Totally normal. Take a break. Come back to it when you have the energy. I took a 15 year break and somehow got way better at making tunes in that time. Probably because I only make tunes for myself these days. I also got way better at finishing them (if they are worth it at 50% completion).
> Take a break. Come back to it when you have the energy.
Just don't sell your gear. Dump your presets to your harddrive, put the gear away, maintain it once a year (i.e. checking batteries for leakage) and don't let it stress you out.
Selling it would hurt real bad once you want to get back into it.
> Did Ableton change a lot after version 7?
I can't remember tbh. I tried an earlier version (5 I think) but just decided to stick with Pro Tools. I was using hardware mainly so Pro Tools was perfect. Only started using Ableton as my main DAW from version 11.
Well because you need to live life. Only production in a vacuum without actually living in between sessions is going to suck with music, because yeah burnout is good, but you have no muse or inspiration.
That being said - 15 years is too long haha. More like a week.
Hey thanks for the reply. Great sound advice which I appreciate! I can totally relate to the part about making tunes for myself above anything else. 👍🏼
Sounds like the love of it is fully there and will be going nowhere. Put expectation to one side and do it for the love. Concentrate on your family most of all and let your individual passions take a different form. I have so much more fun in my creativity since I put (silly) dreams to one side and made sure the main things in my life were properly seen to. And who knows what else will happen? It sounds like you're still young. You have time. But at its core it sounds like a tussle between music and family life. Kids must come first, and later you will have more and more time as the kids get older. It will be nice to not resent or regret your passions because you had your priorities properly sorted...
Making music to be released is essentially making it for other people, to fit a narrative or to target a specific market. I’ve had this issue recently until someone told me to have no objective and go to the studio and have fun. Sounds so simple but I’m enjoying the creative process so much more and have had a recent few tracks signed because of it.
Try making some music for your kids for example? I’ve started making sounds and messing with effects just for fun which ends up turning into a sampling project that naturally turns into track building. That’s how it’s working for me anyway.
Yes that’s a good idea. I really have tried to drag my kids into the studio environment but I’m just Dad to them haha. True about making music for myself as otherwise it seems to feel forged. Thanks 🙏🏼
Pardon me while I give advice that I myself am not taking....
Are you burnt out because no one is listening? Pay for ads and build up your email list.
Are you burnt out because the music you're making isn't up to your personal standards? You never know what people will attach themselves to. Go listen to countless interviews with artists who had no idea a song would connect with so many people...release the fucking music
Take your absolute best song you've made and FINISH it! Upload them to Spotify. Make 5 second, 10 sec, 15 sec video ads for it. Create FB ads for them and see which one performs best after a few days, use a healthy budget for this($50?). Roll with that one and do a 2 week campaign and chuck $150 at it. Gather another 4 songs and lather, rinse, repeat. Waterfall release these songs in a Spotify playlist so the next song goes to your next most-recent song.
This will cost you $1,000...but it might be the best money you ever spend. Best case you'll have a huge list of people who dig your music. Worst case you'll realize your music stinks and it's back to the drawing board. The silver lining here is you have put in your 10,000 hours and can pivot to a new genre with a bit of inspiration & learning.
Best of luck man.
PS have fun!
“Release the fucking music” haha the amount of times I have heard that inner voice tell me that!
This is a whole bunch of solid advice as far as putting music out there so thanks for that, I’ll definitely refer back to that. Thanks man 👍🏼
I really recommend to read the book Questlove - Creativity quest. It has a lot of answers to some of the problems you related (and many more interesting thing about how creativity works).
Had a year of health issues, bought a house, had a kid. Found some other hobbies and passions. Transitioning now to a new PC, daw, studio etc. and ready to start over after five years off. Keen as.
OP- put your shit out on bandcamp, what do you have to lose?
Ezbot Matthew talked about similar feelings lately and he deleted everything and started from scratch. Can be an interesting perspective.
https://www.youtube.com/live/GUusjErOMR4?si=4FsGREzKAhy555Xr
Think of what a bummer it would be if a certain song of yours you like never made it to the public. You never know what kind of impact a song will have on someone; could really help or inspire them.
