Not giving up on my songs?

[BiiDot]

So i made a NG account because i wanted to try and force myself to post at least 1 track every week, whether it's an old one or not. The past few days I've been chipping away at one that I've had for months now, but after adding a few chunks to it i'll listen again and think "Damn, this is straight ass. Don't ever touch this again." I'm nearing my personal deadline, the song isn't finished, and I still kinda hate how it sounds.

Anyone have some advice on how I can have some kinda faith in my songs? I've got too many unfinished tracks and I REALLY don't wanna add this one to the list.

[JessieYun]

I personally think you're draining yourself to the brink of creative burnout. I'm not sure how long you spend time writing your tracks, but one track a week sounds pretty intense to me. I would say continue on it but take longer terms on finishing it. Take a few days break away from it and return. It might seem like breaking the rules, but you're still producing tracks, that's all that matters.

Don't be your own boss, just enjoy the process is all I could say. Also, not all composers tend to enjoy listening to their own tracks, so judging your track as "trash" is completely normal behavior, although it shouldn't be a necessary one to drive your entire motivation.

[TheJayJay]

At 7/13/23 11:37 PM, BiiDot wrote: So i made a NG account because i wanted to try and force myself to post at least 1 track every week, whether it's an old one or not. The past few days I've been chipping away at one that I've had for months now, but after adding a few chunks to it i'll listen again and think "Damn, this is straight ass. Don't ever touch this again." I'm nearing my personal deadline, the song isn't finished, and I still kinda hate how it sounds.

Anyone have some advice on how I can have some kinda faith in my songs? I've got too many unfinished tracks and I REALLY don't wanna add this one to the list.

Then don't.

[Troisnyx]

Only thing you've got to do is persist. If it's musicality you're struggling with, look up chord progressions, production tips for your genre, things that your favourite musicians or bands do.

If it's mixing you're struggling with, in between the tutorials on YT and the guides that people at the NG Audio Pub Discord server are willing to share with anyone who asks, you're covered. All you gotta do is take the first step. If you don't know what to ask for, post on the production help channel in there, and someone on there will be happy to help you.

If it's self-esteem you're struggling with, take a few moments... breathe. Remember that even those at the top of their game are gonna have tracks that to them, sound ass, but to the untrained ear, sound like the best thing ever. It's normal and healthy to want to constantly improve, so long as it's not done compulsively. Our sound evolves. We'll always do things better than we will have done them some years back. Take comfort in that when you ask questions, when you receive feedback, when you write, and when you rest.

[Czyszy]

Do what you love.

[XwaynecoltX]

Just believe in your strong point build onto that and keep building good stuff

~X~

[Charlmot]

Personally, even though I do make and release music often, I'm really not very experienced and I've only been going for a couple weeks.

But from my experience in other forms of creative media a very good method to keep motivation and inspiration is to start making shorter/smaller stuff and slowly work your way back up to a point where you can create something freely without feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work you have ahead.

In terms of not liking the stuff you make, as other people have said that's completely normal. You don't need to like everything you make, and you certainly won't 100% of the time. But it's good to remember that you aren't forced to release top notch projects, and a few dull ones can be slipped in if you're feeling stuck.

I hope that as you continue you can start to be more proud of your work :)

[vividlance]

In my opinion, you're giving yourself too many "rules" that are harmful to your creative process. While consistent practice leads to improvement, that doesn't mean you should be slaving away at your DAW trying to make a fully finished piece every day or every week. Instead of worrying yourself sick, try spending 30 minutes to an hour either experimenting or exploring every other day - not every session needs to have a direct goal in mind!

Music, like all forms of art, should have an enjoyable process one way or another. While it's definitely normal to not enjoy your finished work for whichever reason, being more patient with yourself will alleviate some of the issues that come with it. Remember that there's nothing wrong with taking time with your craft. Maybe it's a good idea to leave a track unfinished for a while and come back to it with fresh ears and turn it into something new - it's way more common than you'd think. I hope some of this helps!

[NK2007]

At 7/13/23 11:37 PM, BiiDot wrote: So i made a NG account because i wanted to try and force myself to post at least 1 track every week, whether it's an old one or not. The past few days I've been chipping away at one that I've had for months now, but after adding a few chunks to it i'll listen again and think "Damn, this is straight ass. Don't ever touch this again." I'm nearing my personal deadline, the song isn't finished, and I still kinda hate how it sounds.

Anyone have some advice on how I can have some kinda faith in my songs? I've got too many unfinished tracks and I REALLY don't wanna add this one to the list.

Don't give up, many composers take days, weeks, or months to finish composing a song, taking a break helps a lot to get a lot of music ideas or inspirations of musics.

"good songs take time to make".