I can't finish tracks anymore

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

I used to be able to complete tracks and even full albums a few years ago. However, lately, I’ve found myself frequently unsatisfied with my music. Rather than focusing on a few instruments, I keep changing my setup, which ultimately leads me nowhere.

Having a toddler and a full-time job doesn’t help, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse. Anyway, I am frustrated and unhappy about the whole situation. It seems like I have lost my motivation, although the urge to produce music is still there and stronger than ever.

Has anyone else experienced something similar and found a solution?

21 Likes
#2

Take a break, touch the nature.
Focus on your child, its more important (unless you pay your rent with music…)

And: don’t overthink it.

16 Likes
#3

Yes. I have been/I am in a very similar situation but for some months I have gotten some kind of balance back. I’ll write again in a couple of hours when my kid let me :smiley: and tell you what things are helping me.

#4

It seems like changing your setup frequently might be one big issue

15 Likes
#5

maybe going back to the setup you used to use that worked, removing all the newer additions (if any) would be an idea.

and if you’ve then still got the same issue it could mean it’s more due a change in life thing having a kid and stuff.

I know I’m def in a different life situation now vs when I used to bang out tracks. I have less time and different priorities now. Just the way it is.

5 Likes
#6

If you use a DAW the use just that and store everything away or out of sight. Except a keyboard or controller…

5 Likes
#7

Same exact spot. Keep being dissatisfied with music, keep changing setup, no consistency, frustration, repeat.

I also used to be able to finish tracks I was happy with with a consistent and readily plugged setup BUT I had infinite amount of time in comparison with now when I have to cram 1-2 hours at the end of the day when everyone is asleep (and let’s be honest I’m older and kids are tiring).

I think the issue is bigger than the setup, it’s time and mental bandwidth. I do ask myself sometimes “why I am doing this again?, what’s the point? Who would like to listen to this anyway?” but keep telling myself others are not relevant, I do this for myself and because I love it.

Maybe it’ll be better when kids are older, etc.
I’d love to take a break but I need it everyday however frustrating it is haha.

12 Likes
#8

For all the many joys young kids bring you, they sap energy and focus from other things such as your hobbies, resulting in procrastination during the reduced time that you have. That’s hard to fix. So as someone else said, enjoy your kids and accept it - if you re-contextualise where you are - appreciate your family, roll with the procrastination and get what you can out of your music hobby but don’t worry that you won’t hit the same goals for a while. Those young years are amazing and soon they’ll get a bit older and want time for themselves, giving you some back. Meanwhile, maybe it’s fun experimenting with new set ups, exploring presets, tinkering with effects or sequencing features or whatever it is. Then you can use that new knowledge when your mojo returns.

15 Likes
#9

Stop this.
Pack up most of it and focus on one essential tool, be it your daw, MPC or Elektron box.

7 Likes
#10

You’re not the same person you were a few years ago. You can’t move on until you accept this.

14 Likes
#11

Kids are exhausting. A demanding day job is exhausting. The two combined are super exhausting.

It is natural. Many of us have been there/are right there now.

Creativity requires energy and focus. If you can, see if you can reserve a block of time in the week that allows you to sit down with your music gear when you’re refreshed and rested. Make that a ‘red zone’ in the family diary that you protect and look forward to. That can help (well, it did for me anyway when I had 3 kids under 5 and a stupidly hard 70 hour a week job).

It does get easier over time as the kids grow and become more self-sufficient but until they leave home they will always need you for something.

Separately, try to stick with one setup and learn it well. Swapping gear/software all the time means you’re forever learning how to navigate the new thing. The tool becomes a barrier.

Making music is all about the tool becoming invisible and instinctive, it exists purely to translate the ideas into your head into sounds you like.

That can only happen if you stick with it. It’s a bit like a novice guitarist learning to feel the fretboard instinctively rather than look down at the frets all the time.

7 Likes
#12

I completely understand and many of the answers here are interesting, particularly on the aspect of “enjoy your family above all else!” this seems very true to me and often (sometimes), children are sources of inspiration, which restarts the process Perhaps also a temporary weariness? Your knowledge and experience which over time reminds you of the long steps before you can be satisfied. When you start you don’t necessarily see these steps in advance, so on your side, you have. already done and established this process several times you know the time it will take and with the mash of the little one we can quickly give up…:wink: My tips: - integrate your children as much as possible into your sound universe, even if it means do childish things but at least you will no longer see them as “one or the other”, it can be words, sessions. recording of toys, blip blop noise :wink: - another tip do it despite them :wink: (I give an example), when my daughters were little I had difficulty making my stage settings for my kemper (guitar amp) due to the fact that everything is done on the front of the kemper, so I put Pokémon Disney stickers etc. on the knobs, so I could be far from my facade and ask for a little ride from Pikachu on the right :wink: great example of integrating one’s children into one’s creative process, no? !!! lol of course beyond the joke I like to make them sing or other, tempo game etc blind test, in order to satisfy my thirst for music and they have the impression that I take care of them ;)))

5 Likes
#13

Maybe it’s over for you and a new interest is on the horizon. No law that says you have to make music all your life. Maybe with what you’ve released already, you’ve fulfilled your musical artistic arc.

