Last week I lost an entire evening’s work.
I’d been working on what was probably the best music I’ve ever made – a 16-bar loop with bass and drums that hit just hit all the right frequencies. The groove had weight, the sound design felt original, and I knew I was onto something special.
Then I went out, forgot to save, and when I came back… it was all gone. No backup, no recovery. Wiped for eternity.
Needless to say, I was pissed off. I felt completely defeated. Like I’d just flushed my best idea down the toilet. And in a way, I had. There was no replicating that exact vibe, no way to perfectly retrace my steps.
But after a few minutes of swearing to myself, I had a word with myself and decided to stay in the room and keep going.
At first, I tried to recreate what I’d done. I loaded up similar sounds, retraced the same processing chains – but nothing stuck. The energy had gone. I was chasing shadows.
So I let go.
I started playing around with new samples, opened a different synth, went off in a different direction. And a couple of hours later, I had a new bass riff – not the same as before, but full of movement and attitude. I could feel it again. That momentum was back.
By the end of the session, I had something arguably better than what I’d lost.
Setbacks are part of the process
That night taught me something important.
You can’t avoid setbacks – not in music, and not in life. What matters is how you respond when they show up.
I could’ve walked away. Told myself the tune was cursed. Called it a night and sat in self-pity. But I didn’t. I stayed. I gave myself a chance to make something new – and that small decision changed the trajectory of my whole evening.
In fact, if you zoom out, decisions like that shape your entire life.
Do we give up, or do we keep going? Do we let frustration win, or do we turn it into fuel?
Every time you choose to keep going – especially when it’s hard – you’re becoming the version of yourself that’s capable of achieving big things.
But not everything is worth saving
Let’s be real though – not every idea is gold.
There are times when you should absolutely bin the idea and start fresh. If it’s not working, it’s not working. Don’t get stuck just because you feel like you should finish something.
But if you were in a good flow and something knocks you off course – whether it’s a crash, lost file, or just self-doubt creeping in – don’t write off the whole session.
Sometimes your best ideas are just on the other side of the setback.
Stay in the room.
You never know what you’ll make next.
As always, happy producing.
Conrad – Quantum Samples
