Posts Tagged ‘creative mindset’
30 Day Ableton Music Production Journal
Welcome to my 30 Day Journal experiment. Below are 3 of the 30 videos available in my full Ableton video collection. Over the course of 30 days I forced myself to record at least 30 minutes of producing everyday journaling my full creative process for 2 songs and a DJ mix. I also show you how to take a song from within or outside of Ableton and prepare it for live performance.
Be aware that due to the volume of video material I’ve recorded (20 or more hours), there are no zooms or tricky video effects. I am also aware that there may be some imperfections & volumes may fluctuate with my voice from video to video. In this case I’m going for a wealth of content instead of perfection. It is recommended that you enlarge this video to fullscreen for best results. Enjoy and please share this with your friends through word of mouth, email, Twitter & Facebook. I’d like to share this free content with as many people as possible.
Day 1 (Song 1 begins)
Day 14 (Song 2 Begins)
Day 27 (DJ mix begins)
Download completed songs & the Mix at the links below(right click and save):
Jason Timothy – DJ Mix August 2010
Final thoughts:
Realize the songs & dj mix were not abandoned at the point of perfection as reaching that can require far more than 30 days. Also be aware that reaching a level of satisfaction instead of perfection may be just the discipline you need. I know many people who spend years on their work and by the time it’s close to perfect, they realized it now sounds outdated to them thus starting the cycle all over again.
At the end of the day, completing your creative works takes a level of skill, patience and most importantly confidence. If you can’t muster the confidence in your work, you’ll never be able to say “This is finished”.
I took a huge gamble when starting this 30 day video journal. I had no idea what I would accomplish, if anything. I had no idea if I would be well received as I stumbled through each day trying to share an honest reflection of my creative process. I knew I would be far from perfect and that I would have several of my weaknesses exposed for all to see.
For me, this was a test of will, persistance and courage. I completed the challenge and I came out alive on the other side. As a sidenote I’ve pushed my comfort zone out quite a bit and have become less resistant to facing my fears. I want to thank you all for the support and the positive feedback. I hope this process has inspired you to have the confidence to create and complete your work.
Special thanks to Nick from NicksTutorials.com for loaning me the space and bandwidth to make this possible. I highly recommend you stop by his site. His Ableton tutorials are fantastic and he has loads of free vids as well.
For those who are interested, all the songfiles, samples and final mixes of the songs available immediately if you decide to order this full collection (you’ll need version 8.1.3). The full collection will soon be priced at $79 but is reduced to $59 for a limited time. (Keep in mind that the songs used for the DJ Mix are not included due to obvious legal reasons).
I hope you enjoyed this 30 day experiement.
Happy Music Making
Jason
P.S. – Don’t forget to comment & tweet (down below) & “like” (up above).
All your feedback & support is appreciated!
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My 30 day video producing Journal
My 30 day video producing Journal
For those of you who are following me on Twitter over the last 30 days, you may have seen me tweet about an experiment I started on the 1st of August. This idea has been running through my head all year and I kept putting it off because I was honestly a bit afraid of embarrassing myself publicly by agreeing to let you watch my songwriting process for 30 days straight.
One major hurdle was the fact that I have never produced music everyday for this length of time and wasn’t sure what the outcome would be if I forced myself to create when I wasn’t particularly inspired. Would inspiration show up or would I be left showing you 30 days worth of “go nowhere” ideas? That can’t be good for anyone’s ego. :-)
Another fear was that you might not learn much from this process. I don’t purposely do complex things just for the sake of it, so most of my process is experimenting with layers of simple ideas until I find something that works. I didn’t want you watching me use the same techniques over and over and thinking “I thought he was gonna show me some crazy stuff” and being disappointed.
Then I had a thought…..
These excuses were the exact reason nobody else has done something like this before and if that’s the case, this must be common with most everyone that creates. Maybe by showing my strengths and weaknesses I might be able to pull others outside of their comfort zone. Maybe this will show you some of the essential things to learn instead of you feeling like you have to know everything before allowing yourself to start.
Through this process I’ve been motivated, unmotivated, grumpy, anxious, unorganized, inspired, bored, confused and slightly embarrassed at times. Despite all that I was able to complete 2 songs & a DJ mix I am pretty happy with. That has got to count for something. I’ve also become that much better at fighting through resistance and getting to the other side. I may talk more specifically about my struggles as I share this 30 day process. If I can create in the state of mind I was in on some days, you definitely can too!
