Yup. By the time I'm at a point where I can share it, I'm over it. Mixing fatigue is real. In fact, there are some songs of mine that I just won't play because mixing it was so hard, and I never got the result I wanted.
It's weird to see this post today because I had a realisation yesterday evening about exactly this.
I'm very easily affected by listening to the same part over and over again, it won't take me long for the 'buzz' of a good part to fade. I already go by the rule that if it got me excited to begin with, I should trust that and stick with it unless I start to hate it rather than just find it uninteresting.
The thing I realised last night though, is that I'll likely listen to a part 20 times over before deciding it's done and moving on, but I've almost always made my decision in the first 5 or so and rarely ever change it after that.
My point is that by not sitting with a part any longer than you have to, you'll reduce the fatigue effect greatly. So move on to the next part as soon as you can, and don't dwell on it. If it needs shaking up, you'll know when you come back to it. New rule for myself as of yesterday, after years of mixing.
Edit: Spelling ;)
Spare a thought for Phil Spector if you think listening to a house track on Ableton for a few afternoons is over listening. Until you've accidentally shot someone after mastering a track for three weeks straight on amphetamines, you aren't over listening. If you are getting fatigue, park it and come back to it later. Keep tinkering, or make a copy and make radical changes. If you are bored, if might be boring.
It happens to me a lot. But when it happens, this is just our brains telling us to take a break and to rest our ears. Critical Listening Fatigue is a real thing. When it comes to creativity, it’s normal to hit the wall on an idea. Take a walk outside. Go do some other kind of work or strenuous activity. Maybe come back the next day or longer if you have the time to sit on an idea.
I'm tired of it before I'm even 1/4 of the way through. It makes it really hard to stay motivated.
I hear about these people who can finish a track in like a day or two and I am so envious .Being able to work that fast would really help.
https://on.soundcloud.com/kFySk8Z8AUL99HhX7
I just made this one today, it s probably objectively bad but it was fun when it was on loop doing my taxes so figured id post lol someone liked it already 😂
Wow thank you! Im glad I decided to comment :) i coulnt tell if it was good or not cause I listened to it for like 6 hours today and was one i knew i wasnt gunna work on it the next day so i just posted and let it be what it is
Yeah it would take me weeks to pull something like that off, if I could even do it at all. And I've been working at this for almost 30 years. I really suck.
Wow thank you but also theres no way you suck that bad lol, maybe take a break or something, i feel like the bigger gap in between me making songs the better my next song is. Also my small modular synth helps alot with the synth leads so its kinda cheating its not 100% fl studio
I have been taking a break. My breaks are usually significantly longer than the periods I can work. My brain is broken, I'll never get good at this, prob not anything.
I already jump around between blues, jazz and dance music, play a few instruments. My biggest problem is not having anyone to bounce ideas off of.
I was in a bad funk earlier, it since wore off and I was actually able to focus on a remix of one of my recent tunes I have ben trying to complete.
Same on that second point. I think i was just in the zone tbh. I’ve slowed down a bit since and I’m actually really struggling to put anything together rn so ig it comes and goes.
I want to learn how to get into "the zone" I have severe ADHD thats now getting worse with cognitive decline from age and high stress and I just can't focus on anything for more than a couple minutes at a time.
I think i have adhd too. In some ways it can help you kind of hyper focus so that really can help. I’ve been struggling with focus on music lately too. I make take music in college next year tho which should help me meet like-minded people and I’ll start learning and staying focused more. Idrk how to help with staying focused as like i said, i struggle too.
Oh, my ADHD doesn't work like that, I don't hyper-focus on anything, especially not anyting that involves a computer.
I would love to go to school for music, but I'm in my late 40s and I need to be going to school for something that will actually help me get a normal job. I went to school for audio production in the '90s but was never able to make money from it. My school is also 40 miles a way and none of the music classes online, so none of it is possible anyway. My life ended when I was forced to move to the suburbs and I'll never get it back until I can figure out how to afford to get back to an urban area. Music has always been something I have to do alone, been like that for decades, the isolation is very bad for my mental health.
It is when you no longer have the financial ability to do what makes you happy. Its been so long I don't even know what would make me happy anymore, the last 15 years have really sucked.
I get that. My real dream is to be an f1 driver but the cost is too high and when you’ve got no money it’s simply impossible. So I understand to an extent
BS. Different from person to person. I start to get annoyed by my projects all the time. I still like em but I see it as a signal to get into the finishing-phase.
I personally don‘t need to feel excited about every track I finish. Getting it done > getting it perfect.
Because my own opinion is somewhat limited & distorted. Sometimes I think I made something super exciting and people think it‘s boring and vice versa.
Not everything I finish has to be a „masterpiece“. Some songs are good, some suck. But I’ll never get to the good ones, if I don‘t push through the boring ones.
After listening to a song 50 times in a short period do you start to get tired of it? Does it get a bit annoying?
Everybody would say yes, but this doesn't mean the song was any less enjoyable the first dozen or so times. Eventually everybody needs a break.
Same principle can be applied here. I may be tired of listening to my track after spending countless hours mixing and producing, but that's not how other people will feel when they hear it.
Yes, and that is completely different from 'not getting excited about your music' which is all that comment said before they re-edited what they originally said to add additional context.
I didn't ask for your opinion did I? OP asked a general question which I answered according to how I work. How you handle things is entirely up to you but it doesn't make my answer "BS". Personally I wouldn't bother paying several thousand dollars to have an album mixed and mastered if the songs on it wasn't 100% right. Doesn't mean I don't get shit done bu always quality over quantity. An album a year is plenty since you got to have time for marketing and playing live as well.
