dcumpian
I, too, have a ton of unfinished (just barely started ) projects and a few years back I decided that I would pick a project and work on it until it was done, or I was sick of it. Everything I've done in the last couple of years is a result of that.
 
I do allow myself a day or two a month to just experiment and play with stuff, which usually generates at least one or two new projects to be finished in the future.
 
I have found that really focusing on a single project at a time has really helped me to improve.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Sounds a lot like me, Dan. My problem is that new ideas are always popping into my head. One step forward, two steps back.

Mistergreen

dcumpian
I, too, have a ton of unfinished (just barely started ) projects and a few years back I decided that I would pick a project and work on it until it was done, or I was sick of it. Everything I've done in the last couple of years is a result of that.
 
I do allow myself a day or two a month to just experiment and play with stuff, which usually generates at least one or two new projects to be finished in the future.
 
I have found that really focusing on a single project at a time has really helped me to improve.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Sounds a lot like me, Dan. My problem is that new ideas are always popping into my head. One step forward, two steps back.

That's me.
I'll get in a groove and write and lay quick but full tracks to 15 ideas in a week or whatever sometimes, and if I'm lucky enough for that streak to ride with me for awhile, material gets stacked up.
 
It's not always workflow or passion or being lazy.... sometimes it is just time.
And blessings can be curses indeed.
 

I can't finish anything unless there's a deadline. But when there is a deadline, I can always get done by about 48 hours after the deadline. Need to work on both of those things.

John T
I can't finish anything unless there's a deadline. But when there is a deadline, I can always get done by about 48 hours after the deadline. Need to work on both of those things.

That makes for an absolutely great quote, John. 
 

Wow, what a thread full of insights!  At 64 I've been a singer/songwriter since the early "Elvis" days when I was a little kid... I can so relate to literally EVERY post above...and have huge GAS pains I try to control...(yea, like just buying infinity and gravity... good goin' dude!).  I've gone through the overloading songs insanity.  I've relegated most of my plugins/synths/effects to the dustbin these days... should sell um I guess.
 
My favorite artist is Rush... do so much with so little... exquisitely crafted words and messages, minimally saturated music but everything shines with an expressive sense of urgency, emotion and POWER!...They have several dozen songs which routinely bring me to tears.  They've moved thru the ages and evolution of tech yet have not lost the power and simplicity in what they do.  Just brilliant what those three humans create.
 
I'm now at the point of reassessing everything.  I've shifted to evernote for songwriting whereever and whenever the inspiration hits.  The perfect combo of tech and primitive language.  I have no more, "where'd the f'in' words go"... they're everywhere, on my phone, in the cloud, on the vastmaschine...
 
I'll often come up with a melody along with a message and it's generally the best as it arrives in that creative moment, whether while working in the garden or.... so I have phone aps to capture it.  Have even started using google translator to capture song thoughts way faster than I can type or write.
 
I think the old way forced us to come up with a whole idea or framework/foundation...and is important to remember, as endless options nowadays can be a distraction if we let it...it is addicting!  I do miss the band practices/song writing sessions where multiple influences co-join into something unique and squirting it into my various Tascam's or later, ADAT was the goal.
 
My struggle these days is I am a naturally intuitive artist, whether in garden design or composition... and many of my recent songs start out as just playing around with something like BFD3 and Stratosphere or some Kontakt library... Yet I know that just sitting down with the acoustic guitar and working out a song generally results in a more cohesive effort.
 
But this era of DAW/VST/CPU power is friggin' amazing.  I'm soooo glad I'm here.  To wield such power that heretofore never existed is orgasmic...

Vastman
 
 ..........
I'll often come up with a melody along with a message and it's generally the best as it arrives in that creative moment, whether while working in the garden or.... so I have phone aps to capture it.  Have even started using google translator to capture song thoughts way faster than I can type or write.
.......

 
As a songwriter myself, who at times gets spanked by creative timing, I might have to look into translator.
Sounds much easier than standing in the sun dripping sweat trying to get my fat-fingers to cooperate with the phone.
 
Same for evernote.. I keep backups of lyrics but can't keep them all updated when I add or rewrite a line etc.
 
Thanks for the tip!

Evernote syncs to desktop app, mobile apps Sylent...so any change migrates to all devices... just go to google store and download the chrome app... it also lets you email the lyrics as an additional backup.

btw, as to dictating, I'm using "google keep" which is just fantastic for free form dictation of ideas... the accuracy is truly amazing (has been improving steadily over the last few years) I'll often then just cut/past to evernote...
 
Keep is also cross platform and auto syncs everything.
An old bbc show, Starcop... the dude had his "box" (his name..."hey, box...remind me about...."), looked like a cell phone... and I've always dreamed of it... we are almost there, natural language and all.
 

Vastman
btw, as to dictating, I'm using "google keep" which is just fantastic for free form dictation of ideas... the accuracy is truly amazing (has been improving steadily over the last few years) I'll often then just cut/past to evernote...
 
Keep is also cross platform and auto syncs everything.
An old bbc show, Starcop... the dude had his "box" (his name..."hey, box...remind me about...."), looked like a cell phone... and I've always dreamed of it... we are almost there, natural language and all.
 

Thats cool, I have keep and evernote already installed too.
I'll see about adding that into my remote workflow.... translators help so much, and have come a long way since win95 and that first Acer system version. lol
Thank you kindly.
 
And yes, at 50 myself, and seeing the tech changes in my lifetime gain perpetual speed, I can't imagine in 2065.
No app, no box, just speak it into your hand! lol
 
 

There's a recording blog at therecordingrevolution.com that pushes the keep-it-simple-approach.  A few helpful things I've learned from reading that blog (and experience).
 
1. Set a goal.  It could be finish a song by the end of the month, or an EP in three months.  But set some sort of goal so you have a direction to head in.
2. Just because you have every plugin know to man doesn't mean you need to use all of them on your next project.  Pick one EQ and use that.  The same for reverb and compression.  You'll mix faster and if you're doing a multi-song project, the entire thing will sound more cohesive.
3.  Setup recording and mixing templates and use them.
4.  Make some up front decisions and stick to them.  Craig touched on this when he said he rarely goes back and changes things.  Graham who writes this blog likes to pick a guitar/amp sound, track it, and don't look back.  Of course, experience in what a good sound will be helps a lot.
 
I've been trying to apply these ideas to my latest project, a 5 song EP.  I'm missed my end-of-May deadline, but I'm making progress....more progress than I've ever made.
 
I also agree with the post early in this thread: I'm doing this to have fun.  So what if I miss a "deadline" or don't write 10 songs this year.  I never seem to have a bad time when I'm hanging out in my studio, whether I'm recording or just trying out new stuff.
 
Jim