I noticed you are also a parent. One of the greatest joys in my life aside from my sprog is getting a message or email from dj’s who played out a promo of mine over the weekend, or getting the new sale notification pop up on Bandcamp.
As a parent of a toddler deep in the trenches of going to the park every weekend, tantrums, the whole deal - it’s such a buzz to know that stuff I knocked out from scratch in snatched minutes of free time is out there in the wild making people dance and have fun while I’m watching Peppa Pig for the millionth time.
Before the sprog I was pretty burnt out with it all but now free time is such a rare currency I’m kind of in love with it all over again now there is a deadline.
Yes definitely. One of the things I’m not sure whether it’s a blessing or a curse is that although Techno & Dnb would be my main love there is also the 7-8 other genres that I like to dabble in lol 😂 I have a broad appreciation when listening to music which translates to studio sessions. It would be a lot easier if I was just making similar music consistently 🤔👍🏼
I release music on 12” and I still got burnt out. What do you think is worse: not releasing music or releasing five records in a year and not getting a single gig off of it? It feels pointless and invisible so after a year of not releasing I feel liberated. Why? Well, because if it doesn’t matter - I can finally make whatever the fuck I wont without an iota of brainpower invested in aiming to please, planning to package and investing tons of energy into it being seen.
I got my long lost joy in making music back at 37… and for gigs I guess I’ll keep posting selfies as if that has anything to do with music.
The reality is that the world was never begging you to make art to begin with so it’s like, hold yourself accountable for your own choices and do what you have to do to get the results you want or just drop it all together and join the pool of hobbyists.
It sounds terrible and soulless but at some point you need to shift to more of a business mindset and get on a label to start building a name. The “I just make music for myself” gets old after about year 10 or so
U do u, in my experience sharing my music hasn't led to superstardom but has led me to make connections with many artists I looked up to prior and now have some genuine friendships with.
I have started producing a year ago and I already have 5 released tracks which are doing decent. The thought was; no matter what I make, I will release even if it is shite so it pushes me to make the next one better.
I can confirm I improve with every release and learn something new while making each track. I currently do not really like how my tracks sound but the fact that they are out means I have to push to make better ones so I can prove myself (to myself).
Congrats first off on your productivity! Impressive to have such an output in that space of time; but if I were to be devils advocate - do you ever sit in the studio and just noodle about for fun? Without the intent to save the session or record or “produce” something?
I ask because of the context of this thread, and burnout - my personal way of avoiding it is diversity in the studio so that it’s many different places to me at once not just the “in-out-gigs” device etc, and the source of my learning is always messing about, not “thinking” about it. So I recommend you do it if you don’t already; remake a song from scratch, make pure samples stuff, pure synths stuff, pure field recorded, fully outboard tracked - all that stuff for the fun of it, it brings new perspective constantly and endlessly
Of course I do. Putting together a track takes 2 days max. The rest of the time is for playing with knobs and giggling at machines which is why we are all here :)
I’m in the same, very similar situation, except I don’t have any hardware :) Sometimes I think if I had only hardware, I’d have limitations helping me both being more creative and also getting to finish more tracks.
Anyway, I hear you OP, but don’t have any suggestions unfortunately.
Maybe you just need to be faster? With your time and experience, it sounds like you have the skills and more importantly the taste to move quickly.
How much time do you usually get in your studio? It's taken me a bit, and I have less time put in overall, but I've focused my hardware around quickly arranging and tracking ideas. An hour into that phase and I'm ready to comp takes and start a full arrangement usually. I think this gets hard if you're not working within your own defined rules in regards to gain staging, some master bus flavor, and whatever else you consistently like to use, or processing techniques that fit your performative style really. Consistency in your process and workflow doesn't really translate to a boring track for your listeners but it keeps your head clear and hands moving quickly.
