Don't listen; feel
I think that a lot of people who talk about music production and engineering focus on the wrong thing.
There’s a lot of emphasis on how things sound. And, sure, on one level, that makes intuitive sense? Recordings are made of sound.
What I’ve learned in my work, though, is that it’s more important for me to focus on how things feel.
In this way, working on a mix or a master has become almost a meditative practice for me. I used to spend so much time focusing, and thinking extra hard, kind of almost sometimes obsessing about sonic details.
These days, when I’m working, I try to clear my mind. To listen without judgment or expectation. And to focus on what I’m feeling about the thing I’m listening to. And then I work to identify where there are moments where the feeling that I’m having is disrupted, or feels disruptive, and to address those.
Sometimes the things that move me the most aren’t particularly hi-fi.
And sometimes things that move me the least are incredibly good-sounding.
Heart first — jamie