What is your biggest challenge in the realm of making music?

[devilthearchitect]

For me the hardest part is to re-record something until it is perfect. Because of time constraints I tend to record each instrument only a couple of times. Also, although I tend to jam with my band mate, I miss being able to have a whole band, because of that back and forth. The more you record alone the more the complex the task becomes, and the time you are able to spend with each part of the song (like a particularly hard bass or piano) becomes smaller.

[pupkin]

Forcing myself to write and allowing me to get into that flow state where ideas become less and less mortifying on follow-up listens.

[Joseph Kearns]

Mine is  learning the business side. It is very easy to record, mix and master these days in you bedroom. Getting your music noticed is very hard especially as a single song writer. 

[starise]

I would agree Joseph. John has gone to quite an effort to have some info here to help in that regard. I am the same way. I don't easily gravitate in that direction.

 

My most recent challenges have been trying to put everything I know into simple projects and failing at it. Case in point- I am building backing tracks for a live playing situation.At least this is a goal. It would save me buying the tracks.I have started maybe three different times at it and not liked how it was going. I have almost every tool known to man to accomplish it, but can't seem to make it flow the way I had hoped. I have no trouble composing most of the time, but this is different for some odd reason. I have played to backing tracks. I have tools to lock the groove in, lots of ways to make loops and phrases and even libraries of loops. It's like I have all the ingredients to make chocolate and the recipe but I haven't been able..Doesn't seem to flow with the way I work so far.

[MikeRobinson]

Starise, maybe you should post your work-in-progress and let the rest of us have a listen.

 

Maybe we can help you to "listen analytically" to your WIP to maybe spot where the trouble might be.

Edited January 18, 2019 by MikeRobinson

[starise]

Thanks Mike. I may just do that if I can get things far enough along. I think the problem is that I see too many things I don't like already. 

I just had a real opposites kind of thing happen. I lost a song contest. Not just lost but placed last a group of 8 or so. Granted, it was the others on the website who voted and I'm not into some types of things as much.Then, on the other hand I had a request from a major software company to use one of my songs at the 2019 NAMM show as a demo song.

Very confusing set of events. I guess one song was really good and the other one really sucked.

 

 I must have spent 4 hours on the tune that took last place. I put a lot of thought into the mix and such...oh well. I'm not giving up. Heck no.😉...and I'm beginning to think the judges must have had  bad taste in music. 

Edited January 22, 2019 by starise

[Medley]

Definitely seeing a project to its end. I get alot of new ideas though, to the point where they flood in and displace all my old projects.....

[Mozex]

I do not really perform or anything and I do not aspire to do so. I just make music because I like doing it. But the thing that is the biggest challenge to me is the mastering of a track.