Music Producer's Nightmare: Are Your Ears Lying to You?
Stress can absolutely mess with your hearing game. It's not that your ears are going bad, it's that stress throws a whole wrench into how you perceive sound.
Hey there,
Have you ever cranked out a mix that you swear sounds incredible, only to come back the next day and wonder what on earth you were thinking? It's not your ears that are failing you (although long hours in the studio can take their toll!), it's stress that's affecting your ability to hear clearly.
I wish I'd realized this sooner:
Stress can completely screw up your perception of sound.
Let me tell you, I've been there. I was producing this one techno song with a friend—it kept us glued to the chair for hours.
I was a jittery mess at the final mixdown, convinced we'd got it right. But the whole thing sounded harsh and unbalanced when we came back the next day with fresh ears. Talk about frustrating!
Here's the thing:
Stress and uninterrupted use of your ears narrow your focus. When you're in fight-or-flight mode, your brain tunes out subtleties. Those delicate drum nuances, the perfect balance between kick and bass, get lost in the noise.
On top of that, decision fatigue sets in. …
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Learn Music Production, Mixing & Mastering to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.