O2star
Offline
Planet Zaxxon

I'm curious to see the average time people spend on creating a song, start to finish. I understand the LSDJ, adlib/FM, and c64 peeps probably take the most time since you have to build/craft the instruments. In the past, I could usually get the parts/sections all written, and sequenced in a night. Then, over the next couple days/weeks or whatever, I would tweak it here and there until I think its done. But recently, I have been spending mega time with Adlib Tracker again, and my work time is about 10 times longer...

How long (or how many hours) do you spend on a song from start to COMPLETED/FINALIAZED??

godinpants
Offline
hardcore, Australia

30 minutes.

wedanced
Offline
San Francisco

i dont think i have ever finished a song. i dont think i ever made a song.... i dont make music. i make awesomeness.

BR1GHT PR1MATE
Offline
BOSTON

im with you as far as tracking time: I can generally knock off most of what ends up being the song in an evening, but then inevitably get bored / frustrated / run out of ideas and have to let it sit for a few days or a week before getting back to it. but thats just for straight lsdj songs obviously, throw vocals and production into the mix and it turns into a few months process tongue which is silly because lydia and i can write a full song in like an hour

Zan-zan-zawa-butt
Offline
AANABAY01

the more time i spend on a song the more likely it is to be released on an off-cuts album

µB
Offline
A gray world of dread

For the ones I piece together between days it's hard to tell... when I do one in a single go, about 3 to 4 hours.

ant1
Offline
uhajdafdfdfa

one hour

*E
Offline

~2-3 hours

Saskrotch
Offline
Chicago IL

sometimes i can work at the pace of about 1 minute of music per 1 hour of work. but then i go back and can spend an hour and a half editing around about 5 seconds of audio till it's right and no one would notice the difference but me

O2star
Offline
Planet Zaxxon

dang, you guys are quick wit it!

DaPantz
Offline
Bronx, NY

It varies wildly, but usually it's anywhere from 6 hours to 3 days to get the "skeleton" of a song down, and god knows how long adding additional ideas/sections, then tweaking like crazy.

Disasterpeace
Offline
Berkeley, CA

Anywhere from 1-3 days.

unless its a super hi-fidelity production, then i might spend a couple weeks.

Last edited by Disasterpeace (Feb 3, 2011 1:52 am)

arlen
Offline

Anywere from 1-4 hours.

It depends on how in-depth I want to go with a track.

Decktonic
Offline
Westfield, NJ

I don't know how long it would take if I did it all in one sitting... maybe 3-4 hours... but I usually end up spending 2 weeks with my free time and I'm usually working on multiple songs at once.

Zef
Offline

I'll write the melody skeleton of a song with a lead and a couple accompanying parts in about 30 minutes when inspiration hits, then I go back and listen compulsively to what I did for like the next week without changing anything. Then I work relentlessly for like another 5 hours picking away at it.

Theta_Frost
Offline
Milwaukee, WI

Pretty short.  I usually finish in one sitting.  But I listen to it a few times over the course of a few days and make small adjustments.