logic_user99 Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I need help; big help. I've been using for about 8 years and have never really found a 'true-and-true' method for writing music. I really want to start taking my stuff seriously in 2008 (as I'm on the verge of just 'dumping' music creation for something far less stressful...) but I don't know where to start in 'reinventing' myself within Logic. Where should I start, guys? Any suggestions you can make will, hopefully, improve my mood somewhat... (I have a big black cloud over my head at the moment). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkgross Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 drink better wine assuming you're on Logic 8...start with a Channel Strip...then immediatly change the sound. Load up an electric piano strip, then change it to an EXS guitar. The possibilities are endless. and, drink better wine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anti-banausic Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I need help; big help. I've been using for about 8 years and have never really found a 'true-and-true' method for writing music. I really want to start taking my stuff seriously in 2008 (as I'm on the verge of just 'dumping' music creation for something far less stressful...) but I don't know where to start in 'reinventing' myself within Logic. Where should I start, guys? Any suggestions you can make will, hopefully, improve my mood somewhat... (I have a big black cloud over my head at the moment). Some things that I have been told when in similar situations: 1) Walk away for awhile (at least if it is not your main source of income). And for awhile I mean at least a week or two. Do other things. Things that you wouldn't normally do since you were working on music. Go outside. Read a book. 2) Try to create something that is diametrically opposite of what you have been doing recently. If into house, try hip-hop, or glitch, or orchestral pieces, etc..... 3) Drink better wine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaulAlinsky Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 This is the key to your problems: stop using logic, stop trying to record and just pick up your instrument. A lot of times I find that recording can stifle my creativity. Therefore, I think its best to stop trying to record for a while and start messing around on the keys or the guitar. You can jam out, go through some covers or try to compose that way, but it will feel a lot freer and inspire more creativity that a computer does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 try this http://www.logicprohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=10079&highlight= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic_user99 Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Thanks for kicking me up the jacksie, guys. I guess I'll just get my head outta the sand and try some different stuff... And, as I'm not a wine-drinker (am currently tee-total) I guess I'll have to start drinking wine! Haha. *runs off to buy a bottle of red* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inmazevo Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 What kind of music are you writing, or trying to write? What do you mean by "true and true" way of making music? I ask because a little over a year ago I was having a really hard time getting tracks out. It was the typical writer's block kind of thing... nothing felt write... everything felt forced, and I couldn't get into a groove for writing like I was used to. I didn't know where to start, where to edit, where to refine. And then I realized that perhaps what was wrong was WHAT I was trying to write. Meaning: I was trying to pick up on old stuff and finish it, or write new stuff in the same vein. But my style/preference wasn't with it anymore... my life had gone through significant changes during the previous 3 years, but my music hadn't. So, I gave up trying to do what I thought I wanted, and just started experimenting with other things. I dropped all my inhibitions and snobbery about presets and loops and samples, etc... and just started playing around. I'm not sure what instruments you play, but I also picked up some I hadn't picked up in a long time (like my trumpet). Over time, through this noodling around, I found my new voice, and the workflow I use for it, which is very different from what I had been doing before. Just a thought... - zevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdoubleyou Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Just keep it simple downsize to Magic Garage Band. Problem solved. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inmazevo Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Downsizing is good too. I've recently disconnected a bunch of stuff, and have gone comparatively minimal. Less to learn, quicker to learn it... quicker to become proficient so I'm not having to think about equipment so much. I'll hook some of it back up as I get more comfortable with the size home studios can grow to these days (particularly, in the box home studios), though I'll likely get rid of a few things too (in fact, I HAVE gotten rid of some stuff). - zevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashermusic Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I need help; big help. I've been using for about 8 years and have never really found a 'true-and-true' method for writing music. I really want to start taking my stuff seriously in 2008 (as I'm on the verge