ok, so, i go through stages. at the moment i am in the stage where i am writing music only stoned - mostly because its the only way i can keep myself sat still fro more than an hour - and also because i i stop ill be unproductive and edgy and i cant write music like that - butif i were to stop for a couple of weeks, i would be back to writing music clear headed again - and if i got stoned during that time, i woudlbe toomashed to do anything!!!!

what abut everyone else - stoned or not stoned#?????

yea, i’m exactly the same.  for the last few months i haven’t been able to do anything without having a bowl first!  it sucks for me especially because i find that when i’m stoned i’m usually a lot less productive, i.e. i usually end up writing a loop followed by a ten minute knob tweaking wank session.  either that or i’ll add something very minor, then sit back with a cigarette to ‘analyze’ it.  after the cigarette i’ll spend 5 minutes on the track, add something else minor, then have another smoke to ‘sit back and analyze’.  either way, not much gets done but it’s still fun :D

generally though, i prefer getting stoned for patch creation.  that way i can get nice and low, sit back and zone out exploring a synth.  unfortunately that usually doesn’t last long because shortly after i get the urge to start a new track…

Yeah i’ve asked a lot of people about this over the years…

personally i find that if i smoke one… i smoke constantly while i’m writing which is great for getting concepts on the sequencer but crap for executing them.. So yeah… patch creation and soundscaping are definitely better stoned but especially when it comes to finding all those edges that need tightening and doing any complicated processes or doing levels, it sucks.

a lot of it is knowing yourself when you’re like that and fighting the urge to be lazy.

ideally i wouldn’t smoke at all while writing.

ckm - perfect explaination of what happens - is like reading about myself -

its all about breaking the habit i guess, i kind of go through stages and become dependant on it and thats not a healthy way to write - i know that even when i am doing it - to be fair i dont even think i could have happy medium,

hmmmm - think its time for me to take a break again -

different style of music, same thing..

If I’m stoned and try to write music I’m usually not able to concentrate myself on the music. I usually end up playing (me being a guitar-player) stuf I’ve heard or had in my head during the day. which is - in certain aspects - really great. I get to “places” I wouldn’t have been able to reach clear-minded. The catch is: about 10 minutes later I’m playing something else and have totally forgotten about the other stuff. Time to dig out my tape recorder again I guess….

but being high is pretty nice for trying to find new sounds, new ways to combine fx and everything..

a lot of it is knowing yourself when you’re like that and fighting the urge to be lazy.

Amen to that!

definitely stoned when recording a track, then mastering in afterglow and finishing touches stoned back again to keep the peaks high )

to each his own

The short version of my take on this question is that I feel as though work and play should be kept relatively separate at least as far as production and inspiration goes.

You could say that I don’t want to potentially have to rely on anything besides *me* to make music or be inspired - whatever. Now I don’t think there is anything wrong with turning to outside influences for a different perspective on things, but I am too weary of the potential for that to turn into a situation where I am inhibited and unable to perform without “help”.
(I guess I’m tweaky this way. I try not to drink when I get stressed, I try not to take sleeping pills when I can’t sleep, minimize pain killers when I have headaches… If I am stressed, suffering from insomnia, or have a headache, it is likely that I should figure out why this is happening and fix the problem instead of ignoring it).

I know enough musicians, many of whom I have worked with or recorded, that incorporate getting stoned into their regualr routine. Perhaps it gives them added inspiration or removes a few barriers of consciousness, thus allowing a more direct flow of thoughts - letting you compose or play more naturally. I can attest to this, seeing as how the maelstrom of thoughts and emotion constantly circling through my mind *really* gets in the way when I sit down to work on music in front of a computer. I mean… sometimes it seems as though if I lean back and close my eyes my brain takes off and the song writes its self in a few minutes.
However when I sit down in front of a computer I get a window of approximately 20 seconds until my brain is in a totally different place. After a minute I zone out and start punching out acid riffs, creating new patches and playing with filters.
Although the side effect of that unwelcome distraction is that I sure do have a large patch library, and I can probably crank out a wicked improv live set, my tracks never really got anywhere because after a certain point they seemed to hit a wall. :?

But… a simple solution for this is to pre-arrange the songs with a pen and paper  
I find that this method is the best way for me to get my thoughts out in a coherent fashion. ie. “This is what is in my head - this is what I want the song to be” - and actually writing it out with my hands was the only way to make it happen. Then I can sit in front of the computer, design sounds a tweak stuff to my hearts content. When it comes to programming all I have to do is copy the paper to the sequencer and make some adjustments or additions

So that’s my way. Please note that I am not passing any sort of judgement on anyone else… I don’t have a problem with other people getting stoned / getting drunk (I’m known to sit with a bottle on occasion) and producing, playing or engineering. Hell when I do live sound engineering I drink Guiness like its chocolate milk (partly because it’s free…  ) - but that’s live sound, not music production. If you’re ever done live sound I’m sure you can understand.

Anyway, yep… to each his own, right?

i like the idea of writing things down, i do it as i am listening to my music sometimes to remind myself of things i need to change or want to add - i then stick on my wall and usually forget they are there lol

its great to hear how other people structure thier time when it comes to making a tune - we are all doing the same thing essentially its just nice to see how someone else reaches the end result.

i tend to always start witha beat, i kind of decide the tempo (as for me its always different) and then i make a simple drum loop and from there its a gradual process of layering atmospheres and leads and bass till the sound is full, then i start sequencing and making the variations

or i will listen to one of the many recording i have on my phone of me beatboxing the tune i have thought of whilst in my car and trying to recreate it on the pc -

actually, its different everytime lol - there is no set way - though at the moment i am kinda of a bit burnt out, i work 12 hrs a day and i always go home and get straight into the music - but sometimes it is counter productive and i just sit there, nearly forcing myself to wirte, which when i cant just gets me a little wound up

i need to quit my job!

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