Cannabis when mixing metal?

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Really?

This makes no sense to me at all.

Do you actually believe this is comparing apples to apples?

I don't care whether someone's life depends on the album I'm mixing or not, but I will take the job seriously enough to not do it under influence, just as I expect any other professional in any line of work to do.

 

[SocialNumb]

FWIW, I know a crap load of doctors that smoke weed. Yes, even on the job at times.

I think it depends largely on the person. For example, the docs I know, I couldn't tell they smoked at all. The same can sometimes be said for me depending on the amount I smoked.
Since I smoke everyday I have a good grasp on how much will do what. Smoking since 15 and not a "stoner" at all. I have my wits about me. Kinda of a "ying yang" to my anxiety problems.

A very little actually makes me "normal" for a while.

My comment is off topic, being that this is about mixing metal but OP didn't mention in what capacity, concerning professionals and hobbyist.

 

[John_C]

writing when stoned: yes

editing: i can think of better ways to spend happy time!

mixing: not a clue, never tried. I guess unfiltered creativity isn't necessarily what you want when your mixing

 

[arv_foh]

All ethical questions aside, it's unquestionable (in my opinion) that cannabis does change the way that you perceive and hear sounds... whether that is positive or negative and if it works for you is up for you to decide.

I tried it a few times and found that I made things overly bright because I didn't like it when stuff was "dull" sounding. I'd always give it a 2nd listen without, for sure.

I know a few bands that have worked with some pretty well known producers.. one of the guys called smoking weed "putting on his mixing ears"

 

[jipchen]

Seriously, why the fuck is every american smoking weed Yeah stereotype but every week or so a thread pops up of someone being stoned and all other guys are like "yeaaah me too". Either I'm completely missing out on the youth culture here or it's really a US (and also UK) thing.
I believe some.. well a lot of young people wheere I live have at least tried it, but I know perhaps 3 or 4 that get stoned regulary and they've always been known to be "those guys". Not like anybody judged it, but it sure as hell wasn't as normal as it seems to be on here.

I'm not trying to be a dick, it just surprises me. And it surprises me even more you guys are posting that shit online, a lot of you even with their real names.

 

[nialldoran]

I cant do it at all weed doesnt make me creative in any way it makes me lazy, id do it simply to relax and chill out, even alcohol hinders any form of creativity from me i have to be sober to do any form of work,

right now is a good example, i am half drunk right now getting ready to get worse cause its st paddys but earlier when i was on my first beer i was mixing as i felt the beer hitting me after a few i stopped mixing altogether saved the project, put on eagles of death metal and im about to get ready to party,

to sum up, for me weed and/or beer + creative process = NO NO

 

[Loki Laufeyiarson]

Seriously, why the fuck is every american smoking weed Yeah stereotype but every week or so a thread pops up of someone being stoned and all other guys are like "yeaaah me too". Either I'm completely missing out on the youth culture here or it's really a US (and also UK) thing.
I believe some.. well a lot of young people wheere I live have at least tried it, but I know perhaps 3 or 4 that get stoned regulary and they've always been known to be "those guys". Not like anybody judged it, but it sure as hell wasn't as normal as it seems to be on here.

I'm not trying to be a dick, it just surprises me. And it surprises me even more you guys are posting that shit online, a lot of you even with their real names.

Dude, even I (being Dutch) am kinda surprised at the amount of US-smokers here.

 

[blacK.eXe]

Seriously, why the fuck is every american smoking weed Yeah stereotype but every week or so a thread pops up of someone being stoned and all other guys are like "yeaaah me too". Either I'm completely missing out on the youth culture here or it's really a US (and also UK) thing.
I believe some.. well a lot of young people wheere I live have at least tried it, but I know perhaps 3 or 4 that get stoned regulary and they've always been known to be "those guys". Not like anybody judged it, but it sure as hell wasn't as normal as it seems to be on here.

I'm not trying to be a dick, it just surprises me. And it surprises me even more you guys are posting that shit online, a lot of you even with their real names.

Well - you live in Bavaria

No really - I live in Germany, too and at least 50% of all the people i know (not just young people, also parents, people who are 50+ etc.) do it (and Im not a "stoner" - I smoke weed every few months). Also they are not known as "those guys". They work hard, go to school and live normal lives, like example a person who likes a glass of wine in the evening. My first stay in Bavaria was very shocking, you described the situation perfect .In the US there are some states who allow cannabis for medical treatment and from what I´ve heard (can anybody confirm this?) it is not toooo hard to get your "pot license" :Smokin: So I think it´s nothing special that a lot of people on here post about it

 

[FireStorm Studios]

I don't care whether someone's life depends on the album I'm mixing or not, but I will take the job seriously enough to not do it under influence, just as I expect any other professional in any line of work to do.

I'm not to say where the line should be drawn but it should be somewhere. You can't lump everyone in and say no professional should smoke weed.
Have you ever been to a metal show? Do you believe all of these professionals are all sober? Black Sabbath did shrooms on stage sometimes. Do you expect your bartender to serve shots all night and not hit a few back themselves?
All I'm getting at is that if you know yourself and keep in control AND your not a doctor, then what is the big deal?
Sometimes I smoke with my clients and sometimes I tell them "I'll pass" cause I want to focus in better. Just depends on the day and the task at hand.

 

[mmmatthew]

Well I'm glad to see I'm not the only one haha

The people saying "smoking weed equals not taking the job seriously" are missing the point completely. The question is...does it help you take audio production more seriously? Or does it not? Do you find it helps your interpretation of the project better or not? The clients care about the end result. You are not better or worse if you smoke down or if you dont. What is you preference? Does it help you or distract you?

