So, there you are, in your studio (or bedroom… or parent’s basement… or underground lair… or spaceship…) and you’ve decided to write a new bass-killing mega-jam to destroy the fucking rave and garner fame, respect, and critical acclaim from fans around the world…but first you need to check
Ah, look at all those lovely numbers on your little Facebook globe thing! Ten? Gotta click em all! See what each of them says! Anything good? Ah, just more invites to some club inSt. Louis… (Why, oh, why did you click ‘LIKE’ on that St. Louis Dubstep page? You live nowhere NEARSt. Louis! Ah
Oh, look, that cute girl fromIndonesiasaid something on your wall! Awesome! What’d she say? … “Thanks for the comment, Will! Glad you like my photo!” … Nice.
Ok, time to check Gmail. Hmm… nothing but some spam. Just need to delete that. Oh, fuck, out of cigarettes? Need to take care of that. Oh, there’s a new Tetris app? Well, you’re not sure how they could’ve possibly improved on the old Tetris, but surely, you’re game! Oh… it doesn’t have the original music? How did that Tetris song go? Damn, that’s like… the only Russian song you know… Maybe you should see if there’s any interesting Russian songs you could torrent off of Demonoid…
Does any of this sound familiar to you? Perhaps all of it, except maybe the girl you’re flirting with isn’t fromIndonesia… maybe she’s from down the road?
…and perhaps you didn’t click ‘LIKE’ on St. Louis Dubstep – but, the point is, it’s easy to get distracted. So fucking easy! So, I decided to write an article on two things that we’ve all dealt with – DISTRACTIONS, like the ones above, and also, LAZINESS (the ugly older brother of DISTRACTIONS).
Here are some things that pertain to both distractions and laziness to really consider when making your newest track. I’ve set it up in the form of 8 bullet points. Obviously, if you’ve found another method that works, use that instead. But force yourself to actually USE it, and be stubborn about it.
0. Get a Notebook
1. Second Job Mentality
2. Set Specific Deadlines for Specific Goals
3. Unplug
4. Prepare Before Working / Have some coffee
5. The Marijuana Distraction …Get High AFTER Production J
6. Stay Organized
7. Be Realistic
8. Consider the Outcome of Laziness
This is just one setup, and like I said, if there’s another one that seems more practical to you, go for it. Or, if you want to write in the comments about how this list need be drastically altered, again, go for it. But keep an open mind and really consider what I’m saying, and you find some of this stuff very useful.
0. Get a Notebook.
Ok, why is this Rule # 0 ? Why not Rule # 1? Is it important, and should almost go without saying that you should get a notebook?
Yes, exactly! Having a notebook will help you SO much. You won’t remember all your ideas. Especially if you’re very creative and have tons of ideas! Use a notebook! Carry it with you. Have access to it as often as possible. A small notebook is my favorite.
1. Second Job Mentality
This one is sure to lose more readers than anyone… But whatever, if you stick around, chances are you’re one of the more motivated ones reading this, so good for you! J
Now, obviously, I don’t need to tell you why it’s bad to be distracted when you need to get something done, but here’s something else to think about – if you’re too distracted to go to work, what’ll happen? You’ll get fired. So, it’s probably a priority, if you have a job, to go to work and make that money. But what about music? It might not be top priority in your life for obvious reasons, but maybe you should start treating it like a job – or at least… a second job – if you want to really get something out of it.
You might think, “Aw, a second job? What? This is supposed to be fun! I want to get high and have fun!” Ok, so… do you want to get high and feel like a rock star even though you’re not getting anything thing done? Or do you want to have something to show for all the time you’ve spent in your studio? You might just find that once you’re able to be productive and start getting things done, there’s a lot of fun that can come out of that, too. A much more rewarding type of fun, too. And it lasts a lot longer than just hanging out for awhile getting high for an hour or two… Plus, you’ll join the ranks of all the musicians who ACTUALLY MAKE music, instead of all the musicians who never accomplish anything… which is, to be fair, most musicians.
2. Set Specific Deadlines for Specific Goals
This might seem like two points, but I would make the argument that they’re really very connected… It’s all about specificity and timing.
What are you trying to do? Write an album? A 4 track EP? A single? A new track to put into your mix? Is it a live DJ set you’re practicing for? I don’t feel the need to add too much to this point beyond saying, “Set Deadlines, and know exactly what the hell you’re specifically trying to do.”
And also, keep in mind, it might seem daunting to write an entire album, but once you get it done the first time, it’ll be far easier the second time, because you know what you’re doing. Writing a whole album may seem like a large task (and, when you think about it, it is) but writing one track? Not nearly as hard! Now, just do that twelve times.
