Producer insight: mastering the art of finishing tracks quickly
If there’s one skill that can take your music production to the next level, it’s the ability to finish tracks quickly. Spending endless hours perfecting a single track can be rewarding, but over time, it can also hold back your overall growth and output. Learning to create efficiently – not just creatively – is a powerful asset that keeps you consistently moving forward and building your portfolio.
When you become skilled at finishing tracks quickly, you:
- Increase your output: The more tracks you finish, the more you refine your skills, learn from each project, and build up a body of work. You’ll have more to share with audiences, more to submit to labels, and more music ready for release.
- Strengthen your creative momentum: The faster you work, the more you stay in the creative flow without getting bogged down by second-guessing. Moving efficiently from one idea to the next strengthens your instinctual approach, helping you develop a stronger personal sound over time.
- Refine your production process: Getting faster at finishing tracks means you’ll naturally find shortcuts and workflows that suit you. The more you refine these processes, the easier it becomes to start, develop, and finalize ideas without getting stuck in details.
But here’s an important side note: while developing efficiency is valuable, certain tracks will still demand more time to get “just right.” Some pieces evolve at their own pace, requiring extra layers or experimentation. That’s the nature of making music—sometimes, a track simply needs that extra bit of care. But by developing the skill to finish tracks quickly, you’ll have the confidence to decide when to push forward and when to let a track take the time it needs.
Pro Tip: In the early stages of releasing music, it’s often most effective to focus on being highly prolific. Consistently putting out new tracks helps you break through the noise of endless releases and builds momentum which may increase the chances of creating the track that solidifies your presence in the scene.
“”I like to say, if you make something and you’re excited to show it to one friend who you think has good taste, then it’s ready.”
Rick Rubin
Producer hack: the “Time Box” method
To complement our focus on finishing tracks quickly, try the “Time Box” method: set a strict time limit for each production phase – e.g., 1 hour for sound selection, 2 hours for arrangement, and 1 hour for mixing.
This technique forces you to work within constraints, avoid overthinking, and prioritize decisions. It’s especially useful for breaking perfectionism and ensuring you stay productive.
Pro Tip: Save time by using a pre-made session template with your favourite sounds, instruments, and FX chains pre loaded.
