More Productive Music Production. Say that ten times quick. Never mind, it’s actually not that much of a tongue twister if you actually try to say it quick.

A Quick Setup

I like to compose electronic music. Beat driven stuff, influenced by a lot of listening to hip-hop, drum n bass, and heavy metal.

I typically use Propellerheads Reason, Ableton Live, and Steinberg Wavelab. I also use a hard disk recorder and a turntable with lots of weird vinyl. Mix all those together, with all the other random bits of gear I have around, and it’s a pretty good arsenal for making some interesting electronic music.

Listen to some of my music here at my em411.com page, if you feel inclined to check it out.

Enough of the setup, now to the point.

Back on Track.. More Productive Music Production

I’ve found that when I sit and don’t churn out any good music, I am typically thinking too hard. I might sit and try to work out a beat or part of a track, and not like anything I’m hearing. The best stuff is the more random stuff that kinda came outta nowhere.

To let the more creative stuff that I end up liking come to fruition more often, I do the following.

If I don’t like something I delete it right away and don’t make a back-up or version of it. If a certain new loop I added over the top of a track doesn’t sound quite right, I maybe mess with it for a few minutes to give it a chance to work. After that, if it still isn’t sounding intriguing, I’ll just delete it and move on. Try something else. If I was to sit and dwell on that loop and try to force it, chances are I wouldn’t like what I was trying to force, and just waste a bunch of time.

By deleting the thing I don’t like I force myself to get over it and try something different. Trying many different loops or parts eventually yields something that just clicks. At that point I leave the newly added part alone and move on to a different part of the track.

Also, don’t force yourself to write the music. Just go with it. If you’re sittin at your workstation or standing at the turntables and you’re just not feeling it or coming up with anything good, don’t force it for too long. Just go do something else and come back later. This will keep stuff fresh. If you do get on a roll, run with it and don’t take any breaks until you start to slow down or get distracted.

That’s what works for me, might not work for everybody. I’ve been having fun making weird electronic music for a few years now and basically I can’t approach it seriously, or I stop making music for long periods of time. I’ve found that you just gotta have the studio there and available, and when you get the urge, hit it up and make some music.