100% agree.
And I think that the best way to simulate the function of that person is to shelf your demo tracks for a couple days, then re-listen to them in “normal human being” context, like out on a walk, in the car, or doing chores. Definitely DON’T listen back to them when they are totally malleable multi-tracks / MIDI sequences right in front of you, begging for manipulation.
Yeah, I’ll try take that to heart (does that expression exist in English?). Maybe better to record a demo of another track first, until you have a few of them. Then wait a few days and listen back to all of them. Make (mental) notes what works and what doesn’t and what you need to do. Then make these changes for these tracks, bounce another demo, repeat.
Take it to heart does exist as an English expression, perfectly idiomatic usage.
I’m still in the stage of my electronic music making where most of the stuff I make is as much about getting used to the process as it is about any sort of final project, plus of course the joy of making music itself.
That said, I find the synth community and the general obsession with ‘product’ weird. It’s like, the joy of music making itself isn’t accepted as the primary reason for making music. I’ve been teaching myself to play baroque and other early music on the recorder family of instruments for a number of years, and it is completely irrelevant to me whether or not I have recorded and released any of my music making on them. I play them for the pleasure of learning a (surprisingly difficult) skill and for being creative in the moment. The joy is in the moment, not in any sort of post hoc commodity.
I wonder if it has something to do with how easy it is to create something with all the moving parts in place with electronic instruments.
Either way, I’ve certainly recorded and listened back to a lot of the music I’ve made with my synth gear, and I also tend to work towards getting a recording of any jam or track that I do/make, which was never the case when I’ve played any other instrument in my life.
I think this is a bigger issue with hobby’s in general where people expect to have tangible (preferably commercially viable) output instead of just enjoying the activity.
I think it’s not that different from being in a band or choir. If you tell that to people, most of them will ask if you ever perform somewhere or if you have a release that people can listen to. In that regard, it’s not that different from someone telling you, say, they’re knitting. You’d probably be interested in the socks, gloves or hats they’ve knitted. Both people would maybe feel a bit of pressure and feel ashamed if they answered “well, I only do this for my own personal enjoyment and I don’t write songs/play shows/knit things you can actually wear”.
But that comparison also illustrates that it’s a bit weird to expect some product from people who make music. Unlike the person who’s knitting, we don’t make a product that you can hold and look at. I guess this is a result of music being commodified since the 50s – before that, you would have probably asked a person to play/sing something for you if they told you they’re making music. If exhibitions for DIY knitting were a known thing, you would maybe also ask the person who’s knitting if they’ll ever present their work at an exhibition instead of “can you show me the sock you’ve made?”.
The main difference in electronic music is probably that it’s more common for a single person to produce tracks/albums, that people don’t know too much about how it’s even made and don’t really think of it as playing an instrument. My feeling is that if you told people you’re playing guitar by yourself they wouldn’t question that or expect you to write songs. But in a band, they kinda do. Whereas they don’t see the single person playing a synth at home as someone playing an instrument for fun. They see them more like a band that’s expected to produce tracks/albums or play DJ sets. And I think we are tempted to succumb to that expectation instead of proudly noodling away.
Another important aspect might be that electronic music is still mostly made on computers. Because synths/drum machines still aren’t widely known and seen as instruments, people who just want to learn or play an instrument usually don’t buy these. They buy a guitar or cheap keyboard. So other people don’t often see a Minilogue or Digitakt standing in a living room and know that their friend is just noodling around on it from time to time, like they often see a guitar standing around. Maybe this has changed, as most modern pop music heavily features synths. But most people interested in making these kinds of sounds probably start with a cracked or trial version of a DAW and a MIDI keyboard, which is a production and not a noodling setup. And it looks like that to everyone as well.
Also, maybe people who are interested in making a complex track/song on their own are more drawn to trying electronic music, synths and drum machines? Speaking for myself, I can’t play any “real” instruments but have always felt like I could write a song by myself, if I could play the instruments. Synths, drum machines and a DAW actually enable me to at least try that, because it doesn’t seem totally impossible. I would never set out to learn guitar, bass, drums and how to record them, this seems completely futile.
I’m enjoying the thoughtful replies here, and the optimistic title of the thread.
