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Polishing Turds

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:39 pm
by E-T-F
So, you're working on a track and no matter what you do you just can't seem to progress with it, do you soldier through or do you scrap it?, i seem to choose the latter too often

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:46 pm
by fragments
Since scrapping it isn't really scrapping it if you save your samples/project files/patches/FX chains...I scrap 75% of what I start. But it's not really gone, so who cares? You can always come back to it. Honestly, these days, if I start feeling frustrated for more than about twenty minutes I stop and take a break or switch to another project. Or just start something new.

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:52 pm
by blinx
I will scrap tunes like htis that become stagnent and unfullfilling to write anymore, unless that tunes is needed for a project and its to late to scrap the idea lol.

Generally when i do get stuck its because i wanted to do to much in the current tune and i waited to late into writing phase to easily add teh elements/new patch/new sound design technique i just learned. So instead of just muscling through and potentially wasting my precious studio time (work+wife=no time anymore) i will start a new idea based on the new element i was having issues working into the other track, this usually yields to writing a hwole new track in the matter of a day (and its usually way better thent he first track taht got stuck anyway).

I have probably 100+ osngs/ideas that will never see the light of day lol but have inspired me to move on and finish other tunes i actually like instead of beating my head against a proverbial wall

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:56 pm
by SLASH
scrap. move forward

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:06 pm
by lyons238
i scrap a lot of songs but if your not finishing anything then just push through it and at least finish something.

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:09 pm
by ComfiStile
Soldier through. And then everytime you listen to it, you will notice shit you did wrong and learn from it. If you scrap it, you will never see what you were doing wrong in the first place.

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 12:37 am
by ogunslinger
I'm a big fan of polishing turds

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 12:52 am
by Sine69
Take a break, come back to it later.
If all else fails, start something else.

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:01 am
by 1point5
Sine69 wrote:Take a break, come back to it later.
If all else fails, start something else.
Yeah I agree

Annoyingly, it's when I want to make and finish a tune that I can't and end up scrapping it. It's the times when I'm just messing around with some synth sounds or experimenting with FX or something that I finish a track without getting stuck

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 3:38 am
by alexvont12
Usually if I get frustrated with a project, and I don't think I'll be able to move forward with it, I use that an excuse to fuck it up and throw flangers on the kick, make beats out of synths or other wierd shit like that. Sometimes I end up with something interesting that I rewrite the song around, usually I end up with poop, which I promptly flush. :hugegrin:

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:26 am
by amphibian
what exactly are you stuck on? I don't think this is a turd at all - but it could do with some more stuff to build the atmosphere a little. That said, if you're not feeling it - just move on. However, if it's an issue where you just don't finish anything - just push through and finish it, regardless of how much you like it.

Re: Polishing Turds

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:33 am
by pandy
I just let unfinished tunes accumulate, then go back and listen to them months later. There's often good ideas that I just couldn't work out what to do with, or wasn't experienced enough at either songwriting or technical shit to pull off or whatever. Most of it just sits there, but these days I finish more of what I start, so eventually I figure I'll have dredged up all the good old shit and done something with it.