Guest Ralph Nolte Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 has anyone ever had a rush from listening to their own stuff? I'll be staring a tune, lay down the drums, melody, add fx and a bit of mixing etc. listen back to it and then i get this feeling of like fuck this is really good! it only lasts about 10 minutes before i start coming down and feeling like meh, actually its only OK. But for those 10 minutes its like euphoric, i'll be playing it over and over again on my headphones dancing around the room, completely hyped on my own stuff hahahaha. Doesn't last long but its fun whilst it lasts. Yes. Yes. If I did not get that rush every once and a while, I probably would not be making music. Having to repeatedly listen and mix the thing does tend to kill it a lot though. I can relate to the above: Getting high on my own music usually only happens very briefly in the early stages of working on a track - and the feeling I got initially is usually a distant memory by the time I'm done with the final touches (days or weeks later) ... If I started really digging or feeling emotional about a part as I was working on it, that would usually become the main hook or central motif of the track. Doesn't always happen like that, though - often it's a long slog to get everything to "click" in just the right way, like solving a Rubik's puzzle... As for the main topic of this thread: I listen to my own stuff quite a lot once it's done - for me, it's the main reward after the often lengthy creative / production stages. I don't generally try to emulate a specific musician or style with my own music, so by re-listening I also try and establish as objectively as possible if a track actually works on its own merits. The older the track I listen to, the less I focus on technical aspects and start enjoying it in ways more similar to listening to somebody else's music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganus Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 has anyone ever had a rush from listening to their own stuff? I'll be staring a tune, lay down the drums, melody, add fx and a bit of mixing etc. listen back to it and then i get this feeling of like fuck this is really good! it only lasts about 10 minutes before i start coming down and feeling like meh, actually its only OK. But for those 10 minutes its like euphoric, i'll be playing it over and over again on my headphones dancing around the room, completely hyped on my own stuff hahahaha. Doesn't last long but its fun whilst it lasts. Yes. Yes. If I did not get that rush every once and a while, I probably would not be making music. Having to repeatedly listen and mix the thing does tend to kill it a lot though. yep! I get this feeling almost every time when stuff starts falling into place, or I have some unexpected inspiration for a part.I pretty much have to feel euphoric about something to want to post it online, but the feeling quickly fades as I realize that it is not as exciting to anyone else. I gotta get out of the habit of wanting that kind of validation, because it is inconsistent at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thawkins Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Yes. If I did not get that rush every once and a while, I probably would not be making music. Having to repeatedly listen and mix the thing does tend to kill it a lot though.yep! I get this feeling almost every time when stuff starts falling into place, or I have some unexpected inspiration for a part.I pretty much have to feel euphoric about something to want to post it online, but the feeling quickly fades as I realize that it is not as exciting to anyone else. I gotta get out of the habit of wanting that kind of validation, because it is inconsistent at best. I think it's kind of short-sighted to think that your material is not as exciting to others as it is to you. Even though you are who made the thing, it's difficult to place yourself in the position of a listener, especially if there's so many different contexts where people might hear your music. I personally have had experiences with listening to amazing random stuff from Soundcloud either walking to work, just sitting couchlocked at a party, leaving it on while doing random stuff around the house or just listening in bed before sleep. I have had people tell me they really liked listening to my album on a long road trip. There's people who have liked some of my old stuff that I basically can not listen to without cringing. And remember it's normal to want to play your music to someone else and hopefully share that joy and euphoria. "In twenty years of activity as a DJ I still can't realize the real social utility of what I'm doin', but I have seen the therapeutic function..." - Donato Dozzy What I have been trying to do is to capture the initial moment as accurately as possible and spend as little time as possible on mixing and tweaking the thing later on. I think in this way I can give the closest-to-immediate-thats-not-a-live-set experience to the listener as well. I think there's some magical truth in there that will help me sound more like "me" instead of sounding like "processed-to-expectations me". Uh this turned into a weird rambling post, but what I basically wanted to say is it's good to share things that you are happy with and not to think too hard about whether anyone will like it. There's many examples of artists who don't really like their most popular stuff the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr_Nova Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 has anyone ever had a rush from listening to their own stuff? I'll be staring a tune, lay down the drums, melody, add fx and a bit of mixing etc. listen back to it and then i get this feeling of like fuck this is really good! it only lasts about 10 minutes before i start coming down and feeling like meh, actually its only OK. But for those 10 minutes its like euphoric, i'll be playing it over and over again on my headphones dancing around the room, completely hyped on my own stuff hahahaha. Doesn't last long but its fun whilst it lasts. Yes. Yes. If I did not get that rush every once and a while, I probably would not be making music. Having to repeatedly listen and mix the thing does tend to kill it a lot though. yep! I get this feeling almost every time when stuff starts falling into place, or I have some unexpected inspiration for a part. Oh man... I've been riding that euphoric wave for like 2 hours straight with this one track I'm currently working on. Gonna have to let it rest though for the time being seeing as it's 4:30am and I'm