Ear fatigue is a common problem in the studio, especially for us mixing engineers.

After a few hours of mixing, our ears aren't as "sharp". We get used to what we hear, and lose perspective on what sounds good and what doesn't.

It can trick as into making bad mixing decisions, without even realizing it. That's why today I want to share with you 7 ways of dealing with ear fatigue.

Take Frequent Short Brakes

One very effective way to avoid ear fatigue is to take a 5 minute break every 30-60 minutes or so.

Get a nice drink, go outside, or talk to some friends.

Just do something else that's unrelated to music.

Let your ears refresh and "reset".

By taking these breaks, you can avoid ear fatigue almost completely.

Your ears will stay "neutral" for your entire mixing session, and they won't alter the sound you hear.

You'll be more confident in your mixing decisions, knowing that they are based on how your mix truly sounds, and not on a false image created by ear fatigue.

If you're not doing it already, now it's the time to start.

Take some breaks and save your mixes!

Use The Rough Mix

Using a rough mix is a great way to avoid over mixing and over processing. When we mix the same song for a few hours, we get further and further away from the raw recordings, sometimes too far away.

We get used to the sounds we created. Bright tracks don't sound bright anymore, so we boost the highs even more.

We don't hear as much bass, so we keep adding more of it.

The drums aren't punchy enough, so we add another compressor. And the next day you come back to this mixing session and it sounds horrible. We do all of that over processing just because our ears are tired, and don't hear the mix the way it really is.

We end up hurting are mix. Referencing back to the rough mix immediately reveals how much processing have we done, and if it's too much. It can literally save you from hours of tweaking that end up ruining your mix. If you haven't received a rough mix from your client, ask them for one.

You can also make one yourself, by creating a static mix with no effects or plugins at all, only volume and pan balancing.

Then render it down to a file, and insert it into your mixing session.

Mix In Low Volumes

Mixing in low volumes has so many benefits for us, if you're not doing it already, you're really missing out.

One of these benefits is having substantially less ear fatigue.

High volume levels cause our ears to get fatigued much faster.

Keeping your volume low will not only make your mixing decisions better, but also keep your ears at their best shape for a much longer period of time.

Making your mixing time much more productive.

Switch To Headphones

Using headphones is not a cure for ear fatigue, but it's still a good way to ״wake up" your ears.

Our ears (and brain) can easily get used to the sound of our studio monitors, altering our hearing and possibly ignoring some sonic problems. Switching to your studio headphones will expose your ears to a new EQ curve, giving them a new perspective on the mix, and possibly exposing things that you haven't heard before on your monitors.

Just don't get stuck on your headphones too much, as they might cause ear fatigue faster than your studio monitors.

It's also important to know the pros and cons of mixing on headphones, as it will help you use them better.

Use Reference Tracks

While reference tracks won't have any effect on your ear fatigue, they can still be very helpful when dealing with it. Even if you mix for a few hours straight and your ears aren't at their best shape, you can still listen to a reference track that will guide you on what sounds good.

You might think that suddenly your reference track doesn't sound as good, but you'll know that it's just your tired ears affecting your hearing.

When you're a few hours into the mix and you feel like it doesn't sound so good, take a listen to your reference tracks.

It will immediately tell you if it's really your mix that doesn't sound good, or if it's just your ear fatigue fooling you. It only takes a minute to do, and can save you hours of work.

Reference tracks are also important for many other things, that's why I wrote an entire article about why you should use reference tracks.

Work On Another Project

If you have more than one project (or song) on the line, it might be a good idea to work on them together. Switching mixing sessions after an hour or two of work is a good way to stay "fresh". Expose your ears to a new song and a new mix, and don't let them wear out and get used to the same song for too many hours.

I know that some people don't like working on two different projects at the same time, but if that's not a problem for you, give this trick a try.

Call It A Day

When all else fails, maybe it's just the time to let the mix go for the rest of the day, and come back tomorrow.

Don't forget about this option, as it might just be the solution for you.

Hopefully these tips and methods will help you mix more productively, and keep your workflow healthier and more efficient.

So don't forget to try them on your next mixing session!

Do you suffer from ear fatigue?

Do you use any of those methods?

Got any method of your own?

Share it all in the comments!