Lost a bit of creativity/drive lately with music making anyone else get this?

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

Hello,

I’m just a hobbyist that makes music to relax and switch off to as I use computers all day etc.

I have a Novation Peak, OG Digitakt, Digitone, iPad for the PureAcid app and some effects pedals, Bluebox mixer and recently added the Hapax Sequencer.

Before the Hapax it was this small setup and workflow I think worked for me, but my creativity I “think” has slowed right down since getting the wonderful Hapax and I don’t know why. I guess I’m trying to find a reason. I did think about adding the Syntakt instead of the Hapax, but I have the Peak and iPad which I felt covered some of that. But still urge for one (instead of a Digitakt 2).

I turn on the gear and for some reason now, don’t know where to begin. In the past I think I’m more creative with less gear, but don’t want to not use the other gear it seems if that makes sense.

I doesn’t help I leave work in the morning at 6am and home at 6pm and some evenings I do the gym as this is important, sometime study and ofc spend time with the kids and wife too, it ends up being too late to turn on the gear. How do others fit this in I wonder.

My last tune I enjoyed was 6 months ago now and before the Hapax using Song mode.

Anyway any if feels better to speak about it. That moment you get when you create some sort of melody that gives you goosebumps it what I need back and drive for :slight_smile:

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#2

I think all of us that are experiencing this right now on this forum are going to do one of those world record guitar online collabs except synths that way we all just do a part and together we get one song done to get the monkey off the back.

(Run-on sentence intended)

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#3

6 months of turnaround for such a banger is good in my book

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#4

It’s no wonder you’ve lost some creativity and drive then. Making music is a mindset that you need get into and that takes time. Start with one box such as Digitone, find something you like and expand on it by adding other stuff.

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#5

Constantly struggling with the same challenge. Sometimes i find a good creative workflow for a while and then i get stuck again for some time.

While my kids are getting older and older they don’t want to spend as much time with me as before. So i’m slowly getting longer periods of time for music again. But that doesn’t solve everything. It’s mostly my mindset that gets in the way of being a satisfied artist.

Lately i’ve pushed myself to just do music without a goal in mind. It helped me to get some fun and creativity back into the process. Of course there’s still the urge in me to finish an album every few months or so. But i feel like i might get there eventually if i let loose and just enjoy playing around.

Good luck on your way!

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#6

Yeah very true. I’ve just no good if tired though. As someone mentioned I think if I just turn 1 device on and get someone nice on that first and don’t have the urge to turn on another so quick. The Elektrons sequencer is nice, so I feel I need to have the Hapax on as this is new, but I guess I can use the Elektrons sequencer first and copy over…

#7

If that is your goal then you’re no longer making music as a hobbyist and to relax in my opinion. I’d say this makes it look like you are putting some pressure on yourself and for me that really puts a dampener on inspiration.

Edit: What I mean by this is that I believe you can’t “switch off” at the same time as you’re chasing a specific feeling.

I firmly believe that “inspiration on tap” is entirely possible for all of us but for anyone to reach that level they have to know themselves really well and take their childlike, playfull nature seriously.

What that means exactly will be different for everybody but in very general terms go easy on yourself and while it can be important to have goals, the way we reach them can happen in a roundabout way. Just be patient and most of all, enjoy the ride! …both the ups and the downs.

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#8

I definitely have. What I’m doing to resolve: I’m stripping my setup down to a concept - all analog dub influenced music. Using the following:

Norand Mono mk1
Behringer Pro-800
Walrus Audio Meraki
Seymour Duncan Polaron Analog phaser
TC Electronic June 60 v2
Electric Filter Factory
Bastle Bestie mixer
Roland SP404mk2
Focusrite Platinum Compander

#9

There’s a recent topic called “i can’t finish tracks anymore” that has all the tips you need I’d say.

To me it sounds like you have too much gear. Why do you need the Hapax for example, if it’s only making you unproductive and you already have two iterations of the Elektron sequencer?

Focus on making things with 1-2 boxes. Have sessions where you just mess around with plocks, automation recording etc. without it having to result in actual music. Maybe pack away some instruments if you still feel like you have to use all of them but don’t have the mental capacity. Maybe stop with the music for a while and wait till your urge and inspiration return.

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#10

Well first of all the killer for me, and sounds like you as well, is that with such long days my brain only functions enough to peck on my iPad on Elektronauts by the time night rolls around. It sucks. I was writing a song a day back when I worked in a record store instead of corporate America. So easy to see why.

You have to give yourself a break for working, gym, and quality time with the family. Those are pretty important (although work the very least since it’s such an energy suck).