probably losing some perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soloman Tump Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I was actually fairly impressed with how my latest effort turned out, minimal tweaking / mastering required (low OCD at present) and I called it a finished job. Sometimes I get bogged down with tweaking and it ruins my enjoyment of the music making process. I have genuinely enjoyed the music creation process again over the past couple of months, firstly by not taking it too seriously (its a part time hobby), not expecting to make anything from it (money or fans) and enjoying my output enough to be able to listen back to it a few times and still not hate it. From a personal point of view, job done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ralph Nolte Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I have genuinely enjoyed the music creation process again over the past couple of months, firstly by not taking it too seriously (its a part time hobby), not expecting to make anything from it (money or fans) and enjoying my output enough to be able to listen back to it a few times and still not hate it. That's a very healthy approach to take - especially considering the hopeless state of today's "music business"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganus Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I have genuinely enjoyed the music creation process again over the past couple of months, firstly by not taking it too seriously (its a part time hobby), not expecting to make anything from it (money or fans) and enjoying my output enough to be able to listen back to it a few times and still not hate it. That's a very healthy approach to take - especially considering the hopeless state of today's "music business"... Yeah, I am working on this outlook for sure. Trying to keep things loose enough that it stays fun for me. Good advice Thawkins... I know you are right. I want to keep putting my stuff out, I just need to manage my expectations better, that's all. I am starting to play live more, and that's helpful for me, because I get to see how stuff affects people immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweepstakes Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Yes. If I did not get that rush every once and a while, I probably would not be making music. Having to repeatedly listen and mix the thing does tend to kill it a lot though.yep! I get this feeling almost every time when stuff starts falling into place, or I have some unexpected inspiration for a part.I pretty much have to feel euphoric about something to want to post it online, but the feeling quickly fades as I realize that it is not as exciting to anyone else. I gotta get out of the habit of wanting that kind of validation, because it is inconsistent at best. I think it's kind of short-sighted to think that your material is not as exciting to others as it is to you. Even though you are who made the thing, it's difficult to place yourself in the position of a listener, especially if there's so many different contexts where people might hear your music. I personally have had experiences with listening to amazing random stuff from Soundcloud either walking to work, just sitting couchlocked at a party, leaving it on while doing random stuff around the house or just listening in bed before sleep. I have had people tell me they really liked listening to my album on a long road trip. There's people who have liked some of my old stuff that I basically can not listen to without cringing. And remember it's normal to want to play your music to someone else and hopefully share that joy and euphoria. "In twenty years of activity as a DJ I still can't realize the real social utility of what I'm doin', but I have seen the therapeutic function..." - Donato Dozzy What I have been trying to do is to capture the initial moment as accurately as possible and spend as little time as possible on mixing and tweaking the thing later on. I think in this way I can give the closest-to-immediate-thats-not-a-live-set experience to the listener as well. I think there's some magical truth in there that will help me sound more like "me" instead of sounding like "processed-to-expectations me". Uh this turned into a weird rambling post, but what I basically wanted to say is it's good to share things that you are happy with and not to think too hard about whether anyone will like it. There's many examples of artists who don't really like their most popular stuff the best. Great post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hello spiral Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 It would at least be an interesting exercise to try and compose a complete song by sight alone. Maybe a challenge is in order :) oh I get u now. Yeah I do this all the time. Will happily work on a track for hours and hours by 'concept' alone without listening to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubularCorporation Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I am starting to play live more, and that's helpful for me, because I get to see how stuff affects people immediately. Yeah, this is so important and I've really been missing it since I stopped playing out regularly a couple of years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thawkins Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 I am starting to play live more, and that's helpful for me, because I get to see how stuff affects people immediately. Yeah, this is so important and I've really been missing it since I stopped playing out regularly a couple of years back. Any sufficiently awesome live set is indistinguishable from magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubularCorporation Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 It would at least be an interesting exercise to try and compose a complete song by sight alone. Maybe a challenge is in order :) oh I get u now. Yeah I do this all the time. Will happily work on a track for hours and hours by 'concept' alone without listening to it. In college I took three or four terms o private, one on one lessons in contemporary composition. For one of the pieces we worked on I did this without telling my instructor (who was pretty talented and a good teacher and someone I still respect so I won't name him, not that he's super well known or anything) - I just did the whole thing on staff paper visually over a few weeks on the train. When I brought it to him he spent some time looking it over, playing passages from it, and then said it was kind of over his head and asked if he could borrow it for a week. Next time we met he brought it back, said he had taken it to HIS teacher/mentor from when he was in school (who was a significantly more well known mid-tier modern composer), they'd spent some time analyzing it and discussing it, and decided it was a really good, forward-thinking piece. To this day I still have no idea what it sounded like, but it looked decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ralph Nolte Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 they'd spent some time analyzing it and discussing it, and decided it was a really good, forward-thinking piece. To this day I still have no idea what it sounded like, but it looked decent. Your story kinda reminds me of this video (especially 3 minutes in): Also (on a "related note" ) all these DAW tutorial videos where an "expert" plonks down patterns of MIDI notes in the piano roll - without ONCE hitting the playback button as his masterpiece takes shape... