Audio Production

Balance is Key

November 25, 2008 No mixing pun intended. Seriously. Maybe a little...

Anyway, one of the hardest parts about being in this line of work is knowing how to balance it with your personal life.  Sure, we’ve all had the marathon sessions where we’ve spent an hour and a half tweaking the buss compressor across the drum mix or half a day doing vocal rides. While that’s fine and is a testament to our dedication as audio professionals who settle for nothing less than perfection, knowing when to back away and take time for yourself is just as critical to the outcome of a project.

I’ve been lucky enough that outside of my main engineering gig at the New England Conservatory, most of my freelance work is mixing—so I can do a lot of work from home. Still, I tend to find myself working until 2am most nights then get up at 6:30am for a 9am orchestra recording. It’s either that or I’m doing live sound or recording a concert until 10pm after working at home all morning. After a while, 16-20 hour days start to take their toll. While the end product usually doesn’t suffer, I find it takes longer to complete mixes, as I need to take more breaks during a session to keep my ears fresh. While sometimes I don’t have a choice because of deadlines and client expectations, when I can dictate my schedule, I get as far away from the audio world as I can.

While I have my preferred methods to help me relax and take an “audio detox”, the real trick is to deliberately set aside time to get out, spend time with family and friends you haven’t  seen in weeks, take a day trip to a state park, go to a museum, or what have you.

After being away for a weekend, a day, or even just an afternoon, I find that I have a fresh perspective on my projects and can complete them more efficiently ... which benefits both the client and me. Getting into a routine that allows you to have time for yourself is incredibly beneficial for your professional side, in terms of efficiency and endurance, but more importantly for your personal physical and mental health.

I want to be able to still have a career in audio in 50 years and to do that, taking care of my body and mind now in my youth is the key to that future.

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