I talk a lot about creating track ideas as quickly as possible... without any focus on the quality "in the moment."
This is known as my Splurge methodology...
And a question that comes up sometimes is,
"How do you determine the line between splurging and LAZY producing?"
Whenever I hear this question, it raises a flag for me that the producer has an unhealthy creative process.
The producer asking this question usually believes "hard, grinding production work = good music"...
In reality, nothing could be further from the truth, as I explain below.
See, a central aspect of "Splurging" is to start a new track as soon as you start to experience friction with the one you're working on.
The first sign of any piece of friction or "grinding" on a track means it's time to start creating another one.
When you first start practicing Splurging, this can feel like you're just "jumping ship" as soon as you actually have to WORK on a track... and it can feel like you'll never make any progress with it.
Thing is... Splurging is simply about creating something you can have an opinion about later.
The goal is NOT to create a polished, finished piece of music.
(That comes later in the creative process.)
The goal of a Splurge is to let your CREATIVE mind go CRAZY... without any interference from your analytical mind.
In a sense, you're planting the seeds of MANY track ideas.
Then you come back and water the ones that show promise.
This way, you're ONLY spending time in analytical, "editor mode" on tracks that you're truly excited about.
And that's why THOSE get finished FAST...
This is in stark contrast to the typical creative process of most producers - where you work on ONE track at a time... banging your head against it and trying to "craft it into perfection."
And that's the crux of what I'm talking about...
The misconception that you have to work on a track for a long time in order to make it good.
The truth is:
Just because you spent more time and energy creating a track DOES NOT make it better.
It might be better...
It might be worse...
The quality of the music has very little to do with the drawn-out, perfectionist approach that most producers take.
Bleeding fingers are NOT required for a piece to be a masterpiece...
(Despite what some artists claim.)
I'm 100% sure that some of the music you love (and probably assume took a long time to create) was finished VERY FAST.
Some of the music you think is "silly" and was probably finished in a hurry was actually "crafted" quite slowly.
Because in my experience - the difference between so-so or "silly" music, and GREAT music, is not the time spent on making it…
It's the ENERGY behind it.
The tracks that get finished the fastest are the ones that absolutely LIGHT YOU UP.
Why?
Because those are the tracks where the listener can FEEL the excitement you felt while you were making it.
Contrast that to the slow painful slog of perfectionism that gradually strangles the life out of a piece of music... that also comes across in your music.
So... the lesson for today.
Fast progress does not equal lazy production.
Fast progress means progress.
Onwards & Upwards
Mike
"Move fast. Speed is one of your main advantages over large competitors." - Sam Altman
P.S. I'm working with a new group of music producers to double the quality and quantity of your music over the Summer.
We're starting this weekend, so if you'd like to join us, hit reply and I'll send you all the details. :)
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