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxien Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 It would at least be an interesting exercise to try and compose a complete song by sight alone. Maybe a challenge is in order :) oh I get u now. Yeah I do this all the time. Will happily work on a track for hours and hours by 'concept' alone without listening to it. In college I took three or four terms o private, one on one lessons in contemporary composition. For one of the pieces we worked on I did this without telling my instructor (who was pretty talented and a good teacher and someone I still respect so I won't name him, not that he's super well known or anything) - I just did the whole thing on staff paper visually over a few weeks on the train. When I brought it to him he spent some time looking it over, playing passages from it, and then said it was kind of over his head and asked if he could borrow it for a week. Next time we met he brought it back, said he had taken it to HIS teacher/mentor from when he was in school (who was a significantly more well known mid-tier modern composer), they'd spent some time analyzing it and discussing it, and decided it was a really good, forward-thinking piece. To this day I still have no idea what it sounded like, but it looked decent. Bruh You can't just tell a story like that without showing us/letting us hear/also why did you not listen to (perform) it??? Also (on a "related note" ) all these DAW tutorial videos where an "expert" plonks down patterns of MIDI notes in the piano roll - without ONCE hitting the playback button as his masterpiece takes shape... Love that video breakdown of IO, but damn a DAW tutorial like that sounds annoying, I'm glad I've not come across any quite like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Real Human Bean Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Tangent but the whole tone scale is mentioned above and this is one of my favs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ralph Nolte Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Also (on a "related note" ) all these DAW tutorial videos where an "expert" plonks down patterns of MIDI notes in the piano roll - without ONCE hitting the playback button as his masterpiece takes shape... Love that video breakdown of IO, but damn a DAW tutorial like that sounds annoying, I'm glad I've not come across any quite like that. Maybe it's not that common, but I've seen a whole series by one particular vlogger where he spends about 15 minutes building a track in one or other EDM genre - and all one hears for most of that duration is him previewing samples, copying them into the arrangement, drawing in some automation and blindly adding effects. The "completed" track is only briefly heard right at the end. I'm not sure if he was just showing off - or taking the piss... He certainly didn't seem the type of guy to listen to his own music all that much. (His name is Multiplier and he's on YouTube) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubularCorporation Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 whole tone scale is great by my current favorite if I was forced to choose is the Westernized adaptation of Pelog Sunaren (Eb F A Bb C) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thawkins Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 It would at least be an interesting exercise to try and compose a complete song by sight alone. Maybe a challenge is in order :) oh I get u now. Yeah I do this all the time. Will happily work on a track for hours and hours by 'concept' alone without listening to it. In college I took three or four terms o private, one on one lessons in contemporary composition. For one of the pieces we worked on I did this without telling my instructor (who was pretty talented and a good teacher and someone I still respect so I won't name him, not that he's super well known or anything) - I just did the whole thing on staff paper visually over a few weeks on the train. When I brought it to him he spent some time looking it over, playing passages from it, and then said it was kind of over his head and asked if he could borrow it for a week. Next time we met he brought it back, said he had taken it to HIS teacher/mentor from when he was in school (who was a significantly more well known mid-tier modern composer), they'd spent some time analyzing it and discussing it, and decided it was a really good, forward-thinking piece. To this day I still have no idea what it sounded like, but it looked decent. I think a lot of classical composers can't properly hear their work until some orchestra actually takes it up and plays it. Even if you're Hans Zimmer with a million VSTs, the gold standard of a classical piece seems to be having it played by some top orchestra and a top conductor. I don't know whether this is necessarily a good or bad thing, but all this seems to have an effect where the "goodness" of something is decided by a much much smaller public - the established classical critics who have actually hear the piece played live. So yeah I think there is a lot of instances where classical kind of music is evaluated before anyone - even the composer - gets to listen to the actual thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juice Patrol Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Some times I do. Usually its just so i can mentally pick it apart some more. But if I make a track that I think I pulled off some kind of sound particularly well, I will try and figured out just how i did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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