To contribute something concrete here, I just wanted to say I’m currently trying to get into using Take Lanes (Live 11) – anyone else have any experience using this feature to make edits? After decades of basically using Session View, I’m now using Arrrangement view to jam on external hardware, setting the recorder to loop every 32 or 64 bars, and putting together one- or two-minute song segments by dragging the best bits - usually some kind of improvised fill/turnaround/tweaky thing, in addition to more solid, repetetive segments - into the master lane.
That’s how I hope to make better electronic “jam” records – capture and edit like a photographer.
You’ve got a point here, because I do play guitar and when I pick it up to play a bit there’s always zero expectation and it’s just the joy of playing a bit, while with my Elektron boxes it’s almost always about creating a sequence/track/song.
When I was able to, health wise, guitar and alto sax were my main instruments, and I played in bands, gigged, etc. Gigging was one part of being in the band, and an enjoyable part, but practicing together for our own enjoyment was just as much a part of it all, as was playing and improvising for myself. I guess I just see it all as different sides of the same thing, and I see no problem with someone enjoying one aspect of making music more than others.
With regards to positioning myself against other people’s expectations, I couldn’t care less, personally speaking. But I guess that reveals my relationship with art. In my view, art is a worthwhile thing on its own, and if someone else enjoys it in the process, great. If not, so what? For me, music greatly enriches my life, and that is enough.
With regards to the ‘real instrument’ thing, I don’t see why one thing that makes noise is considered more or less of a real instrument than any other, beyond the obvious observation that the best and most expressive way to play piano music is on the piano, etc. If the tool at hand lets you get the result you want, great! I’ve seen a show in which people used wooden blocks and bricks with a few mics to build improvised rhythmic patterns that were unbelievably effective.
Edit: I meant to say, for me a part of the pleasure of an instrument comes from exploring the things that that instrument allows you to do with sound. Whether that is the flexibility that an instrument offers, or the limitations of the design. I can find beauty in tapping a beat on a table, or hearing a symphony orchestra in perfect sync.
To be fair, Elektrons push you more in that direction since they’re sequencer based grooveboxes with several tracks that can do melodics and drums. So you approach them differently than, say, a Juno, that doesn’t have any sequencer or even an arp, but has a keyboard and controls for all of its parameters. Of course, you can always get lost in pure sound design on the Juno or any Elektron. I wish “the general public” would know more about this aspect of electronic music making and appreciate how meditative it can be.
@thejewk: Totally agree with all of your points. Was just trying to explain where the mindset might come from.
Also true. 
I have one ‘big’ keyboard (KingKorg) which I just play for playing’s sake without any notion of wanting or needing to be productive.
Yes, it exists, but it is usually used like this:
“Yes, I’ll try to take that to heart.”
“Yes, I’ll try and take that to heart.”
Same here with my Juno X. I bought it purely to enjoying playing it and looking at it.
I’m a producer so I’ve always focused on making full tracks. I just enjoy the process very much. Writing arranging and mixing. But I also like to just play music for enjoyment. I would practice bass some times for 3-6 hours a day when I was touring and gigging and I still find myself doing that , just less often.
But it dawned on me that I should do that on keys as well and get better at keyboard bass. I play a lot of synth bass lines already but I can always get better. So I decided to get rid of my groove boxes and use that time with a nice mono synth with good quality keys. Something that feels good in the hand. I found a mopho keys for a good price and I’ve been enjoying it a lot. I just sit and play, practice scales and arpeggios and I also get better at patching. So it’s a win win.
When I take little breaks like this, I find it helps clear my head when I return to production, and I hear things in a better context.
Preproduction is a massive part of making a record. In electronic music it’s more of an iteration of a session sometimes. Keep the good parts and then trash the bad ones. Polish it up and save as a new project. Go back and listen again in a few days and see what you like better.
It’s a journey to get to where you want to be in production, but that’s what makes it so rewarding, imo.
and me with my ver. 1 MODX. Keybed didn’t feel as good I as expected. If only they made a MODX module 
When my physical health allowed me to do this more often a couple years ago, I feel like I was at my creative peak. There is magic that happens when I take the time to develop that sort of physical relationship with music, one that I just don’t get with sequencers.