For me this year was a continuous struggle with physical exhaustion. It affected me deeply and way beyond not being able to post for some weeks. I really really love making music, and I'd love to create some kind of regular compilation/podcast about what I've discovered here in Weeklybeats. There is so much music and so many talented artists, edition after edition of WB, that "this story", usually kept for a selected audience, should be told

I have enjoyed my time writing music here. This year the deadline was much harder to make so I wasn’t able to meet it as much as I wanted, however I was still writing and learning more about my studio. Since starting this  in 2018, I increased my studio a lot and the learning curve is a roller coaster.

The other folks here are the kindest critics ever.  They have always had positive things to say and offered constructive feedback. Plus, folks will clue one in on nuances in different DAWs.  The software of today is fabulous until it isn’t.  I had everything set up in Reaper and it wasn’t working as advertised & someone here suggested I verify a little bit of nothing and that took care of the problem.  It wasn’t in the manual for the DAW nor did my computer OM address it. I guess one just had to know. Other DAWs have their issues too. Anyway, folks here are very helpful. 

In my career it has not always been so. I’ve been in orchestras, Big Band Jazz bands, large & small rock bands, a fusion band (great fun), C & W bands, & done solo work. A couple of big name large groups had conductors/Maestros with the temperament of three year olds. Any perceived problem real or imagined would get a redfaced tantrum accompanied by flying drumsticks.

I’m grateful for the folks here and hope it continues in 2022.

This was the first year since 2014 that I've actively slogged it out for the year, and I have to say that I had fun doing it.
In saying that, I dropped off towards the end of the year because of work, a macbook logic board blowing up and other commitments - I think I missed six or seven weeks over all, but I definitely got what I wanted out of weeklybeats 2020. At the start of the year I wanted to up my production game to the point where I could feel confident enough to not only be satisfied with finishing and releasing music, but also get myself out there and working with other like-minded people.

definitely learned a lot of new techniques and skills along the way too - hell, prior to week 7 i was barely EQing anything, and even towards the end of the year i was noticing i'd get to a point where i could pump out an idea super quick and be happy with what it sounded like - both with the compositions and the mixes.

so i guess overall 8/10. achieved my end goal of getting myself back into making music again as well as keeping myself to a deadline - even if it was the night before. keen to dive into this year's stuff and listen back to the collective output too - i've been sorely inactive for the most part besides posting my own stuff whoops lol

Last edited by danlinke (December 28, 2020 11:56 am)

I discovered about weekly beats around week 8 and I thought this would be the perfect remedy to being a procrastinator. The deadlines and the need to put something out was great to get to things and try not to perfect them. "Done is better than perfect". This pressure of constant creation also made it necessary to find inspiration wherever I stumbled upon it. I kept recording voice memos about music lines I'd find while doing a run or recording the soundtrack in a movie as an inspiration. The usage of samples was also very interesting for me - I had this complex of "using samples is not really doing music" but when time is limited and my skills are limited, I realized how using Splice for instance as samples packs gave me access to using musical elements I could never dream to compose myself. It felt sometimes I was doing more collage than pure music creation, but that's fine too. In the end, who cares as long as the journey was fun?
The community was really great with encouraging words and it was inspiring to see so much talent here, with compos and mixes that are totally pro level. That has really motivated me to trying to up my game and learn new tricks. There is still a long way to go but it's not like I have anything better to do.
In retrospect, I am 100% thankful for the experience and am looking forward to 2022!

I finally uploaded on bandcamp my 2020 creations for WB.
https://enkid0.bandcamp.com/

What can I gather for 2022?
In 2020 I tried to use many aspects of Sonic Pi, without adding externals samples or tools.

In 2022 I'll try to use as many personal (or third party) samples as possible.

I could also try new sofwares (bespoke? pure data?) but once the race is on, it can be pretty tough to take enough time to do that