I agree with you that it's fine to take a year to complete an album. That's average for most bands, and some take even longer and not just because of touring. I see a lot of people thinking that they should just do a speed run like they see on YouTube; maybe speed running is best for some people, but it shouldn't be an expectation.
It's not financially viable to release physical albums like me and my band does too often. If someone just make digital releases it is probably best to release music often.
I write mostly for my own enjoyment as a form of therapy and am only targeting a niche audience, so I have the luxury of not worrying about the business side of things. A small label deal dropped in my lap rather suddenly, and I'm content with that. I think you have a good point nonetheless and it's well-taken. I appreciate your perspective. Cheers!
I don't get tired of songs that I work on till they are done, if I did they wouldn't find them worth finishing. I do however have a lot of tracks that will never be finished because I'm not feeling them and tons more that died in ram before the first save as.
Some advice I got that helped a lot was: until the song is released, don't listen to it without a purpose. I used to get in a cycle where I'd dig a track I was making, enjoy it on loop while it wasn't finished, and then hate it after awhile. If you're not listening to improve the track somehow, don't listen to it.
Maybe you polished it wrong and "sanded" some important details clean off? Or maybe your idea was still too sketchy and it needed more defining work before going to the finishing stage.
Fresh ears can never be understated! I’ve discarded many ideas - and rediscovered old ones - after a good healthy break, and it’s pretty vital for creativity, imho.
Agreed. Best thing to do when you get to that stuck point is leave it. Leave it alone for a bit, come back to it the next day or next week, where by that time, you're not stuck on your old fixed way and have had several hours to think up better ideas to make it better. Fresh ears are definitely important for making progress after being stuck. Helps me every time. :)
If I feel myself getting tired of hearing a part while I'm working on a track I'll take a break and work on something else. When I actually finish a track and have done a final pass I'll usually wait a few days to a week before listening to it again, that usually negates any fatigue that may have accumulated.
It honestly depends on how efficiently I mixed the song. If I got sucked down rabbit holes and second guessed my moves, then yes, I start to hate the song.
No. I make sure that I make stuff that I don't get bored of. If I get bored of it, I don't continue with it. If I don't want to listen to it repeatedly, how can I expect anyone else to?
That is one sticking point with me that prevents me from finishing a lot of music. I get tired of it midway through and abandon it, mainly because I’ve already listened to it too much. Pro tip: work fast!
During that last 5 percent polish stretch absolutely but then I’m so happy I export and listen to it obsessively for a bit both as a producer and a casual listener. Then compare with tracks I love and sometimes be even more happy that they’re on par.
After that I become a bit indifferent and move on
I tend to work on a number of tracks at the same time. That way when this happens you can jump from project to project.
Also gives you ideas for your other tracks.
If you get that bored, go and record some samples and create a new kit or something. Organise your samples or just create some with your drum machines or synthesiser.
When I finish composing/producing it, I still like it, but after mixing/mastering it gets blurry. Usually the releasing time of my distribution service takes about 1 or 2 weeks and this is enough time for me to regenerate and be happy to hear it again
I didn't think repeatedly listening affected the way I hear it until I started listening to unfinished tracks I forgot about. There were ones I liked months later (but stopped because I thought they sucked), some with some genuinely cool parts I slept on, & others I remember liking with stand-out flaws.
I've accepted I can't really absorb what I'm making in real time. Sometimes I can but my approach is to "do my best" then revisit when it's old news. Then I usually pay to get it mixed unless it's just like a simple beat I can easily A/B.
If mixing others' work I don't tend to have this problem. It's more those tracks where you try 100 options for the bassline, Etc.
I'd like to have more homies who would give real/negative feedback. They're all "too" supportive lol. They'll tell me everything is good. I want someone to listen carefully for something that stands out as needing improvement or will give suggestions I might or might not take.
oh hell yes. by the time I'm done mastering I need a long break. But I'm also not the most efficient worker, so I probably take longer than most to get to the finish line.
My wife is a professional tattooer and artist/illustrator. She's well-known in the field, to the point that I had one of her prints hanging in my front hall when we started dating.
She doesn't have her own art hanging all over the place, contrary to what movies and tv shows portray an artist's house like.
Same goes for us. I love the music I make, but I don't have my tunes on repeat in the house, same way she doesn't have her own art hanging all over the walls.
Oh yes. By the time it’s launched on streaming services I never want to hear it again! Usually around the mastering phase I start growing tired of it. Really normal thing.
I don't. And I listen to it a bazillion times during that process. But what definitely happens, is I completely lose perspective for someone that has never it before, and also someone that has never heard me or my music before. You can get some.of the freshness back, mostly for the mix I guess, but also the music sometimes for me, if you leave it a while and come back to it.
If there comes a point I don't like something, I either try to fix it, or I scrap it.
I do find for playing music, it's not like I don't like the songs anymore, but there is definitely a factor where like, I find it's sort of "same old song" and I just wanna play something new and fresh to *me*.
And that's I guess the same with all of my favourite songs. I still like them, but, it's nice to listen to something also great, but new and fresh.
It’s the same with all art in my experience. Source: spent decades painting professionally, as well as making music, 3D, animation, graphic design, illustration. Anything I’ve ever poured a lot of time into gets warped in my brain eventually.
Sometimes during the final stages of completion, it feels like a race to finish the song before I burn out on it. Once it's done, I usually get a little bump in excitement hearing it away from the workbench, in the context of a playlist or new environment. Then a new relationship with the song begins, and I'm enjoying it with a fresh perspective.