of just 'dumping' music creation for something far less stressful...) but I don't know where to start in 'reinventing' myself within Logic. Where should I start, guys? Any suggestions you can make will, hopefully, improve my mood somewhat... (I have a big black cloud over my head at the moment). if you cannot make good music with Logic, you will not make it with any other application either. it's the guy, not the gear. Stop whining, learn the app, and just do it. It is indeed hard work, and sometimes joyous but sometimes stressful, and it is not for the faint of heart. Sorry if this is harsh but consider it tough love as I really do wish you the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic_user99 Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 @zevo - I guess 'workflow' is what you could call it. Heh. I have no flow! I think one of the major problems is, I've never really learned how to 'make' one style of music, potentially because I listen to FAR TOO MUCH music...! LMFAO. I've always gravitated towards ambient tunes, and have always ended up with 'I can't write under 8 minutes'. Maybe I do need to downsize a bit, but then, I don't own all that much gear - Logic, Reaktor, Battery, a Kaoss Pad, and a MIDI keyboard! LOL. Still lusting after one of those DSI eVolvers tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic_user99 Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 if you cannot make good music with Logic, you will not make it with any other application either. it's the guy, not the gear. Stop whining, learn the app, and just do it. It is indeed hard work, and sometimes joyous but sometimes stressful, and it is not for the faint of heart. Sorry if this is harsh but consider it tough love as I really do wish you the best. I appreciate your candor, Asher. I am starting to realize that, as you pointed out, if I can't make 'good music' in one app, there's a fair chance I can't do it in another. The main problem I have with Logic (right now, at least) is there's no 'foot in the door'. And, it just whoops my machine! *chuckle* I'm on a 1.5ghz G4 PowerBook and it really suffers when I try to do anything that would be reasonably easy in, er, Reason. Just saying 'learn the software' is easy enough, but without knowing exactly what I want to achieve, it seems a bit pointless... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nagal Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 @zevo - I guess 'workflow' is what you could call it. Heh. I have no flow! I think one of the major problems is, I've never really learned how to 'make' one style of music, potentially because I listen to FAR TOO MUCH music...! LMFAO. I've always gravitated towards ambient tunes, and have always ended up with 'I can't write under 8 minutes'. Maybe I do need to downsize a bit, but then, I don't own all that much gear - Logic, Reaktor, Battery, a Kaoss Pad, and a MIDI keyboard! LOL. Still lusting after one of those DSI eVolvers tho... Whats wrong with long songs? Seriously, write what is in you instead of trying to force it into a mold. I love trip-hop but could not write a trip-hop tune to save my life. So I just write whatever that is in me and it is almost always different from the last thing I wrote. Of course my stumbling block is finishing something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic_user99 Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Whats wrong with long songs? Seriously, write what is in you instead of trying to force it into a mold. I love trip-hop but could not write a trip-hop tune to save my life. So I just write whatever that is in me and it is almost always different from the last thing I wrote. Of course my stumbling block is finishing something Oh I hear that! Trying to write consistently in one vein of music is so damn hard, as is making an interesting ending for a tune! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiatim Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 A couple more ideas. * Stop listening to recorded music. MP3s, movie themes, ads, stores, TV, radio, it's everywhere. Good ideas can be quietly waiting to be heard. Birds say the craziest things. *Don't force ideas to be something they aren't. "The Minute Waltz" didn't need to become "The Minute Symphony". If an idea wants to be bigger, it'll let you know. * Some ideas are born with the wrong gender. Try turning up the "swing". * Sometimes you're just overloaded with Too Many Options. Add constraints. One figure. One rhythm. One pitch! * Explore all those "weird" synth patches. "What could anyone ever use this for?" Let that sound play. Then move on. Later on, one might call you back. * "Dry" periods are a good time to learn new tech. "Wet" periods are a perfect time to avoid new tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three_eyed_otter Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 without knowing exactly what I want to achieve, it seems a bit pointless... You know I love it when I answer my own questions while conversing--like you just did...It's goal setting time, you know, time to measure the wants & needs for your music. All art has a direction, as does the muse inside of you. Don't let those punk rockers that refuse to buy a guitar tuner and can't tune by ear tell you otherwise. All of the great punk rockers, musicians for that matter, realize it is the music that carries the message (whatever that message may be) and, well, if you're out of tune then you're out of tune. You have to decide where you lie & where you are willing to lay and take your music down it's direction. Being a home recordist can be a bit of a pill at times because you don't get to solely wear the musician's hat. You have to also wear the producer/engineer garments and these suckas can be really trendy while reeking havoc on your creative energy. Pretend it's summer time and the producer/engineer hats are stored away cuz they're not summer colors and are a bit too warm. Logic being a musical instrument is not a far off notion. I have found that the recording medium (DAW environment) has served me better when I let it be the transporter of the music between me and the outside world as opposed to the transpositional swayer of the music. I suspect, after 8 years, you know enough about Logic to produce a fairly decent recording. But no record label from any genre would ever sign a musician for his engineering skills over his/her songwriting abilities. The flood of mp3 listeners in the world more than qualifies the previous statement. Relegate Logic to being the carrier of your music instead of the creator and your direction will quickly reveal itself. Everyone has a story to tell, but they must decide whether or not they are willing to share it. You have chosen music to tell your story. Allow Logic to do no more than transport what you are willing to create. I realize this may sound like a bunch of Friday night esoteric philosophical BS, but the way I see it is...if you don't allow yourself to be a musician first, then you must accept that you are a musician secondly. have a good one 3Eo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 "Relegate Logic to being the carrier of your music instead of the creator and your direction will quickly reveal itself." like it....it also explains something about my current composing that i didn't realise due to all of these great sounds in logic and my other vi's, i find myself playing through presets...i hear a sound i like and just start building....these pieces often end up as stale, been-there, done- that type affairs....they never start from a musical idea, and tend to burn out very quickly even though they 'sound' good (my production values/technique these days is quite good at 'polishing turds') it's when i pick up my guitar and play through my compositions that i'm reminded that i can produce quite interesting and dynamic work...and finding sounds to accompany becomes a more fruitful experience once a context is provided so...from now on i'm gonna let logic be my carrier....i am the master, and logic WILL obey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Lenton Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 here is my ten pence on the matter.... write something else, if you write drum an bass mainly, write a hip hop track, just get an old soul record, chop it up an see what happens. in fact, chop any genre up and see what happens. dont take it seriously, and make some genre you've never done before. its a laugh, and a lot of the time, although the out come is a pile of crap, you can draw inspration from it to take into the stuff that does matter to you. i do this sometimes an make some wierd ass noises that i wouldnt have thought of else, save em and use in another track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAMP Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 You could also kill your dog, then the wife would kick you out!!!!!!! Great inspiration for Country & Western,,,,,,,,,, Heh he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draw the Moral Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 I'm a prog rock/jazz head. I have an overly pretentious project that I am working on right now, and I love it! The problem is that I'm so particular about how each piece of this puzzle should be...so it takes a long time to finish songs and feel good about them. Not to mention, the songs themselves are long. So the other day, I decided to do something completely outside of anything that I do. I made a Euro-techno song. It was complete silliness. Total synths. Total UMP-ts-UMP-ts drum 'n' bass. And cheesy euro techno lyrics. I am having so much fun making the simplest, but coolest sounding music that I'm deciding to do a whole side project of it to throw people off. The project will be called "Let's Go flamingo." Now, understand, I'm normally a very serious, studious person, who takes music very seriously, and I have serious opinions about the state of disrepair that modern music is in right now. So this is the polar opposite of something that I would normally undertake...and I love it! Sometimes, it's just the little breaks of not taking yourself or your art too seriously that let you get back into the groove...and you'll find that you can make more "serious" progress on your music. It reminds you that music is your passion...something that makes you smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentmagstadt Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Such a great question, great discussion... everyone gets to this point at some time if they are impassioned by their music. But this - as pointed out a couple times - says it all in my mind: "Relegate Logic to being the carrier of your music instead of the creator and your direction will quickly reveal itself." Because to me it is the inner directions. It's why I will likely never write a hit tune - my inner directions are truly twisted. Thankfully... