The Dark Side of Audio Engineering
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2023
- Don't sacrifice your life on the altar of your studio career...
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Website: hardcoremusicstudio.com
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MY FAVORITE GEAR:
Computer / Interface:
Mac M1 Studio Max sweetwater.sjv.io/anOMOo
Avid Carbon sweetwater.sjv.io/ZQ6M6g
Apogee Duet 3 sweetwater.sjv.io/y2qXqb
Monitors / Headphones:
Avantone CLA-10a sweetwater.sjv.io/WqyMyZ
Audio Technica ATH-M50 sweetwater.sjv.io/PyOMON
Microphones:
Shure SM57 sweetwater.sjv.io/daOMy7
AKG D112 sweetwater.sjv.io/Kj0MBy
Sennheiser e604 sweetwater.sjv.io/DKyvWa
Shure SM7b sweetwater.sjv.io/5g5vk3
AKG C451b sweetwater.sjv.io/jre9Rv
Shure SM81 sweetwater.sjv.io/eK1LnD
Audio Technica AT4050 sweetwater.sjv.io/JzKMqr
Preamps/Outboard:
API 3124 sweetwater.sjv.io/eK1LRD
EL8 Distressor sweetwater.sjv.io/XYmMd4
Favorite Plugins:
BSA Clipper blacksaltaudio.com/clipper
Escalator blacksaltaudio.com/escalator
Low Control blacksaltaudio.com/low-control
Waves SSL Bundle waves.alzt.net/dMd4q
Waves CLA Compressors waves.alzt.net/0va0P
Waves Platinum waves.alzt.net/jxz2M
Slate Trigger 2 sweetwater.sjv.io/MmAM53
SoundToys Rack sweetwater.sjv.io/xkLgyd
Auto-tune Pro sweetwater.sjv.io/OreMYr
Vocalign Project sweetwater.sjv.io/xkLgyA
Cranesong Phoenix II sweetwater.sjv.io/PyOMrz
Instruments / Amps:
Ludwig Black Beauty Snare sweetwater.sjv.io/1r9vDR
Gibson Les Paul sweetwater.sjv.io/B0nvz1
Evertune Guitars sweetwater.sjv.io/WqyM6P
Fender Jazz Bass sweetwater.sjv.io/nLX5R6
Sansamp Bass Driver DI sweetwater.sjv.io/OreM9Q
EVH 5150 sweetwater.sjv.io/4PGvr9
Mesa 2x12 cab sweetwater.sjv.io/75avGA - Hudba
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To be fair this story could be any job. Eating crap food, overworking, and poor life balance isn't limited to the audio world. Thanks for sharing!
No. The pressures in the music industry are great. I've worked in a recording studio.
@@MyRackley Never said the pressure wasn't great. I was adding I've seen a similar pattern in my friends with office jobs. It is easy to cut corners in lifestyle when you work a demanding job.
I totally agree. There are thousands of similar stories coming from remote software engineers, for example. Or from virtually any freelancer working with a computer.
nah its a passion most jobs art like that
Especially true for business owners..
This is when a studio becomes a coffin. Been there. But there's no dark side of engineering. It's just understanding work-life balance, quality of life, and better business sense. Fully appreciate you sharing it. Others need to hear it. 😊
There's a dark side to everything. Don't undercut someone's personal journey to try to be "helpful"
@thesoundmajors9858 its not undercutting. it's affirming but gaining clarity. Engineering is a process. The connotation of 'darkness' is an attribution of the person's experience. The journey or narrative is altered by the discovery of better life choices. Don't jump in when you don't have the expertise to appreciate the issue at a deeper level.
I knew a freind of a friend who ended up getting his dream job as a engineer in a studio. It ended up killing his passion for music, it's took him a decade to start his own music again. A lot of a commercial studio is working on music you don't really like...
@@powerchord8971arguing that there isn’t a dark side, is obviously part of the dark side mate.
“There is no dark side of ‘engineering’ really. It’s all dark.”
You've pretty much just described my life for about 10 years. Running a small studio, doing 10 hour days, 7 days a week and starting to dread sessions. About 7 years ago, I took a step back, did fewer sessions, ruled out ever working with rappers and became more picky about the jobs I took on. I can now have a life again.
This is great advice for all small business owners, I went thru all of this as well, as a Plumbing Contractor
I'm there right now. Was dropped from my label/publisher some months ago. Have been producing music full time for six years and I no longer have the motivation, drive or even desire to make music anymore. It's been incredibly hard to accept this burnout and I'm now stepping back from music for a while. Will get a "normal" job and have music as my hobby, until I have that fire and drive back. I'm scared it won't ever happen again, me working with music this way, but I know nothing is impossible and my main focus now have to be stability and health. Really sucks tho since I always identified so intensly with being "the producer".