Also, y’know I kind of had that same experience with the Oxi One, the Hapax was on my radar but went with OO and, as much as I liked it, it made my brain hurt even more trying to incorporate it between myself and my synth. Easier just for me to sit at a synth and zone out on even a simple drone if I don’t have the mental capacity.

With a schedule like yours, and I should be telling myself this as well, the simpler the set up, the set up with the path of least resistance, the set up you can turn on and even mess with for 15 minutes is the best possible set up. The Hapax never struck me as a turn on and jam machine, the Oxi wasn’t either. For me anyway.

Hope you find your focus, these things do go in waves. I’m hoping to catch one soon myself a write something anything. For now, no pressure, just enjoy the sounds for however long you get at the end of your day if at all. We don’t owe another album to the record company, we just need to have fun with our toys.

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#11

I’m going through somewhat of a similar process, although for me I had taken out the Hapax to make use for Push 3SA. After struggling for some months with getting the Push to do what I expected from the Hapax midi-wise, I put the Hapax back in.

My point being that changing one peace of gear can easily break your flow.

Perhaps leave your Hapax in place and continue making songs the way you used to. Then when there is something that you find difficult to achieve with your old setup, see if the Hapax can help. Don’t force yourself to use it.

I also wanna emphasize that just being tired is a perfectly valid thing, and there is nothing wrong with your music making self if you don’t sit down to do it as much as you used to. The fact you’re writing about it here is a testament to the fact that your love for making sound is still there.

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#12

That’s great advice for all of these kinds of topics around here!

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#13

I’ve been experiencing the same. My solution was to keep the one groovebox that I found inspiring and fun. For me, that was the Novation Circuit Rhythm, for you, it might be something else.

Rather than spending all my spare time making tunes (like I used to do), I now dedicate one night a week to it. This way, I’m really looking forward to that night, and it keeps burn-out (or getting bored with only one piece of gear) at bay.

I’m actually finding inspiration is hitting me more frequently again, so I’m starting gradually to fire up the Rhythm when that happens.

Good luck, and I hope you find the right solution for you.

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#14

Maybe ditch the Hapax then :grinning: Track sounds great btw.

I’ve posted this guy before but he’s got some really straight up and realistic thoughts on approaching making music, especially with limited time/family/life commitments.

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#15

Like others here, I think feeling obliged to put together to much gear at the same time can drive down creativity. I have separated my setup into some synths always ready to be played together on the switch of a button, and other synths that I play with on their own whenever I just want to listen to them.

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#16

I don’t think this idea can ever be overstated

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#17

Path of least resistance is exactly what led to my loss of enthusiasm with making music. I developed multiple workflows in Bitwig, making music everyday in the morning over my morning coffee. For me, it became about slowing down, being forced to think, etc.

#18

I’ve had the same a fair few times, and for me it’s always been due to lack of time (mostly from being busy with work/life).

I’d have weeks when I’d only get like 30 minutes every other day free for music. Then I’d spend the first 10 minutes panicking about what to do to in order to make the most of the time. Then 10 mins doing something, then the last 10 mins getting frustrated about not having time to complete the thing I’d just gotten into.

I ended up dealing with it mostly by making notes (where I’d got to, what I was going to do next session, ideas/sounds to tweak more, etc.), and by setting myself deliberate limitations (e.g. for the next week I’m only going to use this one piece of gear, next time I’m just going to work on sound design, next time I’m going to spend the session learning a specific technique or feature, etc.).

That sorta helped me stop getting frustrated about not being able to be creative with such limited time, and ended up being more creative when it stopped being something I was beating myself up about.

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#19

The way I understand the path of least resistance is that the setup should be ready at any time, providing no room for excuses not to perform any music.

Because songwriting monopolises creative energy and because inspiration grants you almost no time for general research or sound design, a simple enough piece of equipment is desirable to a too complex one. This correlates with having access to the least amount of features, given your current state of knowledge.

The more complex your setup, the more you need to invest time into learning sessions, during which you will learn a lot but not create much. Nevertheless, this does not mean that one should stand eternally still. Ideally, we grow with our equipment.

My tip du jour:

  • pack up the things that you haven’t used for the last 2-3 months into boxes, out of sight. Then wait until you get bored by the simplified setup and add the 1 (!) piece that you need;

  • my own softer approach to this pre-sale strategy is to literally uncover only the equipment that I currently need. The rest remains under cover.

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#20

That’s interesting. So you enjoy the friction against your flow state and the challenges presented by multiple options & devices and workflows & learning curves? And in the end it maximizes your creative output? I don’t see this perspective very often.