So Ready to Call It Quits

[Storyville]

Just finished doing an EP of my own music. Can't even listen to it and enjoy it now. Listening to one of the songs is endless tedium, I hear nothing but all the things I don't like.

Part of me wants to drop everything and write some better stuff, perform it better, record it better, mix it better, and master it better. And objectively speaking, it's actually really good work in all departments. However, the other part of me just wants to say **** it, and never write another lick.

[sadix]

can i hear it?

[rectifier]

Maybe you go too close to the work you were creating for too long? I know that if I am working on something for too long I get superjaded. Play me the same thing a few weeks later and a) I can't actually remember doing it in the first place and b) I might think it rocks all of a sudden and become quite proud of myself. Sometimes it's just shit though.

[jigsawlogic]

Don't give up so easily. You're far better off listening to the part of yourself that comes before, "However..."

[soulstudios]

Originally Posted by Storyville

Just finished doing an EP of my own music. Can't even listen to it and enjoy it now. Listening to one of the songs is endless tedium, I hear nothing but all the things I don't like.

Part of me wants to drop everything and write some better stuff, perform it better, record it better, mix it better, and master it better. And objectively speaking, it's actually really good work in all departments. However, the other part of me just wants to say **** it, and never write another lick.

Double-edged sword of mastery is perfectionism -
good to dull it every so often though.

[Lute]

[QUOTE=Dave Reid;4784344]something must have made you in the first place write it, record it, mix it..

Step away for a minute - it sounds different in a couple of weeks..[/QUOTE]


Yep

[Macky]

Stare at this word for as long as you can.
Most people think it means goofing off.. no..no.
It has the word creation in it for a reason.

RECREATION.

[AlexK]

+1.

Listen to some completely different music for the next couple of weeks, find a new artist to get into and then go back and listen to your tune, you'll be surprised.

[Igotsoul4u]

producing yourself is damn near impossible.

[Fletcher]

In 5-10 years you'll hear it as music... all you need is some separation time... while you're working on your next project.

[Sid Viscous]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

In 5-10 years you'll hear it as music... all you need is some separation time... while you're working on your next project.

Then he'll be wondering how he did all that awesome shit and how he can recapture the sounds and inspiration.

[kafka]

For me, it's constant improvements that keep things unfinished. I'm always re-recording everything, re-writing drum parts, etc. My songs all get better every time I touch them. Everything sounds 100x better than it did before, but at some point, it just has to get out the door.

[The Beatsmith]

I am often the same but as Phonte from little brother recently said on his twitter:

"I tell cats all the time that if you're in the music business and have never thought about quitting; you ain't workin hard enough."

and

"EVERYBODY in this game has a 'quittin' day', that's how you know you've officially popped your cherry."

I hate the music i'm working on too, i trust others will not however.

They won't care that your hi-hats are 1db too loud, either, and they certainly can't really hear that 0.5db increase to the kick you made at the last minute!

You're lucky, you actually completed the project - well done. Now, just forget about it, work on promoting it and make some new music (or take a break for a week or whatever works for you). Once an album is done, the work can really begin

[morchid]

you're just suffering a little postpartum depression. i felt the same way when my band released our ep in july. just distance yourself from it. i can actually listen to my record now without dismantling each song.

[Chris Nighman]

Originally Posted by Sid Viscous

Then he'll be wondering how he did all that awesome shit and how he can recapture the sounds and inspiration.

The story of my life!

[jeremy.c.]

Originally Posted by Storyville

Just finished doing an EP of my own music. Can't even listen to it and enjoy it now. Listening to one of the songs is endless tedium, I hear nothing but all the things I don't like.

Are you mixing it yourself?
I've heard it said a million times on this board, but didn't take it to heart until recently; you really can't do it all.
Maybe in your professional life working with other artists you can wear a lot of different hats, but you're still not wearing the artist hat. A lot of tough decisions have to made and then most importantly accepted, lived with and moved on from. The act of creation without restraint (time, budget, collaboration, etc) is a giant hole just waiting for you to tumble into it.
I have been in the process of "tying up" my record for the last year. I have some mix sessions booked in a legit, cool, high end studio at the end of the month and whatever isn't tied up by then doesn't go in, otherwise I would be at this shit for another year, replacing that bass part with a fretless, and that keyboard part with my neighbors toy piano, and that guitar bit with a little less fuzz and maybe a hollowbody... gaaaah!
I realize this is probably just a moan and you'll be back on the horse again this week when you're energized a bit. I'm no professional, but seriously take the advice I was given and wouldn't take until recently, stop doing it all yourself. Give yourself that gift at least.

[Storyville]

I didn't do it all myself. I hired a couple of engineers to help out. And I left the mastering entirely to a buddy of Fletcher's actually (Jeff from Peerless). I'm at least smart enough to know that if I worked on the tracking and mixing I shouldn't be the one to do the mastering.