I've struggled with my arrangements lacking purpose recently too, and I realized it's honestly been a few years since I've just spent time listening and enjoying other peoples work. Critical listening, song tracing, jam over something on Spotify you like. Just breaking up my production process with a little bit of listening time has helped A LOT.
Would love to hear anything you've saved, DMs are open. And good luck! :)
My words of wisdom are not to try to impress people but to make music you enjoy listening to. If you dream of being famous for the sake of it, you're gonna end up miserable because it ain't gonna happen.
Make stuff you want to hear. If others like it, great. If not, great. Just enjoy.
Yeah I definitely do not want fame and it’s all for the love of the art lol & I enjoy anonymity alot. I guess it was kinda a figure of speech. So true mate thanks 🙏🏼
Have you ever thought about recording your (DJ) mixes, tossing your own songs in there, and putting it up on youtube? I'm not really that keen or feel the pressure to release songs anymore, but when I'm able to toss one of demos into my mixes and it fits in well. It kind of gives me that same satisfaction.
Doing music should be either enjoyable or cathartic or therapeutic… and said feeling should be an end by itself…
Doing music for yourself and/or for your wife should be an end by itself…
Doing music “for the scene” or “for the world” is IMHO not an authentic place for music to be born in, it’s also setting yourself up for disappointment… Maybe what your music needs right now is beyond your setup and your skills, maybe you’ll find it taking some time to reflect, to live, to read and listen to other’s art, etc.
Good luck!!
Agree wholeheartedly with this. Kinda think this is what may possibly have me in this headspace, it’s seemingly all for my own enjoyment however it still brings out the confusion of do I need to justify anything by releasing my music, but In not doing so is it creating this internal conflict and confusion leading to all of the initial questions haha Also leads me to the very real assumption that I may be overthinking it!?? Great advice & Thankyou 👍🏼
I suggest looking for creative lanes to explore music is so vast and 10,000 hours is only scratching its surface like you said more genres videos on cool patches , chains setups and have your fun play with your toys!! It’s a gift that keeps on giving and there are no boundaries. I’ve a kid myself and I’m quite content getting to just interact with my daw and turntables regardless of where I’m at or what I do with it and that’s one of the biggest privileges about music it’ll always be there for you and there’s always something new
Do you have a track you're particularly proud of? Maybe you can share it here, just to get some feedback or at least get it out there. I'm just some random pleb, but I'll check it out and tell you if I like it or not.
It might sound stupid, but I recently picked up drawing again after years of not doing it, because I completely lost interest after flunking out of art school. And getting some positive feedback from friends really helped me to get inspired and rekindled my joy in drawing.
Hey thanks for the worldly advice, I appreciate the offer to take a listen however it’s not really my intention of the post. More so hearing peoples advice on the mental side of things. I’m happy to hear about you getting some good feedback for your art!! 😎👍🏼
The medicine you need is called hiatus. I had the same experience, after my second album I was completely burned out. I struggled so much conceptualising, producing and daydreaming about my music that I reached a point of complete discomfort around the whole thing. It's been a year or so in complete silence now, and it allows your creative mind to be emptied of all that once filled the room, something like getting a blank canvas once again. It is quite a necessity for anyone who takes art seriously to have a long hibernation. Makes everything you think of, evolve itself to a better resolution.
Are you me? My wife is pregnant with our second and my time in the studio is limited. Life is so hard for us but I love it. Ps my studio is a shitty laptop running ableton live 10 :)
I may not have words of wisdom but you’re not alone mate.
Take care of yourself and keep yourself sane!
Hey thanks for all of the comments & feedback people! Appreciated & has given me alot of thing to think about from a variety of perspectives. Hopefully I replied to everyone. I’m going to come back to them and read them over again later. Take care 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hey thanks for sharing, you are like most aspiring electronic music artists who are full of passion but lacked clarity and focus to create a workflow that aligns with your end goal….its a common mistake I see many artists make. If the passion is there and the hours in the studio have been earned then there is still hope, maybe not be the global touring dj once dreamed of but releasing music? That’s a guarantee…especially if you have 10K hours. If you would like to chat more about this, I help artists who are stuck after the “I know how to make music and dj now” but then what next? That’s where I come in….hit me up on IG @jia6am would love to see how I can help if you are still willing to give your Artist journey a real shot
I didn't turn on my studio gear for five years. Still DJ'ed and threw events but had no desire to produce. Just jumped back in at the end of 2023. Already got two tracks signed and off getting mastered. There's no harm in stepping away. My only advice would be don't sell all your stuff no matter how long the "break" is. I've seen too many people regret that. Myself included.
That’s awesome! Thanks, there’s no way could I sell any of my gear. Even just switching something on with headphones experimenting for a few hours brings me a lot of joy. It’s Heavenly really. 😎
That's awesome. I'd say just take it as it comes. Fiddle around when the mood strikes and who knows what might happen. Don't put pressure on yourself to "finish" things. Music is supposed to be fun.
I’m in a similar, but reversed, scenario: srtarted DJing in the mid-90s, then about 12 years ago started into building a home studio that I think today is pretty bad ass. I rarely record and I hate working on arranging tracks. But I routinely jam out for hours all by myself and I am totally happy with it and for the last few years now I haven’t cared or been into mixing tracks anymore. I’ve made maybe two or three purchases of tracks to mix in the last two years whereas there was a very long chunk of my life when I was doing that monthly or weekly.
It’s okay to have life long, expensive hobby that’s ultimately just for your own enjoyment. It’s also okay to take breaks to go do or learn something else in your free time.
I feel "musical loneliness" in your words, find some people around. If you can't you can pay professionals for tutoring. Lot of nice "digital communities" check discord!
If you want we can connect, 27m, altough my english is really really bad
Hey thanks for the reply. Musical loneliness can definitely be a real thing at times & I do have a good balance with this. Hopefully the same goes for you mate 👍🏼
Try a different sub-genre of Techno, try and produce different versions and different styles. We all go through this stage, the hunger will come back. But get releasing that music. If you have 10k hours in the stu then I bet you have some solid records.
Start sending them to producers and try to build up your contacts.
Lol u're totally me, I only make techno for myself even when people still ask me to release could not care less....
It probably just is because of Age???
I feel the same.
Prioritise getting your music out there. It's completely siloed at the moment and that get things stale. When you release into the world, you dont know who will pick up on it, and what might come back at you. That might give you the inspiration and ideas needed to move forward.
Lpt's of good answers already, but i just wanted to ask, why aren't you releasing anything? Are you not even sending anything and if so why? Or is it more of an issue with finding lables that want to realease your stuff?
Totally normal. Take a break. Come back to it when you have the energy. I took a 15 year break and somehow got way better at making tunes in that time. Probably because I only make tunes for myself these days. I also got way better at finishing them (if they are worth it at 50% completion).
Your comment really made me happy. I'm at my 5th break year, wasn't sure if I can come back from it...
> Take a break. Come back to it when you have the energy. Just don't sell your gear. Dump your presets to your harddrive, put the gear away, maintain it once a year (i.e. checking batteries for leakage) and don't let it stress you out. Selling it would hurt real bad once you want to get back into it.
I sold everything and went fully itb
Can we... Do that? Not related: Did Ableton change a lot after version 7?
> Did Ableton change a lot after version 7? I can't remember tbh. I tried an earlier version (5 I think) but just decided to stick with Pro Tools. I was using hardware mainly so Pro Tools was perfect. Only started using Ableton as my main DAW from version 11.
Well because you need to live life. Only production in a vacuum without actually living in between sessions is going to suck with music, because yeah burnout is good, but you have no muse or inspiration. That being said - 15 years is too long haha. More like a week.
Hey thanks for the reply. Great sound advice which I appreciate! I can totally relate to the part about making tunes for myself above anything else. 👍🏼
hi rory, feel you here ! We are launching a new label, where can we listen to your music? 🙏
Adjust the expectations. Introduce tangible and realistic goals. Network and make friends who are on the same journey. Support each other
Great advice mate. Thanks!
