3:15 am rant: the joys of not making music

[knotoo]

i know that feel.... i used to be just excited about new interesting music, now i'm excited but also anxious cause i feel like the stuff i do will be obsolete if i dont keep up with the rest like it's some kind of race towards something.

during the last years i didnt properly produce most of the time, i didnt bang out a track idea every day, not even once a month. it just felt forced. during the last month though i've made about 20 ideas and thats because i had to. i've had a horrible shitty job that was ruining my life and the precious free time i had left was spent making beats i can listen to at work to deal with it better. at that point i didnt give a fuck what anyone else thought about my music.
ripping a loop straight from someone else's track? i don't give a fuck what you think.
mix and matching samplepacks like legos? i don't give a fuck what you think.
and most importantly: mixing down so me and my friends like it, not that someone over the internet tells me it's gonna sound good on a funktion one system cause for fucks sake no one will play that shit on a funktion one and i like it that way.


we're all doing this because when we started it was so much fun that it became a habit. so if you're wondering why it isnt fun anymore maybe its best to go back to where you began. forget all the rules, forget the morals of sampling or being ashamed of using presets. do this shit for yourself period.

Ya know what I mean man, lol. exactly what I''m saying.

I also have like two main drum folders and reuse them ALL the time. I don't have time to sift through 250 000 folders to find a snare that for all intents and purposes, is not really anything special lol. But yeah if I hear a sick loop in some obscure vinyl, I'm taking the loop. and ditto on the mixing. set some levels here and there and move on. if i need to spend 4 centuries making something sound good then that idea needs to get Xed as it never had potential in the first place.

If I listened to some of my beats from say, 2007...god knows where those samples came from man. I tried to even recreate some of those tracks (switched software/lost project files) and it definitely isn't happening.

Ah well.

[massimoz]

So I basically have followed through with the original post and I am officially quitting (at least from my house - if people invite me to theirs then I'll showcase the great things I've made on the piano and help create the best harmonies for any melody). It's been brilliant following this forum for so long now and thanks to everyone who has helped me and given up their time for this forum. I'm selling things I will be no longer using so if anyone is interested:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/apoge ... /106599605

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/glyph ... /106752407

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/numar ... /106696340

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/focal ... /106692708

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/novat ... /106695744

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/blue- ... /106601161

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/novat ... /106599912

Massimo

[nowaysj]

Herospook?

[ninjadog]

Dude I know where your coming from. I feel like my fire inside is dying down somewhat, I used to obsess over making original productions and my early stuff still makes me smile. But I got to this weird point where I felt I needed to be professional, and follow some rules of music, and I was also my own worst critic, and it became less fun, and I made beats less and less. Sometimes I wish kept at it because I always hear beats in songs I would have scrapped if they were my own because they sound so boring, and I feel like this guy makes a living selling shit, I could have done that. But at least I got all this cool gear sitting around so when inspiration does hit I can have a place to direct it. I still like to add to my kit as that usually spawns some inspiration and creativity. Now I got a 2 year old daughter who absolutely loves playing with my turntables and mixer, so the way I see it if she becomes the next big DJ in a decade and a half it would all have been worth it for me.

[massimoz]

Herospook? Explain?

Ninjadog, basically I realised I was doing music for the 'wrong' reasons: fame, validation, attention, ego boost etc. If one has a big enough moral conscience and wants a more meaningful and ethical life in terms of what they do and how they interact with people affects the world, then I'm not sure if one could have the attitudes I had and be successful in making music.

Of course, being ignorant or perhaps having a significant amount of autism (helping to commit), or doing music for the reasons of absolutely loving it and wanting to serve people with great art, then with commitment to your vocation, you will be successful in music.

[nowaysj]

Nd, my daughter loves the turntable too. Just lives to scratch. What is w these chicks?

[OfficialDAPT]

Nd, my daughter loves the turntable too. Just lives to scratch. What is w these chicks?

yeah she does

[Instep]

GOOD NIGHT

I'm both sorry to hear that your resigned to making it in the music industry and relieved that you have improved your well-being by letting it go.

Many a times I have contemplated letting music go. But unfortunately I cannot.

Congratz on shaking the beast!

[ninjadog]

Herospook? Explain?

Ninjadog, basically I realised I was doing music for the 'wrong' reasons: fame, validation, attention, ego boost etc. If one has a big enough moral conscience and wants a more meaningful and ethical life in terms of what they do and how they interact with people affects the world, then I'm not sure if one could have the attitudes I had and be successful in making music.

Of course, being ignorant or perhaps having a significant amount of autism (helping to commit), or doing music for the reasons of absolutely loving it and wanting to serve people with great art, then with commitment to your vocation, you will be successful in music.

