pedal building motivation .... gone

[add4]

So i used to be overenthusiastic about building pedals, i would look up for schematics, study electronics, learned eagle, made my own boards, spent hours making circuits for different schematics i was getting,  compare different effects and circuits to decide which ones to build and test. I build a few dozens effects, they are used by friends, professional musicians, myself, all of it was so cool ..

Then i had my 2 daughters, 18 months separate them, i had no time for anything, my workbench dissapeared and was replaced by a child bed. I kept all my stuff at home but it's packed in my living room and my work table is my dinign room now so i have to unpack everything each time i want to start building. I also have so little time that i usually focus on playing rather than playing.
Still until recently i still had the hunger for building new pedals and trying new stuff.. and lately it's just ... gone.

An od is now just an od.. pedals are not that interesting anymore,when they're build they're all in the same boxes, using the same 3PDT switches, the effects are, after all the same old stuff (OD, dist, fuzz, phase, chorus, flange,  ringmod, delay, boost, buff, reverb ... sound ... well.. already explored)
I still want to build some pedals, but then i can't decide which one to start on, with which artwork. it's as if they needed to be 'too perfect' and i can't move on to making it happen anymore..

Do you also have that kind of less motivated moments or should i just jump from the highest window of my workplace because my passion is gone forever?

[raulduke]

I think if your passion is gone for building then put it into something else for now.

Like playing guitar as you mentioned.

I think everyone here goes through 'phases'.

[cooder]

I have lapses of motivation too in the face of piles of great stompboxes that get too little play time, especially in Summer when I don't have enough time to focus on things like that and it's too friggin' hot to sit in the workshop anyway. 
Sometimes I wonder why and whom am I doing this for. Then I remember if I wouldn't have this (and other creative outlets) I would miss it really and I don't regret building all these things piling up...
For me it's a bit seasonal and then with a new challenge to look forward to.... maybe you should look into building a tube amp... man that's addictive good fun too....!
Amp building can be expensive and it also can be reasonably priced if you recycle second hand trannies from ol' tube radios etc, bend your chassis etc. and that can then be very satisfying too, knowing that you have beaten the mould of paint by number kits and brought some ol' gear back into a new life. (I've built several classic amps this way for less than $ 150 bucks each)
Or maybe the ultimate personalised multi box with relay switching or something bitchin' like that... (actually that's brewing in my head at the moment...)

Just whatever you do don't jump off any window ledges unless it's ground floor.

[juansolo]

I think if your passion is gone for building then put it into something else for now.

Like playing guitar as you mentioned.

I think everyone here goes through 'phases'.

This ^

Though mix it up a bit. I have to admit I've lost interest to a degree in making 'everything' as I used to. I certainly have a lot of CBA for the next new OD and shit like that. But occasionally something comes along I have to try.

However I really enjoy combining effects to make different sounds (hence the current multi-fascination). Also the collaborations with Grind recently have been a really fulfilling experience and have pushed the hobby in a different direction.

At some point I really need to drop the pedal building and actually learn how to play... Which is how it all started

[add4]

That is exactly my point. I have been focusing on learning new sounds lately (aka all modes of melodic minor scale over the whole neck and the associated arpeggios) and the learning process, technique progress and new possibilities are what keeps me motivated at the moment.

Nothing wrong with that as it's what started it all of course. Also I think that when I start playing in a band again ( much more time needed that what my babies give me) I'll eventually focus on sounds and effect again.


Actually rehousing my 62 tremolux in a 1x12 combo might be a project I'd be motivated for!


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[raulduke]

I think by and large this is a common trait of creative people (which I would say we all are here).

We tend to flit between whatever takes our fancy 

Look at some of the creative musical greats... their work is typically diverse and changes from release to relase (Neil Young, Prince etc. are good examples of this) and follows where their creativity takes them.

In terms of my hobbies I seem to go through phases of pedal building, playing guitar, making my electronic music, building my eurorack modular etc. and it revolves around in random order. I simply don't have the spare time to dedicate my spare time to all of those things at once.

Best to put your spare time into something you are enjoying rather than trying to force something.... because then it becomes more like a job 

[drolo]

I went through a similar phase when we got our kid. Lost my work room and became a nomad solderer :-)
At some point I had become a ninja at intercepting flying clipped resistor legs in mid air :-)
I had my soldering station and components hidden all over the living room and kitchen and would take them out at night when wife and kid were sleeping.

Now we moved to a house where I have my own room again, which is great.

But actually I have the opposite problem of yours now. I hardly spend time playing anymore. There is always some other project popping up, which is good, because it's the only thing currently that serves me as a meditation and keeps me sane.

I am sure though that at some point I will have enough, play more and record stuff again. Would also like to play with people again but i'm not sure I could dedicate enough time for it at the moment. Man I don't even remember when I last switched on my tube amp, always playing with headphones at night ... (bless my Yamaha THR10 for at least it's enjoyable playing through headphones)

Don't worry if you are not interested in pedals at the moment. Follow whatever brings you the most fun and satisfaction. Times change :-)

[Luke51411]

I think everyone here goes through 'phases'.

Maybe your rate pot is turned all the way ccw and depth is low too but seriously life is a series of many phases. I imagine having children both speeds up and slows down the pace of your life at the same time. You have less time for hobbies and such so it's important to focus on what really brings you joy, which it's great that you are still taking time to play.