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu-D-O Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Im feeling it too. Been using Logic for about 8 years and it feels as though the music is getting worse. Its frustrating load your drum samples, load synth, load this , load that, donty like this , reload that, bored of this now. Start another. Just cant finish a tune??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muzakshop Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 The way i seem to get back into a groove during serious writers block is to become a LOGIC COVER BAND. While trying to mimic some of my favorite tunes on logic, i invariably stumble onto something good. Then immediately start a new project and go with it. No, it's not a remix, and eventually ends up nothing like what i drew inspiration from. Anywho, it gets my juices flowing again .... well until my next stale moment at least. But I had fun nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anti-banausic Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 You can NEVER blame the medium. I have read this same discussion on the Ableton Forum. I heard it from guitarists back when I was playing 24/7. It is a rut. All humans get in one. It takes some discipline, or some time off to get around this. When I first started using Logic after LIVE, I thought, geez I can't really put anything down that sounds bad. IT was because I was experimenting and things sounded good. After some time, I fell back into similar ruts as I had with LIVE. It takes a certain amount of introspection, and awareness to see this, but it is only ourselves that are the barrier to the future. Best, AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBop Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 I need help; big help. I've been using for about 8 years and have never really found a 'true-and-true' method for writing music. I really want to start taking my stuff seriously in 2008 (as I'm on the verge of just 'dumping' music creation for something far less stressful...) but I don't know where to start in 'reinventing' myself within Logic. Where should I start, guys? Any suggestions you can make will, hopefully, improve my mood somewhat... (I have a big black cloud over my head at the moment). I've resisted posting to this, but every time I see the title the same old saying comes to mind. It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools. i would saying you're looking for inspiration in the wrong place, the tools can only do what you tell them to do. If your music is getting stale you need to listen to some new or different music, read a book, check out some art, go for a walk in nature. There are some good books on creativity you might want to check some out. In fact you will find when artists want to expand their creativity most think they add more colors to their palette, no they do the reverse and will go down to one or two colors. Force themselves to get more out of less, to learn how to do more with a single tool. I have heard similar stories of the old classical master do similar things with composition students. I've experience similar thing studying Jazz improvisation on guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamera Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Yeah, every morning when I pick up my guitar and try to write a song, I'm like... s#!+, man. This thing's been the same for years. I need an upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nublu Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Mischief, mischief, mischief, Sketch, sketch, sketch, What color panties is the muse wearing today.. After a million years of spring, why is it gonna be fresh this coming season? Don't know, just feel like dancing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Surely Logic is just a means of making the music available to others and documenting whats goin on with you at the time. Logic doesn't actually have any music in it - that all comes from you. Just buy a cheap little dictaphone and record yourself with an acoustic guitar or whatever. Get the ideas out rough then put it into Logic. The frustration with Logic sounds more like a Production thing than a composition thing. Nobody can rely on machines to compose...right?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draw the Moral Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Well, Logic can certainly be a centerpiece of your songwriting. I would call it an instrument in and of itself. But still, YOU have to take the time to be disciplined and learn all of the ways that it can be played. I think it's very much like electric instruments. Getting a good guitar sound is mostly dependent on your playing proficiency...but that doesn't mean that the type of amp, the type of pickups, and the type of effects still don't play a MAJOR role in that sound. So an amplifier is still a very important part of the instrument. It's just not the catch all that some people think it is to achieve the elusive "great tone." Put too much emphasis on the amp, and you've missed the point. And I think Logic is no different in that regard. Learn the instrument, and learn how to incorporate it into your creativity...and then don't become dependent on it YOU seek to master the art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noperator Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Every day I discover something incredible inside of Logic, and my art suffers because I don't know where to begin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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