Talent Anxiety (Have You Ever Had This......???)

[L-LaMENT]

I was just wondering if anybody ever felt like, they just weren't good enough of a producer?......

I mean, cause I have always had that voice in the back of my head ever since I started seriously making beats that I just wasn't up to snuff. A lot of people, when they listen to my music, tell me that I'm just being to hard on my self, and others just say that I'm alright (mostly cause they used to crunk, and expect me to make Crunk music like a good lil' southern negro) When I found this site....I really felt at home here cause every one here did there own thing..and were great at what they did (had there own distinct sound, etc.) But still sometimes I find myself comparing myself to more experinced beatsmiths; I have the tendancy to beat myself up because I'm not as good as they are, or I think... "Man...I suck!!! I need to be much better!!!!!" , which when I think about it now is really stupid because, I'm only 2 years deep in this(16 years old when I started) and I'm comparing myself to 5 to 10 year and beyond veterains!!! It's like this loud obnoxious voice screaming at me that I can be so much better, I don't practice enough, my drum kits suck, my melodies are garbage, my sound weird, it isn't unique or catchy enough, and my samples cuts are wacker than the wackest of the wack...I'm able to FINALLY enter a "Beat This" competition, and I don't even think I've reach a level of skill to compete!!... I know I'm still learning and I haven't yet found my niche, but I guess I'm to anxious or something. (Can anybody relate???!?!?!?!!?)

 

[Ash Holmz]

use that feeling to work harder .. everybody gets that... even the pros.. in some interview dre said after he does a song he doesnt even listen to it because he will start to question and doubt himself.. i think everyone feels that way at time man i know what u mean but thats with ANY craft.. its always a struggle between what u think is hot and what evryne else thinks is hot.. sometimes it conects and sometimes it doesnt.. my advice would be to create more, and think less... thinking fucks u up... just use ur instincts and keep progressing... and when ur ears are telling u the beat is finished ... let it be finished .. dead it and move on to the next beat.. when ur thinking to much it you take a month to make the "perfect track" but on the time u wasted you could have been making bangers and giving them to an engineer to mix... youll find ur niche just keep at it

 

[CampO]

Ya I hear You Llament you took the words out my mouth on many points and When friends say my shit was good or I get good reviews here I think people jus tryna be Nice BUt at the End of the day if this is wat you wanna do Just Grind it out .

 

[kronik12]

im like you l-lament in that im 18 and been doing this for 2 years. being from new york, people always tell me to do a heatmaker and a primo but i dont fit any category. so i just make MUSIC and if you like it then fine, if not then the same.

 

[Quack]

I feel you on that southern situation. The beats I make that sound southern my students love it, anything else, however, they say, "Next track, Mr. Lewis"
Keep working on your style. That's how you make it, but be versatile as well.

One

 

[MarkN]

yea its natural to get it at anything that you really want to be good at its not a bad thing you just need to use it in a positive way !

 

[JPeg]

I think alot of people get those niggling doubts the key thing to do is to identify areas where u have a weakness then think of ways u can adress these or at least get them up to an acceptable standard.

like b4 i had issues with my drums but i got some new drum sounds and worked more on my drum programming and everyone including me has noticed the difference.

the next issue im working on is bass and thats an ongoing saga... damm

 

[Carpe Diem]

yup, bass is a focker!!!

 

[Renegade Music]

yup my drum game most def needs work

 

[Equelizer]

those beatsmiths you comparing yourself to was probably in the same situation you are in. they felt the same way i think every craftman of anything has, fear of being not good enough. you got a long way to go, you just 18. I started at 24. I was into football. when you hear some hot shit....try to go and make one hotter. you have to be patient and put that thang together. Good Craftmanship takes time.

remember a good craftman never blames his work. he blames other for not having a vision......

 

[shadeed]

Everybody that enters any field or endeavour will compare themselves to the "greats" of that field, it's only natural. Hip Hop Producers and rock guitarists, more than anybody in the music genre, tend to heavily dick-ride and copy anybody who they were inspired by.
On the production side, you gotta realize that these dudes have been producing
since high school, and have spent hours and hours honing their respective crafts and making the hits that were the soundtracks of our youth.
With the rampant availability of software music programs, many people will
make a couple of beats and call themselves producers.
There's a big difference between being interested in making beats and being dedicated to the craft. That difference is usually the gap in quality that you hear from certain producers when compared to others. Basically, you just gotta create your own niche and have some confidence in yourselves and your abilities and you'll beee str-8! Peeeace.

 

[JP hardboiled]

I've felt like throwing in the towel several times in the past because of my diffident nature. I was so inept at producing that I wasn't able to compare myself to the "beatsmiths" who were on top. I would compare myself to friends noticed how much slower I learned. But I guess now, I just make music to make music and I feel like my music has evolved into its own style, which I'm proud of. I don't doubt myself at all anymore and don't give a damn what other people think about my music cause I know how much I've effort I've put into it, how much I will continue to put into it, and screw anybody who disrespects that. People tend to hate on people for anything, who you are and what you do no matter what. In my case I probably just suck and cause ice pick banging headaches w/ my music. I've listened to your tracks and I can really hear an MC rocking em. I rhyme and I could feel that beat "Boondock Waltz." Your beats set a mood and are simple, that's good for hip hop MC's.

 

[The Konductor]

I think that the fact that our music sounds different is actually our biggest strength. 10 years ago the neptune sound wouldn't get as much love as it has. I remember telling myself when I started raving that some time soon producers will start taking synth sounds from dance music and utilize them in hip-hop. Let alone soon after that thought you have Lil Jon, Timbaland, and the Neptunes doing their thing.

The sample sound will always be good as long as you chop it up so that the track moves.
Whats next though? Producers are using alot of different percussion sounds in tracks these days. Sorta Tito Puente like. I heard a fart sample being used in a track the other day. Trillville used a bed sqeaking sample on a recent track.

But the bottom line. Fuck what people think unless they're qualified to judge. Just because a muthafucka listens to music doesn't mean they know whats good. If radio DJs' played classical all day everyday, then our society would mostly like that like back in the day. People don't know what they like until you tell them what they like. They follow and copy eachother as if they don't have a minds of their own.