been stuck for about 5 years now. trying to finish off recording songs i've written about 5 years ago. I was too distracted about what amp to use what drums to use and all that. now im just using what i have to record and looking forward not second guessing my equipment. Surely got the room acoustically treated to record live acoustic drums and got A custom cymbals and a prs guitar and apollo twin and audient asp880 and kali monitors (best decision ever) and ended up making a studio but who cares?? ( i do :') )
As much as I didn't want to hear this? This is exactly what I needed to hear. Got Dang man! I wanna hate this, but I absolutely LOVE it!! Thank you man. Seriously... 🤔🤟❤
I thought I couldn't write music because of the sinking feeling, the crippling depression, the perpetual despair that have taken hold of me since the pandemic kicked off and made me quit playing guitar/music. But I'll watch this to the end anyway, because you're a great guy!
I was suffering from a huge writers block for about a year, frustrated with lack of new ideas and inspiration. I realised that you can use that time to streamline your workflow and try to improve your existing mix templates etc. especially if you have any idea of what to fix in your previous mixes. I improved my drum vst template by figuring out how to send the drum machines tracks to separate channels and made the new mix more detailed (sennheiser drummic'a), i also made new template for bass that is way more METAL than the one before it. The process took some time, but once i was satisfied with the results the inspiration kicked in and i'm now once again making new music. Sometimes you need a break to reassess your preferences
What I found helps in addition to this golden advice: Get the rough ideas that you have in your head into the sequencer ASAP. Forget the structure, don't worry about the intro AT ALL, don't give a hoot about the timbres themselves -- those things will come LATER. If you write three sections of your song/tune using GM (Casio sounding Roland) in two hours than you are WAY ahead of a songwriter that is spending four hours seeking the perfect guitar tone for the first riff. Use composer/recording templates... write your music using the simplest tools that you have. Perfect the sound and mixing after the musical idea is born. Thank you for this needed coaching, Trey. If people actually follow this advice then you might get way too many entries for your contest once again.
Gear has never been much of a problem for me. I just have a small collection of guitars & plugins, precisely because of the thinking: "If you don't use it, it's not worth it." I feel like, my main-problem lies more in time & the management of it. I tend to loose inspiration, when I'm very busy, and I've always had a hard time just sitting down, and getting started, no matter what. Think I've gotta force myself to do that more in my time off.
Use the outline system you learned in school with each part of the song on a different piece of paper. Record the bass line by humming it to save time. Then you can work on the parts of the song separately whenever you have an idea.
there's a lot of truth in this rant and it's totally worth as some kind of 'clash with reality', so thanx for that. I used to joke bout myself saying that "I could be a Black Belt on Partial Arts" as far as not getting any of my music (or projects) out n' ready ... The eternal 'coming soon' struggle is real.
I’ve felt this many times. My issue was back 10 years ago trying to write to fit in with all these other bands at the time. And it took so long to finally get a group of songs together. Fast forward to now. I got a baritone and a quad cortex. And no care about “fitting in” then magically I have more songs than my new band knows what to do with. 🤟🏻❤ keep writing guys.
Wow, it was pretty difficult to accept for me but I have all of these issues. I'll change my mindset from now to write something that I will be proud of. Thanks for this amazing video!
thank you trey, i needed this more than anything! always trying to get better at drums before recording then it turns into 2 weeks, a month before i get a decent recording. need to just do it
when he said wait till band mates i felt that one lol i am not good at other instruments i been trying to teach myself to sing recently but not well enough i can play guitar decent but i think noone would ever listen to just a guitar as a song especially since im broke and my phone microphone is usually all i can afford to record i know there is daws that have programmed instruments but i would not have any idea of which ones or how to use them nor the money for them. I get what you mean just go for it but at the same time i dont want to write a song that is barely a song
Yeah I have a horrible habit of this. I’m waiting on my studio gear to arrive from overseas (fingers crossed that it even arrives in one piece…) and I feel utterly handicapped by not having my musical comforts. I’m always hunting for the next best thing - even when being blessed with a very humble but strong setup. Even with RU-vid - I find myself paralyzed because I don’t have great lighting or a great camera. Anyways: definitely a good point to reflect on. Stagnancy is *way* worse than a temporarily imperfect product.
My main template that I use for basically everything is about 200 odd tracks. Full BBC Symphony Orchestra, a boat load of percussion, Synthesisers, a full rock band and a load of blank sampler tracks. I've recently been considering adding a few extra pianos into the template above everything else simply for sketching and getting the idea. As I find I will sit here looking through all the instruments trying to figure out where I want this idea to start when really I should be writing it in the piano first and then going and expanding it out. Then any ideas I do have for say synth sounds and sound design stuff I have a note pad in the template I can use but I hardly ever do.
I feel called out a bit right now 😂. though less about perfection and more just a space to do vocals/streaming that isn't burdened by living with people who aren't cool with it. and yes having too much gear and plugins is bad.
This video have me "JUST DO IT" vibes and I absolutely mean it I the best way and I love it. What's the phrase? A bad song that's finished is better than a good one that isn't? Yeah
The thing I try to do is just make sure I dont spend too much time on one song. I know it typically takes me a good while to make one because life often gets in the way but typically I have to get to a point where I'm happy with it even if I can hear the minor flaws in it. Many times those actually contribute to the human aspect of the track and make it unique. One thing I think is cool about your contest Trey is that it is pushing me to pump out a new song as quickly and efficiently as I can using the techniques I have acquired over the past few tracks I have produced.