[Jopn]

Definitely stop building if you're not feeling like it.  This hobby is full of frustration and troubleshooting, and without passion pushing you forward it's just going to drag and be unpleasant.

One suggestion to boot your motivation would be to play more, especially with other people.  Playing with others will force you come to musical conclusions that you don't naturally arrive at on your own.  That will hopefully spark some "sound ideas" which could launch your next pedal project.  Or, like me, at least drive you to build bass compressors to help fix your bassists inconsistent plucking

[add4]

I went through a similar phase when we got our kid. Lost my work room and became a nomad solderer :-)
At some point I had become a ninja at intercepting flying clipped resistor legs in mid air :-)
I had my soldering station and components hidden all over the living room and kitchen and would take them out at night when wife and kid were sleeping.

Now we moved to a house where I have my own room again, which is great.

But actually I have the opposite problem of yours now. I hardly spend time playing anymore. There is always some other project popping up, which is good, because it's the only thing currently that serves me as a meditation and keeps me sane.

I am sure though that at some point I will have enough, play more and record stuff again. Would also like to play with people again but i'm not sure I could dedicate enough time for it at the moment. Man I don't even remember when I last switched on my tube amp, always playing with headphones at night ... (bless my Yamaha THR10 for at least it's enjoyable playing through headphones)



Don't worry if you are not interested in pedals at the moment. Follow whatever brings you the most fun and satisfaction. Times change :-)

Story of my life with the kids
I am, however, still a nomad soldered while i'm looking for a house with a pedal building room Seems we both follow very parallel path, in addition to living close to each other :p

Last year i started to put all my building stuff out of all the corners of the living room and build for a few hours before putting it all back in the various places i could stuff it in. then hunt for the lost resistor legs to make sure one child wouldn't eat it by mistake..

i actually mainly play unplugged since i don't really like the tone i get from headphones and i need to hear when kids wake up and need to be put to sleep again (which still happen every night).
But the part of the day between 10pm and the moment i go to sleep is the part of my life that keeps me sane and sums up all the time i have for any personal projects i might have.

Playing mainly in jam sessions, sometimes getting a whole afternoon away from family to play with friends but with my gypsy jazz band -> all acoustic.

Man, I miss leaving home every day with one guitar to go to whatever musical event was planned for that day..

[add4]

Definitely stop building if you're not feeling like it.  This hobby is full of frustration and troubleshooting, and without passion pushing you forward it's just going to drag and be unpleasant.

One suggestion to boot your motivation would be to play more, especially with other people.  Playing with others will force you come to musical conclusions that you don't naturally arrive at on your own.  That will hopefully spark some "sound ideas" which could launch your next pedal project.  Or, like me, at least drive you to build bass compressors to help fix your bassists inconsistent plucking

In fact I feel that, if i started building again, I would like to breadboard and really experiment with one circuit and try the possibilities, instead of building it with 'known' values. But that means being organized and not having to put your breadboard away between each session.

[pryde]

Its definitely part of the whole process to have such lapses be it cause of burn-out or life just getting in the way. I hadn't built a pedal in nearly 9 months until very recently. I have been busy with work but also because nothing really sparked my interest.

Sometimes you need to force yourself to just sit down and start building something. I think we can all agree that when we are sitting at our card table smelling solder smoke life is good.

[flanagan0718]

I had a forced slump recently. My daughter was born and then 6 months later my wife and I bought a house. All my stuff was packed up for a solid 2 and a half months. When I finally got my bench set up I had no idea where to start, I still don't. I have a 1590A verb build I am working on now but it's for a paying customer. So I HAVE to do it. If that wasn't pending I'm sure I would still be "organizing" (<- staring at my pile of boards not knowing where to begin) I think I have a couple of tips tho.

Quick Set Up:
-Organize an label all you're parts and throw them all in a baggie then put them enclosure you will be using. That way you're not searching through your inventory for parts when you do get to build.
-Go through everything and leave all you most commonly used thing in one box so they are easily accessed.

If you are seriously not in the mood to build...DON'T. Wait another day, tomorrow is sooner than you think. Why force yourself to do something that is supposed to be fun. Taking a break isn't always negative. Hope this helps. Congrats on the kids too!

[Gledison]

I think we all have such demotivation with some things at certain points. I´ve been playing with a band for 6 months now (that´s why not much building posts from my side). Currently im not that happy with the way we sound and im thinking about to quit. I always wanted to play in a band but i think i needs to feel right. If you dont feel like building at this moment, just leave for a while. You are alredy doing other stuff and what is the most important for all of us, IMO, is that everything is related to music. Use this time to learn new licks, scales , etc..
The most important is to do what you feel like doing .
cheers

[AntKnee]

I am a project guy. I always have to have something to work on and fiddle with. Right now, I'm in a peak pedal phase. I'm about to finish 5 builds at once. When it starts to decline, I transition to working on my car project. When that is played out, I write music. Then, I garden... You get the idea. Having the workspace is a big part of it, though. If I can't just sit and build, I'll lose motivation. Nothing brings down creativity like having to spend time setting up, and by the time you're set up, you've lost the mojo you were feeling.