Stay ignorant

It has lately come to my attention that my most recent tracks I've been TRYING to put together absolutely suck.
I actually attribute this to having learned so much in comparison to when I was a simple high school sophomore just dipping my toes in music production...
 
But now I use compressors, I use EQ, and I simply can't find or make those key sounds, chords, progressions, tones, and whatever else, the way I could back then.
 
I can't make MUSIC anymore. I can't mix well, I can't write meaningful songs, and I don't get my own ideas.
Everything is so convoluted and NOTHING has helped change things back.
 
Maybe I peaked too early. Maybe I've run out of the really good ideas. Maybe my mind is so full of production that it's in the way of making things. (Maybe I'm digging for sympathy!)
 
I actually wish I could've stayed ignorant.

If you're creative guy getting into a writing funk is unavoidable. I've accepted the fact that it happens and I will eventually find my way out. I guess because we're always trying to better ourselves, our music, writing, mixing, whatever, we put some pressure on ourselves. One of the things I do is to dive into the hundreds of idea snippits I have recorded over the years. There all over the place. On my phone, handheld recorder, cassettes... Usually, I find an idea in the haystack that I have long forgot about and it will spark creativeness again.
The main thing, for me, is that it has to sound good my acoustic and nothing else. I never think, "well, this part will be saved, or sound good when I mix it." Good luck. You will find your way out. "You will find your way out" I think there is a song in there...

You are probably trying to put large logs on a dying fire.  When the inspiration dies out, it needs to be fueled with small, insignificant projects.  Write a jingle, a melody or a meaningless song.  Just make sure you complete it and do it regularly.  It is what all composers are taught and it works.  Once you get the fire burning hot again, use it to write better music you can be proud of.  
 
To paraphrase Virgil Thompson.  It is important to keep regular appointments with "the Muse,"  if it fails to come, it isn't your fault, at least YOU were there and YOU were ready.

I can understand the OP, as the technology to enable mixing can easily detract from the focus on underlying content. Without content there is nothing to mix, yet being near a computer can be distracting as the focus becomes the "end product" rather than a "rough draft." I used to teach college English and always advised students to finish a draft before ever getting into "editing loops" (if you keep editing chapter one, you can never finish a book). Ironically, I catch myself falling into this cycle at times as well, so I consciously force myself to break from the temptation of editing and be forced only to draft... being a guitarist/vocalist primarily, this manifests itself when I grab an acoustic guitar and get FAR away from the computer. There I can only play; and if something arises from that, only then will I come back to the computer and commit it to a track. Even then, it can get tricky to further develop an idea and not get caught up in "edit mode."

dappa1
From what I heard music making supposed to be fun...Worrying about each process to me is not fun. Worrying about where everything goes should over time become natural and instinctive rather than formula based. Yes you want it to flow but over thinking is not good. I think the older we get and we want our music to go somewhere we start to analyse everything and our youthful passion turns into meticulous analyzing.

For a hobbiest sure and that is where most people should set their goals because it is a lot less painful and you'll be a lot less poor. But as soon as you start aspiring to be a pro and/or you have this crazy obsessive fire in your belly that will not be quenched by anything else then prepare to be miserable. I love music, I have "fun" when I'm actually just playing my guit but if I didn't have this obsession my life would likely be a lot less fracked up and maybe I'd be able to experience happiness like a normal person.
 
Unfortunately art thrives where suffering lives. At least in the past 50-60 years us musicians get a lot more respect from society than in the past where musicians, actors and the arts in general were considered to be the purvey of the low class untouchables and only there to serve and amuse the whims of opulence.
 
It's still a pain in the crotch to feed that desperate belly fire though but I cannot imagine living any other way or for any other reason.
 
 

Rimshot
I know and feel that desperate belly fire too well. Interesting metaphor. I like it.
 

It is quite literally a physical manifestation for me and I've been describing it that way for many years now. A lot of it came from actual hunger (as in not eating even when there was food around because I was too obsessed with what I was doing), saucing myself with beer and liquor to get through gigs and actual gastro-intestinal issues (probably brought on from alcoholism and not eating properly but even as a kid I had bad guts). However there is definitely a musical "stress" element to it. Playing a good gig where everyone was ripping each other to shreds in the pit or singing and stomping along to some ridiculous shanty released it. Nailing a solo or writing a slick riff and now dialing in a tone on the DAW is like a slug of pepto hitting my guts and cooling it off a little bit. There's also the cerebral effect like taking a huge bong hit except without the disorientation and stupidity or some kind of brain orgasm.
 