So so true mate. 5 years ago I cut my working hours down by half. I only work with artists who I want to. I spend lots of time walking and cycling. I eat healthily and never, ever spend more than 8 hours at a time in the studio.
Granted; I don’t make as much money but I’d much prefer good health, happiness and time with my family than more money!
Great vid as always.
This video is pure magic! And these standards go alongside almost any business. I was in the same boat as Jordan yet in the fitness business. I worked from 5am-9pm almost every day, I started hating exercise. Hating interacting with people and had no life. That’s the definition of a struggle. Not success Boundaries are the key to a happy life of longevity!
All the stuff you describe has nothing to do with audio engineering. It's just being over-worked and not taking care of yourself. This happens in almost all lines of work. Good to see you got better!
I said pretty much the same thing in a comment earlier today, but not as nicely. Characterizing this sort of thing as the "dark side" of audio engineering (or any other profession) is super dramatic and clickbaity. This is the first of this dude's videos I've seen, and it didn't make a great first impression.
@@fclefjefff4041 We love as humans to create narratives that we're somehow victims of something exterior. Put blame on someone or something else. That's way easier than taking responsibility. I've done it myself. But it's most often just a bunch of BS.
as someone who over the last 2+ years have been on a journey to fix a lot of stuff that went wrong because i only focused on my career, all of this is just so critically important. i let myself get to 300 pounds, worked 14+ hours a day. Now today, i'm 130+ pounds lighter, i work no more than 8 hours, 5 days a week, workout regularly, eat actual real food! And by talking about any of this stuff is NOT showing you as a hypocrite. No, in fact it's demonstrating strength, and the ability to change course which so many people just refuse to do. The fixation on doubling-down on mistakes, missteps and miscalculations is quite disappointing to see in this time we are in. So yeah, eyes open wide and right the ship! Good for you! More people *need* to hear this from more people. Over and over again.
Thanks! And stoked to hear about your transformation
"I was living the dream but it wasn't fun." I feel you man. Hope things get better for you. At least it's good to be aware. Just do what works out for you the best.
In my mid 20s I had my studio essentially bought out by someone with access to millions and was tasked to run a multi-million dollar studio. I hated it. I worked all day, everyday, had no friends or personal life, and was surrounded by messed up people who just tried to take advantage of me. I walked away and have never regretted it.
in many ways this is my life right now
@@Lilregpack A job is still a job.
@@cf5914 yea in a decent place, but man running a studio sucks, and the people that make and mangae music are horrible people generally
@@Lilregpack yes! I found that the people were terrible the higher I climbed the ladder the worse they got.
Thanks for being open; there's a lot of value to learn from your story!
Man this kind of message is why I keep coming back to this channel. It’s so important for any passion, not just music production, and it’s a side of things that so often gets overlooked. This channel is an absolute goldmine. Jordan, sir, you are doing some really incredible work here, I salute you.
I totally agree ... I lost my family to studio life because I simply did not have the time for them... Strangely today at 56 I still go for it, make a lot of money and donate most of it to the needy.... I simply love, what I do... there is no dark side for me today... just a shade of Grey.... But a super video Bro...the younger generation needs this ... in this fast paced world ... (wish I had this advice 20 years ago) thank you.
Well done! a very important video also for music producers & artists
I recently walked out of a 3 Years career as a "Ghost producer" for other DJs. Also after doing a "jerk move" on an artist while working on his project (it was around 70 % done) because i had a burnout and couldn't even force my self to complete the project. after losing the passion for what i thought my dream job would be, I had to move on to a different career. I'm currently studying to become a programmer. and now after taking a break from music and starting to look at it as a fun hobby and an art form instead of a way to make a full time living, i'm starting slowly to enjoy making my own music and performing live again. I feel other artists who want to make their art a full time career need to see this, be careful of what you're getting into, for me often working a boring part-time job with a stable income was less frustrating than doing projects with wrong-fit clients who request endless revisions and drain your mental & creative energy. You just have to find your own balance.
sorry for the long comment and bad English lol
greetings from Germany 😀
Completely agree with all of us. I recently left a job at a studio due to similar reasons. Working 12-16 hours a day for 7 days a week for the past 5 years. Sometimes we get caught up in the end goal we want but don’t look at the life we end up creating. Leaving that job has brought me clarity and fun back to music. I love audio engineering and music production. But, I love the feeling we get from music even more.
One day I lost it and walked out of the studio and never went back. I couldn't even listen to music for 15 years! You did better than I did! Thanks for the share.
