ear breaks?

[digital eagle audio]

i've only had one all day session thus far (yes, i'm just that green), so i'm not entirely sure what the protocol with ear breaks is. i've only seen my engineers do this, so i'm trying to get a better feel for what other people do. so y'know, how often, how long, do clients understand that we need them, etc? also, what do you tend to do while ear breaking?

[cgarges]

I try to go no more than four hours without taking a few minutes. Especially during mixing. I'll usually get up from the console at a good stopping point, rub my ears a bit and tell the clients I'm gonna give myself an ear break for five or ten minutes. No one has ever objected. I'll usually walk out of the room for a bit, but I definitely don't listen to any music. I'm really big into keeping a vibe and a cool working relationship going, so I usually just hang with the clients and talk to them, even if it's in the studio lounge or something. Usually it's about something not related to their project. (I think those kind of mental breaks are good, too.) Every few breaks, a bigger break usually needs to occur, maybe twenty minutes or so, if not an out and out meal break. Just depends on the day. Sometimes it's easy to get into the flow of the session and not want to stoop, but it's important to make sure you do, even if you feel okay. If you don't stop for a bit, I think there's a "point of no return" where your ears can just get wiped for the rest of the day.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[joel hamilton]

There have been times where i simply can NOT take even 4 minutes to myself because of scheduling and many hired guns coming/going...

I have to just remind myself that if the OH's were bright enough at 4pm, they probably are still briht enough at 10pm....

[rich]

i have to take breaks after every couple songs during mixing. if i dont i often start second guessing myself and the songs begin to sound inconsistant .i also dont care to go over 8 hours behind the consloe as i feel the quality of my work begins to slide.

[Russian Recording]

I think that giving yourself a break is more important to the sound of a mix than a $2000 compressor. I've learned to let the mix marinate. I will usually take at least 2-3 breaks per song, at least 10 minutes each, a longer one just before printing to tape. It depends on the complexity of the mix. Ideally I would like two 20 minute breaks with one 30-60 minute break before laying it down. Sometimes ther just isn't enough time for that...

mike

[brian beattie]

I'm not on the clock, so I break whenever I feel like it. It pays off.
brian

[Neve Studer]

Go outside. Any time of year.

[drumsound]

Usually when things don't sound clear to me is when I take a break. Just the other day I was to a point that I couldn't really hear the pitches of the bass part. We finished the part we were doing and I said I need to take a break. The client and I talked for about five minutes. We then talked about the next overdub and set up for it so that was another few minutes without the speakers blaring and I was good to go.

When I? ['m mixing alone I often take a little walk when I start to feel confused. It helps immensely.

I don't let people smoke in the studio so often times the band 'dictates' the breaks, which is good too.