What’s the difference between one huge task of writing a twelve-track album with a central theme… and writing single tracks, twelve times, each track keeping a consistent theme going? Well, the second option seems a lot less intimidating, especially if you’re new to the game.
3. Unplug
Disconnect your internet. Do it. You won’t need to check it while making music. Your synthesizers and drumboxes aren’t online (or… wait, are they? They shouldn’t be… Hmm…. I think I just got an idea for a new internet company…) The point is, nothing more needs to be said beyond just saying that you NEED to separate yourself from everything you know will eat up your time, and get to work.
Now, before we get to the 4th point, I thought I’d give you another cat pick title-graphic.. (yes, it’s a distraction. The whole post is a lie, I’m secretly just trying to get you to look at cat picz…)
4. Prepare Before Working / Have some coffee
Coffee works for me, might not for you. I like the energy I get from it. If it’s not your thing, then, hey – you just saved some time not having to get coffee, and you’re further along than I am! Nice! Are you going to need to smoke some cigarettes? Have them ready BEFORE starting your mix. Plan ahead. You don’t want to get halfway through a project and realize you’re out of Redbull or whatever it is you need to help you keep going, if you need anything at all.
5. Marijuana as a Distraction
Now I’m not going to be all anti-weed on you; except during the start of your mix, and POSSIBLY during the entire process of working on your music. Now, maybe it’s fine, and it works for you, but be honest with yourself. Be REALLY honest about it: Does it work for you when you’re trying to get music done?
I know that if I’m really high, I’m less likely to finish something. Sure, I might have some interesting ideas in the studio, but I’m probably going to stop working way before I would’ve, had I not smoked. I do get really meticulous about a ten second portion of a song, but might not finish the song, so what good is it?
Now, again, maybe that’s not you. Or maybe it is? My personal suggestion is to wait until you’ve at LEAST gotten into the workflow before you start smokin’, if you start smoking at all. Do you know how many musicians wanted to finish a track but didn’t because they got high before finishing? …I don’t know, either; the exact figures are unknown, because it’s hard to track something that never came into existence…
By the way, I know some people get really paranoid when you tell them they shouldn’t be smoking. Some will point out that I JUST said to get your cigarettes (if you smoke) but now I’m “all against weed?” Well… let’s be clear – cigarettes, in the short term, probably aren’t going to stop someone from being productive the way a weed break will. I’m not encouraging cigarettes, btw ;) but I’m just saying… Do you want to get something done, or get high and feel like a rock star for a little while and then forget that you never got anything done on your album, and now you’re just like every other lazy person in the world who has a cool/creative idea but is too lazy or stoned to accomplish it? J
6. Stay Organized
This will mean different things to different folks, but the bottom line is, you need to know what works best for you personally, and stick to that. I always like working in a clean studio. I also like to have my folders on my computer very organized (or, as much as possible) when I’m starting a new album or project.
That means that each song gets it’s own folder, even if, at the start, it might be, ‘Track 01.’ You can always change the name after you finish your first track. Also, samples should be in a minimal number of folders, or as much as possible. Also, general ‘samples’ and ‘song’ folders are two different sets of folders! I personally like to keep samples as organized as possible, too. Here’s just one way you can do it:
Samples>
…………..>Beats
……………………….>Kicks
……………………….>Snares
……………………….>Cymbals
……………………….>Claps
……………………….>Hats
…………..>Non-Synth-Instruments
……………………….>Flute
……………………….>Guitar
……………………….>Misc. Instruments…
…………..>Synth-Instruments
……………………….> Booming Basses
……………………….>Wobbles
……………………….>Guitar-Synth
……………………….>Pads
……………………….>Misc. Instruments
…………..>FX
……………………….>Risers
……………………….>Dub echo sounds
……………………….>Lazer sounds
……………………….>Cow Sounds
…………..>Bass
……………………….>Real
……………………………………>Strat Guitar
……………………….>Synth
……………………………………>808 Basses
……………………………………>Hip Hop Basses
……………………………………>Moog Subbasses
……………………………………>Juno Basses
……………………………………>etc… misc…
Ok, so that’s just one theoretical setup, obviously yours will likely be a little different. You might not have a set of cow sounds… but… it’s just an example. I like to tend to keep my drums separate from instrument samples.
