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|  Is there a trade - off between quality and creativity? [MUSIC] | |
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Ero
  Artist
Topics: 18
Replies: 237
Registered: 24.Nov.06 |
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More often than not, outrageously creative productons are not met well by conventional listeners mailny due to the fact that these productions explore new areas of composition and might not be musically 'correct' in the traditional sense.
Its a question that has been troubling me for some time now. Does focusing on creativity take away from the (commonly accepted) production quality of a composition? Like for example when you want to include a particular sound and not master it conventionally, in order to achieve a certain effect. Most of the times, experiments like these fail, but when they are well - received, they become HITS!
So if creativity and quality are related, how can the balance between them be achieved? If they are not necessarily related, how do you maximise the utilisation of both elements without them interfering with each other negatively, and harming one another? Or is there perhaps a way to use one of the two, in order to assist the other? Talent, know - how, or both, and to what extent?
Please discuss 
Better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.
Ero on Juno.co.uk (1535 hits)
Ero on Beatport (1566 hits)
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slammin vinyl
 Administrator
Topics: 302
Replies: 3248
Registered: 06.Mar.04 |
I believe that to a certain degree thats true - I've got tons of good ideas on my hard drive, which I've stopped working with, because I've nearly completed the tune, but the mastering sucks, and no matter what I do, I cant make them sound 'right'. However, if I master as I go, then those tracks usually get completed, and posted... it slows my productivity though.
Join me in my quest to... SAVE CTG! You can help by helping to reduce the number of unreviewed songs, and just generally 'participating' in our wonderful community |
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PartySan
Artist
Topics: 54
Replies: 6015
Registered: 20.Jun.04 |
I've seen it both ways. For example, there were often many tracked songs that were of immense creativity and cool melodies, but crappy samples (roncli's stuff; Necros' early compositions). On the other hand, there are tracks that sound great, but are empty creatively and sound recycled (really hard to find an example... I'll go with Prince 1996-2003; though some songs from "Emancipation" and 5 outtakes from "Crystal Ball" are cool... and "Xpectation is awesome. But that makes just about... 9 + 5 + 11 = 25 songs for 7 years. Not good).
And of course, there are the tracks that are awesome both creatively and quality-wise, which happen to predominate 
"You are what you is" - Frank Zappa
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slammin vinyl
Administrator
Topics: 302
Replies: 3248
Registered: 06.Mar.04 |
then of course there is always xerxes, who turns that trade off on its head... I'm still to hear a bad quality, bad song from him. xerxes can take the shittiest quality OHC sample pack, and make it sound good. 
xerxes, you're lucky I'm not gay, or a stalker or anything, 
Join me in my quest to... SAVE CTG! You can help by helping to reduce the number of unreviewed songs, and just generally 'participating' in our wonderful community |
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PartySan
Artist
Topics: 54
Replies: 6015
Registered: 20.Jun.04 |
slammy wrote on 30 May. (12:47) :
then of course there is always xerxes, who turns that trade off on its head... I'm still to hear a bad quality, bad song from him. xerxes can take the shittiest quality OHC sample pack, and make it sound good.
xerxes, you're lucky I'm not gay, or a stalker or anything,
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I didn't mention Klaus because it's too obvious
"You are what you is" - Frank Zappa
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benefit of the boomerang
 Member
Topics: 26
Replies: 1886
Registered: 01.Jan.03 |
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Interesting compositions are often the result of carefully placing musical
aspects throughout a song.. while a dancetrack was build around sound itself.
It seems only logical that when you aim for a great composition, you'll focus
less on the sound, au contraire to a technotrack that stands and falls with the
sound of a kickdrum, so there is less priority to make a great composition.
It also seems logical that if a producer focuses on more than a few aspects
of music, that producer will have better results. Experimenting with sound and
having sound under controll are opposites, yet those who managed to experiment
with it and keeping it under controll, have passed into legend. Aphex Twin, Amon
Tobin, Infected Mushroom...
I can only conclude that there is a trade off between quality and creativity and that is:
DONT BE A LAZY BASTERD AND GET BACK TO WORK
benefit of the boomerang (7,13 Hits)
boomerang of the benefit (13,7 Hits)
Who Broke My Beats Tour 2007 |
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LPChip
Administrator
Topics: 39
Replies: 1261
User is online 
Registered: 05.Jun.05 |
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Hahaha so true about Xerxes being able to make something great out of something shitty!
I was still astonished when I heard his "From the past" what he made with (really crappy) samples I provided. I almost though he secretly replaced the samples 
Anyway. You can look at this question from 2 sides really. If you don't go experiment but go for mainstream, you will not grow in skills. If you do tend to sometimes tempt yourself by going outside the boundaries, it might indeed result to a song that is not appealing to everyone. But who said that you need to release those songs? The experience that you gain from these side-projects are what makes your main-stream music much more interested.
I voted for: A trade-off to a certain degree, although I think its even better to just go wild to as far as you can, but not use the result song as a song, but the result experience for your current songs. (and I missed that option )
You can ask me hundreds "why don't you" questions, answer will be, because it works that way too. - xTr1m |
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xerxes
Member
Topics: 39
Replies: 551
Registered: 03.Sep.03 |
first off, thank you for such kind words fellas..!  as for the subject.. it is very difficult to say what is good production and what is bad production.. there are artists who a different "sound" .. some people spend hours, months, years.. going madly in depth of how hardware EQs, compressors, delay machines and reverberators can improve their sound.. i have heard work from people like this, and to my ears.. they dont sound half as good as many of the XMs and ITs i have heard in both compose and as releases.
why? my ears love the tracked sound. i love when the sound is a bit "dirty" and not so crystal clean that it almost sounds fake.
so i dont know what i am saying here.. just trust your instincts on sound
love
klaus |
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John Marwin
Artist
Topics: 58
Replies: 1842
Registered: 30.Jun.03 |
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If you're looking for fame, yes the sure bet is to make covers, LOADS of covers and keep the trends in check and exploit them when they arise. (example: the ATB pitchbend.. sooo abused by everyone) Take formulae and slightly alter them into a new concept, steal parts of others songs, the list goes on forever here...
The fact is, the more experimental you go, the smaller your intended audience becomes.. that is until you're about the only one who understands what you just made.
In the end it all boils down to your own personal goal with music, do you want to create something unique that you'd be proud of, or do you want to create something less ingenious that might give you cash in your pocket? Balancing it means that you're corrupting your own artistical vision to some extent because by refraining from experimenting in the way you'd like just to get fame, you're throwing away an opportunity to grow as an artist.
This is the sole reason why I haven't pursued a career within music myself, because I think that the second I start getting even a cent for my accomplishments, it might all turn to dust in my hands. (my creativity that is) To me, music is more important than money.
Signature. |
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Analysis
Artist
Topics: 72
Replies: 6282
Registered: 16.Mar.03 |
nah, I dont believe in a tradeoff at all. one can be very creative through quality. When you are good with quality you can make more kinds of stuff and thus be more creative.
SPAM (1634 hits) It's new and fresh! |
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