Share your errors

[Dust Layer]

I thought it would be useful to others if we talked a bit about what mistakes we did.
My aim in this topic is to tell what i did wrong and why i think it can help newcomers to music in order to avoid those errors.
It would be great if some of people here talk about their experience.
It will certainly be obvious for a lot of you, but again i think it can be a good advice for people who are learning from the beginning.

One of my biggest error was to read too much theory at a point, or to read them without really understanding them.

For example i thought for a long time (years and years) that i shouldn't use compression because it was too hard too understand and because it was like a mastering thing you shouldn't use at a previous stage.
Or because you could kill the dynamic or create problems if you weren't an expert.
Using it was like gambling in a way, so i just kept this thing away.
Of course compression is hard to use but you can still try by yourself and experiment, it's like the basis of electronic music actually for me.
I'm still far from being an expert but now compression is on a lot of tracks used in a project and i feel like my quality is better.

Another mistake was to think that using samples was like cheating or too much formatting your music.
I've made a lot of track without samples, just with synths but you can edit samples so much that at the end it's a very creative way to work.
And there are so many things you can't replicate by yourself with a vsti, not using samples in every projects was just like being disabled.

I also thought that using presets for synths or fxs was not creative.
So i always tried try build patches myself even if it was far less efficient than starting from a good preset and modifying it.
Of course setting a sound from scratch is possible, i still try do it a lot but it's not the only way to go.



To say it in few words i just put limits where there was no need to.
The error was to think too overthink some concepts.
You can experiment on every aspect in a project, there is really no rules if you achieve a good track.

[Alume]

Nice topic. Id have to take my time for this for it to be helpfull.

Tomorrow ill be back to computer sitch.

[Críoch]

You've listed pretty much all my errors too. Think they're common enough problems. Just have to work though them in order to resolve them. No short cuts.

[jordanneke]

Good stuff about the samples, I felt exactly the same way.

One thing I'd add is buying equipment/plugins too soon.

I fell into the trap of 'if dj x uses it, it must be awesome' before I knew how to work with what I had. Man, I wasted hundreds on NI Komplete, DSI mopho, Classic synth emulators etc..... when I was a noob, all this considering I bought Abelton (the whole package).

Now I force myself to learn one thing, and learn it well.

Learn to work with what you've got.

[Críoch]

Yeah.. I guess that's the problem with software. At least something physical retains a better proportion of its value. Buying software is unavoidable & totally neccassary.. But boy do those cheeky 30 - 50 quid plugins rack up a big bill when you combine them.

Experience comes through experience. No one can force feed you a lesson.

[Aline N]

buying hardware with out playing around with it .
investing time on posting stuff about DAW's and shit . lol
ohh forgot to mention , just feel music not overthink it . i still do it somehow but i am working on it .

[Ploy]

Forums, biggest mistake ever.

[Críoch]

Facebook is far worse I've found. Fast food, high calorie shit. Unsatisfying, for me anyway. I personally prefer forums.. But they are a distraction too lol

[PixelKind]

Great topic!

For me its definitely to be way too theoretical. I read articles about music production pretty much every day. Or watching tutorial videos. But I lack the practice so when I try to do something that I set up in my head it usually doesnt come out the way I thought it would be. So instead of trying more and messing around until I get it to the point I wanted it to be I go back to theory looking for the error even though mostly its just lack of practice. So now I set up dedicated time slots for things to do. And forcing myself to stick to it. So for example this sunday evening I scheduled 2 hours for myself to work on kick drums. Just that and nothing else. If I get something cool going and I am satisfied I save it I save it. And instead of adding other elements I start with a different type of kick drum sound. That may sound weird but I am still very early in the game so I need to get my basics working before I even start on putting things together. It also teaches me discipline which I lack sometimes

[Ploy]

Also there was that hooker named Sally couple years back.

[Críoch]

Funny name for a male hooker

[Ploy]

Yeah...that's why there is a body in the woods under some rocks now.

...hope I didn't make any mistakes with that one.

[PixelKind]

Also there was that hooker named Sally couple years back.

She got u too?

[terryfalafel]

I have two that I think are pretty common

- I struggle to finish stuff

and following in from that...

- after working on something for ages I get bored of it / end up hating it and start something new.

Obviously these are intertwined. And the fix for them is just good discipline.

[Dust Layer]

I have two that I think are pretty common

- I struggle to finish stuff

and following in from that...