Great video, as I’m right now in the middle of sorting new habits in the studio, and going that step up phase
Great video, thank you for the advice and for having the courage to talk about such a subject. Love your content!
I totally went through this, so it's awesome to hear your story. I am on the back end of that journey now I think - doing things again on my terms this time
Great sharing; I'm happy to see you in good shape!
This video needed to be made. Fair play. I'm at my 100% of burnout at the minute, and have just landed jobs with bigger signed artists.. the kind that I've always wanted. But I'm actually sitting here thinking, if it means sitting at a screen again for 13 hours a day for the next year. I don't even know if I want it. And if more big artists come, maybe il never be away from the computer. I was really fit 2 years ago, now have a little belly... and I'm just thinking as much as I love music, there has to be more to life than staring at a computer screen. I'm considering going back to part time so that I can just work the jobs I'm pumped about and actually have a life for the other half of the week. Maybe even get a part time gardening job. Sometimes working at your passion full time, will suck the passion out of it. And genuinely to anyone who loves music and production... consider that some people may be happier doing it part time rather than full time.
I know what you're talking about man! You probably don't need to step away or go part time... just start building in buffer time to your schedule. Take a full week off in between records. Limit the # of hours you work every day in the studio and take at least one day off per week. I was super worried bands would push back on those limits when I started, but no one ever said a word about it.
I’m not saying you drink but I did want to share that cutting out alcohol (I stopped for medical reasons after my burn out - since then it just gives me headaches and I can’t enjoy it anymore, thankfully) has been really good for my physique - wallet and energy. Anyways good luck and hope you find your balance.
Great video. I’ve been wrestling with these things as I’m currently in the “friendships diminishing” stage. I’ve been feeling like burnout is on the horizon and that I need to pull back somewhat.
This is dope because I just went through a major crash mentally due to burnout a couple months ago. Dealing with majority rap/hip-hop acts, tracking everyday for 5+ got pretty mundane especially with the state of music quality today. I’m still recovering from the guilt of leaving so many of my die-hard clients hanging, but the tips you’ve provided helps me see foresight getting back to doing what I love eventually.
Great video! Thanks for sharing your experience...it really resonated 🙂
Exactly what I'm experiencing at the moment, since some clients are annoyed by my tardiness and irresponsibility, which has cost me some great opportunities. I also feel that I am not as productive or creative when I am doing what I love. I don't feel like I'm improving myself, but rather getting down and having no joy. I should start getting back on track now. Gosh! Your words tell me what I'm facing and how to overcome it. Thank you so much.
I graduated from School of Audio Engineering in the early 90s. At the time, I was already working in the music industry ( not as an engineer ) and the only gigs were unpaid internships. I had bills and a paid job that I liked. So, I never ended up working regularly as an engineer. At a certain point, I was asked to help re-mix an album that the label I was working for had ready for release ( or so they thought until I listened to the final mix that the band delivered ). That was a great experience. I spent an entire week in UB40's studio in Birmingham working with a mix engineer as his assistent. By the end of the week, I had no idea what time it was anymore ( and only barely what day it was ). The studio had no daylight. That experience made me realise that, if I did ever get regular studio work, I'd have a very hard time grinding it out for 12 to 14 hours a day for days on end.
Unfortunately, I never have been in a position since to even try to make a living mixing and / or recording. It's all just a pretty elaborate hobby for me.
Great video! I think it's very important to schedule downtime for sure and I'm not even a pro mixer. Just life in general will burn you out. You can't grind for ever without consequence! Thanks for sharing this story and putting out great content to absorb!
All the best,
Brooke
Thanks for sharing all these personal insights!
Loved hearing this, thank you for sharing. Think it's something that creeps up for many people, in many careers, and something that's as much as an important talking point as any in depth engineering tutorial or highlight. Keep up the great content
Excellent advice brother. Thanks for sharing your journey. I've been there as well. 👍🏻
This is my story exactly. I was playing in 2 bands, recording bands from all over the USA. I didn’t know how to manage the business side of it well, but I loved what I did. The money never equaled the amount of hours I put in because I was obsessed with quality. Making people play well and doing everything awesome upfront. Anyway. I feel ya man. It made me age 20 years 😂
Wow Jordan, great video. This is just what I needed to hear. I’m not in music production..just a hobbyist recording Nut and drummer. I have
my own business in a different field altogether and having been working too much and feeling burnt out and inefficient. I’m going take your advice and change up my work practice and get my life balance back in order. Many thanks for the inspiration. Subscribed to your channel now and love it. 👍🥁😀
this has been the most helpful video i think you’ve ever posted. thanks for the honesty and transparency
Great advices, thanks a lot!
