List 3 things that stop you from being a good/great producer

[Críoch]

1 - no motivation to learn/understand an instrument/music theory in depth
2 - over complicating things in arrangement because of perfectionism, fear of arrangement
3 - doubting my talent, "why would anyone be interested in my music?", thinking that my music is shit

Seems like having a bit more motivation to learn would quickly erase no.1.. fix no.2 & ultimately address no.3?

[Críoch]

1. Sex
2. Drugs
3. Rock n roll

Is no.3 a genre of music, or are you talking about sex & drugs again?

[Lost to the Void]

Seems a lot of people have self doubt, self critique etc

The thing is, that is a vital element to push you forwards. In my experience, all the overconfident self braggards who think they are great, make really sucky mediocre music.
You see it a lot, someone gets their first release on whatever label it is they get hard for, and all of a sudden they think they are perfect and have "made it" and don't need to improve, and they never do.

So it's a fine balance between justified self critique and crippling self critique.

I've released a fuck ton of music, and I still am surprised when vinyl with my name on it comes in the post.

Why did they want to release this shit?
Will anyone buy this shit?
How am I on a record with artist x?
God I hate this track, the low end is claggy, those hats aren't crisp enough, and that synth line is lame as shit, what was I thinking?
Etc etc

The day I am blase or overconfident about it, is the day I need to stop.

I've got a second release on a legendary label recently approved, and I want to go back to the tracks (they were made about 4-5 month ago), strip em down to parts and then mix them down in the mastering room (which I never do) to get better mixes, as now I have had time to sit with them, I can hear areas that need improvement.
The label said "those mixes are fine, we will take them as is but if you want to do more on them it's ok".
So it's always about my own standards and pleasing myself really, it has to be. I think I can be better, despite the label telling me it is great. I have to be the one, finally, to be ok with it all.

My point?
You have to be confident of or at least at ease with your self critique..., without being overconfident or over estimating your skill/prowess... If that makes sense?

If you think you can do better, then try, it may be that you can, it may be that your mix DOES need more work.

It might be your skills don't meet up with your ambitions, if that is the case then that tells you that you need to learn/practice more.
Let your music go out there, and keep trying to improve, keep climbing that mountain one hand hold at a time.

If you are a true artist, if you are really in this to create, to grow, to express yourself truly, then I think you will always look back at stuff you have made with a little cringe (and also some pride too hopefully).
And if you feel you are really shit, just go back and look at the first stuff you did, and see how far you have come.

You must have to put in the time, doing it WILL bring improvements and growth.

There is no top to the mountain..........

[Trom]

Cheers for that Void, some good points made there. And I do find it somewhat reassuring, if not surprising, to see that many of you share the same struggles as myself. I think the key for me personally is to, instead of trying to avoid negative emotions, I'll try to channel them into motivation for producing and learning more rather than excuses for not doing so. Easier said than done though..

[Divjak]

Fells good to get some fresh perspective from time to time, self doubt/struggle is a toll for creating and you have to pay it and push through.

Seems like having a bit more motivation to learn would quickly erase no.1.. fix no.2 & ultimately address no.3?

Yeah man, during the summer I practiced piano for three weeks (following Alfred's piano course for adults) and it was fun until I got a job flipping burgers. I was just fired from that job last week so it looks like I have to get back to practicing Christmas songs again.

[WOLF!]

1. Not investing enough time in myself to develop my skills further.
2. Buying to much new gear in combination with nr 1.
3. Self doubts.

It's better now; I've changed some things to have more music time and already have a lot more fun (and results) in the studio.
Also found a better way to organise my job and reduce the stress level. That also has a very positive effect for the creativity .

[illit_]

1. Not spending all my time on it.
2. Actually lack of perfectionism... maybe even arrogence. Just finishing tracks and accepting its done and moving on, by no means rushing things but I'm not one to endless twiddle if I think it's sounding as I want... that's a whole different story though.
3. Arrangement / general fight of making something I want to but constantly worrying my sound will become more generic as time goes on and trying to do more outlandish things as a way to combat it even though that's not nessacerily the right answer...

[illit_]

If you are a true artist, if you are really in this to create, to grow, to express yourself truly, then I think you will always look back at stuff you have made with a little cringe (and also some pride too hopefully).

Yeah that dawning realisation that everyone cringes at their stuff from 3 months ago was a bit eye opening. I naively thought it would stop but then I realised that even people who have multiple releases probably still would want to work on tunes that I would think are perfect.

Once I realised that, my fear of just putting me and my music out there dissipated a bit. Now its just nerves and wanting to have new things to show so I havent got that clout in my ears quite yet.

And seeing people perform who aren't very good. That's a bit of a confidence booster

[Amøbe]

I don't know if I struggle with 3 serious issues - but one I keep banging my head about, is sort of related to self-doubt. Every time I manage to make a very functional sound that works the way it should (like a good kick), I start to fear that I just copy everyone else's shit. Then I often end up mingling and mangling with the sound in a way that makes it work pretty fucking badly.

One thing that I have sort of overcome, is my struggle with arrangements (that is what the sweet sweet feedback from subsekt points towards, at least). A friend of mine gave me two advices:

1) go out and dance - make your body remember how music makes you move!
2) dance! Get up and move to the music, and then jam in a rough arrangement. The one that had the right effect on your body is the one that needs to be polished (don't calculate breakdowns basically).

[Jesse]

For me it's a bit of

1.) Being a hard head with self imposed limitations. For example, when I first started making music, I made it a mission to not use presets or loops. Have spent way too much time dicking around trying to process drum kits and making synth patches instead of making music. Being a good producer is much different than being a sound designer, but I'm set in my ways, for better or worse. On the bright side, I've learned a lot in the process and it's fun (and frustrating.)

