recently, i've made in just a couple of days three tracks that i'm quite happy with (link at the bottom, don't want to advertise, just want to genuinely share my thoughts)
one is a goa trance tune, something i've wanted to make for almost two decades. the other two are techno/house/trance, don't really know how to categorise them. i now wanted to talk a bit about the "process", and explain what i feel Aymat had shared that is completely right: something i had known for a long time but i could never express quite rightly or understand completely (i still don't of course!) i will refer to the pdf he shared with us, quoting some parts (in bold)
the last two tracks i made are two different versions of the same one. without going into the details, let me explain what happened with the second mix: grey district (suburb mix), if you are curious. (a big factor i'm not going to talk about: i was in quite a happy mood because i had made the other track and everybody liked it; plus it's the last days before september so free time is running short, got to take advantage of dead hours.)
i felt the first track idea had potential for another version, another mix, or something in the same style. so, logically, i spent the whole morning *forcing* myself to make it in the same style. i wasn't having fun, as all the melodies or rhythms i could find didn't really fit. i changed the melody many times, never quite happy with the results. after having lunch, i came back and said "ok, screw this, i'm just going to roll with what i have, since i know this has potential". i completely removed the melody, messed around with automation in one go, and in less than two hours i had one of the best tracks i had made. so, what happened? i say this: And the moment I stopped treating every unfinished idea as an obligation, something clicked.
i was just having fun. the rhythm was infectious, so i told myself: "wait, this still feels like a proper mix; it's not exactly what i had in mind, but ideas are flowing immediately, the track is producing itself... let's go on with this". so, yes, this is a big point: no forcing and no obligation (this is also why i stopped using Fiverr btw). what he describes as the "feeling" of the track clicked quickly, and i took advantage of that immediately as now i'm much better at recognising it. the "hard part" was to delete completely hours of progress, realising it was wasted (if it's something really interesting, you could still save presets/midis/whatever). i think that's a big problem: sometimes it's hard for us to take a radical change (when the track needs it), so we get stuck with an "inferior" version, or something we are not quite happy with it (and the chain keeps going as we add more elements or we make progress).
i guess another "advantage" i have in making a track i'm happy with in such a short time is that i don't really obsess over technical details; i try to keep everything simple in that regard. i stopped applying EQ/Comp. everywhere and i got better at mixing and getting a feeling over the years. the result? this track is quite nice to hear even on the phone!
about the previous goa track: again, i was just having fun. i'm not saying i was laughing throughout, but the process was very enjoyable. then, of course, the hard part was automating and mixing it a bit to bring it a proper final result, but that's the boring technical part and everybody at this point knows how to do that, it just takes hard work and some time; the hardest part is coming up with the idea; or rather, "shaping" the idea into the world.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress. And every track you finish is a step toward making the next one better. This is a point I've believed in since I started with a cracked fruity loops many years ago (now on Ableton); i've made many, many tracks, with ups and downs; some of them were absolute dogsh1t, but it's thanks to these tracks that i am now at a point where i can say i am much better at arranging, producing, and so on and so forth. as we've all talked about, *finishing tracks* is a skill on its own and needs to be practised. as Aymat once told me, even uploading it and sharing it is part of the process. it makes it feel like a finished product.
i do not want to sound pompous or conceited with this post. i just want to share that what Aymat is sharing here are *artistical, universal truths* that are valid not only for music, but for many art forms. without getting philosophical or into other realms we're not concerned about at the moment, i have to say understanding this kind of stuff is a big undertaking. but the beauty of it is that we don't really need to understand it, we just have to recognise it and take advantage of it.
the track in question. very simple track honestly, but i'm amazed at what i managed to make with so little and in such short time.
VAL!!!!!
THAT'S IT!!!! That is EXACTLY what I'm talking about!!!
FEELING IS EVERYTHING! Fuck man, you got me all teary eyed lol 🤣
Dude, Yoda hit that nail on the head:
"You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere."
And he also said this, which is the EXACT opposite of what happens when you're not feeling your way through the process:
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.”
I've already said this privately but you've outdone yourself with these tracks. Absolutely fantastic work and I am truly in awe at you've accomplished here.
One thing I wanted to mention regarding your mixing comment, its crazy how keeping things simple is really the core thing that makes everything in production easier to finish. And I think a lot of that has to do with how we convince ourselves that doing or adding more somehow makes things better, which is almost never the case.
Being precious about this stuff too is another thing that keeps us stuck. Music is incredibly personal to all of us, thats why its so hard to let go of something youve made. And thats where the whole process behind organizing projects with potential vs one's without it comes into play. You dont have to think or force anything when do it this way.
Also, you dont sound pompous or conceited for sharing this. This is the whole point of having this community, to share what you learn and pass it on. What I learn from someone else, I will always happily share. So THANK YOU for sharing because the more people see it, the more people it will help.
Like you said dude, all of this exists as "artistical, universal truths". None of this is something I came up with, or anyone for that matter. It's always been there like oxygen.. you dont notice it when you can breath properly, but you sure as fuck notice it when you cant 🤣
Val, BOTH tracks you shared sound AMAZING. They're energetic, they flow and vibe and the best part is I can lose myself in the music. They are fucking legit. BRAVO! ❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏
