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I went from having nothing to 16 tracks in 7 months.

It's do-able. I was at college at the same time and had a load of other band commitments.
So yeah, don't be discouraged. Immerse yourself in music. If you really want to produce you'll be fine.

If your heart's not in it, you might as well walk away now.

i've been making dance music since 2002. have i got any success? not really. have i ever thought of giving up? never, music is an obsession for me and most other serious musicians i know are too. they say the average musician gives up trying to become famous after 6 years. you are asking questions about giving up after a month.

if you can't live without it then you know it's right for you. 90% of the people on this forum will not get to where you probably want to be. music is like sport, only the best get to the top, although the bar has been lowered.

I was gonna say keep at it, a month is nothing but then i thought about how I felt after a month. I was loving it I was learning so much and couldnt wait to get back on it if your not feeling like that then maybe it isnt for you. Or maybe your setting stupidly high standards for yourself.

One more thing you mentioned not wanting to have a standard job and do music on the side. If you really think this then id quit now.

Yes. Why would anyone "not" be cut out? If they like what they do does it matter if they're good or bad?

I reckon so. Even I can make one, with no form of musical knowledge or understanding at all.
My advice is relax. You're tackling it to narrowmindedly imo. When I started, I didn't really worry about what I was making, just making random stuff. I didn't worry about genres or anything for almost two years tbh. Once you get into the flow of just making tunes, you'll have no issues, I guarantee.

Yes. But you knew that. It's good to externalize things sometimes. Life is music; the rhythm of the solar system, heartbeats, manic depression- you can't help but be a part of it.

Is everyone cut out to be famous?
No.
But that's one of the things I love about dubstep/the broader edm scene: the anonymity. I'll never tell anyone I make music. It's for me.
You'll be just fine.

One of the things that keeps me practicing—and indeed, one of the things that interests me in DIY production—is the fact that anyone can release a track that completely changes the game at any time. I know one could argue that this is true of all genres, but for bedroom producing in particular, it seems to hold with it a sense of anonymity (especially in the online age). It doesn't matter if you're Chinese, white, 56, female, tone-deaf, or in your case, 16; you can still be the next Arpebu or David Kennedy. Look at Instra:mental. Those guys are a bit older than everyone else in the game. I may not release a track I'm happy with until I turn 35. But I can still work on prefecting my skills until then so when I do turn 35, I can release something that nobody is expecting. Music is really anything you want it to be.

Edit: That said, I'm not really doing this to make a big hit. Sounds play a big part of my life, and unlike others I actually recognize and embrace this and turn to music as not only a hobby but a mode of personal exploration.

.

Producers put to much emphasis on 'producing' when actually it sounds like you just enjoy jamming.

Download a copy (demo?) of Ableton Live and a few loop packs and just jam.

Who cares if no tune is derived from your session as a tangible output, the point is to enjoy the process.

Also maybe try djing on some CDJ's or Tracktor. Again, the process is more about listening to the tunes and enjoying the transitions in the music that present themselves.

If messing around with sounds/music still doesn't tickle your fancy, don't worry about it and go chat to some girls instead!

Give it more time. I've been producing for 2 months now. The difference in my level of skill between a month ago and now is huge

mks wrote:Follow your heart. I chose to do music despite what everyone else told me.

+1

I did precisely the same.

Thanks for the moral support, lads. You've all helped me with this decision; I will be taking Music for A-levels and attempting to get into a Music Production/Sound Engineering course in University. I do love music, it's my favourite hobby, and I hope to turn into a profession. After all, I can only get better from here.

paravrais wrote:Don't try and think of an idea for a track, instead think of a feeling or event in your life or person or animal you love or anything that *isn't* music. Then try and recreate that idea in an audio form. That's what I do anyway.

i think everyone has some musicality in them if that is even a word.

If you enjoy doing it then why worry whether you think you're cut out for it or not? If you like making music then make music! I mean yeah I'm sure we all want to be the next big thing with it but tbh it's a great hobby to have and if you're anything like most of the people on here then you'll find a few years down the line that you'll be making it regardless if it's going to be successful or not.

monkfish wrote:Thanks for the moral support, lads. You've all helped me with this decision; I will be taking Music for A-levels and attempting to get into a Music Production/Sound Engineering course in University. I do love music, it's my favourite hobby, and I hope to turn into a profession. After all, I can only get better from here.

If this is the case, you must read http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=159713 end to end to make sure you've thought the decision through.

Personally, I wouldn't ever choose to study music at university, because everything that is taught can be learned through self-study.

Instead perhaps opt for a vocational course that feeds into a specific industry, or one that has practical use across many industries such as accounting, law, surveying, any of the trades or healthcare.

Think about it in another way. Being a professional musician limits your potential earnings to the rates paid within the music and related creative industries (traditionally a pitance). Who ever heard of an accountant or lawyer doing work for 'free beers' at the end of the night???!

As a white collar worker, health professional or tradesman, you can still be successful as a musician, but the opposite isn't so easily true. This means accepting low paid unfulfilling work just to make ends meet, all based on the decision to study music instead of more sensible professions & trades.

I say study for a vocation that leads to something by the time you're 21, then if you're still really passionate about music, go and take a music course then. If you're not passionate in a few years time, at least you will have invested your time in learning related to an industry that can bring home the bacon!

Final thought: Musicians and artists have a shelf life of 0 in this day and age. Does anyone even remember Chase & Status any more???

Or if you're going to go into music, study computer programming, technology or contract & licencing law instead with a focus on music.

dude try making some good stuff first, THEN you can eventually think about studying music at college... NO not everyone is cut out for music to the point that they should spend years and huge amounts of money on it.

Ayatollah wrote:dude try making some good stuff first, THEN you can eventually think about studying music at college... NO not everyone is cut out for music to the point that they should spend years and huge amounts of money on it.

You from the US?
College is free man. Uni's what you're paying for

zerbaman wrote:

Ayatollah wrote:dude try making some good stuff first, THEN you can eventually think about studying music at college... NO not everyone is cut out for music to the point that they should spend years and huge amounts of money on it.

You from the US?
College is free man. Uni's what you're paying for

hm, is it like secondary school then?
The rest of my point still stands though. If you haven't made any progress with music, if you haven't managed to even sketch out something decent, if you're not good at singing, if you don't know how to play any instrument or have any other way of knowing you have musical aptitude, then you really should think twice about opting music as a career path. Seriously.