Mixing while high: does it work for you?

[soundguy]

when Im fucked up, I can never "sodder" as well as when Im "solber".

hmm.

dave

[loudmusic]

DAve,

That's not nise.

Martin

[Lavahead]

Damn. It sounds like soundguy dave has had a good time.

As long as a client can't even suspect that you are not sober, whether by your behavior or by the sound, then I think whatever is fine.

[wing]

i've used acid before.

sonic foundry acid, that is! haha, suckers! i hope i never have to use that program again. screw all that fancy crap, i'm all about sound recorder.

but seriously, i personally think that someone with true talent and skill is able to do an awesome job without the help of anything that physically alters them. i would also say that having more control of yourself will make for a much better mix.

[helstab]

weak

[EasyGo]

I guess it depends whether or not the person doing the mixing is a habitual stoner. If the mixer is not ordinarily stoned, I'd suspect the mixing high experience would be more of a departure from mixing without.

Personally, I don't think marijuana hinders one's ability to listen critically and make judgements. But I think it may make the results seem more exciting than they really may be. Similarly, I think the natural euphoria of making/recording music can cause the same false sense of excitement that may not hold up objectively over time.

Just my two puffs

[MoreSpaceEcho]

with the MAOI inhibitor it lasts six hours....

are you serious?!?

is it that intense the whole time?

yikes.

[XXGABEXX]

As for the straight edge gang...

I really respect you guys. I was a vegetarian in pretty hostile country for a long time and know how hard it can be....

BUT, why? are you so militant? If you don't know the actual effect of drugs or alcohol... how can you honestly have an opinion about whether they are good or bad?

This is intended as a totally respectful inquiry and not an attempt to piss you off and start a war... I'm serious. How do you know getting high at some time wont help your art? Does your willingness to discover have limitations. (for example, yes mine have always beeen heroin/crack, and NOW acid and mushrooms, X too.) But you see I found out on my own. I KNOW what they are.

Dwlb pretty much hit the nail on the head. Except my reasoning goes a little further. I too have family members (and former close friends) with problems. So I have the potentially addictive personality, but I also feel I have to be in control of myself at all times. So much so, that I don't even ride things like roller coasters. This in itself could also be a problem I realize, but it's less likely to get me into trouble - mentally, physically or especially legally.

I'm not really militant either. I don't lecture or preach. It's all for me. So I guess I'm selfishly straight edge.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately?) I'm one of the types who at a party doesn't need a drink to "loosen up". I'm naturally a freak.

As for music and having different ears, I've got a little system to keep everything fresh. I work on about 20 of my own songs at a time. If I think I've finished one, I put it in a separate folder and forget about it until I'm finished with everything else. Then I go back and almost hear it again for the first time. Sometimes I'll go months without hearing a song I recorded. Keep in mind I've only been seriously recording for about 2 years now and I pretty much only record my own garbage at night and on weekends.

The comedian Jim Gaffigan has a good bit about how he doesn't drink and how others react to this fact. And while it's funny, it also says a lot about how much importance people put on alcohol. <---- mind you, that's not a cut on anyone, just an observation.

I'm totally open minded about almost everything and I completely understand your side too. Thanks for at least taking the time to ask. Most people just make assumptions. But I guess that's how most peoples' minds work. I'm also an Atheist, but Christians never ask why.

-GABE

[cheexolicious]

Hi,

I wasn't going to get into this one, because everybody's got their way of mixin, and their way of livin. and if it works for you, then yer all set.

But my 2 cents..

There is a thing called state learning. Y'all probably know what this is already, if not, it says that if you learn to do something while in a particular "state", (which can be stoned, as well as drunk, stressed out, tired, pissed off, totaly at peace, relaxed, etc..) you will be better at doing that something when you are in that state.

So what the venerable Brian Beattie said about

If the mixes you make when you're high are no good, you're just not practicing enough.

Is actually true. If you want to be good at mixing when you're high or whatever, you should mix that way all the time and you'll eventually get good at it.

My own personal experience with this phenomenon is that then if you want to be able to mix well while either high, or not high, you have to get good at both atmospheres.

It can be likened to performing. You're band has been practicing religiously in the practice room, you've got your set nailed to the wall. Then you get your first gig! Awsome we're gonna rock so hard! but the gig comes and everybody plays like dog shit, or maybe the bass player who'se never been in a band before can't seem to hold it together. Playing in a club, in front of people through monitors and shit is way way different than rocking out in yer dad's garage. Untill you get used it and get comfortable with the deal, yer going to suck for a while.

My other cent is,

If you're making music for stoners ...

