Most Annoying Thing Ever!

This keeps happening to me.

-I'll mix a song, compare it to reference mixes and I'll think it sounds great.
-But then I'll come back an hour later and realize the mix isn't even close to being good.

Does this happen to anybody else? How do I stop this from happening?
 
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Yes it happens sometimes with everyone. You should consider to take some rest for your ears time after time. I usually doing mixing and mastering max 1 hour in a row. Also the best time for making mixing or mastering is in the morning for fasted, empty stomach. If you eat a lot, your hearing became "dull" due to some biologic reasons.
 
I guess your ears/brains are exhausted, plus once once you're INSIDE the mix, you are somehow blinded because you can compare to your own work... Once you fall asleep and wake up again, the REAL sounds emerge.
 
This keeps happening to me.

-I'll mix a song, compare it to reference mixes and I'll think it sounds great.
-But then I'll come back an hour later and realize the mix isn't even close to being good.

Does this happen to anybody else? How do I stop this from happening?

Yes indeed...this can be quite disheartening!

I very much like the previously suggested 1hr (tops) session work with breaks, I believe somewhere in the social science/education field studies show 50 minutes is a max time period for prolonged/physically complacent study/focus. Im sure that varies per individual and circumstance, such as food consumption, ext. life variables/conditions, but for an aspiring individual I definitely suggest keeping that perspective (that concentration has limits with needs for rejuvenation, novelty, and/or rest) enough to consistently track when mind/ear fatigue begins for you.

An additional thought which may further potentiate the previous idea: reserve brief attention for your playback volumes--- notice your preferred levels or tendencies for changing levels over any given session. A serious aid for avoiding ear-attenuation to frequency profiles, dynamc ranges, and context generalization can occur via listening and working at CRAZY lower volume. Blasting playback for any prolonged period of time absolutely accelerates the ear/fatigue concentration/blur issue previous posters are mentioning---the frequency familiarity builds, the inattention to detail/error undercuts decision making, the lost macro perspective takes over entirely. Low playback vol is great thing in general for product quality most specifically bc it helps perception of dynamic or fader volume changes, while also affording clarity and balancing of mid frequency track to track as well. Test this assumption/concept: listen to a familiar/preferable song on speakers quite loudly, then lower volume where you can speak at conversation level and hear yourself perfectly well....focus and notice what you hear in the track now. Here, you'll notice bass is the first thing to go with low volume, extreme treble and low mids are next most difficult to hear, and often mids/highmids are the lingering frequencies at these volumes. Extensive time mixing songs will learn you this plural-truth as mids/high mid resonance and balance consistently delineate individual tracks from one another, where as bass, low mids, treble work have largest impact on the mix as a whole when balance is pursued per track and for the song as a whole.

But anywooo like always a caveat to be offerred:
crank the volume occasionally to remember emotive impact of song, to accurately perceive ambiance in the track (verb), for bass/sub work, and for testing how the mix/master holds up when played through pegged (perhaps distorting) speakers.

Fight to gain perspective at all costs!

-MadHat
 
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What awesome responses. I'm not sure about the eating thing, but very thoughtful. I have nothing to add, breaks and volume I think are the two biggies.

And-- Don't lose heart. Try, try again.

GJ
 
Your ears will definitely become fatigued after a while and will need time before they can distinguish the sounds clearly.
I suggest listening to the mix on multiple types of speakers: monitors, headphones, phone speakers, car speakers, ect.
This will allow you to make sure there isn't any further problems. Above all mixing is a process that is on-going, you just have to choose to call it finished.
 
Your ears will definitely become fatigued after a while and will need time before they can distinguish the sounds clearly.
I suggest listening to the mix on multiple types of speakers: monitors, headphones, phone speakers, car speakers, ect.
This will allow you to make sure there isn't any further problems. Above all mixing is a process that is on-going, you just have to choose to call it finished.

Yes! I very much agree--- Cars seem great for testing stereo spread and deeep bass, phones/laptops are wonderfl for checking mids (aka: balance I would reckon). Knowing when something is truly finished is always a trick! lol, I find dedlines really helpful, that way send guessing has no room to take over decision making

Wishing the best!
-Madhat
 
I've been producing for more than 12 years and I can honestly say that I tend to dislike my mixes after I "finish" them. Its a bit strange but as a sound engineer I tend to focus on the problems more than the good parts.

However I have made mixes that I am very proud off so it just depends on the mix I guess.
 
Yes! I very much agree--- Cars seem great for testing stereo spread and deeep bass, phones/laptops are wonderfl for checking mids (aka: balance I would reckon). Knowing when something is truly finished is always a trick! lol, I find dedlines really helpful, that way send guessing has no room to take over decision making

Wishing the best!
-Madhat


"Beats?" It depends. An hour to several/many hours.
An actual full-featured album track? We have never really been able to crack the 20-25 hour mark (that's all tracking from start to mix though).
Jingles? They are more in the 12-15 hour range from start to finish.

Conceptualization and mastering on either end may be included in those figures, or may take some extra time.

So on-average, about 15-20 hours per individual project. Multiply that by average number of album tracks (10-12), and we're talking 200-plus hours for an album project. That includes tracking vocals though.

GJ
 
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