every time i hear a producer talk about their process, they always say that they can hear the finished song in their head, and they basically just copy what they hear onto the computer, but but whenever i try to produce a song, my head is empty. i just have zero idea what to do besides add the basics (like drums, bass, chords etc.) and i always end up with a song that is disappointing and then i spiral. do you have the same thing where you can hear the finished song in your head? how do i produce a song that doesnt sound like the most boring thing in the world?
i'm trying to tell from your description whether you write the song first ..... if you don't, i would suggest trying that. you can use paper or demo recordings to help you remember it, because brand new songs are hard to remember accurately. when i say 'writing' i mean only specifically enough for a person to play and sing it with 1 instrument. no need to plan out everything, just the melody/lyric/chords, an exact tempo, and a full roadmap. that's my method. That doesn't mean i know exactly how the song will sound before i produce it, and it doesn't stop me from feeling empty sometimes at the start of production, but, what's most important is that i do know exactly how the song goes. there's already enough unknowns in the production process details, even after knowing the song