Musical burnout

[NEKA]

I think I am suffering from one.

Ever since I got onto my label Solidbox Records, I have tried to create something new and always aim for better sound design, better mixdown, better mastering etc. and I have seen that my work is slowly paying off. I always try something new, switching from mainstream hardcore to crazy moombathon and everything in between, breaking bordrers and trying something new.

I want to create my unique and own sound. I am finally getting noticed somewhat and people are telling me what I sound like. It's great, for a person with no musical background expect for banging drums and love for harder EDM, it's really awesome. But I think I try too much. I can imagine a banging track with all it's sounds in my head easily, I can break it apart and write it down, but when I sit on my computer and open my DAW, the first thing I think is: "damn, this is just too hard for my skills", I tweak a few sounds until they sound somewhat perfect but still not close enough, and I give up. Then starts another test, and another, and another....

This has only gotten worse after TiH competition. All the work I did for my remix kinda paid, but still got in a shadow of many others who were on the same line as I. After recovering from that shock over two weeks, I finally really got back to my producing, and this time: it's all about perfectionism. I don't want to be seen as "that one producer who creates cool tracks with bad sounds" but as an "that one producer who creates tracks with great sounds." As I have opened my mind more and practiced and designed/created more and more sounds, and trying and create, I come always to one conclusion:



I try to create a very variative stuff, with lot's of influences from Zatox, Amnesys, Noisia, and especially, Savant. I want to create very melodic, but nothing uplifting, but awesome-like melody with lovely growls, screeches, FX, drum patterns and kick tricks, all coming together for one epic track. But I try to bite more than I can chew. Create something without any musical talent, any synthesis skills, any idea about mastering etc. and try to work them all at the same time (sound design, mixdown, mastering), for a basic bassline? That leads nowhere but lack of inspiration my skills are too far to achieve what I try and that stresses me. Many people say that I should do what I do best right now, and that I learn from that, but it's not enough for me. If I finish a song now, I might not like them two weeks after finishing them. Until I'm not 95% satisfied with my tracks, I won't post them. That's why there's over 20 songs waiting to be finished.

I am having lot of weird thoughts all the time because I am scared. I don't have skill or any talent/knowledge to do what I want, and I try and try without achieving nothing at all. Of course hard EDM scene is really hit-or-miss learning, but with constant misses for over 5 years now, I am getting anxious about it.

I have decided to take a smaller break, focusing just on making what I can do best, working slowly and not taking any stress at all.

I am a terrible person to follow tutorials, so if there is anyone experienced or really experienced willing to help me with my step over the edge and getting out of my burnout, contact me. I am not asking for "how to do this and that tutorials" I am asking to help me. As I think I can only get out of my musical burnout by becoming musical.

EDIT: I don't know is it good for a producer to talk like this or to have this much opinions in the internets so that's what bothers me too. But if I can't say what I want because I make music, than fuck that.

[Aftershoq]

True story.

Maybe you should do a collab or something? Different people want different things. Collabs can be very inspirational and you could actually teach/learn some things. Seek someone with the same/almost same/higher level and create a track together. I heard your snips and you sure do have potential! Maybe that could get your spark back up and running.

Bad thinking doesn't necessarly means it's a bad thing. You could use that emotion to your advantage. You want melodic things with harsh sounds, fits perfect with that kind of emotions. The problem that you don't have musical background is easily solved with things like google, apps or books for chords and structures of melodys. Same with sounddesign, your doing great by experimenting but a book/blog/etc could help you on your way.

I hope you can finish some stuff cause it would be a waste if you didn't.
Good luck.

[ljk32]

Well firstly, I've heard a bit of your stuff and you definitely know what you're doing, so that's a plus.

Do you produce as a hobby, or are you just determined to get known? If it were as a hobby, you shouldn't really be anxious about anything. I've mentioned it somewhere else on here, but I think the mindset of producing for the sole purpose of making it big - rather than doing it for fun - can be pretty demotivating. Once you stop viewing production like that, none of that stuff worries you any more, and you can just get back to working on tracks and getting better and better.

