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It's come to a point where I need a bit of time off, I'm making too much music atm and I don't enjoy it as much as I could do- and I really want to pursue my writing hobby and maybe get some game time in too-plus seriously look for a job

those of you who have taken extended breaks, did you find it did you good? Any practical tips for it?

On a break now...
I am an aspiring dance choreographer & artist. (I'm not kidding)
So I usually spend my time away from producing by, watching dance videos, going to classes, helping my dance teachers with props/mixes etc.
& when I'm not doing that, I paint, and create wall art for friends of mine. True Story

aye it's a good idea bud, everyone needs a break for a while it's very hard to maintain interest in something you do every single day especially something so mentally exhausting. Give it a break for a while, your ideas will build up again even playing games can inspire you with ideas for songs and sounds (dont get too carried away with gaming tho ) and come back to it you'll be alot fresher.

I think it's a good idea - just leave it, and see if you come back. If you do, it will be with a fresh mind.

a break is good, u cant feel inspired every day its almost impossible.

I hate taking breaks, as I don't have enough time for music as it is, and when I take a break I feel like I should be more productive...but the fact is, I feel worse when I work for three hours on a track and have almost nothing to show for it.

You'll come back when you feel inspired to do so. Go on man.

work, girls and booze

I want to say that I've taken breaks, but really, every day is a break for me. I don't really try to make music every single day. When I feel inspired to make something then I sit down and go for it. That's usually when I'll spend a few days actually working on a track. The other days when I'm not inspired to make anything, I may just load up my DAW and play around with a beat pattern or something, but nothing really serious. Doing things this way I feel a lot less stressed or frustrated about it. I also find that when I finally do make something, I feel a little better about it simply because it's not the 30th song I've tried to make that week.

I think just by simply not trying to force it every single day it will help you a lot. When you come back you probably won't be better for it, but I think you'll feel better, which can go a long way. I'm sure some people get great results trying to force it ALL the time, but I found that it was actually making it harder for me. It's just exhausting, mentally, and when that happens it makes it really hard to concentrate and create anything. So, maybe a nice long break will help you, but maybe just an overall change in how you go about utilizing your time might help a lot as well.

deadly habit wrote:work, girls and booze

HARDCORE!

lol u need a clear mind for production especially, sometimes just something as simple as a change of environment can add something to ur track that u wouldnt have picked up upon sitting in ur room starring at a DAW all day long.

i find a women a major distraction to the calmness i want whilst "working", all they say is " i wana hear what u make" despite u saying, " i no u wont like it though so whats the point" lol and then theres the embarrasement when they say they actually like it, which makes u feel slightly dispondent cause their completely tone deaf lol/

I think we me I have si much spare time I jsut end up fiddling around on Ableton all the time, and "pushing" something out, a month or two will be goof-I just don't want to feel uninspired by the time It's over

deadly habit wrote:work, girls and booze

I'm not indulging in any of the above atm, such is my life. Probably why I make music all the time.

taking breaks rule hehe. i usually listen to really random music, anything besides dubstep, and i eventually get inspired by whatever it is i've been listening too in some way, and then i get motivated to make dubstep.
my biggest struggle is to keep away from my daw during the times i would usually indulge in it for hours.

If your not feeling it, your not feeling it. Make music because you want to, not because you feel you have to.

I got a bad habbit or not keeping concentration with stuff, I consistenltly take breaks. Means I'm a little sloppy when strarting to throw tracks together but the major plus is the fact when you come back your style seems to change a lot more significantly than it would if you were consistently throwing out tunes. With a fresh style it's a lot easier to keep interest.

That's partly why I made my alias ^^^^, I needed a fresh style and that way I am never short of ideas (it's always good not to limit yourself anyway).
I'll still push the alias' sound but for the time being my main, "serious" sound won't be getting much action, and I know it can go either way when I decide to come back with it, but that's the risk you take

JBE wrote:I want to say that I've taken breaks, but really, every day is a break for me. I don't really try to make music every single day. When I feel inspired to make something then I sit down and go for it. That's usually when I'll spend a few days actually working on a track. The other days when I'm not inspired to make anything, I may just load up my DAW and play around with a beat pattern or something, but nothing really serious. Doing things this way I feel a lot less stressed or frustrated about it. I also find that when I finally do make something, I feel a little better about it simply because it's not the 30th song I've tried to make that week.

I think just by simply not trying to force it every single day it will help you a lot. When you come back you probably won't be better for it, but I think you'll feel better, which can go a long way. I'm sure some people get great results trying to force it ALL the time, but I found that it was actually making it harder for me. It's just exhausting, mentally, and when that happens it makes it really hard to concentrate and create anything. So, maybe a nice long break will help you, but maybe just an overall change in how you go about utilizing your time might help a lot as well.

Fucking spot on, I never really feel a need to take a break. I just jump in and out of production when I feel like it, forced music sounds forced. Some people can bang out tunes every day but I'm definitely not one of them

teqh wrote:

JBE wrote:I want to say that I've taken breaks, but really, every day is a break for me. I don't really try to make music every single day. When I feel inspired to make something then I sit down and go for it. That's usually when I'll spend a few days actually working on a track. The other days when I'm not inspired to make anything, I may just load up my DAW and play around with a beat pattern or something, but nothing really serious. Doing things this way I feel a lot less stressed or frustrated about it. I also find that when I finally do make something, I feel a little better about it simply because it's not the 30th song I've tried to make that week.

I think just by simply not trying to force it every single day it will help you a lot. When you come back you probably won't be better for it, but I think you'll feel better, which can go a long way. I'm sure some people get great results trying to force it ALL the time, but I found that it was actually making it harder for me. It's just exhausting, mentally, and when that happens it makes it really hard to concentrate and create anything. So, maybe a nice long break will help you, but maybe just an overall change in how you go about utilizing your time might help a lot as well.

Fucking spot on, I never really feel a need to take a break. I just jump in and out of production when I feel like it, forced music sounds forced. Some people can bang out tunes every day but I'm definitely not one of them

Same here, i think ive been away from my daw for going on two weeks now.. not to say i dont have 4 or 5 sketched tracks just waiting for my inspiration to hit again. Sometimes you need to slow down and do other stuff, especially if your like me and have a wifey lol. Not forcing my music out has been one of the bigger produciton breakthroughs ive had. Now only if i could indulge in video games again.... even withouth my DAW i dont have time for that, until DIablo 3 gets released then im going to probably sacrifice sleep to go questing .

jaydot wrote: I don't enjoy it as much as I could do

obviously coming from a different place, but-- no one said music is supposed to always be enjoyable. From crummy times on tour to having a label reject mixdown #7 of a tune-- alot of this is plain-old work. In the end it doesn't matter if you enjoyed doing it, only the quality of the final product matters.

@ Sharmaji: IMO it's less a business thing more a hobby and should be mostly ALL about enjoyment.

(btw, that lasted long)