have to move around a lot to access different parts of my setup, otherwise i think i would just set like jelly.

[oblioblioblio]

Wise words mate.

First off, making music is all about a creative outlet ( at least it should be ) People put unconscious boundaries on themselves, they tend to want to conform to genre specifics. ie: "I wanna sound like so and so". There's the often 'fatal' error and also, trying too hard to get a certain mixdown and sound quality.

Sure, we've probably all been there, trying to conform and get one-upmanship on someone you might know or whatever but after you've been at it for some years, that's gone - and what's left is the true reason as to why you like making music. For me, I make music because - quite frankly, I have to. I will do it until the day I die, it's something I have to do as part of my make up. God knows why, I don't question it, it is what it is and once you let go of feeling like you have to conform to 'something', then you become yourself and then you become free musically

I think we've all been there with sounding like other people. I think that's normal, in the past folk singers always started out singing covers. It was acceptable and it's the same with electronic music IMO. (as a start point)

It's good to cut loose and trim it back to the bare essentials of just you and sound. no references to anything or anyone else. no pressure to make something. be free and be totally lost.

Its the same for me, I have no choice but to scratch this music itch. I love it.

[::BLM::]

what works for me is collecting ideas and not putting me under pressure to finish them. i work one day on new stuff and if i feel i get stuck or the flow stops, i dont continue on that track.
.

Yeah this is how I work. I often work on two ideas at once. Working on one for a few hours, then going to the other one and working on that one. I always have quite a large collection of stuff that I work on.

People hate working with me because of this though because I take forever. I'm also not fussed about finishing stuff really. I just like the actual process of being in the studio, its not really about finishing stuff.