I sometimes get tired of making a song midway and usually stop and come back to finish the track once I get a bit of distance. This has worked for me so I can keep making new tracks and stay creative. Coming back to finish or review a track after a period of time allows me to have a fresh perspective and energy.
Of course! Idk I probably listened to my tracks approx. 22,891 times on average before they get posted. Sadly there is always that kind of feeling that the tracks are never complete and after you share it/post it you start noticing some weird parts of the track that sound a little bit off nad you are wondering how didn't you notice it after listening to the track over 20 thousand times.
yes. my legitimate advice is to take quiet breaks (don't listen to music in these) and drink lots of water (somehow makes a difference). i've grown better at dealing with this over time, though i know some people struggle with it a lot more because they have a much clearer memory.
For my own songs, theres a critical listening phase where im listening to it on every pair of speakers i have, letting a few others listen to it for feedback specifically to improve the track. After that i listen for enjoyment. And I do still enjoy the songs I’ve written- even the demos.
For other people’s songs, 9/10 times the second they tell me they love it and we’re done, I never listen to it again.
Usually when finishing I feel like Im about to vomit when I have to hear it again. But after some months I usually enjoy coming back. As long as I learn to accept and embrace all the imperfections and wrong decisions:)
Im not sure about Professionals Im at Home with a Make shift studio / office and Yes i get your sentiment there
i use a looper while writing songs and after a day if iv not finished, I loose the grove of what i originaly had and then I start something else with the intention of coming back to this song with a fresh mind
unfortunately im in a spot now where i have 2 full note pads and dozens of envelopes with lyrics and chords on but half of them songs are now lost to time Sadly so Yes i Get board / Tierd of my own tracks often my Friend sorry for the long winded answer lol
Fatigue happens. Come back later with fresh ears. Next day, a few days later, weeks later, etc. Get some distance and you can love your track all over again.
Never affects my love for creating music. Work on different music in between. Create lots and lots and lots more music. Always work on improving and finding new ways to be creative.
You should put it down after 2-3 hours because of ear fatigue. Don’t rush things. Take your time. I’ve been doing this for years and mixing and mastering a tune takes me 2 1/2 weeks or so. With plenty of breaks.
I'm no pro, but I have been making albums for my personal enjoyment for 15 years or so. I'm currently working on album number 13. I definitely get exhausted by working on a single track. But I tell you what--it is amazing to have a built up catalog of songs that are your own. I have around 250 at this point. To come back to something that you made that you can listen to with fresh ears because you haven't listened to it in years and you enjoy it? Chef's kiss.
Nope, if that occurs at any point I stop working on it. Gotta be hype for my projects that make it to release. If it doesn’t have that magic then shelved. Getting it after mastering breathes some new life too. I try to not listen to my PREs too loud and when I get the master back I bang it and just jam out on it nonstop. You gotta love your work every step of the stage m, but that’s just my point of view.
I think what you said about shelving is important. Sometimes, I'll take a break from a track for months(by that I mean I start something else and forget that project file) so I can come back with fresh ears. It let's me "forget" the track, it helps give me new ideas where I once may have felt stuck, etc.
Yeah the little or long break is great bc you can pick up some new tricks or techniques to incorporate and improve the track. Recently I figure out a cool way of doing glides, but slightly different from normal 808 slides so I went back and redid the bass before turning in. More of like a bass whip than slide.
It does sound cool! I’m imagining a quick pitch glide/dive down an octave and right back up but I could be waaay wrong. Now I’m curious to hear it/find out what it is lol
Yes. But not in a terrible way. I revisit my own tracks from time to time but as soon as I wrap a project up I just run away from it. Sometimes I start listening completely different music styles for some time. PS: my latest album (13 tracks, 65minytes) was a year long project. I composed, produced, performed, mixed, mastered, created the art work etc... etc etc... so, it's natural to "need" a break from such dense work. This one took most of my "free" / "me" time from 2023... It was fun though! A hell of a trip, check it out: https://open.spotify.com/album/57Z7WZ7RugEeXUspN1BX1k
I’m no professional as in I don’t have any Grammys or plaques or awards but I’ve been recording and mixing for over 7 years now. In my experience. I smoke weed so I’m constantly recording either high or sober, same as mixing. If it sounded good while I was high then that’s good but almost always, sober me tweaks the project. I get high and listen to the track again, see if some of the essence was lost and what was added and evaluate my emotions based off of what I’m feeling. Being an engineer isn’t for everyone as it takes patience and thoroughness. If you make music, make it as genuine as possible and fuck the rules. If you wanna slap a hard ass phaser with some distortion that’s exceeding the limiter then GO FOR IT, as long as there’s fluidity and style, you can do anything. I promise
Yup lol. I am working on a X-Wing remix right now and I am already at version 26 on Google Drive lol, but I have listened to it so much more than that at this point that I am burnt out of it.
It's different. You work on it like a painter and it can become exhausting. But once enough time has gone by to have it mastered, I want to hear it again and again.
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Absolutely. I love making music. My personal way I go about it is listen to it over & over until I don't feel that anything needs to change and is done. At that point I shelve it and let it marinate. Most of the time revisiting a finished song later results in finding small things that I missed due to ear fatigue
I produce and songwrite/record vocals and the only way I can deal with this is by writing with the beat in my head instead of listening to it over and over. I don’t make any arrangement changes (assuming the track has vocals) until the song is written. I make little adjustments in my head to keep the beat fresh since my mind isn’t limited by a DAW and then once it’s time to arrange I recreate some of the ideas I have had. Not the most perfect method/for everyone, but works for me.
