Poll

Number of hours(average) to complete a track?

4 or less
4 (2.5%)
5-6
4 (2.5%)
7-8
2 (1.2%)
9-10
4 (2.5%)
11-12
6 (3.7%)
13-14
4 (2.5%)
15-16
7 (4.3%)
17-18
4 (2.5%)
19-20
8 (4.9%)
21-30
13 (8%)
Unsure
14 (8.6%)
Varies widely (why do you think this is?)
39 (24.1%)
Never really bother caring
10 (6.2%)
31-40
7 (4.3%)
41-50
10 (6.2%)
51-60
4 (2.5%)
61-70
4 (2.5%)
71-80
4 (2.5%)
81-90
3 (1.9%)
90+
11 (6.8%)

Total Members Voted: 110

Voting closed: January 17, 2016, 02:26:37 pm

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Author Topic: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?  (Read 27558 times)

algorhythm

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Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« on: January 07, 2016, 02:26:37 pm »
I think this would be a very interesting poll for all producers to see whether you are quicker or more time consuming that most of your compatriat's (what factors do you believe take the most time.
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phil44

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2016, 02:44:32 pm »
I'm amateur producer myself and for my latest track I spend more than 40h. However, I know that most of that time was wasted. I'm always struggling what sounds should I use and I can't decide and change my mind from minute to minute
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Miles Dominic

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2016, 02:48:32 pm »
Probs between 40-80 hours
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BrienWithAnE

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2016, 02:52:40 pm »
Always depends on what you're doing
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deathy

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2016, 03:05:29 pm »
It varies widly, but ultimately, I just don't care... it takes how long it takes.  Sometimes, the track flows like butter, and I'm mostly done in an afternoon.  Other times, I fight with it for 3 weeks.  So long as I'm happy with the end result, it's all good - though the three week tracks are a bit expensive in terms of effort, I tend to learn a lot more from making them, so it's all good.
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Knappster

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2016, 03:10:35 pm »
Laidback Luke says he spends 4 hours tops on a track...although he hands it over to his ghost producer to finalize things...Ill Gates says 20 hours tops to complete a track...if you go over 20 hours scrap it, gut it for parts and move on. I find that when I am in serious music writing mode I can have a track fully arranged and most of the main parts done in one sitting. It's usually around 6 hours for one sitting and I am def not a pro. Then I start to concentrate on the finer details, EQ, synthesis, effects, fine tuning. All in all it usually takes me 2-3 sessions before I am "done." Then it is time for the mixing stage to begin. To me they are separate, I split up my work flow like this because things seem to come together quicker and easier. Then I usually send off to an engineer for mastering. If I am going to master a track myself, I hold off, start a new track or take a decent break (1-2 weeks*). I was told you need to be separated acoustically from a track before mastering or you become deaf to the track from listening to it so much.

*approx
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Kenny Troy

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2016, 03:18:39 pm »
I've spent about 20+ hours each, on 10 different tracks.. and they're still not done  :-[
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UsernamesGiveMeAnxiety

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2016, 03:25:52 pm »
It depends, really. But when you think about it, how do you really count?

I've spent up to 50 hours in the same project file. But the song changed so much during that time it didn't really feel like I spent 50 hours on what ended up being the final product.

If I spend a week or two working on new concepts in multiple different tracks, and then I write something dope in 4 hours, I feel like that time I spent earlier was part of the reason I wrote what I did. Each track really isn't as self-contained as I used to think they were.
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Knappster

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2016, 03:47:53 pm »
Quote from: UsernamesGiveMeAnxiety on January 07, 2016, 03:25:52 pm
If I spend a week or two working on new concepts in multiple different tracks, and then I write something dope in 4 hours, I feel like that time I spent earlier was part of the reason I wrote what I did.

Yeah, that a great philosophy. Everything you do in music leads you to something awesome if you keep working at it. Especially though the dark down times haha.
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Babasmas

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2016, 03:56:55 pm »
It can variate alot. I mean, There's track i've spent 4-6 hours on it because I had all the ideas and the keys to make them work, and other who took me 20+ to finish.
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Harwood

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2016, 04:59:06 pm »
The best songs are usually 90% done in a few hours. The rest of the tie is just to perfect it and build it up, if it's a really good idea I tend to find most of it is done very quickly.
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producer_chick

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2016, 05:29:59 pm »
I've spent anywhere from 1-2 days up to an entire month to finish a track. If I want to design all exclusive sounds for it and do it all from scratch, on top of it being a time consuming genre, or a genre I'm just slow at, it could take at least 50+ hours to finish.
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BorderCity

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2016, 05:35:28 pm »
For me the tough part is getting the initial idea, that can take days, weeks, months...

But once I have the idea and it is a good idea then everything else just flows. :)
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UsernamesGiveMeAnxiety

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2016, 07:04:39 pm »
Quote from: BorderCity on January 07, 2016, 05:35:28 pm
For me the tough part is getting the initial idea, that can take days, weeks, months...

But once I have the idea and it is a good idea then everything else just flows. :)

I agree that good ideas are tough to come by. But I've also had great tracks that came out of bad ideas I stuck with.
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incandescent

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Re: Number of hours(average) to complete a track?
« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2016, 07:21:31 pm »
Usually if I don't have a decent idea down within the first few hours I scrap it, after that it's just tweaking things to make it sound good which can take a wide variety of time...
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