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Listening and analyse Piece of Music you like (just released or not.) There’s always something you will learn. Also that’s a good habit we start and at some point we drop this… Try to never stop to analyse, each time you notice a track-song, because if it have a positive effect on you rather the other track there must be something inside to learn. Keep those Skeleton and use it for your own track
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Try when you analyse a piece of music to find variations, sometimes when you listening a track… some complimentary melodies coming in mind. Write it, keep those ideas somewhere. (Ableton project, midi files, whatever)
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Learn new skills ! That’s important we learn everyday. But you can plan your time and organize yourself like a student. (depend of your free time of course, some of us have a job and a family, and then it’s more difficult to organize themselves this way) Pay attention from who you learn. Free content, paid content. You can get Free month Trial from Groove3, AskVideo, SonicAcademy, Lynda… and others. They give « how to use Software Course » but not only !
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Commercial Packs : I’m not a big fan of it, but regarding inspiration… sometimes it’s work. Midi files, presets, sample packs… I’m not encourage people to warez stuff. But sometimes i download things, i listening it and if i think the stuff can be a value i buy it. Sometimes i make track with it, i keep somewhere i use things and from what pack. And i it’s a release i buy it to get the rights to use it. Be careful not to fall into the sickness of downloading everything that does not help. There’s also free content like http://www.freesound.org (feel free to give your bookmarks i will complete my post from time to time)
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Know how to extricate ourself from its current working place : sometimes you bored by your place. Get out, go working outdoor or indoor but elsewhere. Maybe, take days off like small holiday for making music in another town or country.
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Listening other music genre : I never listening only House or Techno. Quite the opposite in fact, and it’s an open minded thing… When you listening other music genre you less bored with your own music genre. Also, you will gives you fresh air. i think it’s very important.
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Maybe try to make tracks-song in other music genre : Just for fun… it can be interesting and rewarding. Maybe you don’t know it but you will discover you better in another genre. Why not ?
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Health/Mental issues : sometimes it’s relative to health or mental issues… You get tired easily or quickly, hurting your ears … sleeping is not enough. Get help and discover the real reasons
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Regain the passion, the Fire of the Beginning : There’s few ways. STOP and come back month or years later. You can’t hurt yourself if you don’t want to make music. Sometimes it’s like that… The cup is full, ready to overflow. You have isolated yourself by working alone : get OUT ! Find young guys with sacred fire, collaborate with them. Meet musicians ask them or pay them to made parts on your music ! it’s a very good way to unlock you i promise ! Trust me on that at some point we get old and you know …
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Watch Noah Pred : Harnessing CHAOS : Extend what he says… with all random tools or by hands to find happy accidents. You can find inspiration. (https://www.askvideo.com/course/dmm-noah-pred-harnessing-chaos)
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Sound Design / FX chain & new technologies : There’s a lot here and it’s difficult to keep this as a one bullet. I find Reaktor, Max, Granular app-vst (Padshop Pro…Borderlands Granular, iDensity, iPulsaret), IRCAM tools, Izotope IRIS 2, Spectral technology, Sony Spectral Layers… there’s always new technology to open up things and get interesting results. It’s a matter of experiment and not lose yourself in only experiment. But it’s a good way to find fresh starting point. And sometimes, you will not get something then… it’s depend. But it’s valuable.
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Never Delete something if you’re unhappy of your session : Keep everything in a folder called Sketch Ideas or something… sometimes you reopen ideas, few days or week later and you get something cool … Every hours spent to try something should be kept and not trashed.
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Travel, Visit Museum, Go see Band or Artist in gigs even if you don’t know them : Record parts you like of the show, sometimes when coming back to your home you will switch on your gears and make something cool.
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Sometimes you have side ideas like a short animation movie in your head where sounds in your head are character of the short animation story. Draw a storyboard of it and try convert pictures into sound/track then…
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Experiment with Chords progression : Find some basics on scale and music harmony, apply those formula … and find interesting chord progression. Sometimes you will get somewhere from that.
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Start in the middle : Forget Intro and Outro, and jump straight into whatever part you feel comfortable with. Come back to intro and outro later.
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Use on some parts “chance” % parameter : it’s always good when you’re working on a track when things happening and you have no control of the triggering ! I really like Ableton Beat Repeat in that territory but i use it gently and it can be in a track very cool. There’s other tool with random and chance parameter. get the most of it … i find it working great on vocals, percussion, pads, string, textures… etc… not on main ideas.
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Sport / Physical Activities is very important for health and head… go swim, running, even walk ! and take pictures, record noise on the go etc… make the most of these actions outside !