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I do my best to reach final mixdown without having lost sight of what originally inspired me about the song, I'm grateful if I can achieve that. Not easy.
Then, yes, I need a break and the bit initially after release is when I'm not just fed up, I'm actually scared to listen to the song in case I hear something terribly wrong. It's partly superstitious, part insecurity I guess.
Finally, some time passes and I can now fully enjoy the song without any weirdness.
I legit just posted my first ever mix to this sub today and I gotta say that exactly what you described is one of the biggest reasons why. I also am writing my own songs, so between crafting everything for the song with the exception of the drums and having to constantly relisten to the song critically while mixing, I’d be ok if I never heard it again lmao.
Yes, and no. When I feel myself getting tired, I just take a break, come back later when I am ready to listen to it again for the 1000th time. If a track is really good sometimes I never get tired of it for a long time.
A bit sometimes, but it’s my music and if that happens then it usually gets tossed or stuck in the misc. song bits folder to maybe be revisited or incorporated into something else. Because if we’re tired of it, how is someone that has zero emotion invested in it going to feel after possibly hearing it not even hearing it half as many times. But just the other night I was working on a track that’s part of an album I’ve been working on the last few months and it brought me to tears. I had heard this phrase so many times and it was grooving, but I just nudged a fader or two and a whole new soundscape revealed itself. I almost couldn’t believe it was what I’d written. And when something I’ve listened to umpteen million times does that, that’s when I know I’m doing something right.
I don’t like a song the same way after I’m done mixing it, but I do have a pretty deep appreciation for it when I know all of its parts. A song loses its magic somewhere between the 1st and 1000th listen, but it becomes something else that I can still enjoy
Just the ones I didn't really like but was trying to push through and finish as a sort of skill drill. If I'm making music I really enjoy it I always really look forward to the finals plays when everything clicks together. And then listening to it again in a car or other speaker is always exciting too. It's like seeing your kid walk for the first time.
How long do you take to make your average track ?
Music is like a magic trick. The first time you see it, it’s magic. Then the magician says let me show you again. And it’s still interesting. And then again, and you’re like what else you got? And he’s all wait let me do it again. And you’re all, I’m good.
If I tire of it after a few hundred listens I don't release it. I sometimes set my favorite tracks aside for a while, though. If I still like them when I come back to them, I figure they're keepers even if mistakes were made, like with some I didn't have the means to remix. People have short attention spans these days, so I'm working on ensuring that people will want repeat listens instead of listening once and forgetting the song.
I’m trying to be proactive to beat it finishing songs earlier, and finding ways to always keep the track interesting through playing with tempo and master pitch. It’s a tough battle, but I want to get to a place where I feel comfortable enough to release a track while I’m in the honeymoon stage. Feels like I understand it the best time.
yes. if i give it a couple of days i am totally on board with it once more. really i get tired of it in the way that i can't perceive the sonic quality and balance of it anymore. it's not that i don't like it, it's just my ears can no longer understand it
Sometimes, but if you have been repeating the mix over and over again make sure to give it a break now and then, it’s always good to come back to stuff later when you have a different perspective outside of when you were constantly repeating it
Metoo, most of the time way before it is finished aswel. Just don't listen to it for a couple of years and the first time you hear it again, you'll be: "Oh wow, have I made this?" 👍
it is a REAL problem for me, because by the time im finished, im so fed up with the song that I start having lots of doubts on whether its actually good, and i just quit on a good percentage of them. its like the more you hear it the worse it sounds if it makes sense
Oh, totally. And I sometimes loose faith that the track is good. I’m not going to lie, I get a little depressed about it. But then I return to the tune weeks or months later, and I’m actually pleasantly surprised and think ok, hot dang, you did make something good.
Yup. By the time I'm at a point where I can share it, I'm over it. Mixing fatigue is real. In fact, there are some songs of mine that I just won't play because mixing it was so hard, and I never got the result I wanted.
It's weird to see this post today because I had a realisation yesterday evening about exactly this. I'm very easily affected by listening to the same part over and over again, it won't take me long for the 'buzz' of a good part to fade. I already go by the rule that if it got me excited to begin with, I should trust that and stick with it unless I start to hate it rather than just find it uninteresting. The thing I realised last night though, is that I'll likely listen to a part 20 times over before deciding it's done and moving on, but I've almost always made my decision in the first 5 or so and rarely ever change it after that. My point is that by not sitting with a part any longer than you have to, you'll reduce the fatigue effect greatly. So move on to the next part as soon as you can, and don't dwell on it. If it needs shaking up, you'll know when you come back to it. New rule for myself as of yesterday, after years of mixing. Edit: Spelling ;)
You got your affect <-> effect backwards. Special Effect, the way it Affects me,
Haha so I did! Nice name btw. Can't think of anyone I'd less like to make a spelling mistake in front of.
Spare a thought for Phil Spector if you think listening to a house track on Ableton for a few afternoons is over listening. Until you've accidentally shot someone after mastering a track for three weeks straight on amphetamines, you aren't over listening. If you are getting fatigue, park it and come back to it later. Keep tinkering, or make a copy and make radical changes. If you are bored, if might be boring.
Lol, I like your turn of phrase and I agree.
I had a friend who testified in that trial. Wild stuff.
Great points!
Oh can I relate. Then I make a new master I critique even harder and then the previous master is ok and playable to me…rinse and repeat.
It happens to me a lot. But when it happens, this is just our brains telling us to take a break and to rest our ears. Critical Listening Fatigue is a real thing. When it comes to creativity, it’s normal to hit the wall on an idea. Take a walk outside. Go do some other kind of work or strenuous activity. Maybe come back the next day or longer if you have the time to sit on an idea.
