soundJournals (free downloads)

by fidelium

Here is a page dedicated to my hour-long production practice sessions where I am still in the process of developing my skills and streamlining my process on a compositional level. Too often I tend to focus in on a half second of audio and lose a lot of my time in small details without focusing on the big picture. By imposing rules and boundaries on my sessions, including a time limit, I am able to focus on sharpening my composition process.

As things exist now, here are the rules I originally wrote out:

So, I'm trying to pick up a habit of creating music without the purpose of finishing it or spending much time meticulously editing it. 

Here are the rules I wrote for myself: 

GOLDEN RULE: TRY TO SPEND ONE HOUR A DAY BEING MUSICAL.

don't beat yourself up if you don't get around to this every day (you won't.) 
compose anything, in any tempo, in any key, in any genre. 
to reiterate: literally make anything you want. no rules.
post results on soundcloud (light mastering and mixing allowed) after one hour of composing.
do not name the composition as anything other than the date published.
doesn't matter if it isn't "finished", move on from it for today. you may return to it later if you want.
Other rules: 

minimize time searching for presets or creating synths. the point is to compose, not tinker with the timbres. you can work on these things later if you like the idea you came up with and want to work further on it 
you must use the first instrument or preset you land your mouse click on (being random = more fun). you're allowed one retry if the instrument is really that bad.
try to decrease beat-making. focus more on melody and harmony. sample selection wastes time. maybe make your own preset drumkits so you aren't looking for new sounds every session.
choose a different artistic image for each session.
In the description list the following:

DAW used
Synths used
BPM, time sig, other technicalities
Any compositional details about harmony or melody
Talk about the process a little.

Playlist art by Matt Sesow

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Here is a page dedicated to my hour-long production practice sessions where I am still in the process of developing my skills and streamlining my process on a compositional level. Too often I tend to focus in on a half second of audio and lose a lot of my time in small details without focusing on the big picture. By imposing rules and boundaries on my sessions, including a time limit, I am able to focus on sharpening my composition process.

As things exist now, here are the rules I originally wrote out:

So, I'm trying to pick up a habit of creating music without the purpose of finishing it or spending much time meticulously editing it. 

Here are the rules I wrote for myself: 

GOLDEN RULE: TRY TO SPEND ONE HOUR A DAY BEING MUSICAL.

don't beat yourself up if you don't get around to this every day (you won't.) 
compose anything, in any tempo, in any key, in any genre. 
to reiterate: literally make anything you want. no rules.
post results on soundcloud (light mastering and mixing allowed) after one hour of composing.
do not name the composition as anything other than the date published.
doesn't matter if it isn't "finished", move on from it for today. you may return to it later if you want.
Other rules: 

minimize time searching for presets or creating synths. the point is to compose, not tinker with the timbres. you can work on these things later if you like the idea you came up with and want to work further on it 
you must use the first instrument or preset you land your mouse click on (being random = more fun). you're allowed one retry if the instrument is really that bad.
try to decrease beat-making. focus more on melody and harmony. sample selection wastes time. maybe make your own preset drumkits so you aren't looking for new sounds every session.
choose a different artistic image for each session.
In the description list the following:

DAW used
Synths used
BPM, time sig, other technicalities
Any compositional details about harmony or melody
Talk about the process a little.

Playlist art by Matt Sesow