I can't physically or mentally handle booze or recreational drugs anymore nor can I even really afford them so that little endorphin release of just nailing something has become an even more powerful motivator. I also can't stomp stages anymore so trying to duplicate that sitting in a dark room all by my lonesome makes chasing the musical dragon even more challenging... but chase it I will and I still, occasionally, give that ole belly fire a good douse of flame ****ant and it still feels damned good when I do. When I fail... I break but I'm getting better at shaking it off and plodding on. In fact this forum is useful for that because almost no matter what the problem is you guys point me to a decent, workable solution. Hope is never lost for very long with friends like that.
 
Cheers.

I've been chasing my tail on arrangements and mixes of late and kind of feel the same way. Why is it taking me 6 months to finish this one song etc? How come I get it sounding great one night and then listen to it the next day and it sounds crap? Why can't I figure out where this arrangement is going? Why can't I figure out how to connect part A with part B? And then last night I listened to a couple of tracks I made very quickly (about a week each) when I first started out with DAW's, and I was actually very surprised at how good they sounded. Of course I'd want to go back and tweak them with my new found knowledge because I didn't know jack about mixing back then, but it's amazing how decent they sound and how quickly I was able to get those arrangements together without even worrying about it.
 
A lot of it comes down to the fact that as you become more knowledgeable, your standards and expectations increase. You've likely sat through a ton of professional tutorials since then, and you're also listening to commercial music and noticing just how great those mixes are. So now, nothing less than commercial quality will satisfy you.
 
I know it's psychologically hard, but sometimes you just have to accept that you need to get songs finished even if they're not perfect. You can always come back to them later. The point is that for every song you actually finish, you've learned a little more about arranging and mixing and the next song is going to be better.

wizard71
The more you think, the more you stink.
At least that's my experience. Because you are always looking to write a song better than the last one you end up mentally with nowhere to go and can creatively fall apart.

This is interesting.  I like the nowhere-to-go aspect.  There's nowhere to go because it's the wrong path.  It's crazy to treat songwriting like some sort of competition.  I've been hearing some pretty funny monologues lately having to do with the life some of us have gotten ourselves into in which the quality of our actions is measured by the number of Likes they generate.  A competition you can't win because you're competing with yourself.
 
David, I don't know if you rely on music to eat which makes things a bit more urgent but if not, just make music because it's in you and wants to get out.  The music, not your skills at production.
 
Yesterday I was blown away by Bob Marley's Redemption Song which I heard for the first time.  I've never much liked Marley, but this song...  Just one voice and one guitar.  The production was pretty good too, but the song would have been great recorded on a cassette recorder.
 

rontarrant
Years ago, I tried to convince a friend (who's a filmmaker) that he should just make the stories he wants to make using what he has available instead of waiting until he's got the perfect gear. He didn't, and he still isn't where he wants to be, career-wise. I often wonder if things would have been different for him if he'd just gone for the brass ring without worrying about so-called production value.

I think that when you really hit that thing inside of you that wants to come out, you'll use whatever. Some of the most inspired material I've written was recorded on 2 track tape or on crappy computers, using only stock sounds and plug-ins. You just get so focused on what you're after that the means almost become incidental. 
 
 

Seems to me you have discovered why MOST artists make poor producers and vice versa. 
Perhaps you could stick to the facet that inspires you, and don't fret over the details of the rest of the minutia. Quit trying to "do it all" maybe.
I had more wise words but I am distracted by the chipmunks.

davdud101
It has lately come to my attention that my most recent tracks I've been TRYING to put together absolutely suck.
I actually attribute this to having learned so much in comparison to when I was a simple high school sophomore just dipping my toes in music production...
 
But now I use compressors, I use EQ, and I simply can't find or make those key sounds, chords, progressions, tones, and whatever else, the way I could back then.
 
I can't make MUSIC anymore. I can't mix well, I can't write meaningful songs, and I don't get my own ideas.
Everything is so convoluted and NOTHING has helped change things back.
 
Maybe I peaked too early. Maybe I've run out of the really good ideas. Maybe my mind is so full of production that it's in the way of making things. (Maybe I'm digging for sympathy!)
 
I actually wish I could've stayed ignorant.

It's common to feel the way you do. I'm actually in the same boat as you but in another area. I was VERY creative on guitar at one point when I knew 0 theory. The more theory I learned, the more it made me look at things deeper instead of being ignorant and experimenting with things that didn't make sense. One can say "theory will work depending on how you use it" but to me, it's made me chain things together and sometimes think in a technical box.
 