I've been stuck with exactly this issue for a while now (wanting certain gear first before starting in hope of better recognition, instead of seeing it as a road to look back on once I hit my milestones). But I started to get better at managing myself with it. For example nowadays even at work whenever I have an Idea I take a second and just scribble notes on a piece of paper or record a Voice note on my phone to just start the flow of creativity once I'm back home and once I placed that first stone I take my time to optimize it over time instead of theorizing over it for 5 months just to scrap the idea in the end anyway. Same with streaming, instead of thinking of banners, logos, overlays etc. I just started, went live and added bits and pieces as time went on to create my theme, and I'll keep working on myself to achieve the same result in my music production.
Brother, I really needed this video! Thanks alot. I've got so many great riffs and ideas for songs but I'm always chasing tones and gear to get the perfect sound, need to just work with what I got. Thanks again man.
very true story. im almost ready with my endless preparations only have to wait until jackson brings out a minion-flying-v with floyd rose...then its time to start riffing...for me..really!
Imo the golden rule about gear is: - I've got this idea I want to develop - Can I do it with the existing gear? - If yes, go for it -If not, go and get the gear that's best suited for what I want to do. Doesn't have to be fancy, just servisable This way of thinking has saved me lots of money 😁
Thank you for that video, Trey. I totally agree, it's not about the gear. But starting a song has never been a problem for me personally. It's always finishing it what troubles me 'cause I struggle to find the lyrics. But maybe I should apply the same principle here? Not try to overoptimize and write the most profound stuff ever and just write something instead 🤔 But that's how I usually end up buried in tons of wastepaper 😂
Thank you very much! You always have the words I need to hear :') even when It Is a hard true to acept... Also I have a question Trey, what do you do to avoid procastination? Because somedays its too hard for me to start writing :(
Sometimes I can figure out what's holding me back, sometimes not (tbh, mostly not), but either way, Trey will make a video on that exact subject within a week. Starting to think I need to check my house for cameras
I fall into optimization loops every time I play through my Gt-100. There's just too many options for tweaking tones. I get sucked into endless adjustments without ever being productive.
I'm dealing with the opposite of this problem, i can't stop writing good songs and everything time I have to restart the band set up/setlist because I'm always improving myself and everything I did before is not that good as the new stuff
I am stuck in that spot for shur but is not for the lack of trying si because my fuking computer is always bugged that just makes it impossible to work
@@treyxaviermusic I need someone who would fix everything in my PC and and explain me what not to do to make sure the this bug don't come back because my composition time look like try to record guitar then a bug appear and trying to fix it and fixing it and trying again and just smash my face on an other bug and all plugins I have I bought theme on Reaper and I have everything I need to have to create cool song but it doesn't want to work But I have to be honest I'm not good with computers
@@GitKlar I suppose the optimization stuff talked about here is like a black hole. The more it's being fed, the more suckage it will exert on our ability to act and get stuff done
What you referring to is that people need to put out material whether or not it is good enough or not. basically similar to the lies record labels tell bands artists if you do not release new material in 3 to 9 months or quicker then fans will move on and you will no longer have a career. I got one thing to prove this is a lie. Guns n roses chinese democracy it took them 8 years and multiple lineups but when it came out there was still a fan base and people buying the album. Me i am a perfectionist. the band members, the songs, music videos, album artwork, lyrics, logo must meet my strict vision otherwise it will never come into existence, till i get it perfect. i write songs, my method is do lyrics first. i do not force lyrics come to me, i usally get 1 or two lines, then a day or week later i get lyric ideas for a new song and move to that, then it takes weeks, months, years to get back to the original idea sometimes i am still waiting. I started writing songs in 1990 and have over 2000 unfinished songs. i will not complete them till every thing is perfect. i have to feel it is perfect before i allow myself to release it. I care about quality control. todays generation does not with the crap passed off as songs since the 1990's to now. waiting for the perfect band members, perfect lyrics to come to me, etc. is not wrong. It means i care more than others who simply put crap out. Me i care in what i put out. I don't care if people call it crap after i spent whatever amount of time to get it perfect to my vision. getting it perfect to my vision is all that matters, even if none of the songs are ever released and my passion for a music career dies. My honor, my principles will not allow me to release crap when it does not meet my high threshhold of quality and perfection. as the whole gear and location and stuff. I am not lucky enough to have gear that i can record on and use. plus my home is a rental and no loud noises, it is a very old home, and it is small. There is too much i would have to do and get to work on the songs at this time, plus i take care of my elderly brother, and try to cook and keep the almost falling apart in need of massive repair only vehicle we have, running, while making sure the bills are paid. also my family has the absolute worse luck, like the hee haw song, if it was not for bad luck me and my older elderly brother would have no luck at all. So before you tell people well there is no reason you should not be immediately working on songs, now even with limited gear, etc. use what you have. You have not considered all the reasons a person simply can not at that moment in time. also unlike others who force lyrics and musical ideas come to them. I allow them to come naturally, when they come naturally they are the most honest and real when you force them then it becomes fake and not authentic. So that is why it takes me so long. plus my skills as a musician is not up to where i could actually pull off the vision i have for my songs. I did however give up dating, having any type of romantic or sexual relationships (i have never started anyways so it was easy) and I gave up on and choose to never have any friends. either. To focus solely on music. But i will not compromise my musical vision and principles just so i can finish and release my songs. If it does not meet my vision then it is not worth being released or exist. I am not gonna change that. you may think it is stupid, moronic, dumb, pathetic. I do not care. I live and i will die by my honor, beliefs, values, principles and vision. if that means i never accomplish my sole passion and dream of a music career so be it. principles is more important.
You just wrote your own frustration in the most lethal way I've ever seen. Knock it off, it's not doing you any favors. Please nobody take any inspiration from this.