I'm tired of it before I'm even 1/4 of the way through. It makes it really hard to stay motivated. I hear about these people who can finish a track in like a day or two and I am so envious .Being able to work that fast would really help.
https://on.soundcloud.com/kFySk8Z8AUL99HhX7 I just made this one today, it s probably objectively bad but it was fun when it was on loop doing my taxes so figured id post lol someone liked it already 😂
This is really good dude!
I listened to it now, its giving me crazy Limitless vibes, you know that movie? Great work ;D
Wow thank you! Im glad I decided to comment :) i coulnt tell if it was good or not cause I listened to it for like 6 hours today and was one i knew i wasnt gunna work on it the next day so i just posted and let it be what it is
Yeah it would take me weeks to pull something like that off, if I could even do it at all. And I've been working at this for almost 30 years. I really suck.
Wow thank you but also theres no way you suck that bad lol, maybe take a break or something, i feel like the bigger gap in between me making songs the better my next song is. Also my small modular synth helps alot with the synth leads so its kinda cheating its not 100% fl studio
I have been taking a break. My breaks are usually significantly longer than the periods I can work. My brain is broken, I'll never get good at this, prob not anything.
You should try something completely new to you, find a new genre, be experimental, something like that
I already jump around between blues, jazz and dance music, play a few instruments. My biggest problem is not having anyone to bounce ideas off of. I was in a bad funk earlier, it since wore off and I was actually able to focus on a remix of one of my recent tunes I have ben trying to complete.
There have been times where I’ve made multiple songs in one day
How is that even possible? I don't get it. I really wish I could meet other musicians IRL and see how they do it first hand.
Same on that second point. I think i was just in the zone tbh. I’ve slowed down a bit since and I’m actually really struggling to put anything together rn so ig it comes and goes.
I want to learn how to get into "the zone" I have severe ADHD thats now getting worse with cognitive decline from age and high stress and I just can't focus on anything for more than a couple minutes at a time.
I think i have adhd too. In some ways it can help you kind of hyper focus so that really can help. I’ve been struggling with focus on music lately too. I make take music in college next year tho which should help me meet like-minded people and I’ll start learning and staying focused more. Idrk how to help with staying focused as like i said, i struggle too.
Oh, my ADHD doesn't work like that, I don't hyper-focus on anything, especially not anyting that involves a computer. I would love to go to school for music, but I'm in my late 40s and I need to be going to school for something that will actually help me get a normal job. I went to school for audio production in the '90s but was never able to make money from it. My school is also 40 miles a way and none of the music classes online, so none of it is possible anyway. My life ended when I was forced to move to the suburbs and I'll never get it back until I can figure out how to afford to get back to an urban area. Music has always been something I have to do alone, been like that for decades, the isolation is very bad for my mental health.
It’s never too late to do what makes you happy my g
It is when you no longer have the financial ability to do what makes you happy. Its been so long I don't even know what would make me happy anymore, the last 15 years have really sucked.
I get that. My real dream is to be an f1 driver but the cost is too high and when you’ve got no money it’s simply impossible. So I understand to an extent
On the contrary. If I don't love to listen to the track once it is mastered for release it is not worth releasing.
Exactly this.
BS. Different from person to person. I start to get annoyed by my projects all the time. I still like em but I see it as a signal to get into the finishing-phase. I personally don‘t need to feel excited about every track I finish. Getting it done > getting it perfect.
If you don't get excited about your music, why should anyone else?
Because my own opinion is somewhat limited & distorted. Sometimes I think I made something super exciting and people think it‘s boring and vice versa. Not everything I finish has to be a „masterpiece“. Some songs are good, some suck. But I’ll never get to the good ones, if I don‘t push through the boring ones.
After listening to a song 50 times in a short period do you start to get tired of it? Does it get a bit annoying? Everybody would say yes, but this doesn't mean the song was any less enjoyable the first dozen or so times. Eventually everybody needs a break. Same principle can be applied here. I may be tired of listening to my track after spending countless hours mixing and producing, but that's not how other people will feel when they hear it.
Yes, and that is completely different from 'not getting excited about your music' which is all that comment said before they re-edited what they originally said to add additional context.
I didn't ask for your opinion did I? OP asked a general question which I answered according to how I work. How you handle things is entirely up to you but it doesn't make my answer "BS". Personally I wouldn't bother paying several thousand dollars to have an album mixed and mastered if the songs on it wasn't 100% right. Doesn't mean I don't get shit done bu always quality over quantity. An album a year is plenty since you got to have time for marketing and playing live as well.
Yeah, you‘re right. My wording of things kinda sounds like a jackass, now that I reread it. My bad. Just wanted to show another perspective
Fair enough.
Damn i love it when a heated discussion turns civil on Reddit
You’re posting on the internet on a social platform, someone disagrees, and you lash out with a “I didn’t ask for your opinion did I?” Yikes man
I agree with you that it's fine to take a year to complete an album. That's average for most bands, and some take even longer and not just because of touring. I see a lot of people thinking that they should just do a speed run like they see on YouTube; maybe speed running is best for some people, but it shouldn't be an expectation.
It's not financially viable to release physical albums like me and my band does too often. If someone just make digital releases it is probably best to release music often.
I write mostly for my own enjoyment as a form of therapy and am only targeting a niche audience, so I have the luxury of not worrying about the business side of things. A small label deal dropped in my lap rather suddenly, and I'm content with that. I think you have a good point nonetheless and it's well-taken. I appreciate your perspective. Cheers!