Years ago I'd experiment not knowing what I was doing and I came up with some very interesting things. So interesting, I feel safe saying "almost innovative and new". The more I learned, the more I knew what was behind the doors so to speak. When I didn't know anything, it took me longer to get to what was behind the doors and sometimes there was a bit more dirt under my finger nails....but the uniqueness made it impressive in a way I can't quite capture now....unless of course I were to grab a little happy smoke. LOL! That was another really cool experience....a light buzz to allow my mind to roam wherver it wanted to go. I've probably not written a good song since I stopped doing that. LOL!! Just kidding....I'm not trying to condone any mind altering substances....but I must admit, a little of that along with being ignorant really made for some killer ideas! (just being honest)
 
I'll tell you what I think your problem *could* be. Though the technology out there today is great, I sincerely feel no one is learning anything the right way. Just about all the things out there don't show you how to handle YOUR sounds on YOUR gear. They just keep on teaching techniques until everybody thinks they know everything and are good at this, yet they are missing the big picture.....
 
Their tones sucked years ago too. Their writing may have been better or different, but it's rare you go backwards with sound creation unless you are allowing the new technology to overpower your actual production values or you have a lack or resources or decent gear. I have friends that have a zillion plugins because they have the money to buy them. Ask them how to use them, they look at you like a deer in headlights. Seriously....everyone moves on way too fast without understanding what is supposed to happen in this field. Sound creation doesn't mean grabbing presets that some joker included in a program. (I know you know this)
 
They need to be eq'd and controlled to work in a mix. The only thing you *may* get away with preset wise is drum sounds with a good module. Rest assured you can get a decent drum tone without touching a thing using AD or EZD right out of the box. The simplification process that these companies have given us is our demise. Seriously. Think about it for a second. All the people that use presets or modules....what happens when you have to mic an amp, a drum kit or some sort of wind instrument? Right, you run into things you wouldn't nornally run into using modules. However, this is how you learn. Nothing is done for you. You are forced to create. With creation comes knowledge, skill and good old trial and error experience.
 
The more technology that gets sent down the pipeline (like useless sidechaining and limiting tricks all over to people that can't even record or mix properly let alone throw stuff like this in a mix) the crappier your mixes will sound. Granted, the above tricks can be useful....but most people over-use them, use them too soon or use them improperly to the point of coming up with a terrible mix or something that sounds so synthetic, it no longer sounds musical.
 
I'll put it this way....if you can't present an audible mix without anything going on (light compression and eq acceptable) you need to take 1000 steps back and forget what you know and start over. I can seriously post a mix of something totally stripped down that will still have some value. The value comes from how well the instruments are printed. Your instrumentation should stand on its own without anything supporting it like a crutch. I don't need compression to make a mix cohesive. I don't need any special effects to glue the mix together.....but if I use them, the special effects will enhance what is already there.
 
Picture doing what I'm doing in my control room right now. I've rebuilt it totally from the concrete footing on up. We're doing textured walls that will have a stone look when it's done. The main color in my room is equal to me giving you a mix of raw instruments. That main color on my walls runs the show the same as my instruments and performance will run the show. Anything else I do to my room will enhance it. A bad choice (bright orange say) on the main color is a bad choice for a studio control room in my opinion the same as bad instrumentation would be in a mix. A bad sketch usually doesn't turn out to be a masterpiece. However, a bad sketch can turn into a GREAT sketch if you fix the things that are wrong with the bad sketch. :)
 
Next....and I hope no one takes this the wrong way, then again it IS a true reason people can lose their way.
 
A bad arrangment or performance is also a thorn in your side. Garbage in, garbage out is so true, it can be demoralizing if a person falls in this category and doesn't realize it. Sort of like an alcoholic that is in denial. There are a few people on this forum that think they have this production thing down to the point of trying to teach others what they think is good information. 
 
What they should really do is go back to the drawing board and others should tell them they need help/work instead of sucking up to them. It only allows more pollution to the forum as well as misleading and damaging the learning process for others. Granted, everyone is entitled to an opinion. But just because someone knows a few techniques doesn't make them good at this nor an authority to possibly lead someone astray. ALWAYS consider the sources you listen to and make sure they walk the walk as well as talk it. That goes for me too. Don't listen to a single thing I say or ever read a post of mine if you have heard some of my productions and you think they suck. You are only as good as the advice/teachings you ingest. Remember that.
 
