{"id":83735,"date":"2021-02-12T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=83735"},"modified":"2022-08-19T13:00:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T12:00:13","slug":"top-ways-to-avoid-ear-fatigue-while-producing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/top-ways-to-avoid-ear-fatigue-while-producing\/","title":{"rendered":"4 ways to avoid listener fatigue in music production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Time to get to know the signs and symptoms of ear fatigue and how to avoid it while mixing your music tracks.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What is ear fatigue? When you\u2019re producing<\/a> a track, often a better mix happens earlier on in the process \u2013 and the longer a song is worked on, the worse that mix gets. That\u2019s because your poor old ears are tired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long hours in front of your DAW <\/a>can lead to ear fatigue<\/strong>, otherwise known as listener or listening fatigue. It’s a loss of listening accuracy that happens after listening to or working with audio especially at high volumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You lose focus, everything starts to sound like a blur of noise, and without realising it you\u2019re making bad mixing <\/a>decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily there\u2019s plenty of advice<\/a> available to spot the symptoms and avoid ear fatigue, including these four top tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Always rest your ears before doing a final mix<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t mix at the end of the day, especially after working on other recordings. Save your mixing<\/a> for first thing the next morning when your ears have had a chance to rest. Equally, don\u2019t be afraid to set your mixing aside for a day or two to return with a fresh mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What volume should I mix at?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

OK, so your song<\/a> sounds awesome, but avoid the temptation to work on your beats at a loud volume for a sustained period of time. Curb your enthusiasm and mix<\/a> at a lower volume. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change the volume and you often find your ears adjust and pick out the little details in frequency<\/a> you might have missed. You\u2019re also risking damage to your ears if your monitors are really loud, and it\u2019ll tire your ears faster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How loud is too loud? Although it is important to crank it up briefly when you need to check the mix, generally try and keep things at a level where you can hold a conversation without raising your voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Take a break<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to step away from your music when you\u2019re in a flow. This is especially true if you\u2019re recording at your home studio<\/a> where you\u2019re your own boss. But give yourself a break once in a while. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indulge in 10 minutes of silence an hour and you\u2019ll trade it for an extra hour of productive work afterwards. You\u2019ll notice that parts of the song <\/a>you thought were fine actually aren\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re on a deadline, try and avoid mixing right up to the wire, which can take away the chance to rest and reassess your project before you save it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Use open back headphones for mixing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sound is more realistic and clearer through open back headphones<\/a> \u2013 over-ear headphones<\/a> that are covered with a grille which allows air to pass through the ear cups and speakers. You can hear more detail and cross-feed between the ears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re also key to avoiding ear fatigue, as air pressure is pushed outwards rather than right into your ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n