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Montreal, Canada

Inspiration can't be forced. But the thing that you DO have control over, is your toolkit and workbench. It's important to be in a place where you're comfortable to sit and work for a few hours at a time. Yet not too relaxing that it doesn't feel like a work area anymore. For many people, the computer desk is exactly that so it's not a big stretch. Then there's your choice of tools. Maybe for you its LSDJ, maybe its Piggy... For me it's Klystrack. Hack at it, try stuff, get to know it. Don't try to make the next great album...this will come with time. Just concentrate on having fun and *trying new things*. Make little songs, it's not important if they're good or bad, just use every new song as an opportunity to try a new technique or trick. Eventually you'll reach a point where the tools disappear, where they're completely transparent. It's at that moment that great music will come out, when you're not struggling with the technicalities anymore.

And don't forget that the most inspiring thing you can do, is doing. Most of the songs I finish are the ones I start when I have nothing to do and I just fire up klystrack to go noodle around with the software. As I fuck around in the software throwing random ideas, something might stick. Then I develop on that.. and from that point on, the song is basically writing itself. I'm not composing music as much as I'm a slave to the song. It tells you what to do next. But you need some fucking around and a few false starts to get there.

So all in all.. just fucking do it. smile

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ok

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Montreal, Canada

agreed

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UK, Leicester

Try and find time in between things to compose, and mess around with LSDJ. I'm currently in full time education (although I'm at work experience for the next week and a half) but I also have other commitments, I've got a girlfriend, and I'm also in a non-chiptune related band. I have friends from several different circles (stoner bros, regular bros, nerd bros etc) who don't hang out together, but do hang out with me. I manage to do all that, and still have plenty of time to sit in my room for hours being hella antisocial, and staring at a screen, playing halo 4, or watching Attack on Titan. As people have said, you should make time to do it. I've done what you've done before, I used to be like that with FL Studio. For ages I wouldn't touch it because there were people out there who were so much better at it than me, or who could get the right sound out of whatever VST I was using. The problem is that you're getting too bogged down with instruments, it could be that you're focusing more on the way you want it to sound, rather than what it sounds like, if you see what I mean. Spending to much time working on an instrument to get it just right can sometimes be a bad thing, I'll often make an instrument, and go "no, that doesn't suit this, it sounds good, I'll just use this for something now, then come back to this later" and I then leave the thing that I actually made the instrument for, for ages and ages. But basically, just get it down first, then mess around with exactly how you want it to sound later.

Tl;dr
There's always time, fdon't get to caught up with instruments, not until way later on.

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woops i think we clicked submit at almost the same time because i was saying ok to his comment about doing something and then you ninja'd on in there wink

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i don't think it matters what any of us say.. you are spending time on a thread about the fact that you aren't taking your own advice (to "just do it") so why should we expect you to take any of our advice? did you read the thread i linked?

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Andromeda's Black Hole

Yesss. I read the thread. And i came up with the idea to merge my visual art and my chiptunes into a single presentation. Itll be a hit in my art classes next semester, and its a way to fuse my passion for digital music to my passion for painting until im able to just play chiptunes on the go. I think its a good idea and its gonna be really interesting at least.

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San Diego, CA

the answer to every motivation thread ever made: http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2009/12/ … for_2.html

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pivot. wrote:

Ive been playfully thinking about doing a series of paintings depicting screenshots from dramatic scenes of Miami Vice. It would be pretty cool to incorporate sound into thecollection and add my own 80s like soundtrack made with LSDJ. Nothing fancy, of course, but maybe learning some good synths and long, heavy bass lines. This actually sounds like a good idea: incorporating chiptunes to my other work. At least while im learning. Then i can have a hobby AND be the DJ to my own gallery shows to present a specific mood..... hmmmmmmmmmm.

And Miami Vice is pretty hot shit, so watching a few episodes so i can study the audio doesnt sound bad at all.

You know what's funny? Instead of replying here and writing about what you want to do - Why don't you do it?!
Seems to me you have a huge amount of free time.

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UK, Leicester

Is the general consensus that this is just a poorly disguised "give me attention" thread or what?

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Joliette, QC, Canada

I suggest to try another tracker ! I remember how inspired I got when I discover Musicmon on Atari ST. LSDJ is cool and I still use it but maybe there is something out there that it is more comfortable and intuitive for you !
Don't give up, I you really love this it will unblock someday !!! wink

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Finland

Slap yourself across the chest (you may also rip, if your nails allow for that), roar into a mirror and then get to work.

But seriously: if you can't regain the passion by doing it, then something might be off. Try and remember why you started it all and ask yourself if you still want the same thing. Goals and passions change, it's inevitable most of the time.
(This has probably been said about 10000 times in this thread, this is really standard stuff)

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Michigan

weed

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canada

youggd gotta do it man

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washington
pivot. wrote:

I don't think LSDJ is the kind of art medium that you master by fucking around with it

imho this is exactly how you learn it

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lose that social life, Music is your new social life