As for inspiration, take a break for a while to the point where you can't wait to do something musical. Learn how to really play an instrument to the point of getting lessons. Learning how to play over hacking at it will inspire you in ways you can't imagine. Listen to a different style of music that you may not listen to often or ever. And lastly, use your life experience. Nothing tells a better musical story than the life you live. A few suggestions off the top of my head.
 
Try a change of location....take a guitar to the park or near a babbling brook or creek. There are so many things right in front of you to inspire you...it's kinda scary when you really dig deep. Think how gifted you are to have a little studio with gear and how some people will never have what you have. Think of the happiest time in your life.....think of the worst time in your life.....just some food for thought. :) If nothing works or your find yourself frustrated, go fishing, play Xbox 360, hang with friends, work out, change things up and live life a bit. Though music is great and we love it/need it like a drug, sometimes we coop ourselves up for too long and life passes us right on by. Go out and smell the roses...live a little and allow life to write and inspire you automatically. :)
 
-Danny

Danny Danzi
 
It's common to feel the way you do. I'm actually in the same boat as you but in another area. I was VERY creative on guitar at one point when I knew 0 theory. The more theory I learned, the more it made me look at things deeper instead of being ignorant and experimenting with things that didn't make sense. One can say "theory will work depending on how you use it" but to me, it's made me chain things together and sometimes think in a technical box.

 
This is so true...I know my guitar fretboard inside and out and I know all about chord construction, substitution, voice leading, scales and arpeggios. I know about about cycles of fifths and modulation and such like. I can see it all on the guitar as shapes. And it's great knowing this stuff, only a lot of the time I find myself thinking about it too much when I have a guitar in my hand. It can really kill the creative process. On the other hand, I'm completely clueless when it comes to keyboards and just thinking about notes in my head. I don't have that down at all, so when I play with a keyboard I'm literally just feeling out sounds without even thinking about any theory. The creative process feels a lot more natural when I'm not thinking about it and I've come up with chord and melody ideas at the keyboard that I never would have come up with on guitar in a million years. The same is true with the piano roll in Sonar. When I'm drawing notes on screen it doesn't even register what they are. I just draw them and move them around and drag them out, all by ear. Some of the chord moves I come up with like this are very sophisticated when I eventually sit down and work out what they are (usually because I want to add a guitar part and feel it would be helpful if I knew what key it was in, lol). Lots of sus2's and sus7ths and quartal harmony and key modulations that I would have never thought of otherwise - I mean I know all of these chords on guitar but it feels like when I incorporate them into my guitar playing, I do so because I'm trying to be clever and it sounds forced. Whereas when I've felt those chords out by ear in the piano roll, I'm using them because I genuinely feel like they work for the song even though I'm not thinking about their names. I'm working on a MIDI based track right now and I swear I could not even tell you what key it's in, and I don't even care!
 

Danny DanziYears ago I'd experiment not knowing what I was doing and I came up with some very interesting things. So interesting, I feel safe saying "almost innovative and new". The more I learned, the more I knew what was behind the doors so to speak. When I didn't know anything, it took me longer to get to what was behind the doors and sometimes there was a bit more dirt under my finger nails....but the uniqueness made it impressive in a way I can't quite capture now....unless of course I were to grab a little happy smoke. LOL! That was another really cool experience....a light buzz to allow my mind to roam wherver it wanted to go. I've probably not written a good song since I stopped doing that. LOL!! Just kidding....I'm not trying to condone any mind altering substances....but I must admit, a little of that along with being ignorant really made for some killer ideas! (just being honest)

 
Let's face it, there's no denying the creative benefits. I'm not condoning it either because it's so easy for that stuff to become a big part of your daily routine to the point where you can't face a day without it. I stopped a few years ago but still indulge a couple times a year on special occasions, and I immediately get sucked into an awesome creative dimension with my music. I think it just frees up your musical inhibitions and facilitates the channeling of pure creativity. However it's definitely not a long term solution for anything...if it was, I'd be at the stuff every day 

Good advice from lots of folks.... I wouldn't say "stay ignorant" but I would say shift your focus for a while......
 
When I mix and things get off course and the mix really starts to become intolerable.... there's only one course of action.....
 
Start over. 
 
Remove all the plugs and envelopes and listen to the tracks again. Start building.
 
This applies to any and all situations where things have gotten out of hand or off track or seem to be lacking that professional touch or inspiration.  In martial arts, as one progresses up the black belt ranks, one tends to plateau from time to time. Mainly because you're not really learning a lot of new stuff like you did in the rainbow ranks.... you're simply refining and perfecting things. When this happened to me, the advice I was given was..... train the basics. Everything else will work itself out naturally.
 
Go back to square one. The Basics.