(ADMIN: can you help me move this to a different board where it's appropriate. I made a mistake posting it here accidentally) Gratsi.


I"m an electronic muso in the style of Classic Techno/EBM/Acid House/Synthpop

I've also been married happily for 12 years and finally, the universe blessed us with a nice healthy daughter(9 months now).


Ever since she was born, I haven't even made a track.. I work full time but come home and I have that parental job. I love being a dad because I'm a cool daddy. BUTTT!!! I haven't made a track since June.

I even invested in an MPC Live so I can program my tunes in the living room. THat didn't work out and I sold it.. I got myself the MacPro BOOK with Logic w. Lacie Thunderbolt drive.

I'm a creative guy but I confess that I lost that energy to create.

I'm not selling my gear(Matrixbrute, Analog Four, TR8, MX1, and TB03). I'll wait until she's a little-grown up.. I think I won't be able to score one tune. I'd be lucky to even finish one. The good news my hardware will still be in top shape when she's 3. The only thing I need to upgrade is the computer.

Question, how do you do it? I know I'm not the only one who has this prob.


I wrote down my goal and the goal was to spend at least an hour to an hour 1/2 to produce and every day I do that, there is progression.

For those who are saying, "why did you even have a kid then"? well, my nature in me is craving to procreate. AND? when she cries, I take her with me and I let her bang on the Matrixbrute while I tell her "listen to this as I twist this big know" She looks at the speakers because she doesn't know what weird sound that was but she smiles though when funny fart synth sounds come out lol.

Seriously, what's your strategy? schedule? how do you do it ?

Been there done that. You quit the band, get a real job, etc. That said, enjoy the moment, they're only that age once and you'll find time eventually. Hopefully, you'll pass down your love of music to the point where they exceed anything you've ever done.

Example A from a proud dad, my daughter on bass (13 at the time) with Tim Presley ...

When you get done with diapers (~2.5 years old) you’ll get a big chunk of your life back. In the meantime read and do other things for inspiration. Don’t worry, making music is like riding a bike.

It's tough, I have a 5 year old daughter and a 16 month old son. I did get more time when my daughter got to 3 and started pre-school a couple of days per week, here in Wales 3 year old's get 15 free hours of pre-school education per week. She finally started sleeping better around that age too.

Of course I did it all again and am exhausted and have no time again but hopefully when my son reaches 3 I know I will get some time back, it doesn't go on forever!

Loved The Nerve Agents in high school.

Only another 4ish years untill she’s at school. It’ll be over sooner than you think.
Send her to nursery at 3ish and you’ll get a couple of hours during the day back.

Good advice here. You are in the most demanding phase. It will pass... so you better enjoy it as much as possible, because she is at one of the best times of life. My kids are 9 and 6 now. I miss the babies and toddlers more and more every day... and I've released an album this year, an album last year, and scored two features. I'd trade all that output for the good times with them at 9 months. Sounds nerdy... but music just isn't as cool as being a dad. People who aren't dad's just don't get it.

slaughtrhaus had great tips. Now is the time to study. Print manuals. Read about synthesis and mixing techniques. Study licensing and music business. That way when you've got time to make something again, you can do better than before.

You know, you could sell your kid. I'm not condoning it, but you could probably get enough for a drool-free Matrixbrute.

Such is life. My output dropped down pretty bad when the tech boom hit (my day job).. came back a bit when that calmed down, and totally disappeared when kids came.

I just accept that I'm not going to have lots of complete work to show anymore. I enjoy the process. Sometimes, I even have a snippet of a half finished track thats worth sharing around - but honestly I rarely finish them.

Believe it or not, modular has been a fun change/addition. If I got 2-3hrs free in my studio to work in a new industrial track, I'd barely make a dent.. but 2-3hrs on a modular often has something resembling a full piece of music. Granted, it's almost never what I intended, but it's fun to do.

< done >

congratulations, by the way

My Story - by KC Earl of Finchley

I became a new dad 4 years ago, had another since, before that I hadnt worked for 6 years and spent my time between the gym, bar, and learning this. For the first year I was living in Asia so I took a small set up and managed a couple of tracks, gave me a bit of time away for my "mental" wife and baby, the second was easier

Time was tight but priorities were daughter first, then daughter and son first. Now they go to school three short mornings a week, but still its no time for anything. I had a set up in my guestroom while my wife had both kids, and that worked pretty well...since then Ive moved to a dedicated room and its pretty much stopped. I find my MPC Live and the odd bit of gear pulled from the room rather than just sitting upstairs works. I do seem to have the bare bones and scraps of half a dozen tracks now that I need to finish off.