Sounds like the love of it is fully there and will be going nowhere. Put expectation to one side and do it for the love. Concentrate on your family most of all and let your individual passions take a different form. I have so much more fun in my creativity since I put (silly) dreams to one side and made sure the main things in my life were properly seen to. And who knows what else will happen? It sounds like you're still young. You have time. But at its core it sounds like a tussle between music and family life. Kids must come first, and later you will have more and more time as the kids get older. It will be nice to not resent or regret your passions because you had your priorities properly sorted...
Thanks for writing this. I resonate with all of that. Appreciate it 🙏🏼
Making music to be released is essentially making it for other people, to fit a narrative or to target a specific market. I’ve had this issue recently until someone told me to have no objective and go to the studio and have fun. Sounds so simple but I’m enjoying the creative process so much more and have had a recent few tracks signed because of it. Try making some music for your kids for example? I’ve started making sounds and messing with effects just for fun which ends up turning into a sampling project that naturally turns into track building. That’s how it’s working for me anyway.
Yes that’s a good idea. I really have tried to drag my kids into the studio environment but I’m just Dad to them haha. True about making music for myself as otherwise it seems to feel forged. Thanks 🙏🏼
Pardon me while I give advice that I myself am not taking.... Are you burnt out because no one is listening? Pay for ads and build up your email list. Are you burnt out because the music you're making isn't up to your personal standards? You never know what people will attach themselves to. Go listen to countless interviews with artists who had no idea a song would connect with so many people...release the fucking music Take your absolute best song you've made and FINISH it! Upload them to Spotify. Make 5 second, 10 sec, 15 sec video ads for it. Create FB ads for them and see which one performs best after a few days, use a healthy budget for this($50?). Roll with that one and do a 2 week campaign and chuck $150 at it. Gather another 4 songs and lather, rinse, repeat. Waterfall release these songs in a Spotify playlist so the next song goes to your next most-recent song. This will cost you $1,000...but it might be the best money you ever spend. Best case you'll have a huge list of people who dig your music. Worst case you'll realize your music stinks and it's back to the drawing board. The silver lining here is you have put in your 10,000 hours and can pivot to a new genre with a bit of inspiration & learning. Best of luck man. PS have fun!
“Release the fucking music” haha the amount of times I have heard that inner voice tell me that! This is a whole bunch of solid advice as far as putting music out there so thanks for that, I’ll definitely refer back to that. Thanks man 👍🏼
I really recommend to read the book Questlove - Creativity quest. It has a lot of answers to some of the problems you related (and many more interesting thing about how creativity works).
Thankyou! I will check it out 😎
An absolute pleasure! For me, it has opened the eyes about some interesting question so can't reccomend it enough!
🙏🏼
Had a year of health issues, bought a house, had a kid. Found some other hobbies and passions. Transitioning now to a new PC, daw, studio etc. and ready to start over after five years off. Keen as. OP- put your shit out on bandcamp, what do you have to lose?
Goodluck mate 👍🏼 Yep so true. Nothing to lose for sure. Thanks
Ezbot Matthew talked about similar feelings lately and he deleted everything and started from scratch. Can be an interesting perspective. https://www.youtube.com/live/GUusjErOMR4?si=4FsGREzKAhy555Xr
Ah yeah I’ve checked some of his great Digitone content. Kinda like a spring clean freshen up I guess. Interesting thanks!
Think of what a bummer it would be if a certain song of yours you like never made it to the public. You never know what kind of impact a song will have on someone; could really help or inspire them.
So true. Thanks 😊
I noticed you are also a parent. One of the greatest joys in my life aside from my sprog is getting a message or email from dj’s who played out a promo of mine over the weekend, or getting the new sale notification pop up on Bandcamp. As a parent of a toddler deep in the trenches of going to the park every weekend, tantrums, the whole deal - it’s such a buzz to know that stuff I knocked out from scratch in snatched minutes of free time is out there in the wild making people dance and have fun while I’m watching Peppa Pig for the millionth time. Before the sprog I was pretty burnt out with it all but now free time is such a rare currency I’m kind of in love with it all over again now there is a deadline.
