How much time do you practice each day?

Hello all,

Just curious; how much time a day, or week, do you guys put into producing/mixing/whatever?

Personally, I haven't produced anything in the past 3-4 months because I've been busy as hell.. but I just bought some KRKs so hopefully that will motivate me to better schedule my time haha.

no where near enough

not nearly as much as I'd like. I practice production for about like 6 hours a week on my computer, and jam for about 4 or 5 in my studio.

I'm actively trying to write an EP right now, so I normally put in some 2-4 hours daily in writing/producing. Emphasis on "normally" though; I'm juggling college work, oddjobs and other things, so I often don't invest as I much as that. But if I have the free time, I'm definitely spending about 8 hours straight per day (maybe more if I'm on to something interesting). I'm not sure that's a good work habit though, sometimes I start to feel like I'm losing perspective.

I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things after taking a break for almost 8 months. I work 9 hours a day however, so I'm just trying to start things on the weekdays and finish things on the weekends. So about 2-4 hours like kokeboka.

If RPM ever rolls around again it will be closer to 6 hours on weekdays and 12 hours on weekends.

~5hrs/day everyday except bank holidays and christmas

Aside from the occasional remix I haven't done anything new for about a year. It's starting to get a bit overwhelming - I load my DAW and sit staring at the screen blankly wondering how the hell I used to make any tracks ....

  On 11/8/2011 at 4:37 PM, mcbpete said:

Aside from the occasional remix I haven't done anything new for about a year. It's starting to get a bit overwhelming - I load my DAW and sit staring at the screen blankly wondering how the hell I used to make any tracks ....

Lack of inspiration?

Possibly that or possibly lack of motivation / procrastination. Also the last track I made took me almost a month to complete, and I always want to try an outdo myself with every new track so I'm rather overwhelmed about what sort of timescale would be involved in it !

  On 11/8/2011 at 4:56 AM, Jonas said:

since I graduated this summer a lot, and I'm not making any attempt to look for a job soon, approximately, give and take 10 hours a day and finishing of old tracks with a vengeance :) .

damn dude how do you get by?

I made it a habbit of doing about 3 hours a day before work and if I got something good going I usually contiunue in the evening/night. I don't count the hours or anything, but that's usually what I end up doing.

Probably about 1 or 1.5 hours a day mostly on Ipod Touch usually on my trip back home and/or during my lunch break. I don't seem to make much music when I get home these days but plan to change that as I'm getting my room set up organised.

  On 11/8/2011 at 4:37 PM, mcbpete said:

Aside from the occasional remix I haven't done anything new for about a year. It's starting to get a bit overwhelming - I load my DAW and sit staring at the screen blankly wondering how the hell I used to make any tracks ....

oh man I know that feeling. But for me it's more like I listen to old stuff and don't remember how I did it. Or knowing that It's from a completely different mental universe than I'm currently in.

  On 11/9/2011 at 6:28 PM, slightlydrybeans said:

oh man I know that feeling. But for me it's more like I listen to old stuff and don't remember how I did it. Or knowing that It's from a completely different mental universe than I'm currently in.

Oh God absolutely, I put on a CD of something I made a few years back and think: How the bloody hell did I do that ?!

I recently told myself, just put 15 mins in, since i havent done anything in a few years. it's really worked for me because often those 15 minutes will turn into 2 hours. just getting started is always the hard part...

ya that's a good approach. For me it really helps to have a simple setup that can be productively used in a 15 min session. I am tending towards more hardware, but that means more time to get things up and running, and ultimately a bigger barrier to getting started, albeit a mental one.

When I'm programming during the day, I only get to spend an hour or two in the evening making music. When I get to spend all day making music, I really spend all day at it.

Unfortunately, I have very little time to sit down and work on music these days. Full time work, and night classes for programming are taking up all of my time. It's not a matter of practicing... it's a matter of dedicating hours/days on projects. For me to really be in a creative zone, I need to be able to work for hours (4+) at a time, and many days in a row. That way, what I'm working on is fresh in my mind... what I want to do, and how I am doing it, is all lucid. As it is now, I can spend 2 hours tops at most every several days, and I just can't get much done that way. It's really frustrating, and I really look forward to completing my classes this december. I have loads of sketches ready to be developed more, but that's the most time consuming part. I can throw down sketches with no problem... it's the form and development that is the most in depth part for me.

I'm constantly thinking about music though... sounds and rhythms and melodies, moods and textures... I have my own soundtrack in my head most of the day, and I consider that my "practicing"... kind of like how they say that thinking about practicing an instrument can be just as useful as actually practicing. (And I don't mean just thinking about the concept, but actual visualizing playing the instrument, with correct finger placement etc) That's kind of what it's like for me now, but with synthesizers.

  On 11/8/2011 at 4:37 PM, mcbpete said:

I load my DAW and sit staring at the screen blankly wondering how the hell I used to make any tracks ....

lol me too

I used to think "okay, gotta try to get something done today, better put a good few hours in" & most of that time was spent fiddling around aimlessly not really trying out new ideas. Now I wait until I feel a song coming on (it's a pretty clear feeling) & get right at it. It might take 20 minutes, it might take weeks, but all of that time is spent knowing exactly what I'm working towards. I'd say my output level (as far as tracks I like goes) is just as high/higher now than when I tried to force it.

But that's just for writing electronic stuff. If we're talking playing instruments/singing I do that pretty much all the time, ukulele in the kitchen while I'm cooking banjo in the bathroom etc. But I have yet to try channelling any of that into release material.

It depends. Not that much these times. Maybe 2, 3 hours max. And not exactly everyday.

in the good days I can spend all my time making music and eventually feeling strongly socially disconnected if I see people during the evening. Weird feeling !

Anyway, these times I feel less inspired and a bit lazy. My first reaction to that have been to force myself but it wasn't good, so now I just take it as it comes!.. Hopefully the magic moments of music making are still there

  On 11/14/2011 at 11:26 PM, a missing sense said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_P9ARbzhM

 

^ u-ziq samples

  On 11/15/2011 at 12:11 AM, yek said:

  On 11/14/2011 at 11:26 PM, a missing sense said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_P9ARbzhM

 

 

^ u-ziq samples

cool which track??

seriously though, what helps me to keep in a creative mode is to do small stuff whenever I don't know what to do, and keep on doing that until I know what I want to make.. there are many distractions out there and it can be difficult to keep into a good rhythm of really being into it, but there is almost always time for doing just a little bit. the ideas will start to take shape in the process.

so I write synth patches when I don't know what to do, I make them really nice and just focus on doing that.. or chop a break beat, record some stuff, play with effects, record that.. or even organize sounds, mundane stuff.. deleting sounds I don't like anymore, or making them nice. whatever.. If I write a patch or a tune it doesn't matter for me at the end of the day.

  On 11/15/2011 at 1:37 AM, a missing sense said:

  On 11/15/2011 at 12:11 AM, yek said:

  On 11/14/2011 at 11:26 PM, a missing sense said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_P9ARbzhM

 

 

^ u-ziq samples

 

cool which track??

 

 

"the motorbike track" i think...

  On 11/8/2011 at 4:37 PM, mcbpete said:

Aside from the occasional remix I haven't done anything new for about a year. It's starting to get a bit overwhelming - I load my DAW and sit staring at the screen blankly wondering how the hell I used to make any tracks ....

It's an horrible feeling ay.

If this thread is any lesson though, you've just got to get on with it. I used to make some pretty nice musical ideas in a lot less time per week than these guys are putting in now. Puts things into perspective and encourages you to get on with it.

/Opens fruity and just stares at interface.