Just bought a house, well waiting on the inspection, this time Ill have more dedicated space. I want a sofa, coffee table and TV there too, so I can do my sofa thing, or go full rig, without having to move...Ive got between 2 and 3 hours each night I can do something, but after a day of two kids its hard to be motivated every night. Almost considered quitting it altogether and going full time beer, but bought some new toys instead


Summary: Portable things to keep you going...Ive got laptops, push, maschine, MPC, FA, guitars, ipad, controllers galore, all that can be used anywhere with a socket (or not). And just bare it until they get older. Also congrats, parenthood isnt an instant love for everyone, it can be damned hard, by its also pretty amazing sometimes, you will get your life back bit by bit, itll just be a little fuller...got to go pick up my kids

Ok my previous post was from the phone, I can add a little detail now. While my baby was a baby I struggled to make any music that made it to full production status. Part of this is the vast majority of your free time is based on the fact that your baby is asleep, which cancels your ability to be loud. Yeah you can crank the cans and stare at the baby monitor, but that's no way to work trust me it will drive you crazy reacting to those little LED's.

One thing that works is to get yourself a cheap (ok to get knocked over and vomited on, literally) acoustic guitar or uke etc, the kind with nylon strings so you don't need a pick and it isn't terribly loud. Just leave it out so the baby gets used to it and eventually they will fall asleep to the sound of you playing it. If you don't already know how to play guitar then you will, and that's a good thing for all your music. Another reason why I recommend a guitar vs a portable tron device is they still work after being subjected to spills/accidents that will kill any electronic device.

RE:Goal-
Don't make it so arbitrary. You might not get that 1/2 hour every day. You might go 4 days in a row (baby with a cold for ex.) with no sleep. Then you'd failed to meet your goal which can snowball into bad feelings and less desire to play. It's really not that important to play every day compared to making the most out of the opportunities that present themselves at random. And they will be random. Easiest way to get disappointed is to make plans.

And without evangelizing too hard I have to agree with biggiator6 that the switch to modular made reconciling family life and making music much easier. There is something about it that lends itself to short bits of time. It might have something to do with the "always be recording" mentality that comes with it, but my output went from zero to a place I am happy with quickly after getting into eurorack modular. Just 2c nobody start a war please...

At any rate, making music the way you are probably used to doing it (big blocks of time to setup complex hardware tunes or to edit tracks and make everything "perfect") are as good as gone for the first 2.5 years pretty much no matter what without super powers. A true serenity prayer moment. That being said having a baby is just about the only thing that was worth not playing music for any amount of time, but you already know that.

thanks everybody


I needed that.

Boarding school? Send her to work down the mines? Thinking out loud here.

When youngest was five years old she used to be able to make a basic beat on my 909.

I was allowed time on my kit if I incorporated the kids.

They both love music now.

This too shall pass...

Kids lives go in phases. Enjoy each one. They all have pros and cons.

My kids at age 4 could program a Tr8 and knew where the filter cutoff knob on most of my synths were! Good memories.
Trust me. It's worth it!

Not really an answer to your question but my daughters (similar age as yours) love to fool around with mic going through a delay line.

Doesn't everybody?

I think this whole Kids vs. music-complex hugely depends on if you´re making music as an hobby, or if
you´re actually generating an income with it.

I´m a professional composer (Movies, TV, Dance, Theatre), and I found
that the birth of my kids helped me to get very focused.

In the few hours I have per day, I´m generating so much more output than before-
more and better.
This is mainly because I don´t have the time anymore to overthink stuff or overly critizise myself all the time.

I´m on a tight schedule and that helps a lot to get focused!

Kids help you to get focused on what you really want to spend your time on...

My kids are now 6 and 8. Both like coming into the studio with me to noodle on synths.

Through the more challenging years, I’d record all sorts of stuff on my phone, later capturing great samples from toddlers who’d gone off the rails with anger (eg: “I’ll go away from you so you’ll die alone!”). This would be fuel for ideas when I’d have a few minutes. I could trim samples of playground equipment, cooing, or any other neat noises and have a pretty good bed of raw material. I’d clean constantly while my wife nursed the kids, and that earned me some good will. As soon as the kids were ready for it, I’d take them out so mom could get a little alone time. As she felt better about having a little of herself back, she’d do the same. Guess what I’d do with that time? Now, I take lots of time to do things with the kids. Once they are good and tired, Music time! If I snuggle my wife and she falls asleep, I’ll often clean the kitchen a little, then music time! Between loads of laundry and folding, music time!

It all works out well, and you’ll get very efficient with your time. The most important thing is to enjoy the time with your kids while they still like you (pre-teen), and keep up your home. The sanity that gives everybody makes it easier for your partner to give you a little time for the things that enrich you, and make you a good partner/father.