Try to stay organized with your samples throughout mixing! If you record a new bass, make sure to put it in the bass folder, wherever you’ve decided to put that (in your synth folder?) not just a temporary folder because it’s easier and you think you’ll remember where it is. It’s also great to have a MISC folder for things you’re not sure how to organize… like maybe you have some sample of Billy Maze talking about some carpet cleaner, and you just HAVE to use it at the end of the first track. Alright, have a folder that’s either set for ‘miscellaneous’ samples, or, if you think you might have a bunch of vocal samples, obviously set up a ‘vocal samples,’ or ‘various samples,’ folder. Whatever works for you… there are different ways to do it, but make sure to stick with it consistently, and understand where things are supposed to go. You’ll be SO happy you did. Your mixes will get done a lot quicker, I guarantee.
7. Be Realistic
Ok, so this might sound familiar to a lot of you… I know a guy who has every piece of musical equipment you could possibly name. He has so many old vintage synthesizers from the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, and some newer stuff from the last five or ten years. He’s super proud of his collection, and upon first glance, it’s pretty enviable. Plus he wants to make music. Should be a breeze!
But he can’t make music… Why? Well, beyond getting high all the time, he sucks at utilizing his equipment. Getting a sound out of each machine and sending it to his DAW and then being creative with it and then recording it… and then figuring out how that sound might go with the sound of some other piece of equipment… and then having to reroute this with that and that with this, plugging three things in together, then mixing that with some other sound from another machine… Damn, it takes so long… Sounds like a nightmare of technicalities. How’s he going to do that for every track?
He doesn’t. He messes around for a little while, gets high, messes around a little while longer, probably thinks about how cool electronic music was way back when (when this synth came out, or when that synth came out…) and then, eventually, he wanders off. No track completed. Big surprise?
You have to be realistic. Maybe you like messing around with old equipment for fun, and there’s nothing wrong with a bit of fun… but if you’re thinking about making a full-length album, you’re going to need to decide how you’re going to use the equipment, and then do it. Maybe fucking around with equipment (or, to put it nicely, ‘experimenting’) should be a separate task… with a goal of thinking up concepts for songs, and then, later, writing a track?
More equipment is not better if you don’t do anything with it, young padawan.
I don’t have one tenth the physical musical hardware that the guy I just mentioned does, but I guarantee I’ll be ten times as productive, and make the kind of sounds I want to, and have ten times as many people listen to my tracks, and feel ten times as accomplished. That’s not even bragging, that’s universal for anyone in this situation. And, in case this needs clarification, I’m NOT saying that you shouldn’t have ANY hardware. But, like I said before, you have to figure out exactly what you want, and then do it. Maybe you need to write it out in your notebook; draw a diagram, figure out how everything connects, just for reference, if you need. There’s no shame in that – especially if you have a lot of equipment to deal with! It’s smart to plan things out.
8. Consider the Outcome of Laziness
Or, to be all poetic about it, consider the outcome… later… The Daily Show just came on… I’ll Mix later, maybe… ;)
I don’t mean to sound too harsh, but you have to understand I’m speaking from experience. I’ve been lazy before, we all have, and I’ve seen people get lazy. I think it really stuck in my head how irritating it was when I tried to work on a project with a musician I know, and we both had separate tasks to complete, according to each of our skillsets… So, I began making sounds, beats, track layouts, and he didn’t do anything… A week later, I had even more sounds, even more beats and layouts, and he had the same thing he had the week before: nothing. A few weeks in, he decided he wanted the album to have an entirely different sound, suddenly. What?! But he hadn’t done a damn thing, and now he wanted to change it up dramatically? Fine, whatever… But after the seachange in genre ideas, I waited for him, and still, he did nothing.
I was so frustrated. His laziness had ensured that our incredible, mind-blowing album would never get made… Laziness is one thing, but laziness that you’re forcing someone else to sit through is even worse, and it’ll really make you realize how overwhelmingly frustrating it can be.
So, consider this. Consider how laziness can be a burden to someone else, but if you’re just working on your own personal track, think about how it affects you, personally. You could be making something dope as hell right now, and you know it; but by putting it off, you’re doing yourself a real disservice. You should try to impress yourself by seeing how much decent music you can make, and by doing it as efficiently as possible. You could have a top track (or maybe just something really fun to play in your studio, at very least) but really, if you don’t make a conscious effort to focus, you might not get very far.
So go on, be as productive as fucking possible, you know it’s in you. Once you get something done, like a track or an album, showcase it! Display it proudly, you deserve recognizing such an achievement! Make a poster for it and hang that shit in your room!
You’re an accomplished musician, now! And hey, since you finished that album, you’ve got some good music to listen to, so now’s the time to get stoned, if there ever was one!
-Will (StrangeFlow)
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