Hey Jordan, thanks for sharing this with us, specially that jerk move. It also happened to me, not with a band but with a relationship, I lived in another city where I had no friends or family and was completely burned out, the idea of being there was so unbearable that I decided to move back to my hometown and left this relationship out of the blue. I don't see how it could have gone any other way... It's very important to bring awareness on this type of mental health issues. We tend to undervalue how much we can take until we're too late to get out of it safely.
Great video man. I’m starting to gain some traction in my city too and I’ll definitely keep this video close to heart. Thanks for sharing and being vulnerable dude, very appreciated.
Good video! That happened in SAE Institute Miami, with my teachers, for them, teaching was a way of balancing the crazy Studio hours, so it was more calm and chill just to teach…nice video sir!
thank you of opening up and sharing this to the world. i will take this into thought as i progress in life. :)
On point! Love the marathon perspective
Thanks for your openness!
I crashed hard about 15 years ago...booking the studio up to two years in advance...but through that I also realized that the world doesn't stop if I need a break, and although lots of clients have hard deadlines that need to be met, many just created false deadlines to get their project fast tracked, which meant I lost sleep and family time, but in the end, after they got their masters, they would sit the project for another six months while they figured out artwork and release strategies...that lesson alone allowed me to relax my schedule, be selective about clients and ultimately be able to do my job again.
Great video. Relatable and encouraging
hahaha loved seeing the Structures EP pop up. Great times in that little farm. Love the channel and all you do Jordan, whenever someone asks about a course to follow I always suggest yours. Keep up the great work man!
Yo! Thanks man
@@hardcoremusicstudio Thank you my man. So glad to see you doing so well on here. You definitely deserve it
I needed this J. Im totally feeling burned out and lost. Thanks for sharing this.
that some good advices ! and really helps alot thanks!
I graduated from a film school in India in sound engineering in 1977. In last 45 years I have worked for 12 or more hours for almost 30 years.Now i have my studio just for Passion.It is irrelevant whether I make money from the studio as my passive income takes care of all my expenses but I can't live without my studio.I want to run it till I am fit to run it.Audio engineering has given me name fame and fortune.I have 3 kids but myself and my wife consider the studio as our 4 th child.I have got the greatest joy more than any carmal desire when I got the mix right , appreciated by one and all and made money in the good old times when audio was more of a business and less of a promotion.If i have a rebirth then also I would do audio engineering only in my next incarnation.
Thanks for sharing this experience. Good to hear that you took your lessons from it and improve your overall life. That is what everybody is living for.
A lot to think about. Excellent content again 👌
You’re totally right about this my brother. And this mentality goes for just about anything. I’ve done the studio engineering thing, broadcast. Touring AS a band member…most recently, my wife and I went all in on a travel CZcams channel, and now I’m doing CZcams music reactions, and I’m also an advocate for a debilitating disease that I have… along side being a professional photographer as well. Giving a workshop in about 2 hours actually!
Point is…too much of ANYTHING is bad. We’ve burned ourselves out of making travel videos…and this music reaction thing has picked up FAR more than I ever thought. Luckily, we’ve found that we HAVE to take our own time away from these things and decompress. Yes, money is good…but being happy is better. When “living the dream” is more of a hassle and turns depressing….well, then you gotta change that.
It’s taken a while to figure all this out…just like it did with you….but we’re much happier! Now it’s about finding the balance between it all, and keeping it enjoyable!
Cheers for this video…you’re going to help a lot of people out with this. Gained a sub my brother.
🤘🏽😎🤘🏽
Thank you for the advice!
Excellent video. We speak about this a lot, often when people hit the wall it can be too late. Great work.
Great video Jordan!
This topic is so important! It happened to me with working in the field I was passionate about...Music production and recording is also my passion but it's also my hobby. I'm a professional Bike mechanic. And I'm also passionate about cycling and sometimes you have to take a step back so you can appreciate how lucky you are to be able to do what you love for a living. I took a year break from cycling and it just allows the passion to come back...
Solid video. Took a lot of courage to do this. Breakdown to breakthrough!!
Congrats on 100K subs Jordan!
I've experienced this on a smaller scale and it can definitely effect the passion. Breaks and respectful and creative artists remind me why I enjoy working in a music studio.
So true! Thanks for sharing.
Damn, thanks for sharing this, this really took a load off. I start studying audio engineering in October and I really do value a good work-life balance and I always dreaded the thought that you can only make it in this bussines if you really more or less give up your life and only work for a more or less endlessly long time. Thanks for that video.
Really appreciated you sharing this, man. Hustle is good, but balance is also key!
