Today while working on my newest track I was having a tough time trying to get certain elements to fit within the mix. I had been working on the track all day and it sounded somewhat decent. I decided it was time to take a break.
2 hours later I come back with a fresh set of ears. Suddenly it becomes BLATANTLY obvious which elements of the track didn't fit and which ones did. I removed the ones that didn't fit because it was obvious that they just sounded forced and awkward.
I'm just amazed by how after listening to something for so many times on repeat you become sort of tone deaf to what sounds good and what sounds bad. I'm beginning to realize that the very best time to make a change or check a track for errors is the first time you listen to it after taking a break. After taking a long break it's like the "errors" just POP out right in my face. It becomes clear what needs to be done and progress is made faster than if I were to sit there tweaking an element trying to get it to fit within a mix down.
Can anyone else relate?
It's almost like the more you listen to something on repeat the faster your ability to differentiate between what sounds good and bad starts to deteriorate.