For me I am only stoned during the mixing stages when I am alone (usually). Never high when tracking or other people are around. Only cannabis and never alcohol, does not help at all ever.

Cannabis helps my mind interpret the frequency spectrum...not exactly sure how to explain it, but I can really shape up sounds better via subtractive eq, etc. It is also very helpful in focusing my mind on the task at hand. All outside distractions are completely forgotten and I can concentrate soley on my mix.

 

[BlackSA]

I can't be creative when I'm influenced by alcohol or weed. I tried it a couple of times but when I listened or tought about the stuff I did then, I wasn't so sure anymore, that THIS is going to be 21st centurys hit

Also when I was stoned (smoked my last joint about 4 years ago and before that I didn't smoke pot like 3 years) I always started to look in the air for about 30 minutes and did nothing else ("Film schieben" in German). Could be kinda difficult to mix in this situation Don't know if that staring thing is normal but I kinda got afraid of the effect of smoking pot, so I stopped it.

 

[006]

When are you negative nancy's going to learn that weed affects everyone differently. Instead of having this holier-than-thou attitude like your shit doesn't stink fucking realize that some people can get along doing shit while high with no problem. Just because someone is smoking weed while working doesn't mean they aren't taking their work seriously. To you maybe, but as someone that does smoke while working - I definitely take my job seriously so fuck you and fuck off. Ignorant assumptions on something you have no fucking clue about.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Do people in the states smoke more weed than, say europe?

 

[plague_rider]

Occasional Jack n Coke can if i'm mixing recreationally... but not for serious mixing...

consider this... PCP when mixing jazz.....

 

[Star Ark]

If you're an every day smoker and rely on it for sleep then you are better off smoking as you mix. Smoke enough weed for long enough and you need it to feel normal.

If you're just a casual smoker I wouldn't suggest it as weed to an every now and then smoker is very potent and mixing could be really hard.

 

[jipchen]

Well - you live in Bavaria

No really - I live in Germany, too and at least 50% of all the people i know (not just young people, also parents, people who are 50+ etc.) do it (and Im not a "stoner" - I smoke weed every few months). Also they are not known as "those guys". They work hard, go to school and live normal lives, like example a person who likes a glass of wine in the evening. My first stay in Bavaria was very shocking, you described the situation perfect .In the US there are some states who allow cannabis for medical treatment and from what I´ve heard (can anybody confirm this?) it is not toooo hard to get your "pot license" :Smokin: So I think it´s nothing special that a lot of people on here post about it

Haha, wow. Interesting, why would it be so different? But I guess it also depends on which people you're hanging out with (don't get me wrong, I just know a number of people who are straight edge, that's what I mean) and most probably there are a number of people who smoke weed without me knowing it - which is of course perfectly fine

When are you negative nancy's going to learn that weed affects everyone differently. Instead of having this holier-than-thou attitude like your shit doesn't stink fucking realize that some people can get along doing shit while high with no problem. Just because someone is smoking weed while working doesn't mean they aren't taking their work seriously. To you maybe, but as someone that does smoke while working - I definitely take my job seriously so fuck you and fuck off. Ignorant assumptions on something you have no fucking clue about.

Well, I said nothing against people smoking weed if you're reffering to me, but I also expect other people to do their job without being on drugs - no matter what drug.
The alcoholic also takes his job seriously and you'll not even notice he's drunk - hell he might even work as good as other people without alcohol.. I still don't want an alcoholic to repair my car for example. And no matter in what way weed accects you, you're still on drugs and you will most probably have less self-assessment (and do not tell me this is isn't the case because how the fuck would you be able to judge it while you're on drugs)
Mixing is one thing and "mistakes" won't be as bad as those of a doctor etc, but mistakes happen even without drugs and with drugs.. well they tend to happen more often.

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

No drugs or alcohol when mixing anything.

I know some people have different tolerances and all, but I seriously can't understand how can someone keep a great perspective with drugs in their system.

 

[Line666]

When are you negative nancy's going to learn that weed affects everyone differently. Instead of having this holier-than-thou attitude like your shit doesn't stink fucking realize that some people can get along doing shit while high with no problem. Just because someone is smoking weed while working doesn't mean they aren't taking their work seriously. To you maybe, but as someone that does smoke while working - I definitely take my job seriously so fuck you and fuck off. Ignorant assumptions on something you have no fucking clue about.

Depends a lot on the blend as well, anything indica heavy pretty much means I wouldn't be moving anywhere at all whereas I can operate pretty easily on a sativa dominant strain.

For a job where no ones personal safety is threatened and the results are going to be satisfactory I'd have absolutely no problem with it. The "I wouldn't let someone fix my car high" argument has no virtue because it takes into account personal safety and not just the quality of the services rendered.

For something purely cosmetic like audio engineering I'd have no problem with people doing whatever on the job if the results were up to standard because if not then you can always go somewhere else; if you crash your car and injure yourself because of someone elses incompetence then you don't have that option.

 

[arv_foh]

http://cannabis-med.org/data/pdf/2002-02-1.pdf

"Cannabis seems to act as a psycho-acoustic enhancer, exciter, equalizer, or attentuator, used in modern recording studios, making sounds more transparent and sound sources more distinct. Greater spatial separation of sound sources and perceptions of more subtle changes in the sound were other characteristic cannabis effects in Tart’s study (Tart 1971)."

Just throwing that out there...

 

[Terminus]

Dont smoke or drink at all (anymore, used to do it alot but it got old), probably wouldn't appreciate people doing it around me, especially when recording. I know it sounds cliche but I really do appreciate many things more now that I am stone cold sober. You lose focus when you put substances in your brain, whether you think it or not.