Here is something I’ve been wrestling with for a while and would like your thoughts.
Production knowledge and workflow is like a frontier and I’m constantly trying to push it further and further to improve my craft. However, I often find myself questioning whether I should incorporate new found techniques and workflow into existing tracks and projects.
For example, I’m working to finish off a project that was started while I was travelling. This project was spawned from new found production techniques and give it a particular essence that I like. Fast forward a few months and I’ve found and learnt new techniques, so do I incorporate them into the unfinished project? Or do I keep it as it is, capturing the essence in which it was made?
I can’t argue with the idea of making things better but there is something inside me that doesn’t want to cross contaminate feelings of the past with ideas from the present. How do people navigate this situation?
I like most of my stuff to be a product of the time/context within which they were made. Part of this is because of how I record my projects, but also because I find it pretty hard to fit things together that have been made in very different times or contexts.
It’s always tempting to add more, especially when we feel that we have new and better techniques to add, but I mostly feel that those new techniques should be applied to new ideas, at least as far as my own music is concerned.
I guess it also depends on the format you want to release your music. If it’s a serie of “singles” I’d say don’t overthink it. If it is an album, and you want it to be coherent sound wise, then it 's good to go back / re mix the older songs.
I used to be very fussy about keeping things true and faithful to their original contexts but over time I’ve gravitated more toward the “nothing is precious” mindset.
I always liked the way a friend of mine dealt with this, he just made multiple versions of everything.
This is the end goal for me, no matter what the technique was used to get there.
If I like it and have fun performing it, I’ve done the best I can do with a track.
Although I change how things get done over time, I think there’s something special about finding a style and sticking to it, or revisiting it.
Like someone else said too, nothing wrong with making multiple versions.
It’s really hard to recap some of the subtle things about WIP tracks, it’s usually more of a trade off.
Sacrificed the “essence” for some new found improvements.
Thanks all for the your replies. I do like the idea of multiple versions for sure. Also, after giving it some thought these last few days, I feel its probably a good idea not to constantly be searching for new ways of doing things but instead focus more on doing what I do already. And of course, hurry up and finish these tracks.
…if u leave something unfinished, get back to it later, feel it’s still valid and worth to get finally done, get it finally done…always within ur most actual skill and workflowlevel…
usually, a good track can tell what it’s made of and what might be still missing to feel finally done…
so if any new skills would clash with it’s original esthetics, leave that where it’s at and just spent it some of ur latest mixing skills…only a final mix will end ur struggle…
It’s really the killer with me! It doesn’t preclude learning new things, or eventually changing patterns, but sometimes learning takes the place of doing with myself and re-pivoting and changing things up so often has its toll cognitively and in prioritization. Instead of “getting back to” your previous state of mind, you would have a near-infinite set of states of mind to keep you off your game and needing to re-acclimate until the next shake-up…