This is a brilliant thread. I got a TR-8s 3 days ago and I've spent 10 minutes total with it. My wife went to have a bath last night at 10pm and I sat down with it and I swear the moment I heard a single kick drum in my headphones my 2 year old son woke up screaming. He then proceeded to tell me to go away for like 15 minutes while screaming so I took him down to see mom in the bath and that calmed him down but made sure he was good and awake.

Then off to drink some milk. Then to eat a snack. Then 20 minutes of laying in bed with him until he's asleep. Woke up again and my wife lay with him for 20 minutes until he's asleep. Woke up again and we both hung out with him until he was asleep.

Sat down to play with a new machine at 10PM, went to bed at midnight without any progress, then woken up at 6AM again.

As they say, enjoy these precious moments I've got another one due on the 23rd.

Edit: I'm pretty tired. In case it isn't clear, this post is tongue in cheek. Kids are awesome and it's mostly super fun. But it's also pretty ludicrous and to me it seems that for my musical hobbies it really is about adjusting to a new life and trying to do -just enough- so that I feel at least slightly fulfilled in that regard so that I can focus on the more important and fleeting things going on in life right now.

Edit 2: That 10 minutes I spent with it I was finishing up dishes at like 10:30 the day I got it, and my wife said "I'm gonna go to bed." I said "Ok I'll be up pretty quick but I want to spend like half an hour on this box" and she looked at me like I was crazy and shook her head slowly and logically explained that she could go into labor at any time and that we will need our sleep then. This is totally true and valid. But I said "I think it will be good for my mental health if I spend 10 minutes with this box." She seemed to accept that!

I've got four and one on the way. Zero music time, loads of kit but zero time. It will come back. I snatch few minutes here and there when I can. Also try and involve the older ones when possible. ONLY with select pieces of equipment though

Totally agree on the portable things so that you can be close to them. I also work in little micro sessions (sometimes a half hour). I relaxed some of the recording techniques too as I just cant sit there and work on a track for days.. Good luck with the little one, its a beautiful thing. But dont let them in your studio!!

A child is the ultimate transient. There is no compressor to tame it nor should you really want to. I recommend acceptance; enjoy the smack for what it is and accept that your reality is different. If you balanced a job w/production, adding a child to the mix upsets that balance. It it is a mistake to believe that the addition will allow a return to a previous state. The old is annhilated by the new.

Instead rebalance to your new realty. Family, love and and time are ones best gifts imo. Music will change, moods change...if you do music full time i got nothing here.

If you do it part time then this is an opportunity to deepen skill. The days of pondering this sample or that sample are over. Which is more analog, this dco, vco or va — moot. Does it turn on, will it record, is there cutoff...eventually children allow an exploration of the basics.


Eventually.

Tl;dr - sing lullabyes you write until they are no longer wanted. Let go of what you want and focus on your new audience.

same as everyone else (19month old and eleven year old) give up for now, time will slowly come back to you in stages, enjoy the childhood while they like you...

Also singing to a baby is a really good way of developing some control on your voice.. you gotta go quiet, and smooth, sweet and peaceful, and in tune... keep at that, nice string to your bow...

and yeah, do an album of lullabies...

Great thread for a new dad to a three-month old girl! Some good advice that I`ll have to try.

I know you are supposed to adjust immediately (and of course I love the kid), but I am absolutely aching to spend some precious time back in my studio.

Our baby never sleeps (it seems..) and cries unless she is held and carried around the room all day long. Combined with being in the start of my career in finance (long hours and some travel), I don`t see a bright (near) future for my desperately needed creative vent. And this depresses me more than I hoped it would.

I think many people react with "man up and focus on the kid". I think these people are either better at suppressing needs, or they don`t have creative needs to the same degree.

When we get the baby sleeping more regularly, I hope time management could help us a bit. There are a lot of hours in the day, and I think it`s possible to spend them more wisely than we did when we didn`t have the baby. I think both of us could have some slots of "me time" during the week, without losing too much time with our daughter or each other (and hopefully every other commitment we have, social or otherwise...).

'supposed to' my ass.. i think that adjustment can be very painful and take a long while. don't beat yourself up. you will have to grieve the loss of your old life, so will your wife for hers.

the sleep deprivation is sooo hard, man, that in itself eventually forces your new set of priorities.. but it DOES get better. For now just focus on how to keep all of you alive and safe, healthy and sane and getting on together! and eventually you'll be able to spot cracks where creativity can sneak in.. like everyone above says, portable things, quiet things, in-the-moment things, whilst travelling things...

grand complicated stuff (and probably most obnoxious/loud stuff) is out for now for a few years, that's something you will just have to be philosophical about.

good luck.. me and my wife try hard to have a five-hour "me-time" slot each, once a fortnight, and even that is very difficult to keep to (but very very essential). I'm normally too knackered to use that for creativity, that is a real "go into standby mode" breather...