Inspiration-fuelling tactics
So, you’ve followed our guides, and you’re feeling prepared. Your samples are sorted, plugins are organised, and racks, channel strips and templates are ready to roll. And it goes without saying that you’ve boned up on your keyboard shortcuts. This can only mean one thing: it’s time to unleash all that pent-up inspiration in the form of a fresh new track!
All it takes to get a track rolling is one great idea. It could be a cool sample, a catchy vocal element, an ear-catching bass sound, a chord progression, melody – a hook, in other words. However, it’s not so much a lack of these raw ideas that holds many producers back, but failure to move on with them at the right time. Spend too long tweaking and you could soon wind up ‘stuck in a loop’, listening to the same four-bar phrase over and over. Yep, we’re talking about a oneway ticket to Loop Land, the producer’s own personal hell, where creativity is crushed beneath layers of unnecessary extra sounds, pointless effects and endless tweaking.
Lucky for you, this section of our guide is all about generating those initial great ideas, and fleshing them out while they’re still hot. We’ll show you how to create complementary parts in a flash, and ways to keep your session moving rapidly toward the goal of a finished track. By working quickly and with purpose, you can avoid
“All it takes is one great idea…”
getting bored with your own musical ideas before they’ve had chance to shine. And if you’re still having trouble staying focused on the goal, then stick a note on your monitor to remind you: “Finish that track!” Done it? OK, let’s go!