Collaborative Idea

First of all i know this is not specifically geared towards Maschine, but i thought some of you might be interested.

I have been struggling to stay motivated when making music the last few weeks. I seem to be starting alot of stuff and not finishing it which is beginning to annoy me.

I was thinking of ways to give me a bit of inspiration and push through and came up with this....

Get a few people involved where we set regular production challenges with a time limit to complete them.

We could take a vote on a particular genre of music (doesn't have to be something you normally make - the fact that it's something different could be seen as a way to learn & come up with new ideas).

We then give ourselves a set amount of time to put a track together based on said genre. Everyone then posts their finished track on the board for everyone to listen to. We then take a vote on who made the best track, and everyone involved then get's the project file for the winning track and has to remix it. But here's the catch, before we remix it, we take another vote for a different genre of music and have to produce it in that style.

I see a few benefits from this. First of all, chances are that you may end up producing a genre different to what you normally produce. Being outside your comfort zone sometime pushes creativity and leads to better things.

Setting a time limit also gives you a kick up the arse to get something recorded. When i entered the 'Beat The Clock' comp i had 24 hours to remix a track and came up with one of my best productions yet.

Knowing that there are some good quality producers on here, if they were to get involved, chances are they would have a good chance of having their track voted as being the best. The good thing here is that when their project file is sent to everyone to remix, it gives the less experienced producers (and experienced producers for that matter) an insight on how sounds are created and things are structured, which would be an invaluable learning tool.

In the second part of the challenge you will be doing a remix which is an art within itself, so i think some good skills could be taken on board here and put to use in future projects that you may wish to take on.

One of the main benefits of doing this is creating a sense of community and enjoyment in what we do. I find that alot of production message boards can be a little stale when it comes to this kind of thing, and to me it seems that working on something together could generate a bit more excitement. I know this kind of thing isn't for everyone, but i personally get alot from working with other people.

These are just ideas and i'm going to set criteria once the group is selected and everyone has put their thoughts forward. I've posted this on a couple of other forums and we currently have 8 people confirmed. I'm going to let this run till the end of the weekend so get in touch if you're keen and i will get back to you with further details.

I'm also thinking of doing some feedback videos on peoples tracks as part of this challenge using screen capture software. I'm really keen to put alot into something like this, the more people can learn, the more they can bring to the group.

One thing i must stress is this is only for people who are serious, people who are going to dedicate themselves and contribute to the group. So no time wasters please

Mozz

 

I'm keen, and my vote for genre goes to Hip-Hop.

 

In

 

Great idea. The peeps on djtechtools do it all the time. One thought though - Since people can just throw a track up that they already made, which kinda defeats the purpose of encouraging learning, sometimes it's helpful to have a theme, or a set of samples that everyone needs to use in their production. If you really want to get the gears turning, I'd suggest that it's mandatory that everyone create something brand new.

 

Thanks for getting back to me lads, great to hear you are keen.

Enchilada - Hip Hop is not a problem, we will be looking at all different genres as this is one of the criteria that i think will help us to all learn. Stepping out of our comfort zones and making something we are not used will help develop our skills and understanding of music production.

Zac - i completely agree. We will be aiming to create music specifically for each challenge that is set. We will define elements that need to be taken into account before the challenge is set. Not only will this add excitement but it will also push us to take a fresh approach to production, which is something alot of us need to do.

I am in talks with a guy that recently set something up a couple of weeks very similar to this. They have 20 participants in their group and it is going really well for them. We are sharing ideas and i will be incorporating these tried and tested elements into our group.

 

Excellent idea on all counts......... Will be watching this thread with interest, would have contributed but unfortunately due to work commitments (shifts from hell and no time off) cannot...... Good luck with the project, Im sure you will all find it inspirational. Cheers.

 

Thanks mate

I will be sure to post back with updates and hopefully you can get involved in the future

I'm also looking into developing a forum/website specifically for this user group, so i'll post up a link if/when that happens

 

Sounds good, I'd be in.

 

Yes sir! I'd be in as well. Great idea

 

Will wait for more details, but count me in.
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also agree with hip-hop.
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also for themes:

you can scour the internet and find an inspiring photo, short-story, poem, or video and make this the theme. sort of a soundtrack to aesthetics. (no genre for these kinds of themes)

 

Agree

 

Good idea TBD.

Inspiration for themes was something i'd like to incorporate.

I'll contact everyone at the end of the weekend to discuss details.

So far we have about 12 people confirmed which is a good number.

I am just in the process of building a forum specifically for this group

Moz

 

Sounds great I'd love to take part.

I will try, although I am VERY new at this, and a bit clueless

 

PMPM

Varied skill levels are expected, although it would be required to have at least an understanding of how to get around your DAW of choice so you are able to contribute something.

It doesn't matter if you put something forward that is of a lower quality as you will have ample opportunity to learn from others, although you will need to be able to contribute something.

As long as you will be dedicated that is all i ask.

 

Alright guys

I'm now closing this to additional entrants as we have more than enough people to kick things off. Everyone that has messaged me and expressed an interest please check your PM's as i have sent you a link to a forum which i have created specifically for this.

Catch you on the flipside!

Mozz