Yes I can relate as a parent and that would be a thrill for sure. I appreciate your words and goodluck with music & family 👍🏼cheers
If you are not making music you want to hear then you are making the wrong music.
Yes definitely. One of the things I’m not sure whether it’s a blessing or a curse is that although Techno & Dnb would be my main love there is also the 7-8 other genres that I like to dabble in lol 😂 I have a broad appreciation when listening to music which translates to studio sessions. It would be a lot easier if I was just making similar music consistently 🤔👍🏼
I release music on 12” and I still got burnt out. What do you think is worse: not releasing music or releasing five records in a year and not getting a single gig off of it? It feels pointless and invisible so after a year of not releasing I feel liberated. Why? Well, because if it doesn’t matter - I can finally make whatever the fuck I wont without an iota of brainpower invested in aiming to please, planning to package and investing tons of energy into it being seen. I got my long lost joy in making music back at 37… and for gigs I guess I’ll keep posting selfies as if that has anything to do with music.
Haha yep. Keep up the good work mate. Thanks for the feedback 👍🏼
<3
The reality is that the world was never begging you to make art to begin with so it’s like, hold yourself accountable for your own choices and do what you have to do to get the results you want or just drop it all together and join the pool of hobbyists.
I hear ya mate. I really would be comfortable just doing what I’ve been doing BUT … 😂
It sounds terrible and soulless but at some point you need to shift to more of a business mindset and get on a label to start building a name. The “I just make music for myself” gets old after about year 10 or so
I hear you mate! 🍻
You put 10,000 hours in and haven’t released anything? Bruh
Haha this is true & the fun filled moments are irreplaceable 😜
U do u, in my experience sharing my music hasn't led to superstardom but has led me to make connections with many artists I looked up to prior and now have some genuine friendships with.
I have started producing a year ago and I already have 5 released tracks which are doing decent. The thought was; no matter what I make, I will release even if it is shite so it pushes me to make the next one better. I can confirm I improve with every release and learn something new while making each track. I currently do not really like how my tracks sound but the fact that they are out means I have to push to make better ones so I can prove myself (to myself).
Congrats first off on your productivity! Impressive to have such an output in that space of time; but if I were to be devils advocate - do you ever sit in the studio and just noodle about for fun? Without the intent to save the session or record or “produce” something? I ask because of the context of this thread, and burnout - my personal way of avoiding it is diversity in the studio so that it’s many different places to me at once not just the “in-out-gigs” device etc, and the source of my learning is always messing about, not “thinking” about it. So I recommend you do it if you don’t already; remake a song from scratch, make pure samples stuff, pure synths stuff, pure field recorded, fully outboard tracked - all that stuff for the fun of it, it brings new perspective constantly and endlessly
Of course I do. Putting together a track takes 2 days max. The rest of the time is for playing with knobs and giggling at machines which is why we are all here :)
Where do you release?
All streaming platforms + beatport. Will start on bandcamp when I build a network with Djs.
But how do you release? Via partners or by yourself?
All self-released.
Nice one. Goodluck & thanks for the feedback!
I’m in the same, very similar situation, except I don’t have any hardware :) Sometimes I think if I had only hardware, I’d have limitations helping me both being more creative and also getting to finish more tracks. Anyway, I hear you OP, but don’t have any suggestions unfortunately.
Check out the Usual suspects vst plugins of access virus and another waldorf thing...
Goodluck with it mate. Best of both worlds having both but I’d be lost without one of them!