Your pretty vague about your reasons, tossing words like ignorant, ethical and moral conscience makes me think more along the lines of drugs rather than stealing samples...I could absolutely be wrong here as I did consume a six pack this evening. Maybe I have commitment issues, or maybe I just got sick of EDM, but whatever the reason the spark inside me that wanted to set the world on fire must have turned into some sort of dried up tnuc. Yeah thats definitely the beer talking. Life is a fucked up game yeah?

It is really sad that you are that serious about quitting you are selling all of your gear, I wish you luck in your future endeavors.

[ninjadog]

Nd, my daughter loves the turntable too. Just lives to scratch. What is w these chicks?

I dunno, but I love it!

[Instep]

there is no god

[massimoz]

Your pretty vague about your reasons, tossing words like ignorant, ethical and moral conscience makes me think more along the lines of drugs rather than stealing samples...I could absolutely be wrong here as I did consume a six pack this evening. Maybe I have commitment issues, or maybe I just got sick of EDM, but whatever the reason the spark inside me that wanted to set the world on fire must have turned into some sort of dried up tnuc. Yeah thats definitely the beer talking. Life is a fucked up game yeah?

Sorry for being vague. I meant ignorant to the wrong reasons of pursuing music. Ethics in that by being more considerate about why we do certain things and how they affect other people - making sure that what we do is to benefit people and the world we live in as much as possible rather than just personal gain. Sorry if this still sounds vague, I'd otherwise have to go into tons of detail and I wanted to try and explain things in as short a post as possible. Basically I did it all for egotistical reasons, I rarely was thinking or caring about the effects of having such a big ego. I'd return to music if I felt I found a genuine hole of a music style or way it was heard/delivered which needed filling and it came naturally from me - predominantly benevolence - for the enjoyment, inspiration and education of others.

Anyway, I'm sounding weedy now and I don't mean to be. I cringe at that (again, that's my ego being far too high)!

[lucozade]

this is a "cool story bro" vibe so beware.

Since 2007 (dabbled a bit with beats in 2005 but whatever) I've spent countless hours making beats. Sacrificed social life because of it, the whole nine. spent countless hours developing what I thought was something "unique" and "my own". tried to differentiate myself, tried to avoid trends, and so on. i'm a nobody in this electronic music shit but that's besides the point. tried different approaches i.e. banging out tracks in one session to keep the inspiration going. tried spending weeks and months on tracks (this approach is more suitable to me, i've learned...). thought about eps, albums.

never have i felt more relieved than about 9 months ago or so when "real life" got in the way and I couldn't really fuck with beats as much. not as much time. renoise hasn't even been opened in forever. and at this point, i think it's a good thing.

I've never been like "i'm a producer" and all that because i'm not, i'm a dude in my mid twenties with a laptop, keyboard, and woodwind instrument lol. who would i be fooling? this is a hobby. and should be treated as such. not to sound negative, but there's no "bout to blow" moment, even less so than a lot of delusional rappers i've come across.

i'm enjoying not obsessively making beats and being more of a music fan again, and not feeling jealous and hopeless every time i hear a sick beat that i didn't make.
got to the point i couldn't/wouldnt listen to FlyLo beats without feeling some sort of weird anxiety (not really though) because his Sonny Liston shit puts my Marty Marshall shit to shame any day of the week, any second of the day (idiotic).

and guess what, maybe i'm not ever destined to be involved with music in any capacity (still working on the label thing though ). there's a LOT of more talented dudes than me and I'm glad they exist, and they should be heard.

some of us weren't meant to be producers. being a fan has just as much value.

and on that note, whatever beats i do make this summer will likely never see light of day...and i like that.


GOOD NIGHT

dis shit needz stikky ya te l mi dis on stik?

[lucozade]

Your pretty vague about your reasons, tossing words like ignorant, ethical and moral conscience makes me think more along the lines of drugs rather than stealing samples...I could absolutely be wrong here as I did consume a six pack this evening. Maybe I have commitment issues, or maybe I just got sick of EDM, but whatever the reason the spark inside me that wanted to set the world on fire must have turned into some sort of dried up tnuc. Yeah thats definitely the beer talking. Life is a fucked up game yeah?

Sorry for being vague. I meant ignorant to the wrong reasons of pursuing music. Ethics in that by being more considerate about why we do certain things and how they affect other people - making sure that what we do is to benefit people and the world we live in as much as possible rather than just personal gain. Sorry if this still sounds vague, I'd otherwise have to go into tons of detail and I wanted to try and explain things in as short a post as possible. Basically I did it all for egotistical reasons, I rarely was thinking or caring about the effects of having such a big ego. I'd return to music if I felt I found a genuine hole of a music style or way it was heard/delivered which needed filling and it came naturally from me - predominantly benevolence - for the enjoyment, inspiration and education of others.

Anyway, I'm sounding weedy now and I don't mean to be. I cringe at that (again, that's my ego being far too high)!

]

lisen u shoud do a semi nar bro