It's more like, I've learned so much in the process of what I could do better in the future - I wish I could go back in time. Especially with arrangement. My songs are all long by today's standards. And I should have worked more closely with the guitar player. He was the only musician I didn't hire - he is a buddy of mine and split the expenses. But he's not very good (getting better pretty fast though).

I'll post up some links when I get the recall from Jeff. I feel guilty about recalling the master too.... huh, what a mess.

[jeremy.c.]

Originally Posted by Storyville

It's more like, I've learned so much in the process of what I could do better in the future - I wish I could go back in time. Especially with arrangement. My songs are all long by today's standards. And I should have worked more closely with the guitar player. He was the only musician I didn't hire - he is a buddy of mine and split the expenses. But he's not very good (getting better pretty fast though).

Hopefully you never stop saying this, as long as you're learning you're getting better and always improving is never a bad place to be.
This means for however great this project turns out the next one will be phenomenal! I look forward to being able to hear it.

[Sentinel]

I know what you're saying. When my band started in summer of last year, it was all a learning process. We made a lot of songs, but pulled the plug on them because we realized they sucked. We took a few months off for various reasons, but when we got back together, things started to gel. We kept getting better, and we finally had to narrow the album down to 13 songs out of about 20.

As long as you keep learning, you'll keep making better songs. When you look back and see how far you've come from when the band started, that's part of the motivation to keep coming up with new songs, because you can't wait to see how much better they'll be.

[Storyville]

Got the revised masters back tonight. They sound awesome.

Now I just want to get back in the studio and make even better songs.... ah, the cycle continues.

Oh yeah, that, and isrc, logo, replication, website, press kit..... eek. whoever said music is a lazy persons pursuit should take care of all this stuff for me.

[Washington]

Yep, you just got over a very normal postpartum syndrom. If you feel better about your music, let it live its own life and move to the nest things you wanna do. And don't come back to your previous work, ever. Eventually, you'll stumble over it on the radio or in a bar, and you'll feel great. Until then, don't look back and move now that you're in peace. Good luck!

[Stitch333]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

.. while you're working on your next project.

Definitely.
Keep it moving to keep it fresh!

[The Beatsmith]

be sure to link us all when it's ready, dude. glad you're feeling better about it. thumbsup

i'm in a rut currently... money problems makes it very hard for me to work on anything that isn't paid!

[illacov]

Usually what happens is that you lose objectivity for a while and so you can't separate yourself from the material.

I think this is one of the main reasons have a partner or someone else to bounce ideas off of is the secret to alot of hit records out there.

Even the Beatles had George Martin to provide perspective. Having that working relationship kind of takes that edge off at times that otherwise is there when you're alone in your pursuits.

I can't really say I've worked "alone," on anything since 2003. And yeah, I was ready to quit too.

Glad I didn't.

Peace
Illumination

[haymedic]

then simply make the next one better. i believe that's called 'growth.'

s

[Storyville]

Ok, here it is.

SoundClick artist: The Mechanical Minds - The Mechanical Minds are band based in a fictional world created by rapper Storyville. Together with

Two of the songs are not yet uploaded. The other three are on there. Feel free to lay down any constructive criticism, lord knows I have my own. Feel free to lay down constructive compliments too

[ryst]

Originally Posted by Storyville

Now I just want to get back in the studio and make even better songs.... ah, the cycle continues.

I've been saying this for a long time. As artists, WE LIVE FOR THAT CYCLE. Otherwise, we would write one song our whole life and that's it. But no song is ever perfect. So what we should embrace as artists is the fact that we write songs, their will be things we aren't 100% happy with. But the next time you write, you will try to improve on the things you learned....and so forth.

I love the cycle. It's necessary for me to write new music. It reminds me of how much I hate when bands and artists say right before they release their next record.."this is the best record we've ever made". NO SHIT....the next one will be too. They say the same thing for every record. It's silly.

Anyway, Storyville, just enjoy the process. It's the reason we do this.

[jeremy.c.]

Originally Posted by Storyville

Ok, here it is.

SoundClick artist: The Mechanical Minds - The Mechanical Minds are band based in a fictional world created by rapper Storyville. Together with

Two of the songs are not yet uploaded. The other three are on there. Feel free to lay down any constructive criticism, lord knows I have my own. Feel free to lay down constructive compliments too

You mixed this? It sounds amazing! I like the experimental vibe to it too, I can tell a lot of thought and effort went into this. Killer work!

[Sqye]

.

...we...are...all...just...music...robots....

.....do...not...listen...to...us...

.

[Storyville]

Originally Posted by Sqye

.

...we...are...all...just...music...robots....

.....do...not...listen...to...us...

.

I don't understand this..... or wait.... does not compute.

To Olivia: I wish I could take credit for the mixes. I did have a hand in the mixing but it was primarily Benny Grotto. I wrote the music, arranged it, produced it, did a drop of the tracking and a drop of the mixing (mainly from the stems just to touch up a thing here and there). But the tracking and mixing was Benny.