How to Finish Tracks? 3 Techniques and Tips Overcome Creative Blocks
- Emma Brenner
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
Do you feel like you have many ideas, or beginnings to projects, but can't bring yourself to finish them? For the past five years, I have been researching and writing about the psychology behind why we feel things like perfectionism, for example, especially as music producers. I hope this post and this video helps you feel less alone in your creative process. After all, our art is supposed to connect us with others.
Here are three of the most common creative blocks music producers experience and practical ways to move through them:
1. Perfectionism & Fear of Judgment
The block:You keep tweaking the same track endlessly, scared to finish or release it because it’s “not good enough.” Often this comes from comparing your work to others or fearing how it will be received.
How to overcome it:
Shift the goal: Instead of trying to make a perfect track, aim to learn something new from each one. Every finished track teaches you more than ten unfinished ones.
Set creative deadlines: Give yourself a strict time limit (like one week to finish), it turns perfectionism into progress.
Reframe feedback: View feedback as information, not as a judgment of your worth.
2. Overwhelm from Too Many Options
The block:You open Ableton, scroll through hundreds of samples, and suddenly can’t decide where to start. The modern producer’s biggest obstacle is too much choice.
How to overcome it:
Limit your tools: Pick one synth, one drum kit, and one effect chain — and stick to them for an entire track.
Create templates: Start with a pre-set Ableton template (instruments, busses, returns) so you can jump straight into creating.
Set mini challenges: e.g., “Make a track with only found sounds” or “Use only one synth.” Constraints breed creativity.
3. Loss of Creative Confidence (Feeling Stuck or Uninspired)
The block:You sit down to make music and nothing feels exciting... or worse, you doubt whether you’re even good enough to make something worth finishing.
How to overcome it:
Reconnect with play: Forget about making a “track.” Spend one session just sound designing, jamming, or sampling random noises.
Change your input: Inspiration rarely comes from staring at a DAW. Go for a walk, record ambient sounds, or listen to genres outside your comfort zone.
Reflect, don’t react: Write down why you started making music in the first place, it helps separate your love for the process from the pressure of outcomes.
Here are some reminders in the meantime:
Your success can look like anything.
You are as good as you are.
You cannot fail in creativity
There is no right or wrong way to create.
My book, "Creative Confidence and Music Production," is a unique guide for music producers, and creatives, to gain confidence with technology, overcome doubts, creative blocks, and perfectionism. The music industry can be a daunting environment, and cultivating inspiration is a necessary skill for us to exercise.
Finishing tracks can be one of the biggest challenges for music producers, especially when creative blocks slow down the process. One helpful technique is setting small goals for each session, such as completing a drum arrangement or refining a melody. This keeps momentum going and prevents projects from feeling overwhelming. Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places; reading or exploring random topics like ebike rental glacier national park can refresh the mind and spark new ideas. Another useful tip is limiting the number of plugins and sounds you use, which encourages focus and decision making. Finally, sharing drafts with friends or fellow producers can provide valuable feedback and motivation to finish your track.