This is good shit dude. Thanks for talking about this.
Thank you for sharing your story!
This hit a little too close to home. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's super helpful.
Thanks for sharing your story!
a needed video... after suffering a stroke a year ago likely due to poor health choices and stress in the studio, i've taken that year to recover and truly look at what is important to me and this reinforces my new decisions. i am now ready to start again and excited to push on and learn more, yet celebrate the experience i have EARNED over decades of recording...
no joke there about raising rates... once i did, more professional and serious clients started calling.
This reminds me a lot of adjusting to music school. It took the enjoyment out of music and I didn’t want to do anything after classes that hindered my growth.
Great video Couldn’t have came at a better time !!! Thank you !!
Great advice! I've experienced a little of the burnout a while ago and have tried a few of these things - they really do help! Investing in tools to do the work faster was a huge one for me. A 20+ input interface / mixer means you're not unplugging all the drum mics to record other things hehe
Great video!
Love this dude. Keeping it real
Thank you for sharing! This is tips that are valuable for other kinds of work than inside a studio. I work as a system developer. I see these things all the time. I also have been very stressed about work and wuality. All your tips are so true! All love from me!
I relate so much. there was a time when I couldn't even go to the studio, I literally had to turn back halfway there because my throat would just seize up out of anxiety. balance is harder than it would seem at first glance
You're in Guelph! Right on, I live near there. Subbed.
Great advice!
Man i started mixing and mastering and it turned into a full time thing . Watching this video feels like u are speaking about me
Thanks for sharing that, all too real, it is such a big nono to /not be always on when it comes to any creative field.
It's like you are talking about my life...I've had a long full time career as a producer/mixer and the grind has definitely grizzled me and has taken away my joy for music to some degree. I've def taken some of your advice in recent years, I very rarely ever do an in person session longer than 4 hours, i raised my rates, and I've started saying no to projects that I'm not into or where I have concerns that things will get out of hand in ways that I don't want to experience anymore. I recently did a mix for probably one of the coolest bands I've ever worked with who sought me out and after reading their extensive mix revisions and realizing that at least one of the band members was an amateur mixer with serious "demo love" I just cracked and told them "I'm sorry but I'm not the guy". It was scary but ultimately liberating. The best part is they totally understood and I think they respected the fact that I was honest with them. Thanks for this video, I needed this and I'm sure a lot of other full timers do too. ❤
Great Video, thanks a lot 🙏
I like to record my instruments and I also hire some musicians to participate in the recording and playing the arrangements created by me. And at the end of the recording process I hire a mix engineer to mix the whole thing. So the process is much less stressful, more fun and plural, and a very nice end result.
thanks! great topic to discuss
Great Video!!
Big up man! Very honest
Thanks, that was my life for a long time! Ambition can be deteriorating a decade later. Tips are spot on
I love that Intervals record. Nice!
Thanks that’s the video I need it to see 🔥🔥
I’ve been in this position over the past few months and lately I’m definitely taking a bit more time out of office (studio), and things have opened up in my life quite a bit 🙏🏼 - Red Curl
Highly generious of you to share man! - best 10 mins I have ever watched!
Ah, thank you!
Absolutely brilliant advice!! I almost lost everything by being obsessed with my studio work. This is awesome advice for up-and-coming producers.
My father is Bruce Swedien, 5-time Grammy Award winning recording engineer and record producer and there is no dark side to working in the recording studio. You're there to create beautiful music, it's a privilege. Jesus, quit whining.
I've been suffering from Ear and Brain fatigue, need a balance view!! Thanks for sharing your story!!
My 9 to 5 is usually teaching people how to become truckdrivers in sweden. All shitty experiences i have had, i put on the table. And even if people can get a bit afraid it often comes back positive. There's lots to be learned from these situations across the board. At the moment i am in the midst of a burnout. And one of my go to "medicines" is to make, produce and learn about what you talk about. A huge fan of your content. My go 2! Keep the flame going!
Your candor is refreshing.
great video!
It's always good to show both side the good and the bad, still waiting for my first client but fingers crossed with keep pushing my web site I will get one soon, and with the help I get from Bobby Torres and yourself my mixes are getting better
Great advice bro I am feeling like this right now
Great Videos! Coming from video production to music production, I realize how behind the software is lol. I can do soooo much with very little in the video editor and after effects. It's absolute hell just to sample a snare properly lol. It's 2023 and I really hope these companies get it together.
This is great advice!
thanks for this !
Thank you so much brother, your experience helped me a lot. I was suffering before i saw this video.
Oh MAN!!…. This was totally me in the 90’s.
Same exact course of action. 🤷♂️