I think you may be overthinking it, you're not gonna make the biggest banger overnight. You gotta understand, all these guys you look up to, they've been doing it for years, they were at the point where they were getting noticed, but their tracks still weren't as good as they could be in terms of quality. In fact, in 2003, Noisia made a post asking what a Reese was, and look at them now (I can show you the post if you want haha).

Though, I completely understand your hesitance to upload a track until you're completely satisfied with it. This is one thing that's detrimental to production, and I have the exact same problem. A lot of people, they just bang out track after track after track. Now, even if their quality wasn't the best, they're just moving on, and getting better and better. As well as their sound design improving, they'll have a much better understanding of song-writing/structuring tracks. So, the best thing to do is just to keep finishing your productions. It's kinda hypocritical since I've been producing for like 2.5 years or more and have only finished a single track. It's pretty hard though, just to say a track's done when you're personally not satisfied with it. Do you find that you know your song is lacking in quality, but just aren't sure on how to improve it?

With the musical backgrounds/knowledge, I could point you to a number of producers who've made bombs with little theory knowledge. It's of great help, but it isn't essential. If you feel it's holding you back, then sure, maybe look into learning about it. But as I said, it isn't completely necessary to making huge tracks.

Also, it's completely normal to not like a track you've made 2 weeks after finishing it. All it means is that you're improving, and you're able to hear where stuff isn't working and where stuff could be better. I know a lot of producers who go to work on an EP, and after they finish the second track, they can already hear that the first is lacking in quality/could be improved. That's just the way it works with production, I don't think I know any producer who's completely satisfied with their stuff, and that's what drives them to get better. It's a never-ending battle to get the best quality they can out of their tracks, but they just find that it improves with every track they make, and they're then able to hear any improvements they could've made with recent older tracks. You never reach the finish line. I'm not sure if you know who Trifonic are, but this is from an interview with them:

"I'm still closing the gap. If you talk to my friends... they all know how critical I am of my own work. I have a hard time listening to any of it, because it never fully lives up to what I want. That doesn't mean I'm not happy with it or don't like it, but I've never completed anything where it got to where I wanted it to be. However, it's more important to get things done and do them as best you can for your skills at that moment. It's the only way to do better work over time. I would never get anything done if I needed to fully meet my own expectations and desires. My life goal is to meet that with some piece of music eventually, but if I never get there I'm fine with that. It keeps my hungry and it keeps me pushing myself. … I don't think I'll ever be satisfied. Like svenniola said "it's the neverending mountain." I totally agree. The person I was 5 years ago might be happy with the music I make now... but the me now is not entirely happy with the music I make now."

You've probably heard all this stuff before, but it's the truth, you just have to keep on working without taking it too seriously. Stressing yourself out over a track won't do you any good. I'm not sure if it will help at all, but it gets me away from homework for a bit haha. It's kinda just blobs of information, so sorry about that.

[Cardioid]

ljk32's absolutely right...

I mean, take headhunterz for example. If you compare some of his first releases like digiwave for instance and compare dragonborn with that one.. It's just one hell of a difference. Of course there's time involved. But his sound design got better and better.

I'm now working on a collab with a friend of mine, and we're working in Studio one which i've actually never used before, but his influences and his way of working is inspiring me. I must say that i've created a bunch of sounds for our track, but he's created sounds as well. Even though his production level is way higher as mine, we still learn from eachother. I was trapped as well like you, but since i'm working with him, i'm just getting a hell lot of inspiration back! And when we're done with this track, i'm starting some projects on my own again which is a really long time ago since i've done that because i just wasn't inspired enough. I've got just like you plenty of ideas hanging around, but just haven't got the will power to finish or expand the project. But since the collab it has just changed..
that has worked for me, so maybe you should try it as well. But i must say that i'm actually in his studio with him, and not through the internet. So you can see what the other party's doing. Just try it someday if you're able to find someone with the same/better skills as you've got! Hope you can figure it out bro!

