Time management (or lack of)

Just kind of curious how do people work beatmaking into their schedule?

Do it on set days, like practice, wait for inspiration to strike and work til its "done"? Allot time for digging trips? Practice finger drumming and other controllerism technics? Scratch/DJ skills? Checking out new music for ideas, etc. I know we're all kinda doing some of it constantly, like anytime we listen to anything we got our ears open for samples, but I am talking about more formal time spent. Do you find certain times lead to better, more creative beats? I feel like most instruments/activities have a road map for you like practice piano 2x per week, 1 hour each. Spend 15 min on scales, and 15 on exercises, then 30 on learning a song (for example). No right answers of course, but would be interested. Thanks!

-I buy a stack of records weekly (20-30 records), usually on friday.

-Take Friday night and saturday morning and listen to all albums in their entirety (in order, from side 1-2)

-Write in my little book whats worth sampling (one shots, horns, vox) all while recording any drums breaks I hear IMMEDIATELY into the MPC and saving it in its respectful folder.

-Saturday night I go through my list with the albums and sample the parts, usually I put together 5-10 rough beats together. (Unless I get side tracked by something super dope I'm working on)

-Sunday-Thursday I work periodically on the beats from saturday nights session...

I find, for me, this keeps things fresh and I never grow tired of the sounds... My old lady appreciates it because she doesn't have to listen to me tirelessly chop the same sounds up over and over again. The book is the master key though... the scribbles between the lines are the best parts usually.

this routine will undoubtedly change when school starts up again though... but I can always do my work in the studio while I'm listening to the records

SEANSTATIC wrote:-I buy a stack of records weekly (20-30 records), usually on friday.

-Take Friday night and saturday morning and listen to all albums in their entirety (in order, from side 1-2)

-Write in my little book whats worth sampling (one shots, horns, vox) all while recording any drums breaks I hear IMMEDIATELY into the MPC and saving it in its respectful folder.

-Saturday night I go through my list with the albums and sample the parts, usually I put together 5-10 rough beats together. (Unless I get side tracked by something super dope I'm working on)

-Sunday-Thursday I work periodically on the beats from saturday nights session...

I find, for me, this keeps things fresh and I never grow tired of the sounds... My old lady appreciates it because she doesn't have to listen to me tirelessly chop the same sounds up over and over again. The book is the master key though... the scribbles between the lines are the best parts usually.

this routine will undoubtedly change when school starts up again though... but I can always do my work in the studio while I'm listening to the records

Excellent and very methodical approach to beatmaking. Very cool that each weekend takes you thru every phase of the process from buying wax, to listening to cultivating drums and breaks, taking notes (cataloging) then sampling and chopping to finally making beats and polishing things up. Really dope man. good stuff.

i can't work after the gym or after work most of the time. i get off at 4, go to the gym, walk ~3 miles home and get settled in by 5:45. then i've got to think about cooking eating a healthy dinner, then cleaning the dishes...most of the time there's just nothing left and i feel overwhelmed by the idea of trying to make music for an hour before going to sleep.

my best times are when i can wake up, hit the tea/coffee, and then spend the entire day working on music. i need to know that i have at least a couple hours ahead of me.

I get the most of my work done when I first get home from work. This is my "quiet time". I have about an hour or so before the Mrs. gets home and all hell breaks loose with being a family man.

I work on kits, samples, old projects, and general funking around. Plus it's a great time to get all those ideas I come up with while working out while they are still fresh.

Nothing is worse than losing "the spirit" of a great idea. Even if its not complete, I just start something and may come back to it later and it will turn into something different.

Most of us here didn't blow-up back when our lives were free from responsibility. (Boy, I sure wish I did ) Life just kinda gets in the way but using your time wisely is a challenge for everyone almost since grade school. Hell, it's even on your report card!

Nym wrote:i need to know that i have at least a couple hours ahead of me.

same here.

With a wife and 2 kids...
I wait till everyone goes to bed and stay up till 2am trying not to fall asleep on the couch listening to the same loop for 2 hours.

Then I pay for it at work the next day

But ___ I get shit done.

Most of us here didn't blow-up back when our lives were free from responsibility. (Boy, I sure wish I did ) Life just kinda gets in the way but using your time wisely is a challenge for everyone almost since grade school. Hell, it's even on your report card!

Still dreaming.

Riggs wrote:With a wife and 2 kids...
I wait till everyone goes to bed and stay up till 2am trying not to fall asleep on the couch listening to the same loop for 2 hours.

Then I pay for it at work the next day

But ___ I get shit done.

Grown man shit, lmfao.