Making the most of limited time to produce

[Dave Elyzium]

OK guys I'm hoping this thread will give me some advice cos I’m so frustrated right now with the lack of material I have produced of late. the problem is this:

i work full time but i do sleep in shifts between 2 shifts so i am away from home for 2 days at a time. my problem is fitting decent production time in the 2 days off that follow as well as the usual day to day crap that comes with the house and of course spending time with the missus!

so i was just wondering if anyone can post any tips they have on maximising production time!!

oh and don’t say get a laptop and take it to work cos i cant afford one right now! :) unless anyone wants to loan me one?? :)

[tocsin]

OK guys I'm hoping this thread will give me some advice cos im so frustrated right now with the lack of material i have produced of late. the problem is this:

i work full time but i do sleep in shifts between 2 shifts so i am away from home for 2 days at a time. my problem is fitting decent prouction time in teh 2 days off that follow as well as the usual day to day crap that comes with the house and of course spending time with the missus!

so i was just wondering if anyone can post any tips they have on maximising production time!!

oh and dont say get a laptop and take it to work cos i cant afford one right now! :) unless anyone wants to loan me one?? :)

I've only found one trick that really works for this when time is tight. On your days off, don't sleep in. Wake up early and use the extra time, when nobody else is awake and you have nothing else to do to work on music.

[eyes without a face]

errr yeah and wake everyone else up? good tip! :lol: ;)

just really try and work faster, thats all ive done just kept working faster and faster, i dont mean take shortcuts, just literaly try and speed up the time you take on certain parts, recordings etc etc

or buy a laptop

[audioinjection]

yeah i work fulltime and its hard sometimes to get some good studio time in too........but what i usually do is work extra time on my days off (like all day)

and set up some hours on days i get off of work to focus on music as well, no friends, girlfriends, pubs, going out etc....

[massplanck]

Leave the job & dump the missus.

[xfive]

Leave the job & dump the missus.

It's the only way really

[Evil G]

Leave the job & dump the missus.

It's the only way really

yup.

[Mindful]

I gave up the job and sleep.
Love my missus to much alltho shes probably gonna get rid of me now im a jobless insomniac

[pumpinglemma]

Leave the job & dump the missus.

U have a point. I was out of work for a while and got shitloads done. Now I'm lucky if I'm home for 8pm
grr....

[holotropik]

Sometimes having all the time in the world doesnt mean that you sit in the studio everyday and write stuff. A balance has to be sorted and an individual system that works for YOU with how you use your time and stimulate creativity.

I once worked full-time and had the same problem. When I stopped working I found that I couldnt write everyday. So I went and found a good paying part-time job. Now I have a balance that allows me space from the studio enough to build up a creative splurge so that when I have a day off (and the g/f is at work) I can get up early and write all day (which is plenty of time to get out a track).

While at work I can think about a track i want to write and get a clear picture in my head about how I want to do it.

Another way I learnt is to use what little time you have free to do all the little things before you put down the track proper. By that I mean, select samples and riffs or patches and put them all in a folder. Just work out the elements for the track little bit at a time. Then when you have all the pieces a day will come when you can sit down and quickly lay down the track to about 90%. Then spend what time you can doing the polish up thing on it and before you know it its finished and you know its spot on ;)

The anxiety of not having the time available is the hardest thing to overcome as it can make you procrastinate.

Also, working like a dog is not good for anyone no matter what. Maybe you should first consider why you are doing this and at what cost??

[eyes without a face]

good man holo, took the words right out of my mouth!

even on my days off sometimes if im not in the mood for writing stuff then im simply not in the mood, and there is positively nothing more depressing and frustrating than trying to force out an idea when your really not in the zone as it were

[acidsaturation]

The anxiety of not having the time available is the hardest thing to overcome as it can make you procrastinate.

Glad its not just me... this is the biggest problem with getting live stuff done for me - I can switch the PC on and tinker for 20 minutes whenever I got 20 minutes spare, but turning on a loading up all the hardware just seems far too much of a daunting task unless I got a whole day!

[holotropik]

I can agree with you there acidsat.

I too use hardware to produce (and play Live), which makes it harder to get started. Its not just a 20min thing - it has to be all day (and night sometimes). Something that once started must be seen through to the finish or the momentum is lost.

Mastering is best with a 20min session so as not to overdo anything and just check a mix out with "different" ears.

[Dan Devious]

find a job where ur not doing much and u can bring in a laptop and make tunes! EASY! ;)

[John Vella]

This is my biggest problem as well. My work schedule is a goddamn nightmare, traffic in this piece of shit of a city is a ****ing disgrace--takes hours to get ANYWHERE.... and I have a few time consuming hobbies in addition to making music and Djing. (bodybuilding & martial arts) Plus my gf lives a bloody hour away.

Gets me really upset and pressured when I cannot devote time to do all the things I wanna do.

I don't know what the answer is.... I guess it's as simple as not relaxing too often and not ever wasting time. You have to become ultra skilled at time management and maximizing every free second you have. This can lead to overload tho.

I have gotten to the point now where I have a decent balance of doing all the things I want to, but it does run me down mentally and physically. I feel ****ing guilty if I am not doing something productive on my days off.

Anyways as for maximizing production time, if your Music PC is connected to the internet as well, DISCONNECT THE ****ING INTERNET CABLE!!! MSN or ICQ can be the biggest time waster of all time. So can the temptation to take a break to surf. Also I think in order to build some momentum, try to whip together a musical foundation for the tune a bit quicker and take no prisoners. If a sound doesn't fit, kill it. Don't waste precious time tryin to force something to sit.

If anyone else has any tips please pass em on!!

[fatcollective]

i one day you are able to get in the studio, stay in there all day and night....no doubt you will get some good work done.

[Jay Pace]

Try and think about what packages you can use to maximise your time.

Programs like Reason are brilliant at getting creative results down quickly. Once you have got enough creative material you can start going to work on the structuring, mixdown and mastering of the track.

Try and be methodical. If you are trying out new ideas be as creative as possible. Get as much down as you can, then pick your best results.

If you are eq'ing, compressing or mixing down be practical and focussed on what you are trying to achieve. Without focus you can get lost listening to a loop you made a month ago and tweaking it for an hour or so, accomplish nothing and end up getting more frustrated.

Its a pain in the arse not having time, but if you are organised and regimented about how you approach it you can get results.

Aim to complete one project a month, it can help to keep you focussed if you set yourself deadlines.

Jesus wept I sound anal about this. But it makes me really unhappy not to be producing, and its the only way round the lack of time.

Oh - and figure out what you can do in headphones, and what you need to play loud. This can help you take advantage of late night early morning breaks.