Two questions about ear fatigue

smoothassilk

Active Member
VIP Junglist
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
So, I've been working on a track for a long time.
I ended up pretty happy with it but I reckon it's only because I've been through it so many times I can't hear the bad parts anymore.

So:
1. How do you guys stop yourself getting ear fatigue with a project that takes a long time?

2. What specifically is wrong with this track? I really badly need a fresh pair of ears

 
Just quit the project for a while. Focus on another project, stop producing for a few days, just don't listen to the track for a while.

On the track: the whole mix needs a bit more cohesion. Everything sounds like a separate sound now, try the mend it all together
 
i'm listening a bit quieter than usually and turn it up only from time to time to make sure it sounds the way i want it to sound when
it's played loud
also take breaks: ~every 30-60 minutes for 5-10 minutes
also i rather work on 3 songs for an hour each than 1 for 3 hours...

when doing something that does not require audio (e.g. searching for a lost plugin or whatever...)
stop the audio (you don't concentrate on it anyway...)
i sometimes find myself tabbing into chrome and looking something up for 5 minutes while i have a snare drum hit looping
in the background at a rather high volume... you definitly want to avoid that :D

Edit: also stand up and listen to your song from a few meter behind the desk or even from another room + switch off your screen while doing so to gain a bit more objectivity...
 
Just quit the project for a while. Focus on another project, stop producing for a few days, just don't listen to the track for a while.

On the track: the whole mix needs a bit more cohesion. Everything sounds like a separate sound now, try the mend it all together
That's a new one on me: How?
 
That's a new one on me: How?

You mean the second point I'm guessing?
I'm not really sure why it feels that way. It just sounds like the different elements are to digital I guess, I think there's not enough organic or analogue stuff happening to mend everything together. Nothing is interfering, everything had it's place and that's good, but still, it might give the adhesion as a result.
Maybe some fx, white noise, reverbs, stuff might help. I'm really not sure though, it might just be me too
 
You mean the second point I'm guessing?
I'm not really sure why it feels that way. It just sounds like the different elements are to digital I guess, I think there's not enough organic or analogue stuff happening to mend everything together. Nothing is interfering, everything had it's place and that's good, but still, it might give the adhesion as a result.
Maybe some fx, white noise, reverbs, stuff might help. I'm really not sure though, it might just be me too
Maybe this is where 'glue compression' comes in...the other thing that strikes me is that I could add some background noise, like ocean waves or vinyl noise or something, just very subtly
 
Maybe this is where 'glue compression' comes in...the other thing that strikes me is that I could add some background noise, like ocean waves or vinyl noise or something, just very subtly

Some compression might help yea.
And yes, that's something i do in all my track recently, grab a vinyl crack, ocean stuff, of like city ambient sound and high pass it. A lot. And it give a bit of high end rustle and a 'real feel'. Nu:tone mentioned this in his masterclass
 
This very much indeed - also you can have incredible phasing issues and stereo image going all nuts which is why I avoid it aswell.

edit: avoid master reverbs aswell*

Yeah that's why Ozone took the Reverb off their latest product I think. Voxengo Span is good to check phasing - also any good Goniometer should show it. Failing that, check your mix in Mono.
 
in response to the original question and to back up what some people said already.

- always if your producing for a long time have the volume at a decent level, meaning not enough to piss off your girlfriend/mum ext
- take regular breaks from the song so you don't get to used to what your hearing. supposedly it takes the hairs in your ears 1 week to return to normal after being bombarded by certain frequencys so eather work on another track or take a few days off.

from a mixing point of view:

- its good from time to time to put your volume so low you can only just hear the track. when you do this if you can hear the key points of the track then you know they need turning up in the mix. or on the flipside you can realy tell if a certain part is way to loud.
a similar method can be done where you turn you music up and listen to it from outside you room. ( it gives you a different perspective on the mix )

as far as your track is now.

i like it but i think your drums could be mixed a little better. maybe the kick need more low end on it.
also the guitar sounding synch at the start to me seems very loud compared to the rest at points, it might be worth putting some compression on it or it that doesn't work maybe try doing some volume automation to the high peaks.

Hope that has helped and i haven't gone on to much :p

Ben
 
Back
Top Bottom