You Ever Take Yourself Out The Zone?

This is more of a rant/vent then anything else. Please share if you relate.

Ever wake up one morning and just commit to making music. You get your coffee, you're in your chair, you're tools are right in front of you, and you can feel it, ... you're ready to go.

You turn on the turntable, BAM ... the sample is right there. You start adding the keys, BAM ... the notes are coming out smooth. You export to your DAW, BAM, ... the mix is simple as pie. You start thinking, "At this rate, I can knock out ten gems before my wife comes home and makes me watch the latest chick-flick on Netflix."

You move to the next one, turntable is doing its thing. You hear something. Sample's not as clean as the first, but man, you are in the zone and you're going to make it work. And you do! It takes a while but the drums you added really make the piece move. You're riding high. You're working on all pistons now! DAW export insight with another simple mix.

Now you're thinking, "Man, I'm bulletproof! I can throw on anything and make a hit!" So you get that next album, and to test how hot you are. You say to yourself, "Self, whatever track comes on, I'm going to forge it into perfection!"

You chop, you start to work, BAM ... nothing. You rework, BAM ... nothing. You reEQ, BAM ... zip. But you're still on your high, so you cant let it go ... no not at all. You rework and rework and rework, BAM ... the day is goes bye and not only do you not have something to export but your ego is screaming, "Man, I don't wanna do this no more."

You pack it up. You feel like poo (yup, i said poo). But do you go to the next album and see if you can rekindle your magic .... nope. 'Cause in your head, you cant get over your defeat! The sample got the best of you. You can't let go.

Its been two weeks since that happened. I've had worst episodes where I have gone on for months being defeated by a sample or the inability to come through. I need to learn to just move on, but my stubborn ass doesn't learn.

Alright, end of rant ...

Spoiled brat

naw i usually just move on if im not feeling it. the only thing i hate is taking a long time to chop something up then it not working how i thought it would n so i just wasted a bunch of time. then i just take a break n come back later if i get frustrated. i just do it when i feel it n if i dont feel it i dont do it.

If I can't work it I move on. Come back later and sometimes I just erase that shit when I think the sample doesn't have that much potential after all.

sometimes it will be spurr of the moment in the zone type of deal, other times I dont turn on equipment for weeks until Im feening to make some beats. I believe some of my better beats were made that way..


what I love about working with software the most is I dont gotta turn off the sequencer at all to do anything. chopping samples, rearranging, adding more sounds everything done while the sequence is playing.

every now and then I get cool results by screwing something up

every day!

i just save it, because you never know...one day you'll come back to it and will be able to work it out the way you had imagined or even better. every sample i choose or every beat i work on....even if i dont finish it or get a lot done with it, i'll save it anyways. because if it wasnt something i thought i could work with...i wouldnt have chose it in the first place.


like i have this arabian type song that i've been trying to sample for a minute now and it just hasnt hit me yet how i should chop it or use....another month from now or year from now w/e, i'll come back to it and hopefully i can finally work with it.

the only things that can really help these types of situations are time itself and a little more experience than before.

my 2 pennies.