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 Say you came up with an idea for a music track. You opened your DAW, started creating, and a song soon takes form. But at some point, you stop. You get stuck. You run out of ideas and lose inspiration—there are simply too many options.

 

Sound familiar?

 

Don't worry, we've all been there. When you start a fresh track, everything feels easy. But things start to feel demotivating when you've been working on that track for weeks. Finishing a project is universally difficult.

 

So here are tips and tricks to help you finish your music tracks and make it to the finish line.

Set a deadline

If you really want to finish your track, the first step is to set a realistic deadline. It's a simple but powerful trick to get you into the thick of things—your mind works toward a purpose. Something as simple as "wrap the song up by Wednesday, 9 PM” conditions your mind to see things to the end.

Set goals for each studio session

A deadline limits the time you spend on a track, while goals help you focus (and finish) specific tasks. If you don't have a goal for a session, you're more likely to procrastinate and accomplish nothing. 

 

So for each studio session, write down a goal you want to achieve. It could be as simple as:

• For this session, I'll focus on finding a sonic palette; or 
• Today, I'll record the final vocals

 

A timer is your friend; it keeps you focused on the task at hand. Try setting the timer for one hour, and during that period, there should be no distractions or interruptions, so you can tick off the items on your checklist.

 

Set limits for yourself

It seems counterintuitive to limit yourself when you're feeling super creative, but hear us out: endless options prolong the work. Also, you'd be surprised with the number of ideas you can come up with, even with a limited set of tools. 

 

So limit the synths and plugins you work with. Explore the full potential of one synth or instrument before moving on to the next. 

Photo by Joe007

Create first, technical details later

This might be a tough habit to break, but leave the technical mixing processes toward the end of the project. If you think about equalization and compression at the beginning, you might limit your creativity. 

 

So have fun creating first! Compose and layer the song and build the arrangement. And when that's done, turn your attention to the technical details.

Stay organized

Your files easily get messy and cluttered as you work on your track. 

 

So trust us, it's better if you stay organized. You don't want to forget that amazing chord progression, nor do you want to spend 20 minutes finding a file because you forgot the file name.

• Write things down. Take notes as you move along. It helps you keep track of all the aspects of the song, like chord progressions and synth patches.
• Make a samples folder for each project. Put all the samples you want to use for a project in a single folder. Also, make sure that each sample file and folder is properly labeled.

• Expand your sound library. It's handy to have lots of samples to work with.

 

Turn off your phone

It's no secret that phones can be productivity killers. We're very responsive to every ping, and every buzz from our phone takes our minds out of focus and lures us into a rabbit hole of social media scrolling.

So for your next studio session, turn off your phone (or put it on silent). Let yourself get into the zone until the timer rings, and it's time for a break.

Take breaks

Breaks are just as important as the work you do. After all, musicians and music producers are prone to ear fatigue, where sensory overload makes it hard for the ears to make out the details. You've probably experienced this; after long hours of working on a track, none of the sounds make sense anymore. You find yourself cranking up the volume or playing the same section over and over.