Subtonic Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I've had an album in process for about 4 years. Why so long? Because I work on it once in a while and haven't gotten the discipline of focusing solely on it. 3 years ago I started a track that I really like that I thought I'd use to lead off the album. Now, after this much time, I find myself stuck on developing it and have decided not to spend anymore time on it - to just drop it and move on. As artists, when is it time to abandon your work? When it stops being fun? When you've got ideas for SOMETHING ELSE you'd rather work on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threlly Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I think we abandon tracks at about a ratio of 3:1. However. I always keep them in a bucket folder, and go back and cannibalise riffs and parts when I need them. We started a track about 3 years ago, we're up to v13 now and still not happy, but we know at some point we will crack it and get the balance right. There's a discussionn elsewhere, but Eno had the same problem and came up with Oblique Strategies, you might try something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vm1971 Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I've had an album in process for about 4 years. Why so long? Because I work on it once in a while and haven't gotten the discipline of focusing solely on it. 3 years ago I started a track that I really like that I thought I'd use to lead off the album. Now, after this much time, I find myself stuck on developing it and have decided not to spend anymore time on it - to just drop it and move on. As artists, when is it time to abandon your work? When it stops being fun? When you've got ideas for SOMETHING ELSE you'd rather work on? OOH! i like this one! hmm.... it used to be hard for me to dump stuff... i was in a high point or creativity, live shows, press... recordning.. in the mid to late 90's. then... i broke up the band casue all we did was play out live.. never had time to do new tunes. i did all the stuff and we played it live as a 4 piece. i was up for beginning a "band writing" thing... nothing. so i broke us up. then i started over with the 30mileshigh name in 2001. i had a few things groovin then 911 hit and my roomate went bonkers. my point is... when i was alone again and now using the MAC, and really supercharged... i went back to some old ideas pre-911 and they stunk. i started some new ones, trying to live up to the success we had in the late 90's... and it sucked. i tried to supercharge it by me and my old guitarist re-doing one of our "hits" and it sucked. i was like... hmm. i had to let it go but knew i would do it again. my gear was still all set up, but each time i'd tinker i couldnt make something i enjoyed hearing. my idea was, "it will surface when its ready.." a few of these tunes finally made the cut THIS year, and even some of those got the axe. so when is it time? when it sucks. let it go. dont delete, just ... leave them. you may go back and take a piece that didnt suck and use it in something that all of a sudden grows and manifests and is super cool. luckily, i am proof that it happens. once i got Logic and my old gear united, and lots of new stuff.. it got me excited... somehow without knowing good songs [i think] poured out, old ones got the boot or updated... and im [busy as hell but] happy now. it will happen. DONT GIVE UP AND DONT LOOK BACK FOR TOO LONG!!!!!!!! i know i ramble and may have gotten off topic ... but your post struck a nerve. VINCE www.30mileshigh.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vm1971 Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I've had an album in process for about 4 years. Why so long? Because I work on it once in a while and haven't gotten the discipline of focusing solely on it. 3 years ago I started a track that I really like that I thought I'd use to lead off the album. Now, after this much time, I find myself stuck on developing it and have decided not to spend anymore time on it - to just drop it and move on. As artists, when is it time to abandon your work? When it stops being fun? When you've got ideas for SOMETHING ELSE you'd rather work on? OOH! i like this one! hmm.... it used to be hard for me to dump stuff... i was in a high point or creativity, live shows, press... recordning.. in the mid to late 90's. then... i broke up the band casue all we did was play out live.. never had time to do new tunes. i did all the stuff and we played it live as a 4 piece. i was up for beginning a "band writing" thing... nothing. so i broke us up. then i started over with the 30mileshigh name in 2001. i had a few things groovin then 911 hit and my roomate went bonkers. my point is... when i was alone again and now using the MAC, and really supercharged... i went back to some old ideas pre-911 and they stunk. i started some new ones, trying to live up to the success we had in the late 90's... and it sucked. i tried to supercharge it by me and my old guitarist re-doing one of our "hits" and it sucked. i was like... hmm. i had to let it go but knew i would do it again. my gear was still all set up, but each time i'd tinker i couldnt make something i enjoyed hearing. my idea was, "it will surface when its ready.." a few of these tunes finally made the cut THIS year, and even some of those got the axe. so when is it time? when it sucks. let it go. dont delete, just ... leave them. you may go back and take a piece that didnt suck and use it in something that all of a sudden grows and manifests and is super cool. luckily, i am proof that it happens. once i got Logic and my old gear united, and lots of new stuff.. it got me excited... somehow without knowing good songs [i think] poured out, old ones got the boot or updated... and im [busy as hell but] happy now. it will happen. DONT GIVE UP AND DONT LOOK BACK FOR TOO LONG!!!!!!!! i know i ramble and may have gotten off topic ... but your post struck a nerve. VINCE www.30mileshigh.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBop Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 From working around many of the big names of the past they would use deadlines to control when they stop. Many said they wouldn't start working on things until the "eleventh hour" to force themselves to keep things simple, no time to over work things. Overworking songs or tracks is a common problem and hard habit to break. Songwriter not only writing have to learn to KISS but also demo's. So many put so much into demo, but trouble is the influence the artist or publisher to that is the only way to treat the song. Simple demo's let the person auditioning the tune imagine how they would treat the song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nublu Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 4 years. There is something good in those songs. You know it. There are no rules that say you have to complete them now. Good concepts seem to grow all by themselves. Our perspective in relation to good concepts sometimes grows effortlessly. I think you go forward, trusting what you know. Some of the album is coming with you, and some of it isn't. Your intuitions will tell you the timing and help you recognize the constellation of factors that say "now". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoSatis Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 This can be YOUR Chinese Democracy.Ya never know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Pettis Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Love the vocals. Love it all. Nice movement. Interesting processing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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