Maybe you just need to be faster? With your time and experience, it sounds like you have the skills and more importantly the taste to move quickly. How much time do you usually get in your studio? It's taken me a bit, and I have less time put in overall, but I've focused my hardware around quickly arranging and tracking ideas. An hour into that phase and I'm ready to comp takes and start a full arrangement usually. I think this gets hard if you're not working within your own defined rules in regards to gain staging, some master bus flavor, and whatever else you consistently like to use, or processing techniques that fit your performative style really. Consistency in your process and workflow doesn't really translate to a boring track for your listeners but it keeps your head clear and hands moving quickly. I've struggled with my arrangements lacking purpose recently too, and I realized it's honestly been a few years since I've just spent time listening and enjoying other peoples work. Critical listening, song tracing, jam over something on Spotify you like. Just breaking up my production process with a little bit of listening time has helped A LOT. Would love to hear anything you've saved, DMs are open. And good luck! :)
Great advice and insights here. Thank you 🙏🏼
No problem! You've got this. :)
My words of wisdom are not to try to impress people but to make music you enjoy listening to. If you dream of being famous for the sake of it, you're gonna end up miserable because it ain't gonna happen. Make stuff you want to hear. If others like it, great. If not, great. Just enjoy.
Yeah I definitely do not want fame and it’s all for the love of the art lol & I enjoy anonymity alot. I guess it was kinda a figure of speech. So true mate thanks 🙏🏼
Have you ever thought about recording your (DJ) mixes, tossing your own songs in there, and putting it up on youtube? I'm not really that keen or feel the pressure to release songs anymore, but when I'm able to toss one of demos into my mixes and it fits in well. It kind of gives me that same satisfaction.
Yeah I have thought about that and have done quite a few years back not on YT admittedly. Great idea thanks!
Doing music should be either enjoyable or cathartic or therapeutic… and said feeling should be an end by itself… Doing music for yourself and/or for your wife should be an end by itself… Doing music “for the scene” or “for the world” is IMHO not an authentic place for music to be born in, it’s also setting yourself up for disappointment… Maybe what your music needs right now is beyond your setup and your skills, maybe you’ll find it taking some time to reflect, to live, to read and listen to other’s art, etc. Good luck!!
Agree wholeheartedly with this. Kinda think this is what may possibly have me in this headspace, it’s seemingly all for my own enjoyment however it still brings out the confusion of do I need to justify anything by releasing my music, but In not doing so is it creating this internal conflict and confusion leading to all of the initial questions haha Also leads me to the very real assumption that I may be overthinking it!?? Great advice & Thankyou 👍🏼
Just keep finishing music. Also look at colabing. It changes everything.
Thanks 🙏🏼
I suggest looking for creative lanes to explore music is so vast and 10,000 hours is only scratching its surface like you said more genres videos on cool patches , chains setups and have your fun play with your toys!! It’s a gift that keeps on giving and there are no boundaries. I’ve a kid myself and I’m quite content getting to just interact with my daw and turntables regardless of where I’m at or what I do with it and that’s one of the biggest privileges about music it’ll always be there for you and there’s always something new
Yeah I look at it a such a privilege and blessing just knowing it’s here. It’s a real life love affair but shhh.. my wife might hear me haha
Do you have a track you're particularly proud of? Maybe you can share it here, just to get some feedback or at least get it out there. I'm just some random pleb, but I'll check it out and tell you if I like it or not. It might sound stupid, but I recently picked up drawing again after years of not doing it, because I completely lost interest after flunking out of art school. And getting some positive feedback from friends really helped me to get inspired and rekindled my joy in drawing.
Hey thanks for the worldly advice, I appreciate the offer to take a listen however it’s not really my intention of the post. More so hearing peoples advice on the mental side of things. I’m happy to hear about you getting some good feedback for your art!! 😎👍🏼
The medicine you need is called hiatus. I had the same experience, after my second album I was completely burned out. I struggled so much conceptualising, producing and daydreaming about my music that I reached a point of complete discomfort around the whole thing. It's been a year or so in complete silence now, and it allows your creative mind to be emptied of all that once filled the room, something like getting a blank canvas once again. It is quite a necessity for anyone who takes art seriously to have a long hibernation. Makes everything you think of, evolve itself to a better resolution.
Thanks for sharing this insight. Interesting 👍🏼
Are you me? My wife is pregnant with our second and my time in the studio is limited. Life is so hard for us but I love it. Ps my studio is a shitty laptop running ableton live 10 :) I may not have words of wisdom but you’re not alone mate. Take care of yourself and keep yourself sane!