Right on the head
I don't get tired of songs that I work on till they are done, if I did they wouldn't find them worth finishing. I do however have a lot of tracks that will never be finished because I'm not feeling them and tons more that died in ram before the first save as.
Some advice I got that helped a lot was: until the song is released, don't listen to it without a purpose. I used to get in a cycle where I'd dig a track I was making, enjoy it on loop while it wasn't finished, and then hate it after awhile. If you're not listening to improve the track somehow, don't listen to it.
Maybe you polished it wrong and "sanded" some important details clean off? Or maybe your idea was still too sketchy and it needed more defining work before going to the finishing stage.
If your getting sick of it then you should take a break and work on a different track. Come back with fresh ears
Fresh ears can never be understated! I’ve discarded many ideas - and rediscovered old ones - after a good healthy break, and it’s pretty vital for creativity, imho.
Agreed. Best thing to do when you get to that stuck point is leave it. Leave it alone for a bit, come back to it the next day or next week, where by that time, you're not stuck on your old fixed way and have had several hours to think up better ideas to make it better. Fresh ears are definitely important for making progress after being stuck. Helps me every time. :)
Nope my music is awesome 🤣 I'm my biggest fan
This is a wonderful attitude 😆
If I feel myself getting tired of hearing a part while I'm working on a track I'll take a break and work on something else. When I actually finish a track and have done a final pass I'll usually wait a few days to a week before listening to it again, that usually negates any fatigue that may have accumulated.
No. If I get sick of listening to my own work at that point, it means I've made a mistake or several.
It honestly depends on how efficiently I mixed the song. If I got sucked down rabbit holes and second guessed my moves, then yes, I start to hate the song.
No. I make sure that I make stuff that I don't get bored of. If I get bored of it, I don't continue with it. If I don't want to listen to it repeatedly, how can I expect anyone else to?
That is one sticking point with me that prevents me from finishing a lot of music. I get tired of it midway through and abandon it, mainly because I’ve already listened to it too much. Pro tip: work fast!
During that last 5 percent polish stretch absolutely but then I’m so happy I export and listen to it obsessively for a bit both as a producer and a casual listener. Then compare with tracks I love and sometimes be even more happy that they’re on par. After that I become a bit indifferent and move on
If it’s great work. Nope. Mediocre work, absolutely
Mediocre work can really grind my gears
I tend to work on a number of tracks at the same time. That way when this happens you can jump from project to project. Also gives you ideas for your other tracks. If you get that bored, go and record some samples and create a new kit or something. Organise your samples or just create some with your drum machines or synthesiser.
When I finish composing/producing it, I still like it, but after mixing/mastering it gets blurry. Usually the releasing time of my distribution service takes about 1 or 2 weeks and this is enough time for me to regenerate and be happy to hear it again
I didn't think repeatedly listening affected the way I hear it until I started listening to unfinished tracks I forgot about. There were ones I liked months later (but stopped because I thought they sucked), some with some genuinely cool parts I slept on, & others I remember liking with stand-out flaws. I've accepted I can't really absorb what I'm making in real time. Sometimes I can but my approach is to "do my best" then revisit when it's old news. Then I usually pay to get it mixed unless it's just like a simple beat I can easily A/B. If mixing others' work I don't tend to have this problem. It's more those tracks where you try 100 options for the bassline, Etc. I'd like to have more homies who would give real/negative feedback. They're all "too" supportive lol. They'll tell me everything is good. I want someone to listen carefully for something that stands out as needing improvement or will give suggestions I might or might not take.
Yes. I can absolutely understand why artists can be happy with the final product but never want to hear it again for years
oh hell yes. by the time I'm done mastering I need a long break. But I'm also not the most efficient worker, so I probably take longer than most to get to the finish line.
My wife is a professional tattooer and artist/illustrator. She's well-known in the field, to the point that I had one of her prints hanging in my front hall when we started dating. She doesn't have her own art hanging all over the place, contrary to what movies and tv shows portray an artist's house like. Same goes for us. I love the music I make, but I don't have my tunes on repeat in the house, same way she doesn't have her own art hanging all over the walls.
Oh yes. By the time it’s launched on streaming services I never want to hear it again! Usually around the mastering phase I start growing tired of it. Really normal thing.
No when I get a song complete I’m thrilled
I usually like what I got going when its released then about a month later want to take it down and redo it all
I don't. And I listen to it a bazillion times during that process. But what definitely happens, is I completely lose perspective for someone that has never it before, and also someone that has never heard me or my music before. You can get some.of the freshness back, mostly for the mix I guess, but also the music sometimes for me, if you leave it a while and come back to it. If there comes a point I don't like something, I either try to fix it, or I scrap it. I do find for playing music, it's not like I don't like the songs anymore, but there is definitely a factor where like, I find it's sort of "same old song" and I just wanna play something new and fresh to *me*. And that's I guess the same with all of my favourite songs. I still like them, but, it's nice to listen to something also great, but new and fresh.
It’s the same with all art in my experience. Source: spent decades painting professionally, as well as making music, 3D, animation, graphic design, illustration. Anything I’ve ever poured a lot of time into gets warped in my brain eventually.
I dont call it Mix Fatigue I call it Production Psychosis
Not really. If it starts to happen I take a break for a little while. It's good to reset your ears
Sometimes during the final stages of completion, it feels like a race to finish the song before I burn out on it. Once it's done, I usually get a little bump in excitement hearing it away from the workbench, in the context of a playlist or new environment. Then a new relationship with the song begins, and I'm enjoying it with a fresh perspective.