3 Likes
#14

Was there a catalyst which you can trace this back to? Whether the event was the birth of a child or the death of a loved one, just something where you can draw a hard line at “before this point I was doing what I wanted, since that point I’ve been struggling”, sometimes identifying what changed can help you deal with the turbulence it created.

I was really struggling for a while, and I can’t say I’ve found my way back to any real consistency, but what I found is that in changing the way I interact with my gear, that the quality of the interactions has improved.

Since I made these few changes I haven’t bought any more gear and I’ve had significantly more output. For me, this did require adding an MPC to my setup, but I may have been able to do it a different way or with a computer and the right controller, I just have a mental block against enjoying the process when a computer is involved.

The main difference for me with said MPC is how one interacts with it. You can use it in a variety of ways, but I’m treating it more like an instrument and I think it’s helped me feel more like I’m making music again and less like I’m programming something, if that makes sense.

Life is rough, hang in there. Do what’s right for your life, that’s the first thing, but respect your own needs when you can. Your mentality is a revolving door and reflects back onto your output.

6 Likes
#15

I have an extremely busy job and a 4 year old. I’ve felt similar to you, so I can definitely empathise. One thing I would say right off the bat is that as kids get older you will might you have a bit more bandwidth - it certainly was that way for me

For me, creating music has always been about the process more than the result. I rarely bother to finish anything!

That being said, recently I’ve tried to commit to finishing things, for a number of reasons. One of the biggest was that I have had a few people ask me what music I make recently and it was a bit embarrassing not to have anything to play them!!

The way that has worked best for me has been to embrace limitations (particularly getting rid of gear!) not worry too much about perfectionism and just to accept when things sound good enough and move on. Once they are done I’m absolutely not interested in going back in to the project and working on things further.

I like to set myself tasks, like making a track with a single instrument, or completing one in a single day, or making something that I wouldn’t normally. But for the most part I’ve just realised I had to change my way of working - commit to the part, record it, move to the next. No more endless tweaking of effects trying to get it just right - nobody else ever notices!!

I’d also echo the comments about getting the kids involved. My daughter loves sitting at the piano or playing with a drum machine while I’m working on music. This also helps me feel at ease with not having any output creatively - we are spending quality time together.

7 Likes
#16

Yes! Tracks are overrated. Play. Mess. Listen. Explore. Vibe. Trust.
If your self esteem is linked to tunes you are doomed.

3 Likes
#17

Yeah I sold everything and just use Ableton with a midi keyboard. Dicking about with gear is pretty pointless IMO.

EDIT: I have a DT which I use for park days / holidays, and one piece of analogue rack distortion. And a laptop in a treated room with good monitoring.

1 Like
#18

Yes , been there , done that…i guess the reasons for this to happen are varied as the potential solutions to it, but here goes , here is what worked for me.

  • Make music every day no matter what. Decide on a time , even if it’s only 1 hour , but do this 1 hour without exception , i’m sure your boss and family can miss you for at least 1 hour a day. Even if you have zero creativity for a track , just do some sound design for an hour and store the sounds for later. The amount of work you can get done in 1 hour blocks during one week is amazing.

  • Stop looking for new gear, just try to get super comfy with what you have. So all feels natural , fast and fluid. Menu diving and looking things up kills the vibe… and the more you buy new stuff, the more you’ll be busy with that so drop it , unless the new device offers something all other stuff can’t.

  • Finish whatever you start , even if it sucks.

  • If you’re not having fun , find something else to do , you’re not obliged to make music. It’s not because you liked it 10 years ago , you have to do it for the rest of your life… totally ok to abandon it and focus on something else. I went through a phase where i stopped making music for like 5 years just to pursue trail running goals . Now i spend more time in the studio again , it’s all good.

9 Likes
#19

what’s helped me personally is also collaborating with someone else, and making some easy goals “let’s make a simple 2-track EP together, lets finish in the next 3 months”

7 Likes
#20

Same problem here. I finish a lot of tracks but i’m not really satsified with most of them. This has been going on for years now.

Just a week ago i started to try to just make music and sounds with no goal in mind to get back to the fun of exploring and playing around. And so far it works pretty well. I’m having more fun again just programming a patch on a synth or run some drums through effects.
I record everything and sometimes i get a loop, some samples or even a little track out of it.

So for me it was the mindset that kept me from really enjoying making music. I’m still learning to get better with it but it’s a good start.

4 Likes