2.) Tied to first point. Extreme self critique. I feel like I need to do everything myself or I'm cheating or something, despite knowing that it's not. It's stupid because in reality, I'm already using stuff made by others, such as my computer, synths, DAW, etc... The end goal is good music, and using any means necessary to do that, is what makes someone a good producer. It's sort of like being a good race car driver. Their job is to drive, and win; not build the fucking motor, suspension, frame, fuel his car and change tires during pitstop, hop back in, and expect to win. But I'm still trying and wondering why I haven't won a god damn race

3.) Self-doubt. My girlfriend and brother have heard a couple tracks and have said they sound good, but in the back of my mind, I tell myself that they just say that to not be rude or say it actually sounds like shit. There's a couple songs I know sound at least decent, but for some reason, self-doubt makes me think that they are actually bad, and that I'm just lying to myself about the songs sounding decent.

[Mslwte]

1. Not having the discipline to just learn techniques. I start and then once I've created something I like I end up running off with it and forget I was meant to be practicing techniques.
2. Distractions. I can get distracted quite easily. Especially if I'm having a few beers on a weekend. Once I've had a few to many I'm not making as much music.
3. The dreaded self doubt. I try to do my own thing most of the time, but that creates doubts and I question if it is musically and technically any good. Which is silly really as it's a very subjective matter.

There is more I could add but time,energy, and a lack of ideas are major hurdles at the moment.

[jordanneke]

3. The dreaded self doubt. I try to do my own thing most of the time, but that creates doubts and I question if it is musically and technically any good. Which is silly really as it's a very subjective matter.

Yep. Make a loop, shit bangs. Waiting for track to render, listen to other people's stuf, my shit sucks. Well, that's my experience anyway.

[ZenoSupreme]

Very nice and interesting question!!

I'm assuming that a good producer doesn't mean a famous producer . Good/great are subjective terms anyway.
To be honest, I think the only thing that could stop me from being a good producer is me not wanting to be a good producer. The things I'm going to mention are just hurdles I have to overcome. If I want it bad enough I think I can achieve it. I'm not being cocky here, I see people answer this question who don't have to answer it because I think they are a great producer already. I guess beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and we all see our ugly sides.

so, here are my hurdles;
1. Insecurity; this prevents me of finishing music (quickly), I always think it's not good enough and it needs something more, I never finished a project I was totally satisfied with, even though others like it and say it's good.
2. Complexity; I like to mess around with the posibilities of my DAW and add layers perhaps this is in connection with point 1
3. musical knowledge; music theory would be nice to know and knowing how to play piano. I always tell people the only instrument I know how to play is my DAW. Yess, I think it's a modern instrument and it's one of the most advanced instruments out there, but it's still not the same as holding something and knowing your way around it.

[Mslwte]

3. The dreaded self doubt. I try to do my own thing most of the time, but that creates doubts and I question if it is musically and technically any good. Which is silly really as it's a very subjective matter.

Yep. Make a loop, shit bangs. Waiting for track to render, listen to other people's stuf, my shit sucks. Well, that's my experience anyway.

Every.single.time.

[jordanneke]

If this list was retitled list 3 things that stop you being a good sprinter/footballer/basketballer

Many of us would say ‘talent’ as no.1


I’m sorry to say, but I disagree with the statement that ‘if you can believe you can achieve... that’s bullshit.

I’m okish at producing. Not great and I’m certainly not talented.

I mean, I can spend the hours getting better, but unfortunately not many of us will be ‘good’

[Stace]

3 - The small child who currently resides in the room next door. I can't make anything at any volume after 7pm. Not great in the week when I don't get in from work until half 6.

Start making lullabies?

Bad situation. Do you have good headphones though?

Those AKG 701s are really comfortable & sounds 'right'. There's noise spill cos they're open back.. but thankfully no bass. Maybe that's a compromise? G

I’m really funny about wearing headphones too much. My ears get easily fatigued and I have a slight ringing in my ears a lot of the time and I don’t want to exasperate that.
It’s not even the volume I make music at, it’s the frequencies that are the issue.

I’m not a dick and I hardly even bother these days and I do turn it down immediately if they ever ask me to, doesn’t mean it really doesn’t fuck me right off though.

[borg]

Right, I'm done with this thread! Yesterday, I elected myself as king of the universe that resides between the cans of my 702s, after jamming out my new track. Took it to a mate with a nice big hifi and good sounding room, he said it was a banger.
Gonna look for cutting facilities and set the scene on fire!

Thanks guys, I don't need you anymore...

[Críoch]

@Dave

Well, I have to say.. no BS, these headphones are like wearing a pair of comfy slippers on your ears. If you are in doubt, buy online to test & send them back if any problem.

Best feel, physically comfortable, Freq response & least ear fatigue of any HPs I've ever owned. Feel lucky to have them tbh.

[Mslwte]

If this list was retitled list 3 things that stop you being a good sprinter/footballer/basketballer

Many of us would say ‘talent’ as no.1


I’m sorry to say, but I disagree with the statement that ‘if you can believe you can achieve... that’s bullshit.

I’m okish at producing. Not great and I’m certainly not talented.


I mean, I can spend the hours getting better, but unfortunately not many of us will be ‘good’

I know what you are saying and i do agree with you to a certain extent. I cant play a single musical instrument. Not even a synth. I'm not a musician.

But there has to be some kind of talent that us producers have?

[jordanneke]

Oh, I totally agree.

I was referring to me lacking talent. Watching that Dillinja vid that John posted made me realise, it's like watching a pro footballer. Sure they practice shit-loads, but they were awesome from they were 5 years old.

So whilst I'll always get better with practice (as will everyone) I'll never be as good as a professional, even if I spent the same amount of time learning.