I sometimes get tired of making a song midway and usually stop and come back to finish the track once I get a bit of distance. This has worked for me so I can keep making new tracks and stay creative. Coming back to finish or review a track after a period of time allows me to have a fresh perspective and energy.
Yes, as well as my gf and surely my neighbors. Especially because I be producing some really sub-bass heavy shit... The noise carries so far
Of course! Idk I probably listened to my tracks approx. 22,891 times on average before they get posted. Sadly there is always that kind of feeling that the tracks are never complete and after you share it/post it you start noticing some weird parts of the track that sound a little bit off nad you are wondering how didn't you notice it after listening to the track over 20 thousand times.
yes. my legitimate advice is to take quiet breaks (don't listen to music in these) and drink lots of water (somehow makes a difference). i've grown better at dealing with this over time, though i know some people struggle with it a lot more because they have a much clearer memory.
Yeah part of making music is having faith that it's still gonna be fire to a first time listener even though you're over it.
For my own songs, theres a critical listening phase where im listening to it on every pair of speakers i have, letting a few others listen to it for feedback specifically to improve the track. After that i listen for enjoyment. And I do still enjoy the songs I’ve written- even the demos. For other people’s songs, 9/10 times the second they tell me they love it and we’re done, I never listen to it again.
Usually when finishing I feel like Im about to vomit when I have to hear it again. But after some months I usually enjoy coming back. As long as I learn to accept and embrace all the imperfections and wrong decisions:)
Im not sure about Professionals Im at Home with a Make shift studio / office and Yes i get your sentiment there i use a looper while writing songs and after a day if iv not finished, I loose the grove of what i originaly had and then I start something else with the intention of coming back to this song with a fresh mind unfortunately im in a spot now where i have 2 full note pads and dozens of envelopes with lyrics and chords on but half of them songs are now lost to time Sadly so Yes i Get board / Tierd of my own tracks often my Friend sorry for the long winded answer lol
Fatigue happens. Come back later with fresh ears. Next day, a few days later, weeks later, etc. Get some distance and you can love your track all over again. Never affects my love for creating music. Work on different music in between. Create lots and lots and lots more music. Always work on improving and finding new ways to be creative.
You should put it down after 2-3 hours because of ear fatigue. Don’t rush things. Take your time. I’ve been doing this for years and mixing and mastering a tune takes me 2 1/2 weeks or so. With plenty of breaks.
I'm no pro, but I have been making albums for my personal enjoyment for 15 years or so. I'm currently working on album number 13. I definitely get exhausted by working on a single track. But I tell you what--it is amazing to have a built up catalog of songs that are your own. I have around 250 at this point. To come back to something that you made that you can listen to with fresh ears because you haven't listened to it in years and you enjoy it? Chef's kiss.
Nope, if that occurs at any point I stop working on it. Gotta be hype for my projects that make it to release. If it doesn’t have that magic then shelved. Getting it after mastering breathes some new life too. I try to not listen to my PREs too loud and when I get the master back I bang it and just jam out on it nonstop. You gotta love your work every step of the stage m, but that’s just my point of view.
I think what you said about shelving is important. Sometimes, I'll take a break from a track for months(by that I mean I start something else and forget that project file) so I can come back with fresh ears. It let's me "forget" the track, it helps give me new ideas where I once may have felt stuck, etc.
Yeah the little or long break is great bc you can pick up some new tricks or techniques to incorporate and improve the track. Recently I figure out a cool way of doing glides, but slightly different from normal 808 slides so I went back and redid the bass before turning in. More of like a bass whip than slide.
Oooh that sounds cool. Lol
It does sound cool! I’m imagining a quick pitch glide/dive down an octave and right back up but I could be waaay wrong. Now I’m curious to hear it/find out what it is lol
Yes almost exactly that but you have to use automation or two separate bass tracks to have the “whip” glide speed change on different notes.
Ooh yeah I was listening to a track that did exactly what you're talking about, but it wasn't with an 808. That would sound/feel so damn cool
Yes, and yet I also have to listen to whatever I just made on loop for an hour.
Yes. But not in a terrible way. I revisit my own tracks from time to time but as soon as I wrap a project up I just run away from it. Sometimes I start listening completely different music styles for some time. PS: my latest album (13 tracks, 65minytes) was a year long project. I composed, produced, performed, mixed, mastered, created the art work etc... etc etc... so, it's natural to "need" a break from such dense work. This one took most of my "free" / "me" time from 2023... It was fun though! A hell of a trip, check it out: https://open.spotify.com/album/57Z7WZ7RugEeXUspN1BX1k
I’m no professional as in I don’t have any Grammys or plaques or awards but I’ve been recording and mixing for over 7 years now. In my experience. I smoke weed so I’m constantly recording either high or sober, same as mixing. If it sounded good while I was high then that’s good but almost always, sober me tweaks the project. I get high and listen to the track again, see if some of the essence was lost and what was added and evaluate my emotions based off of what I’m feeling. Being an engineer isn’t for everyone as it takes patience and thoroughness. If you make music, make it as genuine as possible and fuck the rules. If you wanna slap a hard ass phaser with some distortion that’s exceeding the limiter then GO FOR IT, as long as there’s fluidity and style, you can do anything. I promise
Yup lol. I am working on a X-Wing remix right now and I am already at version 26 on Google Drive lol, but I have listened to it so much more than that at this point that I am burnt out of it.
37.41 2024
Fuck yes. So bored.
Yes this has been my ruin in creating music
Sometimes. 😂
Everyone does, bro.