[Kremovich]

If you do it all the time, isn't the effect going to wear off? So if you get enough 'practice' it'll be just like you're not stoned anyway, hence being better at it? Maybe not...

Anyway, I think this thread is quite interesting, and wanted to add my two cents:

I, like I think 2 other people who have posted here, have never smoked or drank anything. What they said was exactly right on, but I want to take a slightly different view:

I hate the taste of alcohol and don't see the point of getting drunk. I can't stand regular cigarettes, for obvious reasons. Same goes for Weed (the smell makes me want to puke). I think all that stuff's pretty unhealthy, and I don't like it anyway, so I've never done it. (same reason I don't eat bananas... I just dont like them.) I hate when I'm at a show and there are 3 or 4 people standing right next to me (I don't know why it always happens this way) who are drunk, then get smoke up, and act obnoxious throughout the whole show, singing along louder than the singer of the band, ruining the show which I paid so much money, which is so scarce for me. That's why I don't do it.

But people have used the "Don't knock it till you've tried it" argument on me plenty of times, as I've seen here, and it makes no sense. I've seen plenty of my friends' lives nearly ruined because they had sex before they were married, got the girl pregnant and had a hell of a lot of trouble sorting everything out, and now have to pay child support. So since I've seen the effects of this, I don't do it. I've seen what drugs do to people around me, my friends, etc. and I don't want to go there. So is it bad that I won't do something even though I've never tried it? Just because you haven't done it, doesn't mean you haven't "found out on your own." Some might say my willingness to discover is low, but I think I've already discovered... not what it does to me, but those around me. I've never raped anyone, surprisingly, because I don't care what I may discover by doing that, no matter how much it may help my art. Users get offended by this logic for some reason. same goes for people who eat meat when you tell them you're a vegetarian... they get pissed off and think you're trying to push your views on them, when really all you're doing is making a personal choice.

But I say, whatever you do is up to you, as long as you're not hurting/impeding/ruining a concert for anyone else.

Having said that, maybe I should get myself to like beer, since I hear one or two before a show does wonders for stage presence...

[Nozzler]

mixing under any circumstance requires tonnes of focus. if you lose focus when you are high, then you shouldn't be mixing. so if you get stoned and your attention to detail, or your focus has retained itself in the process, your mixes will sound like they should regardless of your mental state. (already stated twice, i think)

but sometimes when a person does has the primo pot, you can get confused for an hour or so. just be prepared to lose an hours pay and hope the client isn't too upset in the process. personally, if the band is getting blitzed all afternoon into the evening there has to be someone who can "weed" out the shit. but at the same time joining in can get yourself on their mental plain/plane!

you've got feel the vibe out!

the vibe co-ordinator

[drdavid3d]

Like all things this is relative. I liked the reply about if you can't do it you're not practicing enough.

I may date myself here, but I remember sessions "back in the year" where there were lines of heroin laid out on the desk. Some of these sessions went platinum. So there you go.

Brian Wilson once replied to this question as follows:

Drugs are great while composing or writing. I have some of my best inspirations while I am high, but I never do them while in the studio."

Of course those of us that survived intact did so because we exercised moderation and learned from all the od's suicides and ruined lives we observed happening to the greatest names in the business.

I miss those great talents deeply in my heart everytime I either use a technique I learned from the engineering side or hear a magnificent track on the other side of the looking glass.

Because of this I haven't done any hard drugs for about 20 years.

I still find that one or two puffs bring an incredible focus to my ears while tracking and mixing. I never drink at all during tracking because when you have to troubleshoot circuits, it can be a nightmare.

I do share one or two beers with clients during the mix when it is appropriate with a particular client.

I never use any substances at all while mastering. At that point in the game more than any other you are literally "making history" so it is just not appropriate.

It is all relative and one must make responsible decisions that work for them.

Of course I have and would immediately dismiss any engineer that acted irresponsibly in the room at any time whether there was a client present or not, due to the fact that a simple mistake can be fatal to expensive gear.

Just my thoughts and experience.

dr.david

[bern]

On every project I do, I usually end up having a drink or two and do a couple of mixes. I find that it allows me to crawl inside the mix in ways I wouldn't usually. Usually it's really minute things like bumping a snare a bit or maybe pushing this guitar a bit more or panning this or that. In the end, I'll use those mixes about 1 out of 10 times.

[gone]

...

[loudmusic]

To the straight edgers... It seems like everyone who replied basically said the same thing about having a family history of addiction. I completely understand and respect you for your choice. I'm know I'm lucky not to have a family history like that, but consequently have a much more cavalier attitude regarding drugs. Maybe I'll start a new trend in the family??

Good luck to all, and to each... his own,
Martin