- after working on something for ages I get bored of it / end up hating it and start something new.

Obviously these are intertwined. And the fix for them is just good discipline.

This too for me.
I've learnt to quit projects instead of struggling too long on them. I do far better tracks when things come along quickly, instead of polishing stuff for days until i get something the way i want.
I still do it sometimes but most of time i export a sound or a preset i like and use it later in another project (or never)

[terryfalafel]

Hmm, true but I think the general consensus is to get into the habit of finishing everything. If I struggle with arrangement and completing projects in general, how willni ever learn if I don't start trying? This is common sense advice but still a hurdle to overcome if I'm not feeling a track I'm working on.

But I do see how you learn more (different) stuff by forcing yourself through the bits you don't like, rather than just concentrating on the bits you do

[Ploy]

The internet. Total waste of fucking time. Reading about other peoples problems. What the fuck do I care if some cunt can't decide what synth to buy, sell, trade or shove up his ass or he can't figure out how to make this kick, bass, stab or whatever? I don't. Then there are all the fucking whiners who complain about the state of music, " Its not good enough.." drama drama drama. Blah blah blah. It makes me sick. The interwebz is full of all this shit...Cunts!

The solution is simple. I disconnected. I don't have the internet in my house for 3 years now. Then I realized that I was still ODing on the web wasting my time but instead I was just using my phone. So I got rid of my data plan on my phone. And trust me when I say that it was a fucking war with the telecom company. They charged me up the ass 87 different ways before I finally got my shit locked down.

So now the situation is simple. When I am at home the kit is there and I use it. When I am out of the house I use wifi which is free pretty much everywhere you go. I get more music done & waste less time with other peoples problems.

[1nfinitezer0]

Hmm, true but I think the general consensus is to get into the habit of finishing everything. If I struggle with arrangement and completing projects in general, how willni ever learn if I don't start trying? This is common sense advice but still a hurdle to overcome if I'm not feeling a track I'm working on.

You can't polish a turd though. There's a point at which you have to decide if it was a failed idea or something that you wanna finish, or if it's not worth it. If you continue, then you should make a point to finish it yeah. I was in a trap of negative self-reinforcement from not finishing ideas, when really not all were good enough to live. Since then I've gotten it to the point where the idea I was after is complete, and then render a copy into my sample bank, save a preset and then forget about it. Something that's really helped me in this regard is actively choosing what the time I'm about to do is going to be spent on: meandering sound design, looking for ideas, mucking about... or is there a goal that I'm aiming for? Just having that intention helps heaps for me.


In regards to sampling, I feel like I've not fully engaged with the benefits of it. Any recommendations of ways to experiment? I've considered getting a Volca sampler just so I have something disengaged from my regular workflow to get more hands on with sample manipulation, then bring those ideas back to the power horse DAW samplers. Any sample tips or articles would be nice, as I usually just end up plunking the audio in the timeline rather than an instrument.

[bergertron]

I have spent ages on arranging a track and then giving up on it because I can't change it enough to make it they I like it.
I started to create a copy of the track and do a completely different arrangement even add more elements or change elements. This is working and very helpful for me evolving my methods and getting more creative

[Intellekt]

The internet. Total waste of fucking time. Reading about other peoples problems. What the fuck do I care if some cunt can't decide what synth to buy, sell, trade or shove up his ass or he can't figure out how to make this kick, bass, stab or whatever? I don't. Then there are all the fucking whiners who complain about the state of music, " Its not good enough.." drama drama drama. Blah blah blah. It makes me sick. The interwebz is full of all this shit...Cunts!

The solution is simple. I disconnected. I don't have the internet in my house for 3 years now. Then I realized that I was still ODing on the web wasting my time but instead I was just using my phone. So I got rid of my data plan on my phone. And trust me when I say that it was a fucking war with the telecom company. They charged me up the ass 87 different ways before I finally got my shit locked down.

So now the situation is simple. When I am at home the kit is there and I use it. When I am out of the house I use wifi which is free pretty much everywhere you go. I get more music done & waste less time with other peoples problems.

Interesting concept, but what happens when you want to have a wank when the missus isn't home?

My problem is actually sitting down and working on music. I enjoy every minute of it when I'm actually getting shit done, it's just somehow in the back of my head that if I start producing what comes out is going to be shit. Getting better at it though, just requires more focus and practice.