[QuantomMusic]

I too have suffered from the same exact issues as you. I started producing (not hardstyle) with my DAW when I was 12 years old. I wasn't serious about it until I was about 15, a year after I discovered hardstyle. I became extremely passionate about not only the music but the scene around it. I started raving, dancing, collabing, all those things. I was so determined to become a good producer that I enrolled in music theory classes at my school.

2 years later, I am well educated in the theory and history of music, and have been using the same DAW since I was 12. It took me 5 years to finally realize that I SUCK!! Seriously! I had huge dreams to become the next headhunterz. I vividly imagined myself doing collabs with Atmozfears, I envisioned myself shaking Ivan Carsten's hand...it truly became an obsession. It took over my life, I spent all of my life earnings on additional displays, midi keyboards and controllers, monitor headphones, etc. It wasn't until then that I realized that producing is truly a delicate art.

Now I am much more patient. I no longer shit out tracks in less than a week like I used to. I listen to other artists and get my inspirations from them, that's how everyone has to start! So now I have turned an obsession into a hobby that I am passionate about. Sure, I wish I was better, sure, I have A LOT more to learn about sound design and mastering. But you have to take a break and live without producing for a while. I have noticed that its very easy for me to produce great tracks after a few weeks break while I go to clubs and listen to some of the hardstyle tracks that these chicago DJs spin.

Bottom line is, don't stress about it. Pick up a second hobby, and, if possible, get more involved in your local EDM scene. If youre willing to talk, send me a PM and I would be more than glad to share insight with you. Maybe we can even collab!

[Alphajuno]

These are some of the best posts I've read here in a really long time! Finally some people with common sence!

I understand your point of view. I'm in the same boat as you are. After TiH it kinda collapsed for me. I put my target too high and I undershot it, big time. A few weeks before that I lost my job due to the f*cking economy and TiH became my new "life-goal". I was 100% committed and focused, but I found out the hard way I was lacking in an important part of songwriting, the arrangement. I can make my sounds, but can't seem to bring them together as I would want. Now I'm really sick of the track!

I haven't touched any music equipment besides my ipod ever since, but last wednesday I got a click when listening to thunderdome radio. (Or was it 2 weeks ago?...) Anyway, the sickest squad was there, and damn those guys are passionate! The energy they have when performing is just enormous! Later in the interview they made really clear that they make music in the first place for themselves. Not for the label, or the fans, or not for the money they make off it. They make music because that's what they do to be happy.

I kinda forgot about that along the way and took it for granted I needed to make music, because, what else would I be doing?? As I see it, there's only one way out of this darkness, cut all the crap, and make music because you simply like to make it and how it makes you feel! You got to let it flow. If you pressure it for other people or labels or money, you will get stuck very fast!

In my first attempt, I deleted all my links to forums and tutorial sites and software sites and what not, all the crap that obstructs me from letting it flow! And I'm not gonna touch any music equipment until my body demands it. How stupid it may sound, it feels like I've dropped a weight and I'm already getting inspired and excited.

I got a feeling it will all end good, just cut the crap and let the music flow!

(So if you're wondering what I'm doing here then, my girlfriend is staying at here parents house and I kinda got lonely and bored, so I took a sneak peak at harderstate to see if anything interesting would float to the top. Nothing new, except this. And I wanted to share my story to let you see you're not alone with your problems.
I don't know when or if I'll ever be back, but until then, take care... )

[QuantomMusic]

@Alpha
awe your story is really depressing lol but i agree with you and i think taking the first step towards "letting it flow" is the best thing to do. you have a point - you'll never have a good time if you're doing it for the money or the fame. its all about the passion.

EDIT: just read all of ljk32's post. ik i've given you a ton of shit on these forums before, but that was very well written and inspiring, thank you.