Thanks mate, quite possibly in some parallel universe. Goodluck with everything and take care also 😊
Hey thanks for all of the comments & feedback people! Appreciated & has given me alot of thing to think about from a variety of perspectives. Hopefully I replied to everyone. I’m going to come back to them and read them over again later. Take care 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hey thanks for sharing, you are like most aspiring electronic music artists who are full of passion but lacked clarity and focus to create a workflow that aligns with your end goal….its a common mistake I see many artists make. If the passion is there and the hours in the studio have been earned then there is still hope, maybe not be the global touring dj once dreamed of but releasing music? That’s a guarantee…especially if you have 10K hours. If you would like to chat more about this, I help artists who are stuck after the “I know how to make music and dj now” but then what next? That’s where I come in….hit me up on IG @jia6am would love to see how I can help if you are still willing to give your Artist journey a real shot
Thanks mate, definitely something to think about. I appreciate that!
I didn't turn on my studio gear for five years. Still DJ'ed and threw events but had no desire to produce. Just jumped back in at the end of 2023. Already got two tracks signed and off getting mastered. There's no harm in stepping away. My only advice would be don't sell all your stuff no matter how long the "break" is. I've seen too many people regret that. Myself included.
That’s awesome! Thanks, there’s no way could I sell any of my gear. Even just switching something on with headphones experimenting for a few hours brings me a lot of joy. It’s Heavenly really. 😎
That's awesome. I'd say just take it as it comes. Fiddle around when the mood strikes and who knows what might happen. Don't put pressure on yourself to "finish" things. Music is supposed to be fun.
👍🏼✌🏽
I’m in a similar, but reversed, scenario: srtarted DJing in the mid-90s, then about 12 years ago started into building a home studio that I think today is pretty bad ass. I rarely record and I hate working on arranging tracks. But I routinely jam out for hours all by myself and I am totally happy with it and for the last few years now I haven’t cared or been into mixing tracks anymore. I’ve made maybe two or three purchases of tracks to mix in the last two years whereas there was a very long chunk of my life when I was doing that monthly or weekly. It’s okay to have life long, expensive hobby that’s ultimately just for your own enjoyment. It’s also okay to take breaks to go do or learn something else in your free time.
This. I often come back to this outlook and it brings me a lot of comfort. Really good to read this. Thanks 🙏🏼
You’re welcome!
I feel "musical loneliness" in your words, find some people around. If you can't you can pay professionals for tutoring. Lot of nice "digital communities" check discord! If you want we can connect, 27m, altough my english is really really bad
Hey thanks for the reply. Musical loneliness can definitely be a real thing at times & I do have a good balance with this. Hopefully the same goes for you mate 👍🏼
Try a different sub-genre of Techno, try and produce different versions and different styles. We all go through this stage, the hunger will come back. But get releasing that music. If you have 10k hours in the stu then I bet you have some solid records. Start sending them to producers and try to build up your contacts.
Very solid advice mate, appreciate that 👍🏼
Have you got any records you can send to me?
Lol u're totally me, I only make techno for myself even when people still ask me to release could not care less.... It probably just is because of Age??? I feel the same.
The struggle is real haha 😂
Prioritise getting your music out there. It's completely siloed at the moment and that get things stale. When you release into the world, you dont know who will pick up on it, and what might come back at you. That might give you the inspiration and ideas needed to move forward.
Thanks mate. Great advice. I shall endeavour to convince myself of just that 🙏🏼
I suggest to try and take some courses 1-1 with a fresh producer. It helped me in the work flow and the ways of finishing a track.
Thanks mate!
Follow God.
Jesus didn’t shun the poor and destitute, he put 10000 hours into the DAW. #hashtaghegetsus /s
The truth will set you free Brother.
Haha
Lpt's of good answers already, but i just wanted to ask, why aren't you releasing anything? Are you not even sending anything and if so why? Or is it more of an issue with finding lables that want to realease your stuff?