Ever felt burnt out with a mix/client?

[Mattayus]

How do you cope with it?

Currently mixing an album that I've just heard too much because the project is taking so long to come to fruition. The client keeps changing their mind about what they actually want, I keep walking away from it, tearing it down, starting from scratch, doing all the usual routine shit for when you start to feel like you've had enough, and none of it is working.

It doesn't help that I'm really not digging the music either. I just don't care enough to put my heart into it any more, and that's a horrible feeling. You can't always land on your feet with clients, some of it's gonna be shit, but lately I've had some seriously badass bands to work with, and I think that hasn't helped in this case, because they've come along whilst this is still ongoing, and they've been enjoyable, fun to work on, and the results were great.

For example I'm mixing this instrumental metal stuff too right now and it's really fun to work on because it's got lots of energy, and then when I'm done I've gotta work on this bullshit and I'm just struggling to find the inspiration

 

[blue_fAng]

I'm in the same boat as you right now, I'm about to tell them to work with someone else

 

[Line666]

I paid to not have to record a band recently due to knowing I was going to be in a similar position - mixing is hard enough when its something you like.

 

[FarBeyondMetal]

Been there, it sucks. You either have to suck it up and power through the project or hand over all the work you've done. No other options really

 

[Sloan]

Just do it the best you can, you will grow stronger.

 

[UncleBob]

Been there a few times, going through that RIGHT now at the moment, I just plough through it, the reward is sometimes you struggle so hard to make it work that you end up coming up with some good tricks that you otherwise wouldn't of had you been working on decent stuff, but if there's none of that then it's usually just a "paying job"....which kind of sucks.

I end up approaching those as a challenge to see how far I can distance it from it's original bullshit, rather than trying to make it "good", I rather see how much I can make it suck less. If I can make quite an improvement, even if the end result still blows, then I "succeeded" in a way.

Treat it as a game basically.

 

[Glenn Fricker]

I did one project for two years before I walked away. At some point you have to say, "this isn't working" and call it quits. Learn from your mistakes & never repeat them.

Granted, in 15 years, it's been the ONLY project I've ever quit. It was a case of knowing no matter how hard you tried, it still wasn't going to be good enough for the band.

 

[Mattayus]

Cool, glad to hear I'm not the only one haha. This has happened before, but not quite to this extent, and I've always pulled something out my ass in the end to make it likeable, but this is easily the most difficult I've ever faced. Bad file quality, iffy playing, musically uninteresting... it's all working against me at once. I'll give it another week and if it doesn't come together I'll have to say something

 

[jangoux]

I have a client doing a record for over a year (17 songs) and one that the mix is stalled for more than a year. Feel the excitement on my veins! :/

 

[Mattayus]

oh ok, fuck, now mine doesn't feel so ridiculous since it's only been a couple of months. I have had them drag for longer, but, again, it was better music, and that was more to do with the client not being ready to finalise it yet, rather than them just being exhaustingly picky.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Yes definitely.

Project consisted of having every bit of my input shut out for stupid ideas. Like running the amp full gain on rhythm tracks (mesa boogie DR, and yes it sounded just as shit as you would think), putting strings over the acoustic guitar and fuzzed out shitty mesa tracks at the same octave and then copying them into the rest of the octaves and then expecting to hear everything perfectly. Yes that is correct, acoustic and electric and fake strings all playing the exact same shit.

Playing 16th note kicks on an 8 min long song for mins on end. Doing a mix and having it rejected (knowing that it would) due to horribly sloppy and rushed playing.


The whole thing fucking sucked. Thank God it was just a 2 banger, no way I could do an entire record of that shit.

 

[Mago]

Limited number of mixing revisions, then charge by the hour. Makes working on stuff that isn't as good as some other stuff you worked on a bit easier.

Sounds like a the band doesn't know what they want situation...had that once, and it sucks.

 

[Drummerrrrr?]

Mattayus, how long have you bee working on it for?

 

[Mashreef]

i worked with a band they took 1 year to complete a single song which sucks anyway haha
at first i was very exited about it.. than "Ezmix" done the mix not me