So here’s how this is going to work…
At some point soon I will be posting 1 video on my blog a day for 30 days. Almost all the videos are 30 minutes of longer, while some are well over an hour. Each day 1 video will be up to watch for free for 24 hours (or until the next video takes it’s place). So for 30 days you will have a new video to watch. I’ve edited the videos a bit to keep them more focused so you don’t watch me go off on tangents that are unnecessary. You will however see me do some things that don’t get used at all in the final process. I figured it was important to include that so you can pretty much watch the whole creative process.
For those who find value in this collection, I will later make it available if you want to purchase it. It will include all the samples used and all the Ableton song files from each day as well as the 2 completed songs and DJ mix (obviously seperated tracks from my DJ mix will not be included).
Don’t call this a tutorial
Although there is alot to learn from this collection of videos, it was put together without any planning and therefore is not like any other collection I have made. This isn’t a “how to make a (choose your style) song” but rather an relatively honest approach to some ways I approach making music. I do however limit myself to just Ableton’s internal effects and instruments. These limitations take me outside my comfort zone which I thought was a good challenge. I wanted to be working with tools that all Ableton users have access to so everyone can not only follow along but stop thinking they need more stuff before they can start creating professional sounding music. In another track I built the song just using samples and internal effects. I also go through the process of preparing a song to play live in Ableton and build a DJ mix. Do to the 20ish hours of footage, I haven’t done the type of editing I usually do. Sometimes you’ll find me in the “zone” and I stop talking about what I’m doing and I just DO, although I try my best to fill you in or why I’m doing what I’m doing and what I am thinking at the time.
I hope this lets some of you inside my head creatively and shows you some building blocks, techniques and tools that you can apply to your work. I certainly didn’t invent any of the techniques, so it’s only fair that I pass along what I know so you can take it and figure out a way to do it better. … Then I can learn from you :-)
Keep your eye on this blog and make sure to follow me on Twitter if you want up to the moment updates.
Til then,
Happy Music Making,
Jason
Creative procrastination
Creative procrastination
When it comes to productivity, there is nothing the mind loves more than putting things off. Especially if it’s creatively important. Because of this you may need to trick your mind into getting started.
There are a few ways to go about this and I’ve probably mentioned a couple of approaches in one of my past blogs. For a quick recap though here are a couple ways to get yourself started.
Just start – Don’t prepare to start. Just jump in and don’t ask permission or look for advice. Just act like you’ve already got things under control. You’ll be surprised how powerful this can be on your creativity and productivity.
15 minutes a day – it’s exactly as it sounds. It’s a commitment over a certain period of time, typically 30 days, where you commit to doing a task for 15 minutes a day without missing a day. You can go more than 15 minutes each day, but that doesn’t get you off the hook for tomorrow’s 15 minute commitment.
An alternate approach is one I just read from one of my favorite personal growth bloggers Steve Pavlina. He suggests you commit to doing a larger project in 15 minute chunks. You simply commit to get busy for 15 undistracted minutes. If after 15 minutes you want to stop you are free to, or you can immediately re-commit to another 15 minutes or after a short break. I think this is a fantastic approach.
Keep a record – Another Steve Pavlina approach is to keep a log of everything you do for a full day. Anytime you change a task you write it down. So if you are working and then you get a text and you respond, write it down and write the time of day next to it. If you use the bathroom, write it down. Essentially what this does is makes you much more focused and aware of how you are spending your time from moment to moment and you can later determine where all your time is going. This tip is huge!
A new Approach
Here is another approach I’ve just come up with that sounds like it’ll work wonders for me and hopefully will for you as well. One of my biggest roadblocks is the preparation before actually getting started with a task. For example, when making music you need to make sure you have all the correct equipment , sound card, midi controller etc set up as well as access to your sound library, presets and templates. All of that can really be unmotivating when all you want to do is create. Typically you’ve lost your motivation half way into setting up. Unless your setup is dead simple, you typically will avoid setting up to create and thus you avoid creating because you have to set up. It’s a lose lose situation.
Here is a very simple solution:
Devote 15 minute chunks of time just setting up for making music. If 15 minutes is all you can handle, cool, but you’ll probably find that after the first 15 minutes and you’ll have less resistance to the next 15 minutes. When you are finally set up, don’t attempt to start creating. Take the rest of the day off and then commit to 15 minute chunks of musical work first thing the next morning if at all possible. This takes away all the distractions and procrastination tactics you typically encounter and gives you a direct path to starting work immediately. Also do your best to shut off any programs or social media that will distract you and clear your workspace from anything distracting as well. The only thing that should be grabbing your attention is your project. Also if the setup is complex, you may want to take some notes to make it easier the next time you need to set up for a project. For me, I use alot of my equipment for multiple purposes meaning I do alot of setting up, tearing down and reconfiguring. If you have to tear down after a project, allow yourself to hold off til the next day. You may find you have some last minute ideas spark up and you want your workstation ready to go.
