You need discipline, son, discipline!Matt Vinyl wrote:Not got a web page / site yet at all. I really should get around to that too! I've only ever finished two or three pieces that I am satisfied with...I find myself starting, losing interest in it, and re-starting again...
Here's the way to do it IMHO, sequentially:
1) before doing anything have a good idea of the general shape of the song - genre, mood, structure etc. This, ultimately, will provide the over-arching vision that will enable and drive you to finish it.
2) farm a new batch of samples/create new patches etc. These are the fresh raw materials that will ensure that you don't just feel you're rehashing the same old stuff on your PC. To my mind, this is crucial - if you have some sweet new sounds to play with, you will be dying to get them into a new track.
3) make sure the first element you have, be it a riff, break, vocal line etc, is tight, providing impetus to the creation of the rest of the track. If you start with a lame riff, no amount of layering or creative FX further down the line will make it sound tasty.
4) once you have a general idea of where it's going, sit down and work hard for a few hours. Focus on whether new elements being introduced into the track sit well - if you can't get something to work, then best bin it before you lose your original vision.
5) as the composition and structure is coming together, start cross-referencing to professional stuff. Compare the use of sound-layering (eg topping basslines with notes in the mids), relative volumes of bass/mids/treble and absolute apparent volume (ie. the use of compression).
6) finally, dedicate an hour or two to 'polishing' - cut off unnecessary frequencies using EQing, chop tails off samples, bin sounds that are inaudible in the mix, EQ off sounds at 20hz and below etc.
Obviously, the VB Word Up song is a shining example of the results of taking such a professional approach.
:P