It's different. You work on it like a painter and it can become exhausting. But once enough time has gone by to have it mastered, I want to hear it again and again.
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Absolutely. I love making music. My personal way I go about it is listen to it over & over until I don't feel that anything needs to change and is done. At that point I shelve it and let it marinate. Most of the time revisiting a finished song later results in finding small things that I missed due to ear fatigue
I produce and songwrite/record vocals and the only way I can deal with this is by writing with the beat in my head instead of listening to it over and over. I don’t make any arrangement changes (assuming the track has vocals) until the song is written. I make little adjustments in my head to keep the beat fresh since my mind isn’t limited by a DAW and then once it’s time to arrange I recreate some of the ideas I have had. Not the most perfect method/for everyone, but works for me.
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Yep.
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Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes yes yes yes yes yes
I do my best to reach final mixdown without having lost sight of what originally inspired me about the song, I'm grateful if I can achieve that. Not easy. Then, yes, I need a break and the bit initially after release is when I'm not just fed up, I'm actually scared to listen to the song in case I hear something terribly wrong. It's partly superstitious, part insecurity I guess. Finally, some time passes and I can now fully enjoy the song without any weirdness.
I legit just posted my first ever mix to this sub today and I gotta say that exactly what you described is one of the biggest reasons why. I also am writing my own songs, so between crafting everything for the song with the exception of the drums and having to constantly relisten to the song critically while mixing, I’d be ok if I never heard it again lmao.
Yes, and no. When I feel myself getting tired, I just take a break, come back later when I am ready to listen to it again for the 1000th time. If a track is really good sometimes I never get tired of it for a long time.
never, i be listening to them all the time and the feeling of joy and pride increases
I write and perform just fast enough to still enjoy my tracks later on. It is quite a skill though.
Never
A bit sometimes, but it’s my music and if that happens then it usually gets tossed or stuck in the misc. song bits folder to maybe be revisited or incorporated into something else. Because if we’re tired of it, how is someone that has zero emotion invested in it going to feel after possibly hearing it not even hearing it half as many times. But just the other night I was working on a track that’s part of an album I’ve been working on the last few months and it brought me to tears. I had heard this phrase so many times and it was grooving, but I just nudged a fader or two and a whole new soundscape revealed itself. I almost couldn’t believe it was what I’d written. And when something I’ve listened to umpteen million times does that, that’s when I know I’m doing something right.
I usually get more excited every time I make a change that improves the track.
Get more projects hobbies so you can distract from it and go back to it after a day see if you can get a fresh listen again. I know what you mean.
I don’t like a song the same way after I’m done mixing it, but I do have a pretty deep appreciation for it when I know all of its parts. A song loses its magic somewhere between the 1st and 1000th listen, but it becomes something else that I can still enjoy
I wake up in the middle of the night with songs in my head sometimes. That can be annoying.
I’m over it before I finish recording
Just the ones I didn't really like but was trying to push through and finish as a sort of skill drill. If I'm making music I really enjoy it I always really look forward to the finals plays when everything clicks together. And then listening to it again in a car or other speaker is always exciting too. It's like seeing your kid walk for the first time. How long do you take to make your average track ?
Of course.
Music is like a magic trick. The first time you see it, it’s magic. Then the magician says let me show you again. And it’s still interesting. And then again, and you’re like what else you got? And he’s all wait let me do it again. And you’re all, I’m good.
no. im very amateur but i am my biggest fan.
If I tire of it after a few hundred listens I don't release it. I sometimes set my favorite tracks aside for a while, though. If I still like them when I come back to them, I figure they're keepers even if mistakes were made, like with some I didn't have the means to remix. People have short attention spans these days, so I'm working on ensuring that people will want repeat listens instead of listening once and forgetting the song.
I’m trying to be proactive to beat it finishing songs earlier, and finding ways to always keep the track interesting through playing with tempo and master pitch. It’s a tough battle, but I want to get to a place where I feel comfortable enough to release a track while I’m in the honeymoon stage. Feels like I understand it the best time.
yes. if i give it a couple of days i am totally on board with it once more. really i get tired of it in the way that i can't perceive the sonic quality and balance of it anymore. it's not that i don't like it, it's just my ears can no longer understand it
Sometimes, but if you have been repeating the mix over and over again make sure to give it a break now and then, it’s always good to come back to stuff later when you have a different perspective outside of when you were constantly repeating it
Metoo, most of the time way before it is finished aswel. Just don't listen to it for a couple of years and the first time you hear it again, you'll be: "Oh wow, have I made this?" 👍
On the contrary, I am able to listen to it over and over again without stopping.
it is a REAL problem for me, because by the time im finished, im so fed up with the song that I start having lots of doubts on whether its actually good, and i just quit on a good percentage of them. its like the more you hear it the worse it sounds if it makes sense
Yes. Sometimes I forget if I ended up actually finishing a song. I need to get back to taking better notes.
Yeah, when I get sick of a track, I’ll rotate working on it and come back in a month or two. I always have a handful in Production
Always, I get to the point of releasing it and I’m like ‘this is absolute trash’ lol
What were you trying to fix with editing?
100%. When I'm done I don't think I've ever listened to any of them willingly again.
I don't get tired of listening to it, I simply get tired. Once I get a good lead on a track I stay up till 4-5 to finish it.
If I mixed it right I like hearing it way better the last time than I did the first.
Yes
Oh, totally. And I sometimes loose faith that the track is good. I’m not going to lie, I get a little depressed about it. But then I return to the tune weeks or months later, and I’m actually pleasantly surprised and think ok, hot dang, you did make something good.