By separating the tasks of preparing to create and creating, you are giving yourself a huge advantage. First off, it’s much easier preparing to create get started without fear of failure. You are not going to be judged for how you set up your equipment, so you’ll have much less resistance getting yourself started.
The next day when you actually DO create, the mundane tasks will already be completed leaving you a direct path to take what is in your head and turn it into something physical without distractions or roadblocks. Separating the tasks takes away your ability to use either one as an excuse for not completing the other.
Give it a try if you find it hard to get started on a creative project. Some of these tips helped this blog get written. I hope it helps you as well!
Happy Music Making,
Jason
P.S. – Don’t forget to comment & tweet (down below) & “like” (up above).
All your feedback & support is appreciated!
Professional 1 on 1 Ableton Training
Personal 1 on 1 Ableton training
Although I believe that my tutorial video collections are very helpful for most, I know of several people who prefer direct interaction with me. You may have a specific topic that is challenging you or perhaps you run into a rough spot in one of your songs that you need guidance on.
Whatever it may be, there are several reasons to opt for personal training. I personally find my learning and production skyrockets when I’m working with another person. I find that the power of 2 or more people working on a creative task can accomplish quite a bit more that each individual on their own. Each person brings certain skills to the table that the others may not have.
Since 1999 I have been doing 1 on 1 training on a number of programs including Cubase, Acid, Fruity Loops, Pro tools, Sonar and Reason. My experience over the years helped me understand what was most important tips and tricks are that would be most helpful and productive. This also led me to making video tutorials and starting my blog.
The reason I switched from personal training to making videos was simply the ability to reach and assist more people through the internet than I possibly could privately. There were only so many people I could help within my local area & to go outside of that zone was very time consuming. The reason I return to a limited amount of private training is that I now have the ability to do sessions with anyone in the world from the comfort of my home. Now we can access my studio or yours at any time during the session. That prospect is exciting and inspiring to me.
My sincere goal has always been to empower people to be more productive and to help them make music they can be proud of. Sometimes knowing all the tricks isn’t enough to give you that creative instinct. Sometimes you get stuck with too many choices and you freeze up, afraid of making the wrong choice.
This is where personal training can come to the rescue. You can have someone on your side taking you directly the the right tool in your toolbox to accomplish what you have in mind.
You’ll also have someone who can see and hear potential issues before they turn into a problem. To know your tools well is definitely important, but more important is to know which technique will give you the best result for your immediate task. This is why many people hate reading manuals. Sure the information is most likely in there (if it’s a decent manual), but who wants to dig through all 500+ pages to get to the 1 paragraph that will solve your issue? Out of the 1000′s of choices you have from moment to moment in your songwriting. wouldn’t it by nice to know that you’ll only need 15 or 20 of them to finish the song in front of you?
Although I have a Remix walkthrough collection that has helped a number of people, some want that experience applied directly to their song. Perhaps your song needs different tools that I didn’t address in my video collection. For whatever the reason, I am making myself available to help you get to the next level.
When you book a Personal Training session, it will be your time to learn exactly what you want to learn. If you want to learn a certain technique, I’ll walk you through it until you have confidence performing the task yourself.
Maybe you want to watch how I might approach a certain songwriting task. Perhaps you want me to help you work on your own ideas to try to pull out the potential that hasn’t yet shined through.
Remember that very few people do everything on their own. Pretty much everyone has people they go to when they are in a jam. Even the best of the best. I do it ALL the time. There is no shame in asking for help when you find yourself stuck. If I can be of service, I encourage you to contact me.
As I expect to be booked up pretty quickly, it’s probable that i’ll be raising my prices if wait times get too long. I would rather charge more and be able to work with people more quickly. Also if you would like to go in on a session with a few friends, that is also fine by me. Just make sure you are organized in what you want to learn or work on.
This should also help those of you who read my blog and watch my videos as I’ll be able to share more challenges and solutions that I come across.
What this is not
Those of you with viruses, software problems, or computer repair needs will not benefit from my services. Make sure you sort out your glitches before booking a session with me. I work pretty specifically with Ableton Live so I won’t be doing training on 3rd party synths, effects or other DAWs. If you have specific needs, make sure to discuss it with me prior to booking a session.
Booking a session
If you are interested in booking a session click on the link below:
http://www.musicsoftwaretraining.com/1-on-1-training/
Happy Music Making,
Jason
P.S. – Don’t forget to comment below with any questions.
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